Month: May 2016

Good presser by Billy D as well. I enjoy his press conferences. Smiled when he eluded to the effort question and used the semantically more acceptable ‘activity’, but he’s a smart guy and knows how to play the media game.

At these pressers usually it’s Anthony Slater, Erik Horne, and sometimes Royce Young asking the better questions of Donovan. All three with good questions in this one. Usually though, Slater asks the best questions. He’s the one willing to take a chance and ask the tougher questions. Good for him, that’s one of the reasons he’s become the best Thunder beat writer in the local market. Doesn’t mean you have to be an asshole, just ask a to the point question which has relevance. Not complicated.

Royce Young needs to work on this aspect of his coverage, otherwise he’s a fair, balanced, and for the most part a solid beat writer as well. But you gotta be willing to stick your nose in there from time to time getting your nose bloody if need be. Advantage–Anthony Slater.

My father was a courtroom trial lawyer at both the state and federal level. This is part of my upbringing. I have no tolerance for drawn out, weak, or stupid questions by the media. Ask the question, try to get the answer, and move forward getting the information for your readers. If Durant and Westbrook don’t like tough questions, then that’s just too bad. Cry me a river.

Anyway, Donovan does a good job at his pressers for the most part. I guess Tramel’s question was the genesis for his breakthrough column this morning on Steph Curry’s flurries. Are you kidding me?

This is what Steph Curry does and he has done it against every defense in the league with every scheme attached. You’re not going to shut this guy down entirely, just like no one is ever going to shut down Kevin Durant entirely. You just work through the flurries and hope to overcome them by………… winning the boards, not turning over the ball, playing overall sound team defense, getting everyone involved offensively, making free throws, playing smart, and showing some composure during the rough stretches of the game.

Not complex.

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.

 

Golden State Warriors 118 — Oklahoma City Thunder 91

Series tied 1-1

In Game 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder got their split and a reinforced identity as a new Thunder squad. Anything beyond a split would have been gravy, but what I didn’t want to see tonight was OKC basically play a complacent game in a series where you have a chance to take out the defending NBA champions.

The fact the Thunder ultimately got hammered by 27 points doesn’t alter the fact the Thunder still have a plausible road map to winning this series in six games, but that won’t happen if the Thunder team we saw tonight is the real Thunder team for the remainder of this series.

All the bad things OKC did at times this season reared their ugly head in this Game 2 blowout win by the Warriors with turnovers and soft defense being the main culprits. But add to the fact—the Warriors played with a sense of urgency while the Thunder played with their luggage already on the team charter for the return flight to OKC at halftime.

Steve Kerr did make some adjustments in finding Enes Kanter  on the floor, but in the end the Warriors just outworked and out-smarted the Thunder.

There’s no way in this series the Warriors should ever outrebound the Thunder, yet for the game the Warriors out boarded the Thunder 45-36. Same with 50/50 balls and long rebounds as the Warriors came up with the hustle plays, while the Thunder were basically outworked and out shot.

Three sequences stand out to me: (1) The Iguodala no look layup and one in the midst of a Warriors 11-2 run to close the first half .  (2) Kevin Durant fouling Steph Curry on a three then compounding it even more by getting a tech and a four point play just when OKC couldn’t afford that type of mental gaffe.  Game over right there and then. You could feel the water rushing through the dam in Oracle…literally. You can’t have that from your leader. You just can’t. And (3) Russell Westbrook air balling two horrible threes to end the first half for the Thunder.

Five Thunder players scored in double figures in Game 1, only two Thunder players scored in double figures tonight while the Warriors had seven players in double figures led by Steph Curry’s 28 points on 15 shots.

The Warriors went back to moving the ball, the Thunder reverted to holding the ball and watching Durant and Westbrook.

Actually, Durant got on a tear late in the second period and the Thunder led for the briefest of times before the Warriors closed the half on an 11-2 tear of their of their own. It would be the first of two Warrior tears of consequence in the game. OKC did their part by committing a turnover, then gift wrapping two Westbrook air balls on two horrible threes. And like the Durant four point giveaway to Curry, you can’t have three possessions to close a half where you don’t touch the rim once on any of the three possessions. You have to maintain some degree of composure.

Playoff basketball isn’t for knee jerkers. If you lose a game you lose a game, but the manner in which OKC competed tonight is a bit alarming. This wasn’t the new Thunder, this was the same Thunder we saw far too often with its warts and blemishes.

The question to be asked is which Thunder squad we’ll see in Game 3? The Thunder we saw for the previous four games or the Thunder we saw struggle with composure and execution issues against elite teams all regular season and tonight?

The win on Tuesday night did not make the series, nor did the loss tonight eliminate the Thunder’s plausible path to a Game 6 series win over the defending champs.

But make this clear, the old Thunder don’t have a plausible path to winning this series, only the new Thunder when this series resumes for Game 3 in Oklahoma City on Sunday evening.

Mike Jackson

The Thunder have now won three straight road games against the Spurs and Warriors. More to the point since the embarrassment against the Spurs in Game 1 the Thunder defense has been solid. Some are saying they look like an entirely different team which is what they are to a certain extent.

Billy Donovan has cut the rotation to eight players. OKC’s top eight players are seeing the playing time–Nick Collison, Cam Payne, Anthony Morrow, and Kyle Singler aren’t getting rotational minutes. Their  minutes are being absorbed by Durant, Westbrook, Adams, and Waiters–all much better defensive players than their regular season bench counterparts.

Better defensive players with more minutes equals a better defensive team. Plus, the two superstars are actually trying on defense. If Tramel wants to go all in on the fangs and Doberman thing that’s fine, but let’s not lose sight of the minutes.

So, yeah, it does look like a different team out there.

I’ve written this so many times on here it’s almost making me dizzy, but the truth is defense wins championships. It gives you a chance on nights when your two superstars go a combined 17-51.

It also helps from an offensive standpoint because the manner in which you run your offense transitions into playing defense. Plus, when Billy D teams Adams and Kanter together the Thunder usually wreak havoc on the offensive boards which translates into second chance points. Last night being a perfect example as the Thunder had a 15-2 advantage over the Warriors on second chance points.

What Donovan has done is basically simplified the Thunder and given the top players more minutes.

You can’t do this in the regular season when you have back to backs, three games in four nights, or four games in five nights, but in post season you can pull this off with the games being spaced with more days off between games.

So when Draymond Green said after the game last night, “That this wasn’t the same Thunder team we played against in the regular season”… he’s basically correct.

This isn’t the same Thunder team which played lackluster defense and led the entire NBA in blown fourth quarter leads.

The fact is–this is the Thunder team we’ve waited to see emerge since late October.

Obviously–Billy Donovan had a plan and so far the plan is working.

 

I thought Billy Donovan had a very strong game. Never panicked even when it appeared Kevin Durant could no longer execute a basketball pass in the first half.

His team regrouped at halftime and corrected everything they did poorly in the first half. Turnovers, rebounds, decision making, and free throws all were stellar coming down the stretch. Plus, I liked his timeout usage. He used them well in quieting every Golden State run in the second half, plus he still had one in his pocket there at the end.

Went with the eight man rotation and stuck with it. What he’s doing is what hockey coaches do when they double shift their first line forwards against the other team’s second and third line defensive pairings. He’s basically using Durant and Westbrook as his ninth and tenth players and trying to catch Golden State in bad defensive matchups.

Solid bench game by Billy D.

I’m pretty sure Steven Adams isn’t a racist. It’s just that he comes from New Zealand and a different culture where people don’t hang on every word uttered on either Fox or CNN. They actually have lives in New Zealand. I’m not trying to be insensitive, but I’m laughing my ass off on this. In a country which just nominated Donald Trump as a presidential nominee of a major political party, we have some concerned over Steven Adams’ choice of words.

Curry and Thompson do run around like little monkeys out there beyond the three point line. It’s an accurate simile by Steven. Nothing racist, but they do run around like little monkeys out there on the perimeter, especially Curry who is mixed, BTW. Should white people be offended?

I’m a white guy named Michael Jackson who went to John Marshall.  I understand cultural nuance. Trust me, I understand racial nuance.

We have way too many people in America with way too much time on their hands who for some reason can’t move forward.

I loved Howard Cosell. Read all his books. He went through the same thing when he said Alvin Garrett of the Redskins was ‘running around like a little monkey out there.’ The same Cosell who stood by then Cassius Clay as he went through his decision to not serve in the Vietnam War. The same Howard Cosell who was an avid advocate of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. That Howard Cosell.

The hair still sucks, but I’ve come to terms with it. Take care of the hand, mate. Let’s go win this thing.

Oklahoma City Thunder 108 — Golden State Warriors 102

OKC Thunder lead series 1-0.

Here’s the thing which has to scare Steve Kerr to death, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went a combined 17-51 from the field on Monday night at Oracle, yet his team lost by six points at home.

Let’s be candid here, OKC’s two superstars in no way brought their ‘A’ games to Oracle for Game 1, only bits and pieces in the second half, but that was enough on the road as OKC shook off a horrible first half to overcome a 60-47 halftime deficit and claim that coveted road playoff win.

But since OKC is now 5-1 on the road in these playoffs and Billy Donovan in no way seems all that impressed with the coaching of Rick Carlisle, Gregg Popovich, and now Steve Kerr is it selfish to suggest a two game road sweep to start and end this series simultaneously.

Maybe not. Because when it mattered most this new Thunder seemed collected, cool, and calm in the fourth period instead of the choking version we saw in the regular season. Something has happened to this Thunder. Something magical. Fourth quarter leads are holding up. The tough calls are going their way. But maybe, just maybe, they got tired of playing dumb basketball. They’ve grown up as a unit. Gotten better.

OKC was hideous in this first half. It appeared Kevin Durant couldn’t throw a ball six feet to an open teammate or make a wide open shot. Russell Westbrook only made one field goal in the half. They turned the ball over eight times. OKC did the unthinkable in getting beaten on the boards by the smaller Warriors. They missed their free throws. It was here we go again.

But then a calm came over the arena in the second half. Russell Westbrook starting making some shots. Kevin Durant quit throwing the ball away to strangers in street clothes on the first row. Slowly, but surely the game turned and the Thunder gave themselves a chance to win Game 1.

Ignoring the fact Westbrook was 7-21 shooting the ball, he was otherwise magnificent with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and 7 steals. Plus, he played defense. Nineteen of Westbrook’s points came in the third period when in fact the Thunder inverted the game on the Warriors.

Russell Westbrook is my No. 1 Star of the Game, but Steven Adams wasn’t far behind. It was the same Steven Adams we’ve seen since Game 2 of the Spurs series.

Adams was superb. I feel ashamed I ever questioned his hair. 16 points, 12 rebounds, six straight made free throws, and maybe the play of the game late when he grabbed a loose ball, got fouled, and then made two clutch free throws to expand the OKC lead.

In reality, all of the Thunder played fairly well, except for Durant. I expect more from Kevin Durant than this. I’m not trying be be snarky, but I expect a cleaner game than this. But this is why Steve Kerr should be concerned, Kevin Durant played poorly for the most part and probably has a big Game 2 lurking–just a hunch.

Dion Waiters was excellent again. Ibaka was solid–I’m not sure he roared like a lion, but he was good enough.. Roberson had nice moments. Kanter was decent. Foye functional. Only eight Thunder players played and Billy D played it just right.

OKC has its road split. Mission accomplished. No matter what happens in Game 2 on Wednesday–the Thunder now have home court advantage and at the least a plausible road map to a six game series win over the Warriors.

But if you’re competitive…. you know, I know, and Kevin Durant knows if he brings his ‘A’ game to Oracle on Wednesday night his Thunder could give the defending champion Warriors a standing eight count with a Game 2 road win.

Don’t laugh, this new Thunder wins late and they win on the road.

Mike Jackson

 

Even if OKC never had a team and these guys were still wearing Sonics jerseys, this is a series I’d be highly excited about watching. (A) It would give me an escape from thinking about my Philadelphia 76’ers and the departed Sam Hinkie’s dysfunction, (B) it’s a series pitting some of the most talented players in the game against one another for the right to play LeBron for the O’Brien Trophy. Can you tell how exited I am about Eastern Conference basketball? I’ve watched two Detroit-Cleveland games and that’s pretty much been it.

So let’s pretend Durant and Westbrook are Sonics, not Thunderers, who would my objective mind tell me to pick?

My Del Mar Okie (born in San Diego) heart would hope for OKC in six games, my objective mind says Golden State in Game 7.

IF OKC can get a split in the first two games in Oakland though, my heart may have more than a chance. The Thunder would want no part of a Game 7 in Oracle with a Warrior repeat on the line, so it’s a must OKC either win one of the first two games, then win Games 3 & 4, then close out the Warriors at home in Game 6. That seems like the roadmap the Thunder have to travel to advance to LeBron.

Is OKC good enough to do this?

Sure they are, but they have to continue playing smarter basketball, especially Russell Westbrook. Durant always scores well against the Warriors—I see no reason for that change. Steven Adams needs to continue his torrid play of late. Dion Waiters can’t turn back into a bad shot taker at just the wrong moment. Serge Ibaka needs to roar like a lion instead of meowing like a house cat. Billy Donovan needs to feel the times in the game to go with Kanter and see if the Thunder can punish the Warriors on the offensive boards for using their small ball lineups. Randy Foye needs to continue being functional. And, maybe just here and there, Anthony Morrow needs to hit some big threes at important moments in the series.

That’s nine guys. Unless injury or something crazy happens I don’t really see Cam Payne playing. He was brutal against the Spurs. Go with the vet Foye. Not sure how much if any Nick Collison or Kyle Singler will see the floor, if at all. But as Donovan has shown, he can surprise at times with his bench decisions. But basically–it should be eight players for OKC with Durant and Westbrook logging heavy minutes.

We know about Steph Curry, the two-time MVP coming off a regular season where he obliterated his own record for made three point shots. His old record was 286, this year he made 402 threes. Obviously, when you pair Curry with Klay Thompson you have a lethal perimeter shooting attack, actually historic.

So OKC’s perimeter defense has to be able hang with these guys and make them work for their space. Make them work for their space and time, just don’t give it to them in truckloads. I would think Donovan will rotate different guys on Curry going with Roberson, Waiters, Westbrook, and maybe even Foye.

Harrison Barnes–he’s been in a three point shooting slump of late (25%), it would be nice if this continues for the Thunder’s sake. To me, Barnes is like Danny Green in that when he’s on his team bumps to an even higher level.

Andrew Bogut is hurt and is a game time decision. This would be a big deal if he can’t go because he’s their best rim protector and Festus Ezeli has had his own injury issues this season. If Westbrook has an open lane to the rim I can’t see that being a good thing for the Warriors.

Iguodala, Livingston, Mo-Buckets, Barbosa, and Rush give the Warriors quality depth. But since Donovan is going to be doubling down on Durant and Westbrook’s playing time–it’s unlikely OKC should get burned by these guys without Payne and Singler on the floor.

Bogut’s health is definitely a consideration. Will OKC pound the glass and make the Warriors pay for playing small? That’s a question we’ll be talking about throughout the series.

Both teams have something to prove. Durant and Westbrook want a ring. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green want a repeat.

It all makes for a compelling series if both teams bring their A games.

I can’t wait.

With all due respect to Steph Curry, this was the better speech. Not even close. Maybe the best speech I’ve heard from a sports figure in this jaded era we live thru together. I remember driving home from work listening to it on the Sports Animal with tears rolling down my cheeks. It was just so refreshing to see someone like Durant reveal himself in this manner.

Even though these two teams have never met in a playoff series there’s so much history of these two clubs intertwined and where they stand heading into these Western Conference Finals. The Warriors with a championship and the best ever single NBA regular season. The Thunder with their fourth Western Conference Finals appearance in the past six seasons. Keep in mind, the only two times OKC didn’t advance were when either Durant or Westbrook were hurt.

Most of us thought the Thunder would have a ring by now. They don’t and they come into this series as underdogs. There’s layers of irony and life wrapped into this series without these teams ever having played each other in one single playoff game to date.

I wish it were Monday morning  already.