Wednesday Bolts – 10.23.13
Ian Thompson of SI.com: “The Spurs can return to the NBA Finals if everything breaks right, in the same way that it broke last year after Russell Westbrook’s postseason knee injury eliminated the top-seeded Thunder in the second round. If the Thunder are healthy over the second half, however, this could be their breakthrough year. Durant and Westbrook — the best duo in the NBA — will have the necessary experience and hunger to overcome the Clippers and Thunder, and they’ll have the right blend of athleticism and depth to take advantage of Miami’s fatigue. Oklahoma City will put an end to Miami’s three-peat hopes and the rest of the league will be left worrying how to stop the Thunder’s sustainable young roster built to operate beneath the threshold of the luxury tax.”
Darnell Mayberry: “But before anyone gets all crazy about Adams, let’s keep in mind he’s doing this in the preseason. Five strong exhibition performances isn’t going to sway Brooks, and it shouldn’t. For the most part, Adams still hasn’t played against upper echelon talent or shown that he can be the team’s defensive anchor as its last line of defense. Additionally, as someone noted to me tonight, opponents are not yet familiar with Adams, meaning these encouraging efforts could come to an end once the real games begin and the scouting report circulates. Of course, that’s not to say Adams can’t keep this up. It just means we all need to give it time and see if he can.”
Jalen Rose predicts KD will leave OKC and join Harden and Dwight Howard.
Anthony Slater on Jeremy Lamb’s defense: “Two minutes after entering last Tuesday’s game against the Thunder, Nuggets point guard Andre Miller identified a matchup he liked. His bulky, 6-foot-2, 200-pound body in the post against Jeremy Lamb’s 6-foot-5, 185-pound wiry frame. And over the next three possessions, the heady 15-year NBA veteran proceeded to take OKC’s developing second-year two-guard to school. In a span of 36 seconds on the game clock, Miller posted up Lamb three times. The result: five points and three quick fouls, concluding with an and-1 layup that sent Lamb to the bench.”
Brent Barry breaks down OKC’s offense.
Jack Winter of Hardwood Paroxysm on KD the shooting guard: “But great shooting doesn’t a shooting guard make. There’s far, far more to playing the 2 than knocking down jump-shots, as there is point guard to collecting assists or center to corralling rebounds. Curry and Durant boast at least one attribute – the sexiest one, it should be noted – of the ideal shooting guard, but letting that aesthetic rule the day is a slap in the face to what makes them elite players. More troubling than any individual slight gleaned from the poll, though, is what it says about the general managers’ thoughts on the matter of positions as a whole. They get positionless basketball, right? To assume otherwise is naive not only given their backgrounds and qualifications, but the structure of most every roster throughout the league. Actual job performance matters far more than some inconsequential media survey, after all.”
