Tuesday Bolts – 5.7.13
Tom Ley of Deadspin on KD: “Durant put a stranglehold on the fourth quarter, scoring 12 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing three assists while rallying his team to a 93-91 victory. He scored six of his team’s last seven baskets while sinking a variety of impossible-to-defend layups and jumpers. Most impressive of all, though, was how little hesitation Durant showed while taking over. Every time he got his hands on the ball he just let loose, allowing his instincts and infinitely long limbs to take over and win the game for his team. He never stopped to think over that stretch of time. He just played. We’ve seen Durant hit teams with scoring barrages before, but we’re used to seeing those shots interrupted or bookended by flashs of brilliance or thickheadedness from Russell Westbrook. But now we get to see what happens when Durant is really allowed to stretch out and play the game entirely on his own terms.”
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com: “Allen played less than 21 minutes in Game 1 and fewer than seven minutes came with Martin on the floor. And during a three-minute stint in the second quarter when Martin scored 15 of OKC’s 33 points, he burned Allen backdoor for an and-1 layup and then buried a 3-pointer. During the season with Westbrook in the lineup, Martin’s shooting often told the story of OKC’s outcomes. When he scored in double-digits, the Thunder largely won. And when he didn’t, they struggled, particularly against playoff teams. Now it’s a question of consistency. Martin won’t average 25 points as he has in the last two games, but for OKC to beat Memphis — and beyond — he must continue to be a multidimensional playmaker and shoot at a high percentage.”
This Grizzlies fan was not impressed with The Peake: “About the noise though…As I said at the start, at its peak, the arena was louder than any I’ve experienced. They do not deserve praise for that, however, when you consider the bigger picture. First of all, in between organized cheers, the crowd was almost silent. The building maintained a low hum around 2-out-of-10 before bursting to a 10-out-of-10 when prompted by the screen, their mascot and the “storm chasers” and as soon as the instruction ceased, the volume returned to a 2-out-of-10. To make matters worse, the entire crowd was issued artificial noise makers – the white (and glowing) equivalent of the yellow noise makers given to the fans behind the basket for use during opposing players free throws. The most egregious offense, however, was that they pumped in artificial crowd noise over the PA system and kept the volume unreasonably high. The result? A deafening roar, no doubt, but not one for which OKC should be commended.”
Chandler Parsons says OKC is the loudest away arena.
The KD VI’s are going to be lowtops?
Perk on criticism: “Not really,” Perkins replied. “I mean, you got probably one out of every 15 that probably say something negative or probably say something about ‘He don’t do this, or he don’t do that’ instead of just appreciating what you bring to the table. At the end of the day, it is what it is. My grandpa always told me ‘A pair of lips can say anything.’”
Shane Ryan of Grantland: “In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Memphis game, tired of waiting for Jackson or Derek Fisher or anyone else to push the ball in the way that he wanted, Durant took matters into his own hands. He scored 12 points in the final 7:30. How? By playing like Westbrook — fearlessly driving toward the basket, putting defenders on their heels because neither him pulling up or taking off from just inside the foul line was a particularly attractive option. When he dishes to Kevin Martin in the above play, he has three Grizz players converging on him. Durant is pretty devastating in the half court. We know that. Durant in transition? Making defenses choose between a bunch of unpleasant outcomes? Getting his teammates wide-open 3 looks? Hell … Russell who?”
