Thursday Bolts – 4.21.11

John Hollinger of ESPN.com: “The Thunder won’t be planning any championship parades just yet, not when this group has yet to win a single playoff series. But it was hard to watch Oklahoma City’s onslaught in the first 15 minutes of its 106-89 win over the Nuggets on Wednesday without thinking the words “championship caliber.” The Thunder’s domination was so complete that they were up by 26 points with 8:44 left in the second quarter, 43-17, and from there cruised home to victory.”

Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports on how much the Nuggets are missing Melo: “While Karl believes his team was shell-shocked by the no-call goaltending in the Game 1 defeat, the bigger issue for Denver was the inability to score in the fourth quarter, when it mustered only 21 points. On Wednesday, the Nuggets’ scoring deficiency showed up early, leading to a rout. Committee basketball got the Nuggets into the playoffs and somehow heightened expectations. Not having a star they can depend on offensively, like ‘Melo, will make it a short visit.”

KD was honored with the Magic Johnson Award for his cooperation with the media.

Rob Mahoney for SI: “Denver made notable scoring bursts in every quarter thereafter, each with the potential to slice the deficit and pull the Nuggets within striking distance. That never quite happened, as the Thunder’s double-digit lead virtually acted as an impenetrable barrier. Every time the Nuggets were within 12 or 14 points, the Thunder would counter by getting a few stops and rattling off a mini-scoring run of their own. Oklahoma City’s consistency was downright frightening, as it never really gave Denver a chance to compete. The first quarter certainly didn’t help the Nuggets’ cause, but it was the Thunder’s constant, recognizable superiority that kept it from being a competitive game.”

Darnell Mayberry: “I thought Westbrook had a much better game than his stat line indicates. He missed 11 of 18 shots and had seven turnovers. But he got his teammates involved and played in control throughout the majority of the game. Only a few times did he take rushed shots or fail to make the right pass. Other than that, a few too many layups lipped out on him, which led to a poor percentage. It felt like he had much more than seven assists, too.”

From Elias: “The Thunder took a 43-17 lead early in the second quarter and cruised to a 106-89 win over the Nuggets. Over the last 10 seasons, there was only one playoff game in which a team built a lead that large (26 points) quicker than Oklahoma City did. The Cavaliers took a 43-17 lead over the Celtics at the 3:07 mark of the second quarter in Game 3 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semis.”

The TGR peeps with a Game 2 chat.

Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman: “Kendrick Perkins called it a playoff foul. I have another term for the Thunder big man’s knockdown, takedown foul on Wilson Chandler. Game changer. On a night when the Thunder throttled the Nuggets 106-89 and took a commanding two-game lead in this Western Conference series, no play was more telling than Perkins’ play on Chandler. Yes, he was called for a flagrant foul. Sure, it came in the first couple minutes of the game. Yes, the Denver swingman made both of the free throws. But that foul was a tone-setter. Perk let the Nuggets know that he intended to make every basket difficult, that Game 2 wasn’t going to be like Game 1.”

Berry Tramel: “Does that mean Durant never takes a bad shot? Is it a definition thing. Anything shot by Durant is automatically a good shot? “If he makes it, it’s a great shot,” a smiling Brooks said of questionable Durant shots, of which there aren’t many. “If he takes it, it’s a decent shot.” Maybe we’ve found one of the secrets to Durant’s success. He’s so skilled (that which he’s worked to achieve) and talented (that which he was born with), that Durant is able to produce good shots out of iffy situations. Able to take a bad shot and turn into something a coach can stand to live with.”

Ray Felton making statements: “We’re definitely coming back to Oklahoma City,“ Felton insisted Wednesday, his dare-me feistiness in sharp contrast to the sullen atmosphere of the visitors dressing room. “We’re going home to bounce back, get these next two games, one game at a time, and make it a series. We’ll get our confidence back and be better prepared when we come back here. We’re definitely coming back.”

If you’re interested, my column for CBSSports.com.

Kalen of Roundball Mining Company says Scott Brooks is outcoaching Karl and also that OKC is on a mission: “The underlying message I got from the Thunder tonight was, “We’re on a mission, and if you get in our way, we’re gonna stop you out.” It’s evident at this point in time, that they’ve playing with a clear goal in mind throughout the series, and that’s one thing the Nuggets are lacking more than anything in my estimation. What are we playing for? Is it to make it past the first round? Is it to win a few games in the first round? How far do these guys really want to go? With the Thunder, you never have to ask yourself any of those questions.”