Monday Bolts – 3.18.13
Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas: “While Kevin Durant dominated, Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t even get the ball. Just look at the startling contrast between the two superstars’ lines during the fourth quarter of the Mavericks’ 107-101 loss Sunday night that further damaged Dallas’ dim playoff hopes. Durant went 7-of-11 from the floor in the final frame, torching the Mavs for 19 of his 31 points. Nowitzki was held to four points – all on free throws, not even attempting a field goal attempt – despite being 8-of-10 from the floor in the first three quarters. That illustrates the difference between two of the most unique, effective offensive weapons in NBA history at this point of their careers. The 24-year-old Durant is capable of taking over a game at any moment. The 34-year-old Nowitzki needs help to be put in position to dominate.”
From Elias: “Kevin Durant continues to lead the NBA in scoring, with an average of 28.3 points per game. But for quite some time, Durant hasn’t even been the highest scorer on his own team. Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 35 points in the Thunder’s 107-101 win at Dallas, and over Oklahoma City’s last 20 games, dating back to February 4, he has outscored Durant. The top five in the NBA during that time: James Harden, 27.8 points per game; LeBron James, 26.2; Kobe Bryant, 25.5; Westbrook, 25.3; Durant, 25.2.”
Mark Cuban booed Derek Fisher.
Loved Kelly Dwyer’s piece on taking the family to an NBA game: “Which takes me back to the original point. It’s worth it, as a parent or individual or fair-weather fan, to take in the live NBA experience. I’m not a shill, I don’t work for the league, I don’t care for its owners, and I’m not even a Pacers fan. I’m also mindful of the fact that, after $110, the whole crew won’t be going out to dinner for a while. I got my hoops fix in, watching one of the NBA’s better teams take down one of the NBA’s more entertaining crews. For the three members of my family that don’t know who Orlando Johnson is, though? It was an absolute blast. You can go to Pacer games, Indiana, and come out of the stadium without having to wear a barrel and suspenders. Give it a shot.”
Daily Thunder bracket group right here.
KD on his step-back: “I stole that from him. But I can’t do it as good as he can, of course. He’s one of those handful of guys I’d pay to go see. He’s winding down in his career. But I’m going to try to steal as much as I can while he’s still here.”
Darnell Mayberry: “Here’s the problem with Durant possibly becoming more aggressive in the opening period: that’s Westbrook’s time to go to work, be it by design of by default. Westbrook has developed into the starter log that ignites the Thunder’s offensive firepower. Sometimes it works perfectly. Other times it’s to the detriment of getting others involved. Tonight was an example of the latter. Westbrook scored 14 of the Thunder’s 24 first-quarter points but had just one assist. Though he was making his shots, five of seven to be exact, nobody else was getting into a rhythm. The same thing happened in the third quarter, when Westbrook scored 15 of the Thunder’s 23 points and Serge Ibaka, largely through hustling, was the only other Thunder player to score in the period. In that third period, the Thunder had one assist. It came from Kevin Martin. As good as Westbrook was at attacking in those two quarters, the Thunder still was outscored 49-47. By a below average Mavs team mind you. The question the Thunder must ask itself is whether that’s winning basketball.”
Ronnie Brewer reviews the new Die Hard movie.
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com: “In the games Martin has scored fewer than 10 points, the Thunder are 7-8. They’re 42-8 otherwise. … It begs the question whether OKC can survive three rounds in the West if Martin is not a consistent scoring threat, especially from beyond the arc? During this 2-5 spell when Martin scores in single figures, he is 6-for-20 from 3-point range (30 percent), well below his excellent 42.5 percent on the season. In the 15 games (10 against playoffs teams plus Utah in which OKC is 3-7) he’s just 11-for-56 (19.6 percent).”
KD and LeBron are the only players worth more than $20 million a year?
The Two Man Game: “The offensive rebounding from the Thunder, particularly from Serge Ibaka (18 points 16 rebounds including seven offensive) badly hurt the Mavericks. Due to the threat of Russell Westbrook (35 points, six assists), the Dallas big guarding Ibaka was forced to cheat over for additional help defense when Westbrook got a Maverick defender in an isolation situation. As a result, a smaller player usually had to rotate down to try to box out Ibaka which did not work.”