Tuesday Bolts – 2.4.14
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop: “And yet Harden remains a source of anguish. The Thunder had the closest thing the NBA has to a fairy tale — all those supertalented young Durants, Westbrooks, Hardens and Ibakas putting the team first. A lot of NBA watchers and Thunder fans liked the idea of Harden sticking around for the long haul as an icon of good-natured ego management. A lot people wanted the dream of that Thunder team to last forever. Even Harden sounds wistful at times, for instance saying he wishes the team could replay Game 2 of the Finals they lost to the Heat.”
Harden, asked if money was equal, would he have picked Houston or OKC: “Um. It’s a tough question. It’s a tough question. I don’t know. Like I said I grew in Oklahoma City. They taught me a lot. Now I’m in Houston, I’ve got my own, basically, my own team. You know, me and Dwight. It’s kind of different situations. Oklahoma City: came off the bench. Now, I’m starting. There’s a larger role. Both are great situations.”
Chad Ford predicts an “epic” trade deadline.
Marc Stein has OKC No. 1 still: “During its 10-game win streak that included six wins on the road, OKC shot .525 as a team, averaged 110.2 points and won by an average margin of 12.1 PPG. In case you’re wondering why the Thunder didn’t drop here after losing in the nation’s capital on the second night of a back-to-back.”
John Schuhmann of NBA.com has OKC No. 1: “The Thunder are the first team to repeat as No. 1 since they did it at the end of December. Their 10-game winning streak came to an end in Washington on Saturday, but included wins over Houston, Golden State, Portland, San Antonio, Atlanta, Miami and Brooklyn. Watching Kevin Durant over the last month has been a religious experience, but their success goes well beyond their star.”
Same goes for Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “The Miami win impressed more than the Wizards loss disappointed. They always struggle in DC and had sent the Nets message the night before. Still the best team in the league.”
Kyle Soppe of Hickory High breaking down KD’s January: “In January, Kevin Durant had eight games where he totaled at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Paul George and LeBron James (the other two players I’d include in the NBA’s top three) have combined for eight such games this season.”
Clay Bennett is part of Adam Silver’s new “media” panel.
Andrew Gilman of Fox Southwest: “Feel good because the Thunder have improved to 39-11, a good chunk of it without Westbrook, which alleviates any sort of pressures to feel the need to bring him back earlier. Yes, the Thunder are interested in getting the No. 1 seed, but their priority is getting everyone healthy first. They couldn’t have expected both would be possible, though. Now OKC can start counting down the days until Westbrook returns and they can do it with a bit of a cushion, too.”
Daily Dime on the Thunder last night.
Darnell Mayberry: “Got to give Sefolosha a ton of credit for slowing down Lee, the man who erupted for a team-high 24 points the last time these two teams met. This time, Lee scored 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting. Hours earlier, Sefolosha’s name was mentioned in trade rumors. But this performance is why I continue to believe the Thunder won’t move him before the deadline, unless, of course, a sweetheart deal comes along. He fits too well, means so much and takes a ton of pressure off Durant and Russell Westbrook defensively. He has the potential to single-handedly save the Thunder’s lunch with his perimeter defense in a postseason game or two. I just can’t see the Thunder letting that go.”