Thursday Bolts – 4.14.11
David Aldridge of NBA.com likes the OKC-Denver matchup: “I LOOOOVE Denver and OKC. We may have a final average score of 130-127. It’s hard to see either team being able to slow down the other unless they junk it up defensively, and that might only yield temporary results. I really want to see the Felton-Lawson/Westbrook matchup at the point and Nene vs. Kendrick Perkins in the hole. I imagine we’d also see a lot of Arron Afflalo and/or Wilson Chandler against Kevin Durant, and I’d love to talk with each of the Nuggets about how he’ll prepare for the matchup. Denver’s Pepsi Center and OKC’s Ford Center are great fan venues as well. Should be a fun, fun series.”
Rudy Raya of SLAM on OKC’s second playoff appearance: “What separates Oklahoma City from most other teams in the League is that they have a group of guys they know they can rely on each and every night. While other teams may have certain question marks in their roster, there is no questioning the skill or heart of any player who takes the floor for them. Each player has confidence in himself and in his teammates to make the right play. The Thunder are truly a team in a league full of players.”
Someone’s advanced metric formula says Nick Collison is one of the league’s best defenders.
Eddie Johnson of HoopsHype ranks the top 25 players: “Westbrook was running neck and neck with Amare Stoudemire for early-season MVP until Derrick Rose just went ballistic. He is a power point guard with a fearless barrage of moves to the basket. I love his intensity level during games. I often wondered if he was a malcontent, but the response he gets from teammates says otherwise. He and Rose are the most physical point guards in the league.”
Dan Krieger of the Denver Post: “The Thunder will be favored in the series and deserves to be. It beat the Nuggets three out of four this season, including those two last week, and gets Game 7 on its home court, if it comes to that. Durant will be the best player on the court and it will be up to Karl to come up with a helter-skelter defensive scheme to slow him down. But the Nuggets’ best chance in the series is to play to their strengths and turn up the tempo. If they can give the Thunder double vision, they’ve got a chance.”
Nick Collison on the playoffs: “We know it’s going to be difficult. Anytime you’re in a playoff series, you soon realize those games are kind of individual games on their own. What happened in the regular season doesn’t always matter. We did play them well the last couple of games, but we have to realize we have to be ready to go and ready to battle, because they’re playing great basketball.”
Darnell Mayberry on last night’s game: “I’ve been calling for Nate Robinson since he got to town. And he finally got extended minutes and showed his wild and crazy side. He scored seven points on 2-for-11 shooting. He had four assists but committed five fouls in 19 minutes. Our man Berry Tramel already is popping me, saying “he was a spark all right, a spark for the Bucks.” But here’s the deal. Robinson did what any good out-of the-rotation chucker would do. He let it fly early and often, knowing full well he doesn’t know when he might get another crack at it. This game isn’t indicative of what Robinson’s capable of.”
John Krolik for ESPN.com on the series: “The Thunder are set to meet the Nuggets in the first round, and that series should be an instant classic. Both teams were playing great on offense before the trade deadline, and both teams made trades that gave their defense a significant upgrade. Both of these teams are playing incredible basketball, and it’s almost a shame that one of them will have to eliminate the other in the first round. I’m picking the Thunder in seven, because I don’t think the Nuggets will have an answer for Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, but this series could easily go the other way.”
