Tuesday Bolts – 2.21.12
Matt Moore of CBSSport.com has KD as his midseason West MVP: “And really quietly, Durant’s become an elite defender. He’s allowing just 26 percent from the field in ISO situations according to Synergy Sports. Defense was a huge weakness in Durant’s game over the past few seasons and he’s really hit his stride this season. The Thunder aren’t even that great defensively, Durant has just been individually incredible. For him to catch James, he would need for the Thunder to continue their impressive winning percentage. He would need to top the league in scoring, and for his impressive uptick in rebounding rates to continue. It’s a tall order, but there’s no question he’s within range. Durant has become the most impressive offensive force in the league. He is 23 years of age.”
John Hollinger of ESPN.com on where OKC is weak: “Paint points have been a season-long problem for Oklahoma City, which is only 14th overall in defensive efficiency. As Ibaka showed against Denver, the Thunder’s problem isn’t an inability to contest shots in the paint, nor is it an inability to defend the post. It’s all those blow-bys on the perimeter, which constantly leave the bigs in recovery mode. And because their bigs are always chasing down drivers, it leads to another opening on the boards. Despite what on paper should be a very solid rebounding team, Oklahoma City is tied for 23rd in defensive rebound rate at 72.2 percent. Again, those 11 blocks are indicative — every time Ibaka rotates to close down the lane, it leaves the boards open for seconds shots. Transition defense, as the Thunder showed, is also a problem.”
KD picks his favorite big shots.
5-on-5 on ESPN.com talking Thunder threats. J.A. Adande: “The Thunder were my pick coming into the season, and I’ve seen no reason to change. Prevailing in games like that classic against Denver only strengthens their case.”
Gilbert Arenas on Westbrook: “[Durant] is, hands down, the No. 1 scorer. The No. 2 option, for me, is Harden. Your No. 3 option is the point guard, but he becomes the No. 1 and 2 and 3 option because he always has the ball. And when you’re stronger and bigger than everybody, you’re going to have opportunities. So when people say he [Westbrook] needs to stop shooting, I get frustrated. If I’m a coach or general manager, I would never tell that kid to stop shooting, because as long as he’s aggressive, Kevin Durant will be dominant. You talk about Russell as a ball-hog, but how is he a ball-hog if Kevin Durant is still leading the league in scoring? If this point guard/hybrid — whatever you want to call him — is jumping at the rim and blowing past every guard, you have to always focus on him because you don’t know what he’s going to do. And as long as you’re focusing on him, Kevin Durant gets to play the basketball he gets to play, and that’s what makes it good.”
Portland’s acting GM says he’d still take Oden over Durant.
Darnell Mayberry: “Quietly, Perk has been fantastic in three of his last four games. He shut down Al Jefferson (relatively). He shut down Luis Scola (relatively). And tonight, shut down Kaman. In those three games, Jefferson, Scola and Kaman combined to score 42 points on 18-for-52 shooting. For you math geniuses, that translates to a three-game average of 14 points on 34.6 percent shooting.”
Trying to predict how OKC will finish.
From Elias: “Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece, leading the Thunder to victory over the Hornets, one night after Durant had scored 51 and Westbrook 40 in an overtime triumph over the Nuggets. It marked the first time since 1972 that a pair of NBA teammates had each scored 30-or-more points in each of two wins on two consecutive days. Back on Dec. 22, 1972, Atlanta’s Lou Hudson scored 33 points and Pete Maravich 31 in a 110-109 win over the Braves in Buffalo; the next night, Maravich had 42 and Hudson 31 in a 124-112 victory over the 76ers. Did Maravich and Hudson get national headlines for their feat? Unlikely. After all, there was some other sports news on Dec. 23, 1972; in Pittsburgh that day, the Steelers beat the Raiders in an NFL playoff game with rookie Franco Harris scoring the winning touchdown on what would come to be known as the Immaculate Reception.”
KD tops ESPN’s cross-sport rankings.
Hornets 24/7: “It was a crazy block party out there for the Thunder. 13 blocks against the Hornets. Still, I’d like to thank Daequan Cook for helping the Hornets to stay in that game.”
