Monday Bolts – 5.2.16

Berry Tramel: “So Leonard is OK with Westbrook driving by him, which Westbrook did

repeatedly Saturday night. But the likes of Duncan and Aldridge were waiting, and Westbrook made just three of 11 shots on drives to the basket. Leonard’s long arms helped keep Westbrook’s jumpers at bay and didn’t exactly hurt when trying to contain Durant, too. The Thunder talked bravely Sunday, saying Westbrook got to his spots. Well, yes, but the Spurs don’t mind Westbrook getting to some spots, because they’re fortified.”

Erik Horne: “So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see the players in a lighter mood after a 32-point drubbing in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. After practice on Sunday, Russell Westbrook wore a shirt over his head, trying to psyche out Kevin Durant who was shooting one-handed 3-pointers from the corner. Durant chided Mitch McGary about tripping in practice, blaming it on McGary’s shoes. McGary wears Durant’s Nike KD8.”

Pounding the Rock breaking down how the Spurs killed OKC: “At this point, Aldridge plants for the pick and roll, and Ginobili uses an exaggerated crossover to start his attack. Because Durant was set up left, but the action has switched to the right, Serge Ibaka, Aldridge’s defender, shows towards Ginobili assuming Durant will be beat. This is logical, and if KD switched onto Aldridge, the Thunder would be fine as Ginobili would be forced to settle for a mid-range jumper. But Durant goes over the screen and somewhat recovers using his length and athleticism. Sensing that both Durant and Ibaka are focused on Manu, Aldridge subtely pushes off from Durant’s back and dives towards the rim (at 17 seconds left on the shot clock). This separation is key. With Durant’s length taking away the pull-up jumper and Ibaka snuffing out the drive, Manu’s only option is to pass. Aldridge has created just enough space to give Manu a target. Notice the fundamentals as Ginobili gets low to the ground and steps into his pass in order to thread the needle.”

This first person account from Cam Payne is pretty interesting: “As for Billy Donovan, he’s been terrific. He’s just real honest. He’s a big-time encouragement guy, just trying to make me better with him being in his first year and my first year. The other day we were at the airport and we had to walk around somewhere. He was, like, “I’m following you.” I’m, like, “I’m following you.” We’re, like, “We’re both just being rookies right now.” That was one of the little fun moments we had. He’s been helping me along the way big time.”

Anthony Slater breaking down Game 1: “Late in the third quarter, Ibaka missed a corner 3. Westbrook was under the hoop for an offensive rebound. But even after it became clear he wouldn’t get it, Westbrook remained behind the play. Parker got the outlet and raced it into the frontcourt. The Spurs don’t love to fastbreak, but will if you let them. Westbrook let them, slowly jogging behind Danny Green until Green noticed it and cut for a layup off a nice Parker feed.”

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical: “What happened in this 124-92 Spurs victory on Saturday night in the AT&T Center was downright jarring to the Thunder, promising to test the foundation, the fabric, of this franchise. Oklahoma City had come to these Western Conference semifinals finally healthy and strong and believing the partnership of Durant and Westbrook could sustain itself in a long series against the Spurs. Only the Thunder were an embarrassment. They let the Spurs take one open shot after another and lost them in transition and sometimes didn’t even run back on defense. They let the Spurs humiliate them and made more real the fear that the possibility of San Antonio taking them apart in this series could be the push that Durant needs to walk away for good, to believe everything has run its course here.”

Buck Harvey of the Express-News: “Collison wouldn’t change much over the years. West would become an All-Star while Collison remained a bench player; he has started fewer than 200 games in his career. Still, he would stay consistent and professional, as well as physical. Little wonder he became a fan favorite in Oklahoma City, and a Thunder charity event showed that. The club auctioned a pair of his sneakers. But not just any pair. After taking a blow to the head two years ago against the Spurs, he bled all over those sneakers.”