Wednesday Bolts – It’s Here Edition
Finally. Finally. Finally. We play basketball and keep score tonight. After a long summer writing about meaningless
crap, getting in arguments with radio hosts and hyping and trying to de-hype, I am glad we can turn our attention to actual basketball.
The Thunder Ally pregame party is back on Reno again this year: “The motocross stunt show, “Defying Danger FMX and Globe of Thunder”, produced by BMX stunt rider and Oklahoma native Mat Hoffman, will headline the Thunder Ally festivities. Two shows are scheduled on Reno Ave. before doors open and one after the game. Entertainment also includes a concert by country musician Mark McKinney, courtesy of Budweiser, interactive games, food, a Budweiser beer garden and an autograph session with the Thunder Girls.”
Another playoff prediction for OKC: “The Oklahoma City Thunder will be the breakout team this year in the NBA. The Thunder are led by the best young, pure scorer in the NBA in Kevin Durant. Durant will win his first scoring title this season. Alongside Durant is dynamic second year player Russell Westbrook who while not quite a PG, is perfect for the up and down style the Thunder will play this season. Jeff Green is a very underrated player while the top 5 pick of James Harden will prove to be a great pick. Harden is the ultimate glue guy and will give the Thunder the solid third option behind Durant and Westbrook.”
HP previews the Thunder: “And James Harden. Oooh, James Harden. The man is a smooth operator, and though he can be a bit turnover prone for a shooting guard, the offense ran through him as ASU. Here, he’s the third fiddle on offense at best, which is a perfect position for him to work into a groove. If you’re going to start Russell Westbrook as your point guard, you’re going to need some shooters. They already had that in Durant, and James Harden only adds to their perimeter game in that regard. Plus, sorry Thabo, but he’s a huge upgrade over what they were working with.”
The Detroit Free Press sees OKC as a spoiler in the the Northwest: “This team probably isn’t ready to challenge for a playoff spot just yet. But Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Co. will be fun to watch.”
For all our international friends: The NBA has launched NBA Broadband, which covers over 200 countries. “International fans will be able to subscribe to NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband for $99.95 or NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband Premium for $149.95 on NBA.com. The base package will include up to 40 live games each week during the 2009-10 NBA regular season and NBA All-Star 2010 in Dallas. All games will be available for fans to view on-demand for 24 hours after they air. The Premium package, in addition to the programming offered in the base package, will feature the live-game DVR functions, and an extended game archive to view games on-demand up to 48 hours after they air. A special Instant Classic Games section will also deliver a selection of the best games from the previous and current season, available to view anytime.”
SLAM’s Shannon Booher asks if KD could be the next AI: “First of all, is that supposed to be an insult? A.I. is one of the greatest human beings to ever play the game of basketball. Period. End of discussion. Given his size, he is also right up there in the “pound-for-pound” greatest to ever play discussion. Second of all, given their vastly different body types and play styles, this question almost sounds like the result of an NBA Mad Lib book. We will humor our reader, though, and break it down.”
Southeast Division Previews: