Thursday Bolts – 11.19.08

Kevin Durant on his childhood hero Vince Carter: “When I was growing up, I always thought Vince was the best. I

still look up to him, and I’m still a big fan,” Durant said. “I used to watch his highlights as a kid. When I was about 11, my mom bought me a Vince Carter jersey and shorts, his Raptors uniform, and I wore it to every game. I guess that’s a little embarrassing to say now, but it’s something I’ll never forget.” Durant’s innocence was refreshing. It made him and everyone around him smile. But it’s probably not the kind of competitive edge that the Thunder needed from him. He is on the verge of becoming an NBA All-Star, but he sure didn’t play like one Wednesday night, sinking to his worst performance of the season.”

FanHouse’s power rankings: “Don’t look now, but the Thunder are still above .500 in the middle of November. Not exactly the biggest feat, but considering wins over the Spurs, Heat, and the Magic, the potential is there for this team to make a playoff run. But they’ve got to get better consistency from the Big 3 (Durant, Green, Westbrook), and quit losing silly games like Sunday’s banana-peel blooper against the Clippers.”

Kevin Durant on competing for the scoring title: “I doubt it. There are too many good scorers in the league,” Durant said. “That’s not what I’m focused on is getting a scoring title … You have guys like LeBron (James) and D-Wade, Kevin Martin, Carmelo (Anthony) and Kobe Bryant. I’m nowhere near that company. I’m just trying to do what I need to do for Oklahoma City.”

David Thorpe has James Harden 11th in his rookie rankings: “Harden has been a big disappointment as a shooter/scorer thus far, shooting just 33 percent from the field. However, no one is panicking in OKC, nor should they be. He looks good shooting the ball, and he is such a great passer and ball mover that fans and executives in Oklahoma City just know he’ll end up being fine.”

The 66ers are holding a free intrasquad scrimmage.

Third Quarter Collapse on last night’s game: “Speaking about Pietrus, he played well in the period. He was able to get things going offensively, attacking the basket in the fast break or in the half-court, as well as making his patented three-pointer from the corner. Likewise, Mickael’s defense on Kevin Durant was outstanding. Time after time, Pietrus forced Durant to put up a tough shot with a hand in his face. By the end of the evening, Kevin’s stat-line was as followed: 12 points (4-12 FG, 0-4 FT), 1 assist, and 5 turnovers.”

The fan that won KD’s “prize pack” posted a Youtube video showing it all off.

The Orlando Sentinal: “The play of the night epitomized the Orlando Magic’s energy, effort and economy of movement against a rising team that’s Thunder the radar. It began against Oklahoma City in the opening quarter with a save by Vince Carter, who flipped the ball to Jason Williams, who was ready to run his tattoos off. Williams threw a perfect bounce pass to Rashard Lewis, who tossed another bull’s-eye bounce-pass to Mickael Pietrus, who dunked it home. It wasn’t exactly Tinker to Evers to Chance, the old baseball poem about a vaunted double-play combination, but the fastbreak connection grew contagious.”