Wednesday Bolts – 4.23.14

: “The offensive lulls — late-game or otherwise — are real, and could prove fatal against top-tier competition. For minutes at a time the Thunder soar out into transition and keep the ball moving in the half-court, piling up points along the way about as efficiently as a team can. Then, for minutes after, that same team will foil its own momentum by over-dribbling, under-passing, and short-changing any attempt to run a coordinated offense. Oklahoma City is so explosive otherwise and generally so smothering in coverage that those stunts won’t matter against most opponents. Yet at some point this Thunder team is likely to be responsible for its own undoing, if not with a periodic offensive lapse then perhaps with a few too many stretches of overanxious defense.”

Zach Lowe of Grantland: “The Thunder’s offense remains predictable, without any continuity or natural second and third options. They are running plays, but the Grizzlies know what’s coming, and if Allen or some other player can kill the clock with artful ball denial, the Thunder are always up against it without a plan. The Grizz have a shot against the dreaded Westbrook-Durant pick-and-roll as long as Courtney Lee is guarding Westbrook, and Gasol has been magnificent shifting around the back line. Still: Let’s see more of that play, and more, more, more of Durant running high pick-and-rolls involving Randolph.”

Tom Ley of Deadspin: “This is the kind of thing Tony Allen has been doing throughout the first two games against the Thunder. He’s hounded Kevin Durant all over the court, using his body and quick hands to make everything—including simply catching a pass—difficult for Durant. Allen refuses to be screened, swipes at every pass sent in Durant’s direction, and never gives his man room to breathe. In two games, Durant is 9-for-25 when being defended by Allen in the half court.”

Guess who discovered Beno Udrih?

Nate Silver of Five Thirty Eight on expectations and coaching changes: “Other factors also affect a coach’s odds of being fired. Deep playoff runs help coaches. First-year coaches sometimes get mulligans and are less likely to be fired. We’ll save that discussion for another post, however. The lesson is simple: A coach is not long for his job when expectations run wild, as they often do in New York. With the benefit of hindsight, it now seems likely that Woodson’s Knicks overachieved in the 2012-13 season. That only made it harder for him to keep his job this year.”

After one loss, the question of Scott Brooks’ job security is popping up.

Berry Tramel: “And with 9:52 left in the game, Randolph went to the bench with his fifth foul. Brooks responded with a lineup of Ibaka, Butler, Durant, Jackson and Fisher. They expanded OKC’s lead from 72-67 to 83-73 over a span of 3:36. Then when Randolph reentered, Westbrook came in for Fisher, staying small but more athletic, and over the next 3:20, the Thunder outscored Memphis 10-8. So that was 61/2 minutes of small ball, with a 21-14 verdict on the plus side. But it was good timing. Don’t mess with too much small ball when both Gasol and Randolph are on the court.”