Thursday Bolts – 4.5.12
John Hollinger of ESPN.com on the MVP race: “Durant supporters will desperately want to use the clutch narrative, because it’s the only safe place to hang their hats right now, but there just isn’t a compelling case to be made unless you start bringing up events that had nothing to do with the 2011-12 regular season.”
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com on the MVP: “Whatever the case, the fact that Durant has taken over several games down the stretch, and hit many clutch baskets, is a major reason why I’ve got him ranked ahead of James on my MVP ballot. Statistically, the two players are a wash in terms of scoring and rebounding, with Durant averaging 27.5 points and a career-high 8.2 rebounds. Both players are shooting over 50 percent from the floor — James .537, Durant .502 — but Durant can’t touch James in assists (3.5) and steals (1.4). James also is the superior defender. But moments such as Durant’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 104-102 victory over Dallas on Dec. 29, or the game-tying 3-pointer he sank against Minnesota with 10 seconds left in the first overtime a few weeks ago, lead me to give him a slight edge over James this season. Durant has embraced those clutch moments while James oftentimes has not.”
Darnell Mayberry: “LeBron James just got my MVP vote. Kevin Durant is second. It’s not just about tonight, although it certainly played a part. But the guy has been phenomenal. He hit a rough stretch recently but so does everybody. What he did tonight — after rolling his ankle early in the first quarter, mind you — is what MVPs do. He put his team on his back, did everything he had to do, when he had to do it, and turned his mediocre performance ten days earlier in Oklahoma City into a distant memory.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “This game doesn’t settle the MVP, doesn’t mean we’ll see this matchup in June. But given how intense it was the whole night through, from the first hard foul OKC gave Miami, with how the two teams threw everything they had at each other and got big shot after big shot and key play after key play, we could do a lot worse for the last games of the year than another meeting of these teams. All this, and neither team played to its potential. Kevin Durant had nine turnovers, Russell Westbrook had just two assists. The Heat shot 37 percent as a team and still won. There was room for improvement for both teams, but if you wanted a reason to get the popcorn, these two teams gave it.”
Chris Mannix of SI: “Make no mistake, the Heat know Oklahoma City will likely be waiting for them if they make it to the Finals. Like Dallas last year, Oklahoma City is a team, one that has risen together from the ashes of a 23-win season three years ago to become the wire-to-wire leaders in the Western Conference. Much of the talk of a Durant-Russell Westbrook rift has dissipated — the two combined for 58 points against Miami — and a fit and healthy Kendrick Perkins and an improved James Harden give the Thunder a veritable arsenal of weapons. Miami will always have the best player, regardless of who they face. But to win a series against a team like Oklahoma City, the Heat will need everyone to step up.”
Kurt Helin of PBT: “The MVP race comes down to this — LeBron James has had the better statistical season, but voters (media members) are drawn to stories and narrative and as Durant is the great young player on the fun young team he has an advantage. Just like Derrick Rose did last year. This game put LeBron back in the mind of a lot of voters. These are two teams with great athletes that like to play up-tempo — and you could feel the playoff series hatred starting to build a little. Both sides will say it’s one game and forgotten now, but they’ll remember just fine if both of them are playing in June.”
Clark Matthews of The Lost Ogle on why you should hate the Grizzlies: “During last season’s playoffs, the commentators raved about how the Memphis crowd gave the Grizzlies such a home court advantage. Like Oklahoma City, they suggested, this was a small market team whose fans adored them. Of course, they left out that Memphis fans didn’t start showing up to watch the team play until they shocked the Spurs in the first round. Then, suddenly, they were diehard fans. Who died really hard. The Grizz currently rank 22nd in the league in attendance where they average an 85% full arena. They actually draw better on the road. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City’s arena is averaging a sell out for the second straight season.”
Westbrook’s flagrant on LeBron.
Mike Wallace of ESPN.com says OKC’s tough enough: “If these teams face off in the Finals, it’s not a style from which the Thunder will shy away. The process of toughening up their game actually began during last season’s playoff run, when Oklahoma City fought through a seven-game series to beat Memphis before falling to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals. Those lessons from last season convinced Thunder forward Kevin Durant that his team only needed some minor tweaks in its approach for this season’s playoff push.”
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com: “The talking didn’t just take place in the locker room. Durant and Westbrook were in a constant conversation with the Heat bench, glaring over after made baskets. When it was over there were no handshakes, just a small Durant wave to James, his offseason training partner. It was unspoken, but it had a “until we meet again” vibe.”
KD was named Western Conference Player of the Month.
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com: “Can we please be treated to this Finals matchup? Judging by the relative home-court advantages, you could pencil it in for seven games, no doubt. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant shoulder the load for the Thunder, but they couldn’t do it alone. The easy buckets from the last matchup didn’t come so easily this time around.”
