Thursday Bolts – 6.19.14
Ben Golliver of SI.com with a sweeping look back at the Western Conference playoffs: “Nobody does the free t-shirts quite like
the Thunder, who use alternating colors to make stripes in the crowd and unveil new designs for every game. Oklahoma City held serve in Games 3 and 4, thanks in large part to the return of Serge Ibaka, who received a hero’s welcome from the always-excellent Chesapeake Energy Arena faithful. Russell Westbrook’s triple-double in Game 4 didn’t hurt either.”
Bill Simmons with an applicable Thunder thing: “Not trading Tony Parker during the summer of 2010 or 2011 when 90 percent of the league would have reacted to 2010’s Phoenix sweep and 2011’s ass-kicking from Memphis by saying, “Let’s cash in our best trade asset and reboot this thing ASAP.” The lessons: Trust your infrastructure, trust continuity, don’t make big trades just to make big trades, and if that’s not enough, count on the fact that you’re the Spurs and you have a steady stream of horseshoes falling out of your ass.”
KD went scuba diving yesterday.
Thunder assistant GM Mike Winger turned down the Grizzlies.
Anthony Slater grading Nick Collison’s season: “When Serge Ibaka went down with a calf injury in the second half of Game 6 in Los Angeles, Collison showed his worth. Unused in the game and sparsely used in the series, Collison jumped off the bench and played 17 crucial second-half minutes. He had a couple assists, defended well and made a huge corner three to help seal the series win. But other than that, he didn’t have much of a playoff impact. And he didn’t have much of a chance – playing only 10 minutes per night.”
Perry Jones has an important message.
Pop counting his rings is pretty great.
Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com: “Perhaps the minutes difference factors into two of the most memorable plays from that series. Kevin Durant slipped and fell with the season on the line. Old Man Riverwalk sunk a huge basket over a lively Thunder double-team. The Spurs went on to trounce Miami in possibly the most lopsided Finals of all time. There were many reasons why this happened, but San Antonio’s team certainly looked fresh at a time in the season where teams are worn down. In victory, the Spurs are an object lesson in the value of rest. It’s not just about winning in the postseason, either. The Spurs had the best regular-season record with this approach, too.”