Friday Bolts – 6.21.13
Goodbye NBA season. You were a lot of fun. Congratulations to the Miami Heat, as well as the San Antonio Spurs. An incredible Finals, the best I can remember. Game 6 is something that I’ll cherish forever. No doubt about it, the best game I’ve ever seen in person.
Perk: “Well, to be honest with you, I was excited about this summer, being able to work on my game. This my first summer without having surgery so I’m just excited about it. I definitely didn’t like how I finished the season this past season, or the postseason. I was kind of embarrassed about the way I played. So the only way to go about it is to go back to the drawing board and I’m just treating this summer like I’m a rookie again. I’m working out with the young guys and I’m acting like I don’t even have a contract. That’s how I’m working.”
Gregg Popovich’s pregame press conference last night was something to behold.
Another Thunder owner got kicked out of his company: “Yesterday, Tom Ward, another owner of the basketball team, was ousted as chief executive of Oklahoma City’s SandRidge Energy by dissident investors in the oil driller. Last year, GMI Ratings, which monitors corporate governance, pointed out the similarities between McClendon and Ward, writing, ‘Mr. Ward obtained the right in 2006 to acquire stakes in wells the company drilled. His program has similarities to the one used by Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp., where Mr. Ward had been COO before leaving for SandRidge in 2006.'”
Via the AP: “The Heat’s Game 7 win over the San Antonio Spurs drew the second-highest preliminary television rating for the NBA Finals on ABC since the network took over the series in 2003. Miami’s 95-88 victory Thursday night earned a 17.7 overnight rating. Game 7 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics in 2010 had an 18.2 overnight. The series averaged a 12.4 overnight, up 5 percent from last year’s Heat-Thunder finals, which went only five games. Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned to a program. Overnight ratings measure the country’s largest markets.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider takes Steven Adams for OKC: “I was looking for a project big who could eventually replace Kendrick Perkins in the middle. I would have preferred Adams to Len if both players were available. I think Adams has superior upside and might be capable of contributing next season off the bench.”
