Monday Bolts – 6.8.15
From NewsOK.com: “Even with the Thunder missing out on the postseason altogether, Oklahoma City delivered a 13.6 rating, ranking it 17th among national markets for Thursday’s game. Tulsa ranked 33rd with a 10.6. As expected, Cleveland and San Francisco dominated the ratings with record numbers in their respective markets. Per ESPN, Cleveland had a 41.4 rating while San Francisco scored a 28.9 – both the highest-rated NBA games ever in those markets.”
Perk on Scott Brooks: “I was surprised. I was surprised. You can have all the talent you want. But one thing about Scotty is he won games. A lot of people talk about the offense, but he allowed KD and Russ to play their games. He let them play with a lot of freedom. But sometimes, I guess, you just gotta roll with a new voice. I wish them nothing but the best.”
Anthony Slater: “But every shot and every bit of Westbrook’s bottomless energy felt needed. His teammates scrapped and clawed and contributed — much like Cleveland’s fringe players are doing right now — but for OKC to be successful during that stretch, Westbrook had to shoulder an outrageous load. During one particularly productive week starting in late February, Westbrook had three separate games of at least 39 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, while taking at least 30 shots. The last player to put up those numbers was LeBron James, who did it once in 2006 and once in 2010. During Game 2 on Sunday night, LeBron compiled that loaded line again. He and Westbrook have now both done it three times. They are the only six such occurrences in the NBA since 1993.”
Bryan Curtis of Grantland on “gritty”: The word is dumb. The word is casually insulting. The word feels wrong now that James and Dellavedova may have plunged a needle filled with adrenaline into the Finals. That may be why, by the end of the game, as LeBron roared with joy, Mike Breen switched to another word: ‘inspiring.'”
Chad Ford says Kelly Oubre is the third-best wing in the draft: “When he arrived in Lawrence, Oubre was clueless about how to defend, which drastically limited his minutes in the first month of the season. However, by the end of the season I thought he was Bill Self’s best weapon on defense. With his length and mobility, he can guard multiple positions. I think his lack of playing time early and questions about his maturity have artificially deflated his stock. If he gets it (and I agree that there’s an “if” there), he has the highest upside of any wing in the draft. I’m assuming the numbers won’t be kind, however. There’s a risk involved with Oubre. But the upside is phenomenal.”
Uh oh, it’s starting — Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com has an adjustment for Steve Kerr: “Starting Iguodala is the right basketball move. He’s the better Bron defender, and starting maximizes his time on that assignment. Sometimes, though, the right basketball move is ignored for an understandable explanation. In making this kind of choice, the Warriors are accounting for the psychology of their players. They could be wrong in choosing this, but they have their reasons. And, like their starting small forward, the 80-win team is pretty confident this season.”
Darnell Mayberry: “With the 14th overall pick, the Thunder could be interested in giving Hunter the chance. Hunter is one of the best shooters in this year’s draft, and his long-distance marksmanship, albeit streaky at this stage in his career, could loosen up defenses and alleviate pressure from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant down the line.”
