SB Nation - Kevin Durant

Loud Links: 12|18|09

daddydai — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:41:26 -0000

More photos » by ALONZO ADAMS - AP

1 day ago: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) goes up for a shot over Dallas Maverick center Erick Dampier (25) and forward Dirk Nowitzki, left, in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. Dallas defeated Oklahoma City 100-86. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

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The Official Home of Kevin Durant | Blog
[KD passes on the Dunk Contest.] Okay, I know NBA All-Star Weekend isn’t until February, but I just wanted to let you all hear it from me first: I will NOT be participating in the Slam Dunk Contest. I was offered a spot in the contest not too long ago but politely turned it down. But hear me out on this one.

My agent came to me last week and asked me if I wanted to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest and I was like…‘Nah.’ I’m just not a dunk contest dunker, you know what I mean? I don’t even do any good dunks in games. I can’t jump as high as those guys, either, so I’ll leave that up to the Rudy Gays and the Dwight Howards to show off in the Dunk Contest. I’ll pass on that.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I was really honored to be asked. There’s a lot of great dunkers in this league and they decided to put me out there, to call on me but I had to gladly say ‘no thank you.’ Besides, I think it’s more fun to watch than to be in.

Naismith Hall of Fame voting could open to fans, media - ESPN
[Fans voting for the Hall of Fame? Here comes Rodman!!!] The James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction process has long been one of the most secretive and exclusive of all the major sports shrines. Jerry Colangelo, Naismith's newly elected chairman of the board, is looking to change that. His plan includes having both fans and the media involved in the selection process.

"Nothing is etched in concrete at this point," Colangelo said. "I have to get my board to agree with me. I just believe it's the right thing to do and when you believe that and you're passionate about it, you usually can get something done."

Tulsa 66ers Acquire Forward Deron Washington - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News
[Hardin dropped by the 66ers.] To make room on the roster, the 66ers released center DeVon Hardin due to an injury. Hardin will remain in Tulsa for further evaluations by team physicians. Washington will wear jersey number 41 and will be in uniform for tonight's game against Rio Grande Valley.

Thunder notebook: Home struggles | NewsOK.com

After missing a fourth-quarter layup against Dallas, Russell Westbrook jumped up and slapped the net out of frustration when play stopped. Westbrook isn’t a great shooter but he’s rarely experienced a slump like his current one. Over the past seven games, Westbrook has shot 32.1 percent. Remove a solid outing against Memphis and Westbrook has shot 28.0 percent in OKC’s other six December games, 17.6 percent on 3-pointers.

"He has a good shot and has good form," said coach Scott Brooks. "He just has to keep getting reps in practice... It’s going to improve. It’s not improving at the speed that he probably wants, or I would like, but he’s practicing hard. That’s all I can ask." Westbrook shot 39.8 percent overall his rookie season, 27.1 percent beyond the arc. His shooting stats are similar but have dipped slightly below last year’s pace because of his recent slump.

Changing course: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City's offensive star, is turning heads with his defense | NewsOK.com
"I don’t know if he could have guarded me his first year," quipped Brooks, the 44-year-old coach. Let’s just say Durant didn’t mince words Thursday when retorting to reporters.

"He’s lying," Durant countered, only half jokingly. "My first year, they put me on everybody. I was guarding Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade. And I was doing decent."

Said Brooks: "Kobe had 48 against him!"

But on this, the coach and the player, as well as anyone else who has paid attention over the Thunder’s first 24 games agree; Durant’s defense is markedly more impressive in his third season. Durant has bought into playing on both ends in an attempt to morph into not only a complete player but also one who is recognized alongside the game’s elite. "His defense has really improved," said one Western Conference scout. "It’s contagious with their entire team ... They’re way better defensively. (Durant) gets a lot of credit for that."

The Top 5 NBA Coaches This Season | Dime Magazine
[Scotty being honored by Dime] If the playoffs started today, the Thunder would not be in the playoffs. Odds are, they probably won’t be come April. But what Brooks has done with the Thunder has been nothing short of amazing. Brooks is a young coach, who is coaching an even younger roster in a loaded Western Conference. They’ve dropped 3 straight, but the Thunder are still 12-12 and have had big wins against the Spurs, Jazz and Magic. Now that he has the confidence of his extremely talented young core (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, James Harden), Brooks could grow up with them in this league and be the coach that will take OKC to a championship some day.

Pistons vs Thunder preview
"It's very frustrating, we came out as a very aggressive team, we got stops we moved the ball, guys made nice baskets," Villanueva said. "We played like a team that first half; the second half we gave them a little bit of breathing room and we just collapsed offensively."

In injury news for the Pistons, guards Ben Gordon (ankle) and Richard Hamilton (hamstring) are both questionable against the Thunder.

Game 25 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Detroit

Zorgon — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:13:00 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Kevin Durant won't get to shy away from Ben Gordon tonight, because he's injured! Instead, he'll have to deal with the ferocious Chucky Atkins.

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports Detroit

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Motown String Music, Need 4 Sheed, Detroit 4 Lyfe

Backstory: Detroit is one of the league's enigmas. At times, they look like a quality team, able to put up wins against strong opponents like Orlando, Atlanta, and Denver. At other times, they drop a bunch of stinkers, losing to teams like Chicago or Toronto. Still, there is some reasoning for it, as Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Ben Gordon will all be gone tonight, and the Pistons have been battling injuries all season. Without those 3 players, I really can't see them beating us tonight, so I'm ready to throw out the celebration stuff.

And we all know the Thunder's story. They've been sliding because they've faced 3 of the leagues top 5 teams, and none of us want to see them slide below .500 and get into the muck of the West. Kevin Ollie is out through December, Kyle Weaver is out through March.

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Ben Wallace

Last time, Nenad Krstic was able to break out for a decent game against the slow-footed Ben Wallace, and I don't expect this time to be any different.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Jason Maxiell

When Jeff Green was faced Charlie Villanueva, he put up good numbers. But, this time, he'll have to face Jason Maxiell, and I think he'll have below-average numbers for yet another game.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Jonas Jerebko

That's right, Jonas Jerebko, a 2nd rounder the Pistons decided to use on the court. He strikes me as a European style forward, able to shoot and rebound, but not really able to get very gritty offensively or defensively. That being said, I've never seen him play, so I can only infer from the statistics. Still, Kevin Durant will undoubtedly have a better game, unless Jerebko is concealing a secret weapon that I know nothing about.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Rodney Stuckey

Thabo normally closes out on scorers well, but last time, he had some trouble with Ben Gordon. And I have reason to believe that he'll have trouble guarding someone with the scoring style of Stuckey. So expect Stuckey to out do Sefolosha in every area of the stat sheet.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Chucky Atkins

Yeah. Remember that ill-used guard we had last year? The one that was only good for shooting 3s? Well, he's starting for the Pistons now. Still, he is a decent scorer, so expect him to score around 10 while providing no defense whatsoever. This should open the way to a much better Russell Westbrook performance than last time.

Battle of the Benches:

Villanueva, Daye, Bynum, and Wilcox. Am I mistaken, or is that lineup far better than their starters? In any case, I'd say our benches are about even. We all have ample reserves for each position, and we're both missing a couple of guards.

Coaching and Intangibles:

Both teams have been on losing streaks, and both are well rested. I'll have to give it to the Thunder, because they're at home.

Bottom Line:

There is absolutely no reason we should lose this game. The Pistons are without their 3 best players, and they have to resort to secondary scorers and some of the Thunder's scrubs from last year in order to survive. We have the advantage at virtually every position. Let me say it again....we better not lose this game.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 95, Detroit 88

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the team on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

Game 24 Recap: Dallas 100, Oklahoma City 86

Zorgon — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:27:18 -0000

More photos » by Larry W. Smith - NBAE/Getty Images

Nick Collison only wishes he had hair like Dirk's!

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Yahoo! Sports Box Score:

To an outsider, this game might look like just another Dallas blowout. But, the final score isn't indicative at all of how the game went. It was a close, hard fought battle, with the Thunder keeping a slim lead until the very end of the 3rd, where they went down by 4. But, they battled back and actually gained a 75-71 advantage 4 minutes into the fourth quarter. But then, it all went to pot, as Dallas outscored Oklahoma City 29-11 in the waning minutes of the game.

But, the important question is, are things really going that badly for the Thunder? The answer is no. Are the collapses indicative of the team tiring or tuckering out? Again, no. The simple fact is that we're a young team, and the past 3 games we've played older, more experienced teams. These teams know how to turn on and off the heat at exactly the right times in order to achieve the best results. If they turned it on in the first or second quarter, like we do, then they'd be giving the other team an opportunity to come back. As a young team, we do the opposite. We charge out the gate, even assuming a 17-8 lead at one point, play extremely hard through the 2nd and 3rd, and then tucker out in the 4th when it's showtime. I mean, haven't you ever wondered why, during March Madness, the 14 seed will be leading the 3 seed by something like 60-50 with 10 minutes left? It's because they can't afford to play lackadaisically, and have to try to assume a large enough lead to where they can prevent the better team from coming back. But the better team almost always does come back to win. It's the same principle for the Thunder.

There's really not much else to say about this game. Our Big 3 scored decently but shot poorly, our role players scored decently and shot well, and we have absolutely no interior defense. Dirk, come eat us alive, because we can't stop ya! And no, I don't think Etan Thomas would have done a batter job than Collison or Krstic. Not against such a versatile scorer like Dirk.

On to the awards....

Thunder Wonder: Jeff Green, 15 Points, 7-11 Shooting, 11 Rebounds. Surprisingly, Jeff Green had a decent game against a big Power Forward. Is this the end of the trend of him playing horribly against big men? Nope. Dirk isn't your typical big man. I'll need to see him do well against a legitimate big man first before I shine in any ray of hope.

Thunder Down Under: Serge Ibaka, 6 Points, 3-4 Shooting, 6 Rebounds, and 0 Fouls in 14 minutes. One of his most productive performances yet, and he actually didn't commit a foul! What is this, bizarro world? Many props go out to Ibaka for significantly improving his game throughout the course of the season.

Thunder Blunders: I rarely give out two awards, but tonight, I have to. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. So many missed shots....

Thunder Plunderer: Dirk Nowitski, 35 Points, 11 Rebounds. No question here.

Next Game: Versus the Pistons, Friday, December 18th, 7 PM CST.

Loud Links: 12/17/2009

manifestus — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:11:18 -0000

More photos » by ALONZO ADAMS - AP

1 day ago: Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant debuts his new Nike shoes in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

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So the recap of the news for the last day is headlined by the loss to the Mavs along with KD's Creamsicle shoes. Then we have another Oden/Durant article, some snippets of news from John Hollinger, an article noting how oddly troubling this three-game losing streak is, and other stuff. Read on!

Durant's shoes only bright part of his game against Dallas Mavericks | dallasnews.com
OKLAHOMA CITY – It was a night of orange shoes for Kevin Durant. But his footwear was the only hot thing he had going Wednesday night. The former Texas Longhorns star has never had a seriously strong game against the Mavericks, and they continued to befuddle him in the form of a 4-of-18 shooting night in the Mavericks' 100-86 win.

Kevin Durant’s KD2 Creamsicles | dimemag.com
Yesterday against the Mavs, Kevin Durant debuted the outrageous "Creamsicle" colorway of his second shoe in the KD signature line, the KD2. The flashy kicks boast an all orange upper with a hint of "Oklahoma Thunder" blue on the swoosh and forefoot strap. Nike Basketball blessed other players on the squad with the Creamsicles as well so that the Thunder could style in sync. Unfortunately it takes more than footwear solidarity to get a W, as Dallas went on to win the game.

Durant Struggles; Thunder Fall | ksbitv.com
There were some bright spots for the Thunder as Jeff Green finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds, however all of those points came in the third quarter. The bench played well for the Thunder, a component of the team that has struggled for the most part this season. Nick Collison, James Harden and Serge Ibaka combined for 26 points and each added six rebounds to give the Thunder a boost keeping the team in the game for three quarters.

ESPN: Chat with John Hollinger | espn.go.com
I think the Hornets and Thunder will be the two that don't get in, with Portland just squeaking into #8. I really like OKC and they're WAY ahead of schedule defensively, but their lack of depth scares me and at some point in the next 50 games I think it will come back to bite them.

Draft picks are destiny’s children | thenational.ae
There are so many examples of teams making the wrong choice between players that it almost does not even qualify as a legitimate debate to use hindsight to evaluate the draft order of players in the NBA. With that being said, basketball fans in Portland should at least consider the possibility that their team made a mistake in selecting Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. The two players are forever linked because they were in the same NBA draft year. Oden was the incumbent star of his draft year, while Durant came out of nowhere to be one of the top players in the NCAA in 2006-07.

Storm clouds over Thunder | NewsOK.com
Well, things are pretty sour right now for the Thunder, and coach Scott Brooks didn’t hesitate in going to the well following his team’s 100-86 loss to Dallas on Wednesday at the Ford Center. "I said a couple of games ago that we were going to have some ups and some downs during the year," Brooks said. "We’re no different than any other team. And we’re in a little bit of a rut right now."

OKC Thunder players, SandRidge employees deliver shoes, cheer to students | okc.biz
National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder players Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison along with SandRidge Energy employees gave away Nike athletic shoes to Dunbar Elementary students Dec. 17.

Kobe More Clutch Than Jordan? Juuust A Bit Outside

aramnath — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:13:37 -0000

More photos » by Gary Dineen - NBAE/Getty Images

Kobe Bryant is a great player and has made a number of clutch shots, but he still can't come compare to Jordan. (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Today on ESPN's 1st and 10 Jemele Hill proved why she should not have a job analyzing sports, particularly professional basketball. On the show she debated two points with Skip Bayless. The first was who between Kobe and Jordan was more clutch and the second was who was better at the age of 20, Durant or Lebron.

On the first point Jemele stated that Kobe was a better clutch player than His Airness. Am I a Kobe hater? Yes. Do I accept that Kobe Bryant is one of the 15 greatest players in NBA history? Yes.

To even put Kobe's ability to perform in pressure situations on the same level as Jordan's is absolutely ridiculous.

In 6 NBA Finals appearances, Jordan won six titles and six Finals MVP trophies with several game-winning Finals shots, including Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, his last Finals appearance.

Kobe has also made 6 Finals appearances, winning 4 titles, 3 with the most dominating center of this era and has won a total of one Finals MVP trophy. He has made one game-winning Finals shot against the Pistons in Game 2 of the 2004 NBA Finals, a series the Lakers went on to lose comprehensively 4-1.

Jordan averaged 33.4 points in the playoffs, the all-time record, on 48.7% shooting from the field to go along with averages of 6.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists. All of these are increases from his regular season averages.

Kobe also has impressive playoff averages of 25.0 points on 44.7% shooting to go with 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. His points and rebounds average slightly decrease from his regular season totals and his field goal percentage is nearly an entire percent lower than his regular season average. His assists average goes up by 0.1.

The fact that you can't hand check players and that the level of contact allowed now is far less than during MJ's prime makes it even more amazing to see what Jordan accomplished. I could keep going on, but if you want more proof of how in every way Jordan is more clutch, check out these stats.

Bryant: Career Achievements and Playoff Stats

Jordan: Career Achievements and Playoff Stats

Now her second argument was that Durant as 20 year-old was slightly better than James simply because he had a better outside touch. This is the most ridiculous premise to determine who's a better player because it simply neglects other aspects of the game.

Durant's average of 25.3 points per game on 47.6% shooting is outstanding. He also averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. All in all an extremely impressive second year in the league at the age of 20.

James played with more pressure on him as a phenom in his second year than Durant has ever experienced and averaged 27.2 points on 47.2% shooting. I will agree with Jemele that Durant has a more polished perimeter shooting game at this age than James had at that age. However James averaged 7.4 rebounds and a ridiculous 7.2 assists as well. He also averaged one more steal per game than Durant (2.2 to 1.3).

None of this is to say that Kobe is not a great player or that Durant is not one of the most talented young players in the history of the NBA. However to compare Kobe's or any player's pressure situation abilities to Jordan's is an act of stupidity anybody who watched playoff games in the 90's knows without looking at the numbers. Similarly Lebron's all-around game was so much more advanced than Durant's at the same age that looking at one aspect such as perimeter scoring and then using that as a basis to determine a better player is perhaps an even greater act of stupidity.

Then again rooting for the Celtics is exactly like rooting for Hitler, right Jemele?

Best start in Nuggets history?... (Nuggets/Rockets recap)

Andrew Feinstein — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:41:58 -0000

Sometimes games have absolutely no personality whatsoever. Tonight's relatively easy victory over the Rockets was one of those games. But sitting at 19-7, the best start in Nuggets NBA franchise history, who are we to complain?

First off, let's congratulate this band of Nuggets for completing the best 26-game start in Nuggets history. That's no small feat. Yes, they've had a pair of dreadful, alarming losses combined with a few more clunkers that we'd expect better from, but overall this is a damn good team. They still open games lethargically (as we witnessed again tonight), but there may not be a better third quarter team in the NBA right now. I remember just a few seasons ago when the third quarter was the Nuggets death knell. Oh how times have changed.

But is this really the best start in Nuggets history? Record-wise, yes. Through 26 games last season, the Nuggets stood at 17-9, but you could argue the first four games didn't count (no Carmelo Anthony for games one and two, versus the Lakers in game three and at Golden State in game four with no Allen Iverson). In the Nuggets first 26 games W.C. (with Chauncey), they were 18-8, one off this team's pace. But this season's Nuggets have lost five games to sub-.500 teams, including once at home, whereas last season's Nuggets (again, W.C.) didn't drop a single contest to a sub-.500 team in those first 26 games W.C. So while technically their records are almost a wash, I still liked the spirit and game-by-game seriousness of last season's Nuggets better at this point in the season.

From my seats at Pepsi Center, I don't think I saw the Nuggets break a sweat tonight. Yes, they dug themselves an early hole (I remember turning to my seat mate and saying "they only have 11 points with four minutes to go in the first quarter?!") and then suddenly they were up at the end of the first period and never looked back.

The Nuggets successfully completed what I labeled on Friday as their "no excuses week" (three home games against opponents playing them on the second of a back-to-back) with the record they should have had: 3-0. Part of being a great team is simply doing what you're expected to do, and the Nuggets have done so. Meeting expectations might be a tad boring, but we'll take these relatively easy victories any day.

The view from the not-so-cheap-seats...

...I didn't catch the Chauncey Billups groin injury but did see Chris Andersen limping a bit. The "Birdman" seemed to shake it off, however, and hold his own down the stretch.

...Melo did his best impersonation of Kevin Durant/Alex English by scoring the quietest 38 points I've ever seen him score. I guess that happens when you shoot an astoundingly high 20 free throws (and he promptly sank 19 of them). Convinced that this had to be Melo's career high for free throw attempts, I just looked it up and he amazingly had two 22-plus free throw attempt games during the 2005-06 season.

...believe it or not, watching J.R. Smith shoot threes lately had become cringe-worthy for some Pepsi Center fans. I won't proclaim that J.R. has ended his shooting slump, but tonight's 21-point effort was the most he had scored in 12 games. Eek.

...after Nene missed his wide open layup, he laughed at himself and had a "I can't believe I didn't just dunk the damn ball!" look on his face. So did we!

...did Ty Lawson's sick under-the-basket scoop layup look as good on TV as it did in person? Just wow.

...I'm embarrassed to admit this but I had no idea who David Andersen was until tonight (off the top of my head, I can go 10-11 deep on any NBA roster...12 might be a stretch). But this (legitimately) 6'11" kid from Australia has some game. And believe it or not, his 17 points against our Nuggets tonight wasn't his career high: he put up 19 against the Lakers earlier in the season.

Non-Stiff of the Night

-Carmelo Anthony: Melo didn't shoot particularly well, but as noted above - when you score 38 points and no one really notices - you've ascended to an Alex English-type level in this game. It's become expected/assumed that Melo will go for 30 nightly and anything short is considered an off night. That in itself is the definition of a super star player.

Stiff of the Night

-Chase Budinger: Pardon the reverse racism here, but if you're a white American (i.e. non-Euro), second round draft pick and you're still playing in the NBA you have one job to do: hit wide open shots. And Budinger - who deserves a lot of credit for working his way into the Rockets rotation - couldn't hit any of his shots tonight ending up 0-4 from the field.

Photo courtesy of AP Photos: David Zalubowski

Game Recap: Mavericks Drown Out Thunder 100-86

zdgmans — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:08:58 -0000

More photos » by ALONZO ADAMS - AP

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The 12-11 Okalahoma City Thunder, who are much more dangerous than their record would indicate, welcome the Dallas Mavericks into their gym for the first time this year. The second youngest team in the NBA likes to get off to a fast start and push the ball in transition whereas the Mavericks look to execute in the half court and push only when there is an opening.

The Thunder present a challenge for any team in the NBA (there are no easy games in this league no matter what anyone thinks). This will be a game of wills and it comes down to which team executes their game plan better.

Game as a Whole:

Dirk Nowitzki recovers from his previous off night to help push the Mavericks over the hump tonight. He ended up besting Kevin Durant all night (Durant is currently third in the league in scoring) both in points and on the boards. While Dirk deservers almost all of the credit for the win, Shawn Marion and Erick Dampier both turned in excellent performances to compliment everything that Dirk was doing.

While the five-game winning streak is great, the Mavericks still have a few things that they will need to improve on if they hope to continue rolling. Jason Terry’s defense is just as much a liability for the team as Barea’s. Tonight, he was consistently getting blown by, and fouling in an attempt to make up for his defensive shortcomings. Too many second chance points given up by the Mavericks kept the Thunder in the game for most of fourth quarter.

1st Quarter

11:37, Barea kicks of his night by missing a three-point jumper. Are we going to see the Barea that dominated the Hornets?
10:48, Barea redeems himself by drawing an offensive foul against Russell Westbrook. If he even slows Westbrook down a little bit the Mavericks should be able to pull out a win.
10:26, What is this, the Barea three point shooting clinic? Let’s get somebody else a shot shall we?
8:26, You absolutely cannot give up 2 offensive rebounds in one sequence to the Okalahoma City Thunder. They are going to make you pay. The Mavericks woes on the offensive boards continue.
Shawn Marion is looking really active tonight. You won’t see his contribution in the stats sheet night in and night out but he is definitely making his presence felt for the Mavericks.
7:20, Is it me or is Barea taking way too many shots tonight? I know the coaches told him to stay aggressive but this seems a bit over-aggressive.
3:59, Shawn Marion block on Kevin Durant. Mavericks will need more of that if they want to take the lead in this game.
3:39, Josh Howard comes in for the first time tonight. Let’s see whether Howard can give us a spark off of the bench.
3:24, Definitely dodged a bullet on this offensive sequence. One offensive rebound and two missed three pointers for the Thunder isn’t the best outcome but I will take it.
2:20, Shawn Marion in for Dirk? Marion and Howard on the floor at the same time? This is interesting.
0:03, Looks like this lineup has effectively tied the game. Thanks Shawn Marion and Jason Terry.

2nd Quarter

11:38, Like the hustle from Josh Howard (almost back to his old form) but you have to put one shot in if you get your own offensive rebound.
10:52, Drew Gooden misses a 12-foot jumper (shouldn’t be taking those) and then makes up for it by fouling at the other end. That’s not going to put your team in a position to win.
10:03, Dirk misses a jumper. Color me surprised that the Mavericks are only down by three at this point.
9:07, Drew Gooden cleaning up the garbage on a missed layup attempt by Barea. This is really what Gooden should stick to, not jump shots.
7:33, Josh Howard seems to be taking his ride on the off night train. Glad to see him make an 18-foot basket at this point in the game.
6:07-5:37, Welcome to the Drew Gooden show! Dunks (Jason Terry assists), defensive rebound, and then draws a shooting foul. That’s how you start to take over a game.
Shawn Marion used to be an okay three-point shooter when he was at Phoenix. When is he going to start setting up for some three’s again?
3:45-3:42, How is it that in the span of 3 seconds you can have two offensive rebounds gathered in by two different players and they both end up missing the put back? Not going to name names, as it is embarrassing.
1:54, Erick Dampier makes a layup (Kidd gets another assist) and the Mavericks are now only down two points.
:22, Dirk out of the timeout is always a great play. I wonder how many times they draw up the play specifically for Dirk?

3rd Quarter

10:20, The fade away is back. Dirk, it’s looking like you need put the Mavericks on your back tonight after the poor game you had the other day. Comes back and gets fouled on the next possession.
The Thunder are another team who have a record that doesn’t tell the full story. They have a pretty dangerous starting five, even if they are pretty young.
Mavericks are 2 of 9 from behind the 3 point line right now.
9:06, Great hand-off by Kidd to Dampier, but he couldn’t finish the play. Kidd, nice old school moves going off of the playe’rs back to get the ball inbounds.
Dampier makes both of his free throws. Great when he does that.
8:37, Mavericks only down 3 and Kidd takes a three pointer off of a screen. Didn’t even set his feet. If he hit those all the time, wow.
7:21, Dirk really looks awesome when he takes it to the basket. He really should mix his game up more and continue to do that.
5:53, Dampier looks like Dwight Howard rolling to the basket. Takes a lob from Kidd and banks it off the glass before touching the ground. Sadly, basket doesn’t count as Kidd was fouled on the pass.
4:08, Josh Howard has a great turn-around jumper. That was his best shot tonight.
Mavericks are going on a run. Dirk hits a baseline jump shot and then, after a defensive stop, Josh goes coast-to-coast for a layup. Thunder cannot be happy with that.
2:00, Dirk trailing for three is the Mavericks new go-to play. I really like how people haven’t figured out that you need to run out to the three-point line and cover him.
:22.9, Marion takes it hard to the basket to put the Mavericks up by 4. Weren’t they just up by 7 not even a minute ago?

4th Quarter

11:33, Starting off the quarter by getting the Thunder into foul trouble. Yes please. Mavericks are really fighting for rebounds now.
10:50, Gooden tries to put it up against two defenders under the basket. Bad choice.
I can’t believe the Thunder are the number one free throw shooting team in the league.
Shot clock violation. Kidd needs to be back in the game. Tied 71-71.
Mavericks have turned it over in each of their last three possessions. The Thunder now lead the game by two.
8:18, Time for Drew Gooden to sit down and Erick Dampier back in the game. Offensive rebound with a put back "and 1". Come on.
7:55, In case of emergency, let Nowitzki go glass. 2-point banker is good.
7:33, Howard ties it on two free throws.
5:29, Dirk hits another 2 point shot to put the Mavericks up five. Their interior defense falls apart on the next possession.
4:43, Offensive rebound for Dampier, who then gets fouled. Dallas needed these foul shots to slow the game down. This will allow their defense to get back and get set on the next play.
4:05, Howard may have hit a dagger three. Mavericks get a block on the Thunder’s next possession.
2:18, Dampier takes a perfect pass from Dirk at the three-point line (after a shot fake). This is going really well now.
1:43, Correction, Dirk hits the dagger three. The Mavericks are officially taking over the 4^th quarter (something they normally don’t do).
The Thunder have absolutely fallen apart at the end of the game. I guess this is what you get from a young team? Mavericks are up 12 with less than 40 seconds to go.
Mavericks win 100-86.

Some Choice Statistics

More clutch play from Dirk, 55-55 on Free Throws in the Fourth Quarter/OT this year.
Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden both end up coming out of this game with -7 in the +/- even though they had valuable contributions.
Dallas is currently the third best free throw shooting team in the league at around 80%.

Closing Thoughts:

The Mavericks haven’t been known as "closers" but after a tight game against the Thunder it was a great sign to see them close the game out with a big run to completely shut the door on a comeback. The winning streak continues even though the team is still a work in progress.

Loud Links: 12|16|09

daddydai — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:24:48 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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2009-2010 Hollinger Projections - All Players - ESPN
[Guys we have a new superstar on our hands. Just click the link above and see how Hollinger's numbers put Kyle Weaver above the league's creme de la creme.] The rookie swingman was a poor man's Thabo Sefolosha, showing an ability to defend and handle the ball but displaying an iffy shooting stroke and generally poor offensive instincts. Weaver wasn't half-bad shooting on the rare occasions he launched, hitting 34.4 percent on 3s and 47.7 percent on long 2s, and he made a stellar 59.6 percent in the immediate basket area. But too often he was a wallflower -- only two shooting guards had a lower Usage Rate and he averaged just 10.2 points per 40 minutes. Additionally, for a guy who spotted up for his rare shot opportunities, he was shockingly turnover prone. Weaver's turnover ratio was the third-worst among shooting guards; normally guys like this are in the top ten because they're required to do so little. Although he seemed a good ball handler, his pure point rating also was poor, coming in at 44th at the position.

Livingston Keeps Moving Forward Without Looking Back -- NBA FanHouse
[It is great to see Shaun Livingston get more playing time. Doesn't Jamario Moon and Shaun look like brothers? I hope Shaun gets those hops back.] "There's certainly things that I lack athletically,'' said Livingston, comparing himself to before the injury, when he was averaging 9.3 points for the 2006-07 Clippers and appeared well on his way to being a fine NBA player after being taken with the No. 4 pick in 2004 directly from high school. "Speed and quickness and the initial burst and a maybe a little bit of jumping. But I'll sacrifice a little bit of that just to be able to play the game. I can still play in this league and make a difference.''

Just seeing Livingston on the court serves as an inspiration to his teammates. Forward Nick Collison said he's "really impressed with him with all that he's been through.'' Ollie feels likewise. "To see him being out there playing, you look at a guy who has persevered and gotten through certain things in his career, and he's not given up,'' Ollie said. "That fires up everybody when you see a player who's going through those things and you know he's a better person for it . ... He's continuing to bounce back and continuing to fight and hopefully he'll have success this season and beyond and get back to the position he wants to be.''

Biggest Story of the Year? SI.com
So as not to bring out the big storylines yet, I'm going to say the Thunder's being above .500. Generally, a young team with one dominant scorer -- Kevin Durant, at 28.3 points per game, is averaging 12 more than the second-highest scorer, Russell Westbrook -- equates to a struggling team. But there the Thunder stand, just one game out of a playoff spot, even as people in Seattle remain angry about a franchise that was hijacked from under them. But "quarter pole" should be in boldface -- it's really early.

Sweat Equity: Arinze Onuaku's path to 1,000 points | Orange Basketball Blog - syracuse.com
[Etan's record in Syracuse is being threatened.] In the past 20 years, 24 players have reached the 1,000-point mark at Syracuse. Of those two dozen, only three were true centers — Otis Hill (1,416 points) and Etan Thomas (1,340)."Over the years, the guards do most of the scoring," said Onuaku. "You have to have the mentality that if you get the ball in scoring position, you have to take advantage of that and you’re going to score." Onuaku’s done that. He reached 1,000 points despite the fact that he’s never taken a 3-point shot. In fact, one could probably count on one hand the number of shots he’s taken outside the free-throw lane. But once Onuaku establishes position close to the basket, he’s nearly unstoppable. He is Syracuse’s career leader in field-goal percentage. His career percentage of 64.3 represents a Bob Beamon-esq leap beyond former leader Etan Thomas’ mark of 60 percent.

CavsHQ Running Thoughts - Cavs v. Thunder - 12/13/09 | CavsHQ - cleveland.com - cleveland.com
[I really need to start giving Krstic more respect.] Shaquille O'Neal looked good on Friday against Joel Pryzbilla, which is why it was a surprise that he would struggle mightily against Nenad Krstic. Shaq had 5 fouls and 3 turnovers in just over 18 minutes of play, and was once again pretty insignificant out there. While Shaq does give the Cavs a consistent plan of attack in the halfcourt, it would be better if that plan was working better.

Thunder notebook: Star search | NewsOK.com
ESPN.com’s John Hollinger, whose computer ratings were plugged in and the rest of the season was played out 5,000 times, attended Monday’s game in Denver. His reaction to his rankings predicting OKC will finish 48-34 and earn the No. 5 seed in the West? "It often changes because there’s so much water that has to go under the bridge," Hollinger said. "You can’t predict injuries or trades. The computer builds in some of that, but can’t (predict injuries). Their blowout win (at home) over Orlando really helped them." Hollinger said fans, coaches and players usually are more emotional about PER (Player Efficiency Ratings) than playoff predictions. In Hollinger’s updated future Power Rankings on Tuesday — projections for the next three seasons after the current 2009-10 season — Hollinger moved Oklahoma City up one spot to third.

Game 24 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Dallas

Zorgon — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:03:40 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Hey man! Easy!

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: KSBI-TV, Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Mavs Moneyball, That Two Man Game

Backstory: As a team that's not even one and a half years old, we don't have many rivalries. In fact, to fans in Oklahoma City, I'd say we have 0 rivalries. The only time they'll take a game seriously is when the team we're facing is really good, or when the Thunder are on National TV. To fans nationally, the thunder might have a rivalry going with the TrailBlazers, but to fans in Oklahoma City, the rivalry is irrelevant. In fact, I don't think I can even remember the games against the TrailBlazers, except through a recap I read.

But I think the closest we're getting to a rivalry is the one with our neighbors to the South, the Dallas Mavericks. Some were gunning for a Denver rivalry, but after last nights snorefest combined with the fact that only one game was really good makes for a dud of a rivalry. The Mavericks, on the other hand, have provided an entertaining game every time we've met them. Our first game against them was a close loss, which was one of the first indications that last season's Thunder weren't going to be the worst team in NBA history. Then, we had a close overtime loss in Dallas, and finally, a victory in Oklahoma City through a rally of some of our worst players. No Green? No Durant? No problem, just have Kyle Weaver go off on them!

But, this season, the games actually have meaning for both teams. We are both gunning for good seeds in the Western playoffs. The Mavericks have been doing a lot better, but what's to say that we don't already have their number? The players may have changed, but the coach and the strategy is the same.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Erick Dampier

Erick Dampier isn't as young as he used to be. In fact, he's at the ripe old age of 34. But he's always proved to be the perfect compliment to Dirk Nowitski. Whereas Dirk is focused on offense, Dampier provides the yin to his yang by focusing on defense and inside battles. Even though he's facing a light weight in Nenad Krstic, I wouldn't expect Dampier to go above 15 Points or so, though. You can only set up so many plays for him, but expect him to really own the rebounding department,

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Dirk Nowitski

Jeff Green has never done well against big players, but Dirk Nowitski isn't your typical 7 footer. He'll get the same numbers as Dwight Howard, sure. But he'll do it through sheer size and outside shooting prowess, rather than bullying his way into dunks. This might open up opportunities for Jeff Greens quickness to outclass Dirk offensively, but I still wouldn't bet on a big game from him. The Dallas frontcourt wins by a longshot.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion is your typical above-average small forward. He'll get you just over 12 points, grab a couple of rebounds, and dish an assist. But he's no match for Durant. He'll produce his usual game offensively, but Durant will put up far better numbers.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Jose Juan Barea

Jose Juan Barea is the only member of the Mavericks starting five to not have played pro-basketball in the 90s. Still, that doesn't make him any worse than his counterparts. He's known as a quick combo guard who can light it up on occasion for bunches of points. Unfortunately for him, he's going up against one of the best defenders in the NBA, and he won't have much success.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Jason Kidd

This isn't your father's Jason Kidd. He can't defend or score as well as he used to, but, luckily for the Mavericks, his lightning quick passing skills and his ability to rebound are still there. He'll definitely out-assist Westbrook tonight, but I have a feeling Westbrook will put more points on him. It should be interesting to see the old guard vs. the new.

Battle of the Benches:

The Mavericks, as always, have an incredibly deep and talented bench, including the likes of Drew Gooden, Jason Terry, and Rodrigue Beaubois, who is way better and awesomer than B.J. Mullens. Since we're still without a Point Guard, I'll give them the win here.

Coaching and Intangibles:

Both teams are equally rested and have almost their full roster intact, but the Mavericks are at home, so they have the advantage.

Bottom Line:

This is the last game of the "Deadly Trio" that we lined up, with games against the Cavaliers and the Nuggets prior. If we can win this one, I'd say it was a successful 3 game stretch. But if we can't dial the Mavericks number again tonight, I'll have serious doubts about our playoff chances. And yes, I said the P-Word! If the Thunder can get some production out of Green and make sure Westbrook doesn't put up too many bad shots, I'd say we have a good shot at winning this thing.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 112, Dallas 110 (OT)

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the teams on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

Game 23 Recap: Denver 102, Oklahoma City 93

Zorgon — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:56:58 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Serge Ibaka may have a name that is just as cool as Nene's, but he can only dream of similarly awesome dreadlocks.

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Well, what is there to say about this game?

After the second quarter, this game was over. Sure, the game might have still been statistically in reach, but it wasn't realistically in reach. The Thunder couldn't hit a 3 pointer if their life depended on it, and 39% from the field doesn't exactly cut it either. It just reminded us of the painful fact that we have no shooters, and that almost all of our scoring come from right next to the basket and from the line.

Below: Analysis, Awards (I promise, they're lengthy!)

First, let me just say that defensively, we did everything right. We limited them to 40% from the field and 29% from the 3 Point line. Heck, we even equaled them in total rebounding. So, what was the problem, you may ask? Well, it all comes down to turnovers and free throws. They had 9 more attempts than us at the line (totaling up to 5 more points), and they had 3 less turnovers. The second quarter collapse didn't help either. You can play with a team for three quarters if you want, but you can't completely collapse against them in one and expect to win. This game was almost like the Cleveland loss, except the collapse here came in the 2nd, rather than in the 4th.

Yet again, the Thunder Wonder for this game is Kevin Durant. 32 Points, 10 Rebounds, and a better performance than Carmelo Anthony is all that I have to say. The Thunder Down Under is Nick Collison, who really battled down low and helped us stay in this game. He was a big part of the first and fourth quarter runs. 14 Points, 5 Rebounds, and a whole lot of ammo for the cannons that declare him as the starter for this team. There might be something I'm missing, but Nenad Krstic has proved to be totally worthless against anything but immobile or European Centers offensively, and he doesn't provide much in the way of defense or rebounds. Sure, he can clear the lane and set picks all day, but couldn't Nick Collison do that while also providing something offensively and defensively? Look, I used to sit next to Krstic's friends, great people, and Krstic is a great guy. In fact, he'd probably be the guy who's jersey I'd be out to get next. But until he can prove that he can perform better than Nick Collison on a consistent basis, it's my recommendation that this 15 million dollar man sits on the bench.

The Thunder Blunder, however, is not Nenad Krstic. Rather, I'm turning to the Point Guard situation and Russell Westbrook. It's games like these that make me really miss Kevin Ollie. Now, before the fingers of hate start pointing at me, let me just say that I'm not in the Jim Traber camp which claims that Russell Westbrook will never be a "true" point guard. But, I'm also not in the camp of "Russell Westbrook is the greatest Point Guard Ever, let's put him in the All-Star Game". I'm somewhere in-between. I think that he's learning. Some nights, he'll be one of the most unselfish players on the court, throwing out 10 assists while hardly scoring at all. Some nights, he'll score really well, while dishing out few assists. Then, there's nights like these, where his scoring will be mediocre, and his assists will be below par. It's on nights like these we lose, and it's also on nights like these where I miss Kevin Ollie. I mean, how many times to I have to see Russell Westbrook just dribble down to the post and brick a layup? He's starting to look like Kyle Weaver offensively. And I know he had 14, but 5 of his points were in complete garbage time at the very end of the game. I'm not saying Kevin Ollie is better than Russell Westbrook by any means, I'm just saying that he brings stability to the offense in the middle of the game. He only shoots it if he knows he's open, and he triggers excellent ball movement amongst the team. Shaun Livingston will just go out there and copy Russell Westbrook's game. But I think it's helpful to have both Ollie and Westbrook, and I think Westbrook will have less of these games as time goes on. Unfortunately, for now, he's the Thunder Blunder.

And finally, on the Nuggets side of things, it was business as usual. Though Aaron Affalo and Kenyon Martin were shut down by Thabo Sefolosha and Jeff Green respectively, they still got a huge surge of scoring off of the bench via Chris "The Birdman" Andersen and J.R. Smith, who both combined for 34 points. Talk about former Hornets coming back to bite you. But the best performance of the day, and the Thunder Plunderer Award, is reserved for Carmelo Anthony, who had 31 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 2 Assists, all while shooting over 50%.

Next Game: Vs the Mavericks, Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00 PM Central Standard Time.