Good questions, good answers, interesting postgame press conference. Before we go to the press conference, I’m going to grade our three local writers on their Game 2 pieces. I basically put Royce Young at the Daily Thunder, Anthony Slater at Newsok, and Berry Tramel at Newsok on this list.
1 Royce Young – I thought his piece was solid and I’d go B+. Touched on the things which needed to be touched on, yet didn’t lose sight this will probably be a six or seven game series. Touched on OKC’s rebounding, the two horrible shots by Westbrook to close the first half, and Durant and Ibaka both commiting fouls on three point shots by the Warriors.
2 Anthony Slater – His piece centered on the close of the first half, which btw as Steve Kerr mentioned in his presser was the most important segment of the game as OKC went stupid to close the first half. Good piece. Things which had to be written given the script the game followed. Slater has turned himself into a solid NBA beat writer. I’d go A- on his piece.
3 Berry Tramel – I usually enjoy Tramel as he meanders through the southern plains with his folksy Mark Twain prose, but I thought his piece on Game 2 was weak. He basically ignored Durant’s eight turnovers, Westbrook’s horrible close to the first half, the Warriors finding Enes Kanter’s man, Durant only getting two shots attempts in the third period, OKC getting out rebounded by the smaller Warriors. Instead it was just a defense of his piece the previous day on his thoughts of new found fangs in the Thunder defense.
Let me be clear, you can have fangs galore on defense, but if the Thunder get beat on the boards, have Durant continually making soft turnovers, have only two guys in double figures, and Westbrook making bad decisions to close a half or a period–OKC is not winning this series. I’m going C. Vintage Prestette fluff. If it can’t be better than this then give the assignment to Jenni.
BTW I heard three questions from local media people in this presser. Fred Katz, Norman Transcript—good question. Myron Patton, Fox– good question. Dean Blevins, OKC CBS affiliate–good question. Made me proud.