Wednesday Bolts – 3.16.11
A recap of Thunder-Wizards from Andrew Sharp of SB Nation: “Monday night I had two tickets to the Wizards-Thunder at the Verizon Center, and while waiting for my roommate to get there, I found myself entranced by the Thunder’s ridiculously elaborate pregame routines. There was a three-part handshake between Russell Westbrook and James Harden, some backhanded high-fives between Kevin Durant and Royal Ivey, some chest bumps, and that move where two players jump up and touch hips. Basically, they just looked really cool. And two things were clear: these guys really like playing together, and they were totally pumped to go kick ass together. Pretty cool to watch. Then I shifted my eyes over to the Wizards sideline, and saw Javale McGee, furiously puffing his inhaler at the scorer’s table. Then the game started. The Wizards lost by 30.
With OKC playing the Heat tonight, Chris Bosh was asked about the Durant dust-up: “All that stuff is squared away,” Bosh said. “That was in the heat of the moment. He made some comments after the game probably when he was upset. That’s no big deal. We talked about it. It’s pretty much over and done with.”
Remember Russell Westbrook’s stat-padded triple-double? At least it wasn’t as bad as this.
Darnell Mayberry wonders how close this team is to a championship: “Despite all the hype following last month’s trade, the Thunder still looks to be a year away from true contention. The Lakers, Spurs and Celtics are the clear favorites for now. But as each of those teams continues to age, it’s the Thunder’s spry young nucleus that threatens to take over. Growth is the name of the game at this point.”
KD’s high school finished No. 1.
Jeff Green Q&A at ESPN Boston: “What do you miss the most about Oklahoma City? JG: “The people. The people were amazing. The support I got when I left. They said they’d always be there for me, I’d still be a part of Oklahoma City, so that was big for me when I left, knowing that they still supported me, even though I was traded.”
Back when I first started really reading blogs, Awful Announcing was one of my favorites and Brian Powell has re-emerged to write a column for NBA.com.
Do you think modern era stats should be separated? Or should it all be together?
ESPN Award Watch: “The NW-leading Thunder have won four in a row, thanks to KD, who is peaking at the right time. He scored 34 and grabbed 16 rebounds in an OT win in Philly.”