Monday Bolts – 12.10.12
OKC’s No. 1 in NBA.com’s power rankings: “Last season, the Thunder scored 5.3 points per 100 possessions more than the league average. This season: 9.2, making them the best offensive team since the 2003-04 Mavericks. On Sunday, they rolled through the Pacers’ defense, which ranked No. 1 before the game started. The only teams that have held them under a point per possession are the Spurs and … the Pistons.”
Ian Levy for HP on shot selection: “Durant definitely seems to trend towards the shooting himself into a rhythm thread as well – nearly 40% of his shots in the first quarter come from mid-range. From there to the third quarter his mid-range attempts steadily decline while his three-point attempts and shots in the restricted area climb. In the fourth quarter his distribution is fairly consistent but his efficiency is particularly note-worthy – his eFG% is at least 53.0% from every area of the floor.”
Enjoy. Forever.
Darnell Mayberry: “Eric Maynor played some solid ball during that early stretch, which was significant for this reason: he’s still the backup point guard. Some might have had questions coming in after Reggie Jackson was sent to Tulsa for a game, perhaps a sign the team wanted to allow him to knock the cobwebs off. Couple that with the fact that Maynor got 20 games as the primary backup and, well, you start to wonder, I guess. But Maynor came in and scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting with four assists and no turnovers in 14 minutes. His defense was great, but if you’re surprised by that you must not have paid attention to Eric Maynor over the years. Considering how Maynor’s played much of the year, it was an encouraging performance, one that showed he’s still can run the offense effectively, get teammates involved score when called upon.”
Congrats to friend and boss Henry Abbott for running a marathon in under three hours.
Jenni Carlson: “On a night when the Thunder found itself locked in a grinder with the defensive-minded Pacers, it was the boys in blue who turned into defensive Dobermans and won going away. Thunder 104, Pacers 93. People might talk about Kevin Martin’s big first half or Kevin Durant’s monster fourth quarter or Westbrook’s offense down the stretch. But the Thunder won this game because of defense. It started with that Westbrook block.”
I had the opportunity to write for the Sunday edition of the New York Times.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com ranks OKC second: “More evidence to suggest that the post-Harden healing process is moving at a brisk pace: OKC has just reeled off 12 straight 100-point games. Have to rewind all the way to the 1994-95 season, when the GP-and-Kemp Sonics did it 19 straight times, for the last time this franchise has managed that.”
