Wednesday Bolts – 3.26.14
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Maybe Tuesday was just you typical regular-season flash, but it also provided the Thunder with a reminder of what beat them in 2011, the Mavericks’ know-how and conviction. And there’s a good chance that a month from now, the two teams could meet for the rubber match of playoff faceoffs. There are no easy Western Conference matchups, but the idea of seeing Dirk for seven games has to give OKC a little pause, just as the idea of dealing with fully actualized Durant has to keep the Mavericks up nights. Welcome to the Western Conference, once again stacked with the heroes and villains who just never seem to die.”
Berry Tramel on Reggie Jackson: “I think some of that can be attributed to relaxing. Jackson doesn’t feel the weight of the world on his shoulders when Westbrook starts. When Jackson has to start, as we saw in the 2013 playoffs and occasionally this season, he seems to be carrying a burden. But Jackson has been playing better, as if he’s growing accustomed to directing this team. That’s a good sign for the Thunder, since Scotty Brooks has promised to sit Westbrook several more games this regular season.”
Anthony Slater’s thoughts: “Some familiar areas of concern resurfaced for the Thunder in this loss to Dallas. And I’ll get to those. But this game was a lot more about the solid play of a desperate Mavericks team — fighting to stay in the playoffs — than OKC faltering. Jose Calderon was scorching hot from deep, Vince Carter fired in some big shots and Dirk Nowitzki was the best player on the floor down the stretch. A vintage Dirk game when his team absolutely had to have it: 32 points, 10 rebounds, six assists. It was the Thunder’s second loss to Dallas in the past nine days. But this one was far more excusable than the first.”
Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas: “Nowitzki swished some beauties, such as a spinning, one-legged fadeaway over MVP frontrunner Kevin Durant during overtime, but finesse and skill weren’t what made this performance special. This was about aggression and attitude. The first time Nowitzki touched the ball, catching it on the left block with his back to the basket, he spun past Thunder shot-blocker Serge Ibaka and threw down a two-handed dunk. He kept his foot on the gas the entire game, finishing it off with seven points in overtime, only one fewer than the Thunder scored in the extra period.”
KD on Dirk: “Yeah,” Durant said when asked if Nowitzki was his favorite current player. “It’s probably a tie between him and Kobe. He’s one of those guys that you can tell is so humble, puts in a lot of work. Not really a flashy guy, just go out there and drop 30 points easy.”