Thursday Bolts – 3.11.10
Kevin Durant, quote machine: On Emeka Okafor’s two airballed free throws: “I was just playing with him on the video game earlier and he was hitting jumpers, so that was a shock to me.”
Frank Hughes of SI looks at unsung players: “Thabo Sefolosha: With all the attention on Durant and the Thunder’s incredible rise from a lottery team to legitimate contender, Sefolosha has been, for the most part, forgotten. But he may very well be the next Ron Artest — without the wackiness. One only needs to look at the players Sefolosha guards to see how effective he is, and why the Thunder are ranked third in the league in opponents’ field-goal percentage (44.0).”
Darnell Mayberry noticing what a lot of others have said as well: “Is anybody else growing concerned about Jeff Green’s man-to-man defense? In consecutive games, Carl Landry took it to him, then West had his way tonight. Green does a lot of great things on the floor, but there are a lot of matchups against Western Conference power forwards that aren’t favorable for him. Typically, it’s written off because they can’t defend him at the other end. But at what point in the Thunder’s “process” might Green’s man-to-man defense become a barrier if not improved?”
David Thorpe what-ifs a bit and looks back at what the East could have done in the draft: “Russell Westbrook, Heat: The Bulls took Derrick Rose, and all is right in Chi-Town. But the same cannot be said in Miami, where Michael Beasley has been on a two-year roller-coaster ride. There has never been a question about his talent, but there always have been concerns about his motor and maturity. In the Heat’s defense, Beasley was the consensus No. 2 pick in the draft. But imagine instead the most athletic point guard in the NBA playing alongside Dwyane Wade. With Westbrook quarterbacking the team with his competitive drive, it’s easy to assume Miami would be a step closer to contending than it is now with Beasley.”
FanHouse power rankings: “OKC has won five of its last six, and barring a catastrophic collapse, a playoff berth seems almost assured. Now it’s time to think seeding, because while they’re just a half-game behind the Suns for the fifth spot, the team is also just two games from slipping to eighth. And a first-round date with the defending champs certainly isn’t what a team making its first trip to the postseason wants to see.”
Pro Basketball Talk: “This was a tense, up and down, competitive romp for about 12 minutes. Then the Thunder did their thing. One of the staples of a young team is an indecisiveness. You learn to know what you’re doing through repetition, rote and unfettered, and that takes time. But Russell Westbrook? He just gets it. He pushes the ball into the halfcourt, makes the decision, and then executes. Nine assists for the Thunder maestro tonight, and with Darren Collison having an off night, that was pretty much the shebang.”
Hornets 24/7: “98-83 was the final score, and the Hornets never really challenged in the second half. The didn’t so much get outworked tonight, as they just got beat down by a superior opponent.”
Kelly Dwyer: “The Thunder D closed off the lane expertly in this win, Oklahoma City was all moving feet and extended arms and it really never looked like the Hornets had a chance. New Orleans has made its hay on the offensive end over the last few months, and it was clear from the outset that there was no hay to be made in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. We all know that’s not true, Oklahoma City’s town infrastructure is half hay, and that’s a terribly smug thing for me to say, but I have this hay thing on the brain so you’ll just have to deal with me being a huge, unfunny, jerk.”
No PL&T today, so when it’s not there don’t freak out. DON’T FREAK OUT OKAY?
