Wednesday Bolts – 11.19.14
Anthony Slater: “The first 18 minutes of this game went about as smooth as possible for the Thunder. Balanced scoring, easy looks, swarming defense. OKC led 39-22 at one point. But the final 30 minutes were about as bad as we’ve seen. Sporadic scoring, aimless shot selection and unenergized defense. Throughout this understandably tough early-season stretch, the Thunder has prided itself on remaining competitive. But that wasn’t the case Tuesday night in Utah. The Jazz went on a 58-22 mid-game run and cruised to an easy 17-point win. OKC looked helpless down the stretch — a string of frustrated Scott Brooks timeouts only delaying another inevitable loss. The record sits at 3-9 and the hole continues to deepen. We’re only 13 percent of the way into the season — the equivalent of 2.1 NFL games. So it’s far too early to panic. There’s a ton of time for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to return and salvage this thing. But some wins in the meantime would be helpful.”
Russell Westbrook on picking glasses: “It’s important to have a variety. I like to wear different colored frames based on what I’m wearing and what colors I have on. Plastic glasses are more affordable so people can own more frames in different colors.”
Here a thing I wrote about the Thunder being tough. In it, I talked to KD and he said this: “Everybody is counting us out every game, but we’re there every single night. We’re playing competitive basketball. As a teammate, I couldn’t be more proud to be on this team and a part of this organization. We’re showing our true colors as a whole. I’m excited to be a part of something so special.”
KD and Westbrook getting a little workout in.
Darnell Mayberry: “Kendrick Perkins squared his shoulders, scrunched his face and flexed his muscles. He had just bullied Enes Kanter, backing him down and bumping him off his spot before dropping in a nifty jump hook from 6 feet out.
The bucket shot the Thunder’s lead to 17 points midway through the second quarter, and Perkins’ brief celebration symbolized the type of half OKC was enjoying. The Thunder’s offense was clicking, its defense was dominant and a blowout victory seemed all but certain. And that’s the exact moment when it all fell apart.”
