Tuesday Bolts – 4.20.10
Lamar Odom on if he was surprised Kevin Durant got shut down: “It’s hard for me to answer that question. I don’t want to rev him up.”
Kobe is pretty beat up, writes Sam Amick of FanHouse: “Can he lead the Lakers to 15 more wins with this battered body of his? The question remains unanswered entering Game 2. After resting his fractured right index finger and other sorted ailments for four of the last five regular season games, Bryant admitted after the Lakers’ Game 1 win over Oklahoma City that there was an adjustment in order for Tuesday night’s tilt. He will “adjust his stroke” from here on out, using his middle finger to compensate for his fractured digit.”
Bruce Jenkins of the SF Gate on Russell Westbrook: “Assuming the Thunder make some kind of statement, this could be a coming-out series for Russell Westbrook. He never gets mentioned with the likes of Steve Nash, Deron Williams and Chris Paul among the elite point guards, but he’s deserving. He’s smooth and efficient out there, and the Lakers couldn’t stop his powerful, effortless drives to the hoop. Ric Bucher did a nice story on Westbrook in ESPN Magazine earlier this year, including an interview with Westbrook’s coach, Reggie Morris, at Leuzinger High in the greater Los Angeles area. “He never cared how big the other guys were,” Morris said. “You could tell he liked it. When you get a kid like Russell, who’s not afraid of anyone, he’s usually a gang member.” People were shocked when he was taken fourth overall (out of UCLA) in the 2008 draft, but no longer. “He’s our leader,” says Kevin Durant. “If you watch us play in games or practices, he’s the one who keeps us together.”
Ron Artest felt like he didn’t do anything special on KD: “The Lakers held Kevin Durant to just 24 points on 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) shooting Sunday, well below his league-leading average of 30.1 points per game and healthy 47.6 percent regular-season shooting percentage. But Ron Artest doesn’t want any credit for it. “I have not a clue,” Artest said when asked whether his defensive presence was the reason for Durant’s poor shooting. “I don’t think I did anything special.”
Berry Tramel on Russell Westbrook in only a way Berry Tramel can do: “You can take the kid out of California , but you can’t take the California out of… Forget it. Who are we trying to kid? Russell Westbrook has forgotten his roots. Gone all Okie on us. Humbler than an Elk City rancher. More modest than an Okarche school marm. The Thunder drafts a salty LA gym rat, and he turns all salt-of-the-Earth. Henry Bellmon, gentleman point guard. Here was Westbrook’s reaction Monday to the idea that he should scrap the aw-shucks and start taking over this Thunder-Laker playoff series. “Nah,” Westbrook said.
The new NBA commercial featuring Air Congo and a fistpump from KD:
Silver Screen and Roll taking a look at the series after one game: “The lone complaint is one that we all knew was inevitable. The Lakers can not defend Russell Westbrook. For some reason, it took OKC a full quarter to remember that Westbrook can dominate the Lakers at all times, but once they did figure it out, RW simply could not be stopped. I’d say the Lakers need to figure something out with him, but I’m not sure they have the personnel to do so. They might just have to let RW score so much he gets tired, and focus on shutting down the other 4 guys on the court.”
Game 2 tonight. I think you could safely assume I’m extra anxious for it.
