Tuesday Bolts – 3.4.14
Zach Harper of CBSSports.com on MVP: “In reality, the NBA MVP award is a series of sprints that comprise a marathon. Some players will hit a bit of a lull here and there but these top two candidates will have one more stretch of basketball this season to outdo each other. Durant has been tired of being number two his entire life. James has tried to remind people, even bitterly during Durant’s incredible stretch in the middle of the season that he’s still capable of doing whatever his lone peer in the NBA is doing. Both players want this award, even if they won’t outright state it on their list of priorities. As we finish out the final 20-plus games of the season. We have a neck-and-neck race between the two worthy parties. James’ 61-point effort was one of the signature moments that you need in an MVP campaign, much like what Durant was putting up during his dominant portion of the season. The player who has the final signature moment of the 2013-14 season will likely end up with the award. Let’s see who wins the final sprint of the season.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider on the hot hand theory: “The example of Durant, however, shows why a well-designed study using play-by-play data might not detect the existence of the hot hand. You see, Durant didn’t necessarily go cold down the stretch against the Warriors. Instead, Golden State altered its defense by denying him the basketball and using double-teams, leaving Durant the option of forcing more difficult shots or passing to teammates. The results Durant posted were influenced by the perception of everyone involved: his teammates and coach, who were more likely to defer and try to get him the ball; the defense, which was more likely to deny him easy opportunities; and Durant himself, who was willing to expand his shot selection to take advantage of his hot streak.”
So… LeBron…
Caron Butler on why he picked OKC over Miami: “It was a tough decision for a lot of reasons just because you have so many viable contenders that’s reaching out for you and asking for your services in different ways. But Oklahoma was the place that I wanted to be, and I decided to come. And I prayed on it, and you can’t question God.”
Shane Battier is a plagiarist.
Marc Stein has OKC third: “Russ Westbrook is looking more and more like Russ Westbrook. Caron Butler was kind enough to snub Miami for Loud City just as the Thunder were losing Thabo Sefolosha. And at 45-15, KD & Co. have their best-ever record through 60 games in the team’s OKC existence. Things could be worse.”
Dan Feldman of PBT: “This was the type of signature performance that can swing voters in a tight MVP race, but first, LeBron must make the MVP race tight. One fantastic night won’t wow enough voters, not when Durant captured the basketball world for a whole month with his 12-game streak of 30-point games. Soon, the vivid memories of LeBron’s 61-point game will fade. He’ll need to bolster this performance with a strong close to the regular season the same way he strongly closed this game after exiting it. Despite looking so exhausted before his celebration, LeBron never took a seat on the bench while his teammates finished the final couple minutes. Long postseason runs might have sapped LeBron of some energy earlier in the season, but they didn’t keep him down permanently.”
