Thursday Bolts – 5.29.14
: “This is the Thunder dilemma in a nutshell. Ibaka can protect the rim all by himself, as Parker has already witnessed firsthand. Therefore, Parker doesn’t even bother to challenge him because he knows what will happen. He makes what would normally be a great pass to a corner shooter … except the Thunder also know Ibaka is a one-man basket guard and thus don’t need Reggie Jackson to pinch down to help him. That allows Jackson to be in position to stay with Danny Green and prevent the open look. Was Parker scared or making a smart decision? Against the Thunder, it doesn’t really matter. The result is the same.”
J.A. Adande in a 5-on-5: “As is this: Westbrook’s won eight of the past 10 playoff series in which he has participated. That includes victories over Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, James Harden, and Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. He has a shot to turn into the best player on the court in any game or series, even with the MVP playing alongside him.”
Tiago Splitter has been fined $5,000 for flopping.
Ian Levy of 538: “Why? Not all turnovers are the same. A live-ball turnover, such as steal, tends to give the offense an opportunity to attack a defense that is short a defender or two and out of position. A dead-ball turnover, such as an offensive foul, allows the defense to get all five of its players into position. This difference is significant: Research by Jacob Frankel at Hickory-High (using data from NBAwowy.com) found that NBA teams this season had an effective field goal rate of 61.5 percent on possessions after a live-ball turnover, compared to 46.5 percent after a dead-ball turnover.”
Bryan Mears of NumberFire: “What’s even more impressive: Westbrook posted those same numbers with 10 less field goals than Jordan. Not to mention Jordan had his game in the first round of the playoffs against the Cavaliers, while Westbrook had his against the best team in the NBA in the Western Conference Finals. For all of the Westbrook haters who claim that he shoots too much and is inefficient offensively, it’s hard to argue with 50% from the field and 100% from the line. Speaking of offensive efficiency, Westbrook played 45 minutes and only had three turnovers. That’s a pretty good ratio. Had I put in the turnovers in Basketball Reference’s player game finder, it would have come up with only Westbrook.”
Some intriguing SportVU stats.
Jenni Carlson on Scott Brooks: “It has to be a little maddening for Brooks, who reads at least some of what is written about his team. Everyone wants him to bench Perk. Or try Perry Jones. Or corral Westbrook. Or start Jeremy Lamb. Only recently has Brooks started to show signs that some of that might be getting to him. No longer does he have the dad-down-the-street persona, wearing a wrist full of friendship bracelets and seeming way more likely to offer orange slices than criticism to his team. He even tried to smooth things over Wednesday afternoon over his comment about not wanting to get ridiculed for a lineup change, insisting it was a joke.”