Monday Bolts: 6.5.17

Enes Kanter’s father was arrested on Friday in Turkey: “Mehmet Kanter was detained in his Istanbul home for an investigation undertaken by a prosecutor’s office in northwestern Turkey, according to the Anadolu news agency. Enes Kanter released a statement saying his father is being held because of his political views and that he may be tortured “simply for being my family member.”

Erik Horne on how Kanter hopes to re-unite with his family in the US: “As Kanter tried to piece together the last face-to-face with his father, he described him as easy-going, a guy who could never have an enemy. Despite that, Mehmet sits in jail while his son wishes for the day they’ll reunite stateside. “Trust me, I know my dad more than they do,” Kanter said Friday. “He’s an innocent man.”

Brett Dawson did a Q&A with Dakari Johnson: “These past two years have been great for me with the Blue — working on my game, working on my body — and seeing the progress. It’s been slow and steady, but I’ve been consistent. Always on the weights, eating better food. My whole game and body has changed, I feel like. That’s what I’ve been working on while I’ve been being patient and waiting for my opportunity.”

Bleacher Report’s latest mock has OKC taking UNC’s Justin Jackson at 21: “A 37 percent shooter from deep last season at UNC, Jackson averaged 18.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game to go along with 2.8 assists. His versatility will come in handy as he adjusts to the physicality of the NBA game, meaning that he will have to spend a lot of time in the weight room just to survive a full NBA season.” (Draft Express profile)

Russell Westbrook’s new spot for Samsung:

The bravest people in Oakland for last night’s Game 2:

The Warriors dismantled the Cavs again last night: “As they did Thursday night in Game 1, the Warriors torched the Cavs in the opening minutes of the second half. After the Cavaliers scored the first bucket of the quarter, the Warriors ripped off a 19-9 run and never trailed by less than 10 after the 4:28 mark of the third quarter. By the time Curry pulled up and drained a 26-footer off a miss by Kyrie Irving on the other end with a little more than six minutes remaining, the Warriors led by 22.”

Matt Moore of CBS on the pointless exercise of picking an alpha between KD and Curry: “You can’t even look at Game 2 and say who was better between the two. Durant finished two steals shy of a 33-point, 5-by-5 night, in a Finals game for crying out loud, and yet it was when Curry began to draw fire from the sky in the third quarter that the game broke open. Curry was brilliant, electric, but there was KD, lifting and firing over James, getting to the rim, knocking down everything. You could spend the time to figure out which was better, but you’d first have to make the world stop spinning.”

Kevin O’Conner says KD is the best center in basketball right now: “After Draymond Green fell into foul trouble during the third quarter, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr put Durant at the 5 — a position he had played for only eight minutes this season, entering the night, per NBA Wowy. Over a five-minute stint, the Warriors extended their lead to 14, and Durant thrived; the stretch was a microcosm of Durant’s technicolor performance that left him two steals short of a 5×5, with 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks.”

Paul Pierce said KD may be the best player alive. SI on why that isn’t true: “Look, can you make an argument for Durant? Sure. But what has LeBron done in these two games to make anyone think he is not the best player on the planet? Cleveland falls apart when James sits for so much as a minute. He’s not only averaging a triple double for the series, he’s posted a double double in the first half of each game. Watching James relentlessly attack the rim Sunday was breathtaking. On the list of reasons why Cleveland is down 2–0, LeBron doesn’t even qualify.”

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post on how the non-competitive Finals is scary for the NBA: “These Finals must be making the league nervous. The team with the best player can never be counted out, and LeBron James remains the best player in the world, despite the argument Durant is currently submitting. It would be a mistake to dismiss Cleveland. It would be equally foolish not to recognize the strong chance that for the remainder of the Finals, and perhaps beyond, the Warriors’ only competition will be history. “Sure, the fan in me would love to see more competition at times,” Commissioner Adam Silver said before Game 1. “But on the other hand, I’ve said it before, I think we should also celebrate excellence.”