These ABC matinee games are awesome. In three successive week-ends we as Thunder fans have witnessed the Divine Miracle in Philly, the Cataclysmic Choke in Boston, and then last night the Comeback in Houston. Great stuff and for an NBA old timer like myself you have no idea how much more I enjoy the games with Jeff van Gundy, Doris Burke, or Hubie Brown doing the color instead of the homer broadcasts on Fox Southwest. To date, according to Michael Cage, the Thunder have not committed a foul 55 games into the season. It wasn’t just Brian Davis.
Last night in Houston was one of those games where you enjoyed it for what it was… a great game. I think Mark Jackson as part of the ABC call had it right. He claimed and I agree that these two teams are the two teams which should be the last two standing in the West for the right to play Golden State in the Western Conference Finals. One would think Denver will eventually either be at No. 4 or No. 5 with Utah in the mix as well for one of those spots. Portland, to me, is playing above their heads just a bit so far this season.
This game was rightfully billed as a matchup of the leading MVP contender in James Harden and in Paul George someone I now have on my list as No. 2 in the MVP race. But on this night inside the Toyota Center in Houston…Paul George was the best basketball player on the floor and in the league in a setting which should put him on everybody’s top three ballot heading into the All-Star break.
James Harden was good scoring 42 points on 28 shots, but Paul George was the guy who in the end carried his team all the way back from a 26 point deficit to a clutch road win over the same team you figure the Thunder will have to beat in post season play if they want to get to Cupcake and the Warriors.
It’s hard to say this game was all that different from what we’ve been seeing from Paul George of late in that he’s been routinely spectacular on both ends of the floor. As someone with no bias whatsoever attached and who witnessed Durant’s 40-50-90 MVP season and Westbrook’s Oscar Robertson MVP season…I’d have to say this Paul George season is the one which has displayed the best overall basketball play on both ends of the floor. Not really even close from a defensive standpoint.
PG scored 45 points on a 12-22 night, but more than anything he continually is that calming balm for Sam Presti’s peacock point guard when he’s going thru one of those spurts of his when you have your hands over your eyes and refuse to watch. It’s like when you were a little kid and the know it all down the street would always remind you not to stare into the sun. That’s what it’s like for me when Westbrook goes into one of his Wild Thing trances. I pretend I’m not seeing what I’m actually seeing because at some point Paul George and Dennis Schroder will gently start taking the ball away from him on as many possessions as possible.
I think Billy Donovan, Paul George, and Dennis Schroder now realize Russell Westbrook isn’t going to change, so instead of making a big deal out of it they’re just taking the ball away from Russell unless there’s a situation where you need Westbrook at the rim…. pretty much like in the 2012 Western Conference Playoffs when the Thunder made their run to the Finals.
And lo and behold that’s exactly what Bill Donovan drew up as Westbrook scored on a late layup which turned out to be the eventual game winner. Then–Westbrook did a very nice job of defending James Harden on the ensuing Houston possession. Ball game.
Westbrook tripled doubled for the 9th straight game which ties him with Wilt Chamberlain for most trip dubs in a row.
I’ve read two Wilt books this winter, ‘Wilt-1962’ and ‘The View From Above’…and my guess is, Wilt Chamberlain would have admired Westbrook’s rebounding and passing skills, but would have told him to stop chucking stupid threes.
Beyond Paul George and Russell—the rest of the Thunder team was excellent in the second half playing great up tempo defense. Schroder, Ferguson and Grant were especially effective. To Billy Donovan’s credit, he rolled out Deonte Burton in the second half and got a +18 from him in 9:33 of play….which I thought in sense helped energize the Thunder.
On a humanitarian note, the Thunder finally and mercifully waived Alex Abrines yesterday. I’m sorry, but this had to be done. I know the millennial writers like Royce Young and Erik Horne envisioned Alex Abrines as something on a grand scale, but the kid never really looked all that enamored playing basketball in the United States. He did get better last season and to his credit I give him that. But from a human standpoint this just seems like the human way to go from an adult perspective. I wish Alex Abrines well. One of my aunts lived in Spain for awhile and it was lovely. May Alex Abrines find inner peace and enjoy playing ball in Europe. I still think he would be a great folk singer.
This was a big win for the Thunder last night for ranking purposes in the West. They have another big one on Monday night at home against overachieving Portland. If the Thunder can take care of business they’ll be in a fairly nice spot heading into the All-Star break.
I love Wilt Chamberlain. He played on two of the greatest NBA teams of all-time. The ’66-’67 Sixers and the ’72-’73 Lakers. He led the league in scoring seven times. He led the league in rebounding eight times. And as a seven foot-one center he even led the league once in assists. To see Wilt and Westbrook together would have been a hoot because when Wilt was still in his prime he could run the floor as could Bill Russell. I think both of them would have loved Westbrook as long as he quit chucking bad threes.