Tuesday Bolts – 1.25.11
Via Sports Radio Interviews, Sam Presti talking about interesting things: “Part of my job is to constantly be looking at how we can improve the team and we do that every day. At the same time, it takes a lot of work to put a deal together in the league. We’ll make our calls and we’re going to take a lot of calls, too. We’re fortunate to have a group of players that people do value, so we get a lot of calls on our team.”
Zach Lowe of SI with a great observation about one of OKC’s sets: “Durant runs around baseline screens, Ray Allen-and Rip-Hamilton-style, quite a bit in the Thunder’s offense as Russell Westbrook handles the ball up top, waiting to hit Durant with a pass as he curls off the final screen. But once in a while, Durant will veer off his usual pattern and set a surprise screen for Westbrook, creating an unexpected pick-and-roll for the defense to deal with. Other teams run this sort of misdirection, but few screeners in this set draw the sort attention Durant does.”
This was the post of the day yesterday around everywhere. Rohan Cruyff of SB Nation looking at pace, how it’s inflated and how the speed index is a better measure.
Cole Aldrich for Dime: “I’m really working on just seeing the floor better. You know, the path of seeing plays happen before they actually do. That’s kind of a big adjustment between college and the pro game. It’s all about floor spacing, and I need to continue to do that.”
Matt Moore of CBS Sports: “What was relevant was a long stretch in the second and third quarter when Scott Brooks gave Eric Maynor the reins and watched as Chris Paul sliced him into roast beef. Maynor was simply not in a position to defend the MVP candidate, and it showed.”
Joe Gerrity writing for ESPN: “The thrilling victory was the ninth in a row for the Hornets, who are the NBA’s hottest team for the second time this season. It catapulted them from fifth to third in the Western Conference standings, ahead of both Oklahoma City and divisional rival Dallas. It also may prove to be the game that officially cements them in the minds of national basketball fans. The Hornets have been successful this season despite playing the third-hardest schedule in the league.”
From ESPN Stats and Info: “Even superstar Kevin Durant fell victim to the Hornets stingy defense as he was held to zero points in the fourth quarter. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Durant’s 0-for-5 effort tied his largest “0-for” in any period of any game this season. He was also 0-for-5 from the floor in the Thunder’s win against the Utah Jazz on November 15.”
Zach Lowe of SI on flopping: “Frankly, I don’t really care if Chris Paul or any other player flops. It doesn’t alter my perception of the player. It doesn’t mean they are not tough; no rational NBA observer is going to argue that Paul or Ginobili or Varejao isn’t tough, because to do so would ignore all the “tough” things they do every game. Flopping is, at this point, a basketball play. It’s a strategic choice a player makes in particular situations where, for whatever reason — the identity of the guy he’s guarding, their location on the court, the view the referees have — the player thinks the flop will work.”
Micah Hart of NBA.com grades KD’s game-winner: “Remember a few paragraphs ago when I said I thought Durant could hit shots like this in his sleep? Well, that’s pretty much his reaction to it as well. If I hit a shot like that, I’d at least do the “beat my chest three times” routine or pop my jersey, but Durant just walks confidently down the court, then grins sheepishly when his teammates get to him. No one seems all that surprised, or even particularly excited. I guess it’s like Joe Paterno said: “Act like you’ve been there before.”
Darnell Mayberry on last night: “It’s a shame the Thunder had to lose this game. Because the first-quarter defense was some of the best I can remember all season. Everybody (well, almost everybody) was locked in defensively. OKC played with purpose from the start and dominated the Hornets – forcing their possessions to go deep into the shot clock, hounding them into contested jump shots, making them turn the ball over and limiting their scoring chances to one and out.”
