Ball or Nuthin' » Kevin Durant

Why Clippers Are Better Than The Thunder

T Lamont — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:19:24 +0000

Amidst the Thunder’s humbling loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, there were a few lessons that Oklahoma City should take away from their trip to Hollywood…

You can’t outscore every opponent in every game.

The Thunder have some of the league’s best young gunners on its roster – Kevin Durant, James Harden and Daquan Cook just to name a few. OKC connected on 9 triples in tonight’s contest, but one things that LAC does not lack is shooters. The home team knocked down 13 triples, including a late first half 12-0 run that saw them swish four bombs in 51 seconds.

The NBA’s best teams will be able to outscore a two-headed monster, even one that is the caliber of Oklahoma City’s. Scott Brook’s challenge will be to diversify his team’s offensive approach, and two resist some of their urges to launch those quick three-pointers.

For point guards, it’s better to give than receive.

This concept could not yield a more striking contrast than in tonight’s showdown in the Staples Center. Oklahoma City blur of a point guard, Russell Westbrook is one of the best players in the NBA. He plays the point guard position. However, it’s not hard to announce that he is not even one of the top ten point guards in the league. Westbrook uses his extreme quickness and athleticism to put the pressure on his opponents, often leading to lots of free throws…and about 25-30 points per game (on a good night).

But the Clippers quickly got out to a great start, thanks to perhaps the best floor general in the league, Chris Paul. Paul is one of the best at getting his own shot, but he is undoubtedly one of the top two in the Association at getting shots for others. His play allowed Caron Butler, Mo Williams, DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin to become integral pieces of a huge conference tilt. CP3 leveraged the talents of his cohorts to shift the game’s momentum and to extend Clipper runs as only a top-tier playmaker can do.

CP3 put in work tonight against the NBA team with the best record.

Oklahoma City feeds into the hype that they are the Durant-Westbrook show.

As Westbrook and Durant continued to boost the scoring totals late in the first half and early in the second half, the Thunder’s deficit grew. But the duo didn’t stop. They kept attacking, trying to preserve the chances for the visiting team to sneak away with a “W”.

But the two All-Stars are failing to comprehend an absolute truth as it relates to enhanced success – they will need the help of their other roster mates.

Sure, super-sub James Harden pitched in to contribute his usual aggressive play, but it remains to be seen if the dynamic duo will do something to dispel the notion that they are a two-man operation. It seems as if they are clearly buying into the hype surrounding their unbelievable talents, although it may lead to their ultimate demise come postseason time.

OKC’s Big 2 Outduel Boston’s Big 4

T Lamont — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:58:45 +0000

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After tonight’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics, an undeniable truth has been revealed.

The Celtics are old.

In a game pitting two teams that are currently heading in opposite directions, the visiting Thunder bested the Celtics in the TD Garden, 97-88.

Boston, noted for its stingy defense, was unable to find an effective method for stopping OKC’s talented duo of All-Stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who scored 54 points. The Celtics are a team that has traditionally found to prevent themselves from losing to teams with great individuals, but not tonight.

Durant and Westbrook’s 54 matched the exact point total of Boston’s big four, who were led by Paul Pierce’s 24.

Westbrook has the speed and quickness to make just about any NBA player look old.

While Durant and Westbrook’s theatrics were expected, the Thunder got a momentous lift from shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha. Sefolosha contributed his usual selfless defense, doing his best to lock down Boston sharpshooter Ray Allen – who was only 3-7 from the floor (6 points). But Thabo really became a difference maker due to his offensive effort, a 19-point performance that saw him shoot 7-9 including 2-2 from deep.

Oklahoma City is riding high now, and appearing to be the class of the Western Conference. It’s early, but the young legs and ample playoff experience over the past two seasons could finally pay off for the franchise.

Boston needs a shot of adrenaline. At 4-8, they’ve lost five in a row and are tied for the second-fewest wins in the Atlantic Division, trailing Philadelphia and New York. The Celtics have plenty of games to right their ship, and they will do so (enough to get into the postseason, Cleveland will falter as the season progresses). But their slow beginning and notable losses to playoff bound (New York, Miami, Dallas OKC, Indiana and Chicago) is clearly not a good sign.

Hey Cuban, Just Enjoy the Moment

T Lamont — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:34:49 +0000

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“We ain’t done yet”

That was the emphatic ending of an emotional rant by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

I suppose that we’ll have to excuse his emotion, as he just recently became the owner of the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks.

Following another frantic fourth quarter comeback, the Mavericks closed out the Oklahoma Thunder, 100-96. In an act that we’ve seen quite often in this series, Dallas outscored Oklahoma City 17-6 over the final 5:28 of the game.

Throughout the game, all indications were that the Thunder would at least be playing one more game in this series. Point guard Russell Westbrook was in attack mode all night, putting up 31 points. Super sub James Harden was indeed super. He was the primary catalyst in the Thunder’s game plan, running the pick and roll effectively and ending with 23 points (7-11 FG, 8-10 FT) and 6 assists. Regular season scoring champ Kevin Durant wasn’t efficient, but still managed 23 points.

But as crunch time approached, neither of those three could tangle with Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki, who has been practically unguardable against his last two opponents (Lakers, Thunder), made the three-pointer that put Dallas in the lead with 1:14 left in the game. He also iced the contest by nailing two free throws to establish an insurmountable four point advantage.

Nowitzki was that one clear, uncontrollable force that determined the course of this series. He was the best player in the Western Conference Finals, and he proved it each night.

But are they done yet?

Unlike Durant, Nowitzki found a way to get key buckets when his team needed them.

While the Bulls are still competing against the Heat, it’s abundantly clear who the victors of that series will be. That would be the team with three top notch offensive weapons.

So, let’s do a bit of foreshadowing, shall we? The Mavs will continue to ride Dirk as far as he can take them, and I believe that they have reached their final resting place. Nowitzki will get his points against Miami, but will he dominate and control the flow of the game? Not hardly in the fashion that he has against his Western Conference foes.

Given that Westbrook and Harden penetrated into the lane at will, Dallas will definitely have a problem stopping more accomplished penetrators like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Miami defensive prowess, coupled with its extreme athleticism will ultimately be too much for the Mavericks.

So, Cuban – just sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. It’ll be at least another year before you celebrate another postseason series win.

Thunder Need Westbrook’s Reckless Style

T Lamont — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:34:57 +0000

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Russell Westbrook – please ignore the haters.

You’re an All-Star, and your ability and performance are tops in the NBA. But some would have you to believe otherwise.

There are many analysts out there – some of them well-accomplished in their careers, and some of them not-so-much – who have heavily criticized your game of late.

Their criticisms are robust (like the analyst, in some cases, eh hem…) and plentiful. They generally center around the fact that you are taking too many shots, and consequently, not looking to be the primary facilitator to present your teammates with the gift of open shots.

I guess what they are saying is that your 8.2 assists per game (9th in the league) – which, by the way, trump the averages of Derrick Rose, Tony Parker, Mike Conley and Jameer Nelson – is not good enough for them.

When defenders attempt to come to your rescue by bringing up the high-volume shooting of recently crowned MVP Derrick Rose, the critics continue with their case against you – laboring the point that you have scoring champ Kevin Durant on your team while Rose has no alternative scoring options.

But, of course, you had nothing to do with Kevin Durant leading the Association in scoring. None of the alley-oops that Durant finished nor the 670 assists you tossed helped him to assert himself as the league’s most dominant scorer. Sure, Durant inbounds the ball to himself, brings the ball up the court and scores on his own. Your assist numbers are clearly forged. And nevermind that OKC’s interior tandem of Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed have as much rhythm as Evander Holyfield, you remain responsible for their lack of offensive game on the low block.

No other point guard can match the sheer athleticism of Westbrook.

Your uncontrollable forays into the paint prevent your inconsistent teammates from getting opportunities to improve upon their shooting strokes. Russell, you clearly need to get James Harden and Daequan Cook more open looks although they haven’t cashed on what you have given them thus far in the Thunder’s postseason run.

So, despite the fact that your team’s current formula for success has helped you to improve your record and playoff duration each season, you need to make adjustments to your game.

Will it make Oklahoma City better? Who cares. At least the analysts will respect your for playing the game the right way – just like your contemporaries like Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Tony Parker…who are all at home watching you play now.

That’s right, Russell. Sacrifice your stats, All-Star status and team success to lead your team as a true point guard should.

Then, tune back in to TNT and ESPN to hear them reveal how much they liked the old Russell Westbrook better.

NBA MVP Still Up For Grabs

T Lamont — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:58:28 +0000

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With a little more than half of the NBA season in the books, it’s time to start looking at the candidates for the league’s regular season awards.

And there’s no need to beat around the bush, let’s start with the most highly regarded prize of them all - the Maurice Podoloff Trophy (given to the NBA MVP).

In recent history, the winner of this award had clearly set himself apart from the other potential candidates by the time that the All-Star break came around. The last three winners of the award, LeBron James (2008-09, 2009-10), Kobe Bryant (2007-08) and Dirk Nowitzki (2006-07), had clearly established themselves as the front-runner and coasted to their respective victories.

This year, however, we truly have an MVP race. There are some distinct candidates who have emerged, but no true surprises exist in the lot. Below are the guys who are front and center in this race, with some of the pros and cons regarding their hopes of bringing home the hardware.

LeBron James – Yes, the King stills headlines this list. Why? Great stats speak for themselves. Playing for a top-three team in the conference speaks for itself. Being the best player on a team with three All-Star caliber players speaks for itself.

For those of you still stuck on who’s team the Heat is, check out Miami’s top 20 effective 5-man rotations(from our friends at 82games.com). You’ll notice that of the 20, there are two that include James without Wade or Bosh, and there are none that include Wade without Bosh or James. Wade is great, but he’s a finisher now. LeBron is the official playmaker of this team, plain and simple.

Derrick Rose – This guy has been nothing short of amazing. His eye-popping stats and eye-popping moves have ushered in a new level of hope for a Chicago franchise that had been spoiled by Michael Jordan’s greatness. It’s easy to see that Rose has been given the green light, and it has been beneficial to the Bulls – particularly with the injuries that they have had to suffer through.

I think Rose will continue to play well through the end of the season, and he has his team in contention to host a first-round playoff series. But his teammates are offensively inconsistent, and that may ultimately end up costing the Bulls some wins down the stretch.

D-Rose has pointed the Chicago franchise in the right direction.

Amar’e Stoudemire- From a basketball perspective, Stoudemire has put New York back on the map. His relentless, attacking style has taken the Eastern Conference by storm and the Knicks are above .500 (25-23) at a point in the season when they are usually evaluating lottery picks.

But let’s face it – when is the last time that we’ve seen a league MVP come from a team that fields a record that is slightly above .500? All of the past winners of this award were leaders of highly effective teams. Although A-Stat has played out of his mind for most of the season, New York’s mediocrity will surely work against him.

Dirk Nowtizki – Dirk’s case is a very interesting one. The German is shooting a career-high 52.5% and has played well – as he normally does year-in and year-out. But his case is perhaps at its strongest when we evaluate his team’s success (or lack thereof) when he was absent from the lineup. Before Nowitzki’s injury, the Mavericks began the season with a 23-5 mark. Dallas crumbled during his time away from the court, going 2-7 without Dirk. He has since returned to the lineup, and the team has continued on with a 7-3 record in its last 10 games.

A former MVP, Nowitzki averaged 2 more rebounds and 1 more assist in his MVP season than he is averaging this season. His numbers don’t jump out at you, but neither does Dallas without his contributions.

Kevin Durant – KD was the top pickfor this honor among GM’s this preseason, and for a while, it seemed that they were going to be off-target. But the Maryland native has heated up of late, throwing up 40 or more points in three of his last four games. Funny…Durant has been the scoring leader all year long, and OKC has played pretty well. The Thunder are currently fourth in the Western Conference, and have avoided any long spells of bad basketball. However, it wasn’t until his recent outbreak (including some attitude that we had never seen from KD) that his candidacy for the award became legitimate.

We're all unsure if Dwight Howard will ever improve his free throw shooting.

Dwight Howard – Superman has been a consistent force for Orlando, both offensively and defensively. Howard’s MVP hopes will always depend on his team’s ability to knock down shots and provide room for him in the paint.

Besides that, Howard’s free throw shooting is a serious problem. Can a guy really be an MVP if you can’t go to him in clutch situations because you’re afraid he won’t knock down the free throws? MVPs should be able to make the needed plays down the stretch of important games, and consistent free throw shooting should be a given.

So who will walk away as the 2010-11 NBA MVP?

At this point, it’s seriously anyone’s guess. The field of candidates is very even.

In the end, it should all come down to opportunity. And the players with the most opportunities to impact the game are the perimeter players – Rose, James and Durant.

The player who has the biggest impact on a successful stretch run for his team should be in the driver’s seat for this year’s Most Valuable Player trophy.