Kevin Durant: The Closer

This promises to be a hell of a conference finals. I think Durant and his OKC crew are going to be great, but it just isn’t their time yet. Dallas is very veteran and very deep.

Frankly, I think Dallas sweeps, but if I had to put down money, it’d be Dallas in 5. That being said, Durant will get his – that’s for sure. OKC just needs a few more pieces to put around him.

And I hope everyone likes blue – this will be a veritable azurefest.

It was noted in an article I read somewhere that the 23-59 team started the season 3-29.

That’s right, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook won only 3 out of their first 32 NBA games together.

Ag_in_TX -
 
Your scenario means a Mavericks domination and 2-0 run at home, a dispirited and confused Thunder that can’t recover from the pressure, and a fold. It’s conceivable, but not likely IMO.
 
Remember – there’s a history in the NBA of young, talented teams who are seen as a year or two away crashing the party early and their quality is only understood in retrospect. Think of the young Chicago Bulls when they finally upended the Piston mini-dynasty in the Eastern Conference Finals. No one gave the Bulls a chance going in, but afterwards, you can’t find a person who didn’t think the result was obvious and inevitable.
 
Not comparing the Thunder to the Bulls juggernaut, but sometimes young teams usurp the crown before the media has anointed them ready.
 
Huckleberry -
 
Yep, that’s an amazing statistic. The young Thunder started 3-29 and then finished 20-30. One of the best four teams in the league is less than three years away from being the worst team in the NBA with its core personnel more or less the same.

If you can draft well, rebuilding in the NBA is pretty easy. Basketball is a young man’s game.

Look at the Thunder’s first-rounders from ‘07-’09: Durant, Jeff Green, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka.
The only obvious pick among the five was Durant, and they turned their only real miss (Green) into a starting center.

The worst thing you can be in the NBA is average. Average teams don’t win in the playoffs and they don’t get lottery picks, they just kind of stay in place … see: the post-Yao Rockets.

I agree. The corollary to that is not burdening yourself with horrendous contracts to overvalued players. Presti has done a nice job of not chasing players with good stat lines who are perceived to be good by the average NBA fan or exec, but who are, in fact, shitty. That’s the death knell of the small market team, in particular.
 
I heard recently that the original offer to the Celtics for Perk and the other roster fillers was not Green, but Harden. The Celtics asked for Green. Can you imagine how badly that could have gone?

I think OKC is still a year away from championship caliber, but they are certainly a threat to the mavericks. Kidd might be experienced, but he is also very old. I don’t see him getting very many uncontested looks. Dallas will not see Lakers bad D in this series. OKC can certainly guard Dallas on the perimeter (with the exception of Dirk who really cant be guarded for all intents and purposes).

Your statement that Kidd may not even want to stay in front of westbrook is very true. If I’m Dallas I let anyone shoot except Durant, rebound, get back on defense and hope Westbrook tries to take over the game.

With respect to Dirk, is there even a meaningful scouting report you can give a defender aside from contest his spots, foul him hard, and hopes he misses?

Harden is only 21?! I really thought that he must be in his late 30s.

I stopped watching at the half to go to the gym. I came back around to one of the TVs to see the rediculous TO that popped up in the air and led to a no look assist by Westbrook for a slam to Durant. I just laughed. Its always fun having one of those days where you just can’t be stopped and everything you do, no matter how crazy or difficult, turns out good.

Sweep the leg?

I can’t wait for this matchup. I think Dallas’ win over the Lakers could be a bit of fools gold in regards to determining their dominance. For instance, the Lakers at times didn’t even seem interested in contesting the three point line. No doubt the Thunder at least try, right? I think this serious could be closer than most expect, contest Dallas’ perimeter shooters, deny them the lane and don’t get too hung up on Dirk. He’s amazing, he’s going to score. The Thunder need to make sure Barea, the rest of the bench and Kidd don’t burn them too much. If you’re allowing Kidd/Terry/Peja/etc. to light it up from beyond the arc, and not guarding the paint then you’ve lost.

I meant series, not serious. Though I’m super serial about my comments.

Fair enough, Scipio. Perhaps I’m hitting the Maverick kool-aid too hard. But I really like the Mavs take both in Dallas, split in OKC and clinch in Game 5.

I think Durant is greatness, but none of the other parts compare to that young Bulls team, imho. Perhaps Westbrook, I suppose.

One interesting thing to watch – The Matrix is one of the few guys who showed he could occasionally slow down Durant. With Marion being good and rested, the first two games ain Dallas will be key.

Scipio — Yea there’s really no report on Dirk. He’s the most indefensible player one-on-one in the NBA. Lamar Odom used to give him a lot of trouble, and Dirk just annihilated him. He’s going to get his shots, you just got to hope he misses him.

One thing that’s helped him out this year is playing next to Chandler and Marion so much. Chandler can guard 5/4 types and Marion can guard 3/4 types, so Dirk can always be hidden on the other team’s worst front-court player. And I might be forgetting someone, but the only NBA team I can think of with three legit front-court scorers is a healthy Memphis team with Gay, Randolph and Gasol.

I suppose you can foul Dirk hard, problem is he’s not like shaq or Texas. Dirk makes the free ones. He seems pretty level headed too, it’s not like your going to get him out of his game, get him frustrated etc. It just give Dallas (a relatively old team) a couple of minutes rest at the line. That doesn’t seem like a winning strategy to me.

I’m not suggesting Hack-A-Dirk. I’m saying put him on the ground when you get a chance. Maybe he’ll get a boo-boo.

His Name Is Dirk, and he can dunk a good vone on you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU6UHBYJOUw

Second greatest living German after Techno-Viking.

It’s also hard to give a guy a hard foul when he’s shooting a fade-away jumper. There’s pretty much no way to do that without getting a flagrant.

Saw this on the interwebs today — very enjoyable:
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhef75GC3y3sqaji64

… It’s all because they traded Sasha Vujacic! He was the glue that held this team together … Who will thank Ron Artest’s psychiatrist now?

“I think OKC is still a year away from championship caliber, but they are certainly a threat to the mavericks.”

I was thinking the same thing at first, but if they’re a threat to the Mavs – and they are – I think they’re a threat to win it all. The Bulls are young and inexperienced and fuck the Heat. I like the Thunder’s chances better without teams like the Lakers and Celtics, though I’m not sure if that really makes sense.

I like that the NBA has ebraced +/-. When did this start to happen? I hear it all the time of late. If only John Madden was still around he could use it to tell us why Brett Favre is so much better than Ray Lewis.

Harden having old man game is funny, especially since I reckon most of us guys know THAT GUY, but back in his day when he was in college (three years ago) he’d throw down on people too. I’m not sure if he’s done much of that in the NBA developed league.

Magnus —

He did JJ Hickson dirty earlier this year … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuoAXgupZ34

I would whisper conspiracy theory’s about International Jewry and the Treaty of Versailles into his ear. I think it has a better chance of stopping Dirk than any of the Thunder Defenders.

Between Harden’s height and beard, I imagine his travel through airports just got much easier.

After being pestered by the national media for weeks about what he carries in his always-present backpack, Durant finally revealed its contents: a Bible and a video game player. A truly humble, great young man and as good a rep for The University as you could ever ask for. Also flashes the horns when introduced right smack in the middle of Gooner country. You gotta love it

Reading this piece made me physically ill. Not because it was poorly written. And certainly not because I lack appreciation for Kevin Durant.

But as a life-long Seattle Supersonics fan, it is painful to see the best player in the league (who happened to play for the Horns) make the leap in in the playoffs while playing for my franchise in motherfucking Oklahoma City.

I do enjoy reading about the exploits of Durant and Westbrook. But that’s all I’ll do, because I’ll never watch the NBA again.

The Mavs will come in rested, but the Thunder won’t be far behind, due to their age. I think the Thunder just might be able to take the Mavs, especially if this is a drawn out series. You know, that age thing again.

I’ll admit that the Thunder is my new team, solely because of Durant. He’s the man, and where my men are concerned, I will admit to a certain bias. So bring it on OKC, and

Hook ’em!

Scip, thanks to the props for Collison. As we discussed on your other post about OKC, the guy doesn’t get enough credit for his work game in and game out. He has really found a niche on this team and, though he has been in the league about 8 years, I think he is just now coming into his own. He has some offensive game and maybe the highest BB IQ on the Thunder.

I see that myself, yourself, and Tjarks are all in approximate agreement on what is happening in the playoffs and what is likely to happen.

Anyone else noticing that bench bigs who torched the Texas Longhorns are having their day in these playoffs?

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