Wednesday Bolts – 6.1.16
Sam Amick of USA Today: “When Durant goes back to watch the Western Conference
Finals film, he’ll be the first to admit that he could have been better. While he led all scorers in the series (30 points per game), he shot just 42.3% overall (his regular season mark was 50.5%) and 28.6% from three-point range (he was 38.6% during the season). His relentless effort on defense may have played a part, as he used his long arms and underrated speed to frustrate the Warriors at every turn.”
Berry Tramel: “A different Thunder offseason began Tuesday, and not only for the reason you think. Sure, Kevin Durant’s future will consume us all this month of June, and everything else Thunder pales in comparison. Keeping Durant is paramount; everything else is just details. But those details make for an interesting summer. For the first time in forever, the Thunder has no roster holes. No glaring needs. Keep Durant, and the Thunder is loaded.”
Jenni Carlson: “Kevin Durant strode toward the sleek, white Mercedes-Benz parked on the airport tarmac, glanced at Serge Ibaka putting luggage in the vehicle, then issued a directive. ‘C’mon,’ Durant said. Soon, Ibaka and every other Thunder player was walking toward a chain-link fence stretching the short distance between the terminal for private planes and a repair hangar at the Oklahoma City airport. Nearly a thousand fans crammed together on the other side of the fence, their cheers echoing between the buildings. Even though 24 hours had yet to pass since Golden State triumphed in the Western Conference finals and delivered another painful blow to Oklahoma City, the love was strong. Before every player finished walking along the fence offering high-fives and thank yous, Durant had grabbed a microphone and a seat on a temporary stage. Nothing had been planned. Nothing had been scripted.”
Tim Bontemps of the WaPo: “Some have suggested a fit in the Eastern Conference, where only James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are a legitimate threat to a team featuring Durant. But no team in the East, not his hometown Washington Wizards, or the New York Knicks, or the Boston Celtics, can provide a better opportunity to win next season than he’ll have in Oklahoma City. Durant and the Thunder didn’t get the result they wanted on Monday night. But if the past month has shown anything, it’s that the future for Durant, at least for the next 12 months, should be with the Thunder. Oklahoma City couldn’t have gotten a better consolation prize than that.”
Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “Nothing was that obvious on the final night of the Thunder’s momentous 2015-16 campaign, in which Durant so spectacularly returned from last season’s three foot surgeries and his team blossomed so suddenly in May to nearly become the first club ever to knock off two teams with at least 65 wins in a single postseason. After Durant successfully dodged free-agency talk for much of the past eight months, hints and whispers are starting to circulate at last, leading most of us to believe that Durant is staying put in the Great Plains for at least one more shot at the title. Yet there are no givens. None beyond the fact that the NBA Finals open Thursday night without the Thunder … and that the Kevin Durant Sweepstakes starts now.”
Neil Paine of 538 here to make you feel worse: “In terms of series win probability, the Warriors rode a wild roller coaster against the Thunder. At the start, our Elo-based projections gave them a 70 percent chance to win the series. However, by the end of Game 4, that had dropped to just 17.5 percent. A solid Game 5 win helped their odds, but by Game 6 the Thunder had them on the ropes. Entering the fourth quarter of that game, the Warriors stood only a 4.3 percent chance of winning the series.”
Johanette Howard of ESPN.com on famous people: “The top available free agent in the NBA’s 2016 class. Kevin Durant, a seven-time All-Star, came back strong this season after an injury-plagued 2014-15 campaign raised questions about the lanky sharpshooter’s durability. At age 27 and with the third-highest scoring average in NBA history, Durant could make a run at the NBA’s career points record before all is said and done.”
Marc Spears of The Undefeated: “Oklahoma City also has a young talented core that includes Payne (21), first team All-NBA guard Russell Westbrook (27), big men Steven Adams (22) and Enes Kanter (24) and defensive specialist Andre Roberson (24). Durant adores and trusts Presti and Weaver and has recently expressed strong respect for Donovan. No, Oklahoma City doesn’t exude the same sexiness and off-the-court fun that the Bay Area, Manhattan, Hollywood, South Beach and his hometown of Washington, D.C., offer. But, from a basketball standpoint, which is most important, Durant loves the direction the Thunder are currently heading and may not have a better option. Thunder brass is expected to push this positive direction to Durant among the reasons to re-sign in free agency.”