Thursday Bolts – 6.14.12

You’ve already read it, but read it again — Bill Simmons on OKC: “At the same time, you never forget you’re in Oklahoma City. Not for a second. The locals have been impossibly friendly and welcoming, shades of Indianapolis during Super Bowl XLVI, only with the added wrinkle that everyone is overwhelmed that the NBA Finals actually came to Oklahoma. Before every game starts, someone walks out to midcourt and says a prayer. During the national anthem, everyone holds their hand over their heart and sings. The video screen keeps flashing the words “Oklahoma,” and the fans chant “Oh Kay See! Oh Kay See!” constantly. Does any other fan base chant the name of its city and not the team’s nickname?”

J.A. Adande of ESPN.com on KD: “He’ll leave the legacy-shaping to the others. And for that, we’ll turn to Nike, the shoe company that has been so influential in shaping the sports narrative for the past three decades. It was Nike that turned Michael into “Air Jordan,” that helped us define players as much by what they have on their feet as what they do on the court. Durant is in the process of being “elevated,” as Nike sports marketing executive Chuck Terrell put it — being positioned to take over when Kobe and LeBron are no longer the top horses in the stable. And while Durant doesn’t designate who he’ll be, if his coaches and teammates and team executives can’t provide an answer, the Nike marketer has no problem distilling his vision of Durant into two words: ‘That guy.'”

Thunder fans were in rare form for Game 1.

Tom Ley of Deadspin on Westbrook and Durant: “That ability to perform as an effective duo was the primary difference between Westbrook-Durant and James-Wade. The question with James and Wade sometimes seems to be: “Which one of us will take over the game tonight? Who will be the best player on the floor?” Whereas the question with Westbrook and Durant often seems to not even be a question at all, but rather a statement: “Let’s just go out there and destroy some people.” As a basketball fan, I hope James and Wade can learn to emulate their counterparts before this series is over, because I can’t imagine anything more thrilling than four of the league’s best players just, well, playing.”

Kevin Durant, the passive aggressive super scoring monster.

Beckley Mason of HoopSpeak on KD’s free throw shimmy: “That shiver before he shoots — what in the world is that? Is it some tic developed messing around in junior high? One imagines Durant in a free throw shooting contest with a friend, throwing in that little wiggle just to rub it in as he unloads swish after swish, accompanied by plenty of trash talk. Is it something he ever thinks about still? Could it just be that a certain amount of extraneous style is forever programmed into his ruthlessly pragmatic game? Can we make a symbol of this that explains why everyone — from old timers who grouse about today’s players and “style over substance” to young fans who just dig the show — loves him?”

Russell Westbrook talking more about his style.

The Thunder’s incredible pregame gum superstition.

Zach Lowe of SI.com: “The Heat will make adjustments, and they are the best defensive team Oklahoma City has faced in the playoffs. And despite Wade’s poor shooting, Bosh’s limited role and the occasional stagnancy of their offense, the Heat scored the equivalent of 104.5 points per 100 possessions, a top-five mark. The Thunder did some very nice things on defense in the second half; Collison moved his feet beautifully against the pick-and-roll, and the rest of the defense moved on a string behind him. Oklahoma City blew up those cross-screen plays Miami loves to run under the hoop by being physical all over the floor and sagging down to deny entry passes into the post. But it’s all noise until someone can at least limit the Thunder. Forget stopping them. No one has done that. But Miami has to start with perhaps holding Oklahoma City to league-average production. Heck, top-10-level would do. No one has come close to doing that yet in the playoffs, and until someone does, the title is Oklahoma City’s to take. Maybe offense wins championships, too?”

Serge Ibaka names names in flopping.

Michael Rosenberg of SI.com: “Durant, meanwhile, has 90 percent of James’s gifts. He is one of the skinniest stars in NBA history. He is a great athlete, but you could easily make a YouTube video of the best dunkers in the NBA without including him. Ninety percent of James’s gifts … and in this way, he has been lucky. His thin frame meant nobody could force Durant to play power forward. This allowed him to develop into a one-of-a-kind “monster,” as Pittman puts it, — a 6-foot-9 scorer who tosses three-pointers through the hoop like crumpled-up paper into a wastebasket. But there is something more. Greatness always seemed one step ahead of him, taunting him, daring him to catch it.”

Sebastian Pruiti of Grantland on Miami’s defense: “Switching puts defenders in positions that they aren’t used to…When Westbrook kicks it out to Durant on the wing and he attacks, both James and Bosh are in uncomfortable positions to help. Bosh doesn’t know how to help from the outside on dribble penetration, and James isn’t used to being the big coming over and helping on the weak side. As a result, Durant gets an easy layup and the Thunder extend their lead.”

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports: “The NBA Finals have come here less than four years after the Oklahoma City Thunder arrived on the town’s doorstep. And as Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett watches the Thunder and Miami Heat compete for a championship, he can’t help but think about how one of the nation’s biggest tragedies gave his city this unlikely opportunity. Out of the death and devastation of Hurricane Katrina seven years ago came a chance for Oklahoma City to not only show its brotherly love and compassion, but also prove it was someday worthy of its own major professional sports franchise.”

Miami is looking for reasons to hate OKC.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for ESPN.com: “I think the Thunder have an edge with their depth, and they exhibited that in Game 1, even with Bosh coming off the bench for the Heat. Their up-tempo pace can be a problem for a Heat team faced with the prospect of stopping so many offensive threats. Will LeBron be forced to carry his team, a la Game 6 versus the Celtics? If that becomes the theme, the Heat may not prevail. One-man teams have a history of flaming out at the crucial moment.”