Charlie M. Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 It's not closing unless one of them leaves. They still haven't tried a new coach yet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Simmons can go off half-cocked, but I wonder if he's right about OKC's window closing, as the team is currently configured. Dynamic scoring past Durant and Westbrook can be as anemic as the Bulls and Rose (when healthy). Are Durant/Westbrook the new Stockton/Malone? It's probably too soon to know. But I wonder. Scott Brooks sure as hell aint Jerry Sloan. . . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Yeah, it's time to give a coach with offensive sets a shot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_MJ_ Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I'll say this: OKC stay within range for most of the game, even took the lead in the 3rd quarter, before the Spurs blew it open in the 4th. Considering how much the Spurs dominated the paint, I was surprised the Thunder hung around for so long. I wonder if OKC will bring out a zone defense in this series with their lack of paint protection right now or just play the bigs more minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Simmons can go off half-cocked, but I wonder if he's right about OKC's window closing, as the team is currently configured. Dynamic scoring past Durant and Westbrook can be as anemic as the Bulls and Rose (when healthy). Are Durant/Westbrook the new Stockton/Malone? It's probably too soon to know. But I wonder. Scott Brooks sure as hell aint Jerry Sloan. . . . Durant and Westbrook aren't Stockton and Malone either. At least Stockton and Malone liked each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Mann Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 So you're saying the Double Teen Wolf (or Teen Wolf Too, take your pick) offense isn't working for OKC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muhammedboehm Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 So with the injury does it prove or disprove the idea that the Thunder made the wrong pick when they traded Harden? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 When healthy? So you mean never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I think what Simmons said needs clarifying. He didn't say "the Thunder's window is closing" he said "what if their window closes suddenly" which is a fairly important distinction. The most obvious comparison, and the one he used, is the Shaq/Penny Magic. Even after they got swept by Houston, almost anybody would have put money down on them winning at least a couple of titles. But then they lost to the Bulls, Shaq left town, Penny spent a few years as an elite player and got destroyed by injuries. That window that looked like it would be open for a decade in 1995 slammed shut real damn fast. Is there any reason to think that's going to happen to OKC? No, but there was no reason to think it was going to happen to Orlando either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 So with the injury does it prove or disprove the idea that the Thunder made the wrong pick when they traded Harden? I don't think it was a "pick." Harden wanted to be the star somewhere else and not come off the bench anymore. I think if he had stayed, you would have seen the exact thing happen a year later, someone else was going to outbid them, because the Thunder weren't going to have the money to keep him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Simmons can go off half-cocked, but I wonder if he's right about OKC's window closing, as the team is currently configured. Dynamic scoring past Durant and Westbrook can be as anemic as the Bulls and Rose (when healthy). Are Durant/Westbrook the new Stockton/Malone? It's probably too soon to know. But I wonder. Scott Brooks sure as hell aint Jerry Sloan. . . . Durant and Westbrook aren't Stockton and Malone either. At least Stockton and Malone liked each other. Why does everyone think that Durant and Westbrook don't like each other? Did you hear that speech Durant gave? From what I can tell those guys respect the shit out each other as teammates. Everything I've read says that they are super competitive with each other and hold each other to a very high standard as far as how hard they work in practice. The problem with the team is that they have to do damn near everything offensively, and they don't seem to have any offensive plays. Westbrook gets a lot of shit for shooting so much, but no one can guard him and Duran't #1 weakness as a player is he doesn't seperate well from good defenders. There are so many times when guys like Tony Allen, and some how Chris Paul were able to deny Durant the ball, while absolutely no one has had the ability to stay in front of Westbrook. Durant is the best player on the team, and Westbrook has problems with his shot selection, but Westbrook's ability to destroy defenses is just as important to that team's success as Duran't ability to just fill it up. If they are going to win this series it is going to be that both of them score 30 a night and basically make all the plays that only the two of them can make. As far as Durant and Westbrook not being Stockton and Malone, I'd say maybe we should talk about this when these guys are at least 30 years old and play with a coach that actually coaches. Durant and Westbrook could very easily be better than Stockton and Malone when everything is said and done, especially when I don't think either Stockton or Malone were ever as good individually as Westbrook and Durant respectively. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Durant and Westbrook clearly really like each other as people. It's the only reason they haven't had a ton of conflict over who takes more shots. I'm not sure Westbrook is a better basketball player than John Stockton ... yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 "Like" and "respect" are two different things. I get the vibe that these two probably aren't the best of friends from the 5-6 years I've been seeing them play in OKC. I've just had a Shaq/Kobe feeling about them for years with Durant being the big dog and Westbrook trying to get out from his shadow (and usually being the scapegoat in this city when they lose.) It wasn't a coincidence that Westbrook got a triple double the day after the MVP ceremony and played probably his best game of the whole playoffs. And it can be a positive because it can motivate both of them to play to a higher standard, but at the same time, I can easily see Westbrook tiring of it and walking so he can be the franchise guy elsewhere if they haven't won a title when his contract is up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Durant and Westbrook clearly really like each other as people. It's the only reason they haven't had a ton of conflict over who takes more shots. I'm not sure Westbrook is a better basketball player than John Stockton ... yet. I wouldn't argue Westbrook is better at this point, but I would take Westbrook at this point of his career over Stockton at the same point of his career. Westbrook does something every single game that makes me think he is from a different planet, he is a breathtaking athlete. Did anyone see that block he got on Tony Allen where he jumped after Allen, but by the time Allen released the ball he was about a foot and a half higher than him? There is actually a chance that Westbrook has a higher ceiling than Durant, and Durant is basically a seven foot shooting guard with 25 foot range. I think that Westbrook and Durant like each other a lot and despite what people say, they both seem really unselfish. The biggest illustration of how much this team gets along is that game against Memphis when Reggie Jackson carried the team when both Durant and Westbrook were struggling. The way both of them embraced Jackson like they wanted to make sure they knew how much they appreciated how well he played said a lot about how well that team gets along. Either of those guys could have sulked and/or pouted, but they both immediately made sure that Reggie Jackson knew they appreciated him and how he bailed them out. That shows that they care much more about the team winning than they do about individual success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiller Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Why not go back even further than the Harden deal? What if they had never taken on the terrible contract of Kendrick Perkins? They could have done small ball before Miami, running out Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Jeff Green, and Ibaka. I feel like their front office kind of gets a pass and are considered one of the better decision makers in the league, but most of that comes just from who they have drafted -- and a lot of that is luck, because no one knows how players will pan out. Their trades and various other personnel decisions have been pretty lackluster. Also, they haven't hired a new coach, which they should have done well before now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 With his 12 assists last night, Tony Parker moves into 10th place all time in playoff assists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitzkrieg Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I think I want Mark Jackson to get a coaching job before the start of next season. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I want him to get a coaching job by halftime. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 How about somebody builds a time machine and gets him a job before tip-off? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Mann Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 No fucking way. Home cooking (or in this case, a slow timekeeper) tastes delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 There is no way on Earth that should be remotely possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Mann Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 There is no way on Earth that should be remotely possible. Even Trent Tucker thinks that was suspect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Miami extends this lead at all in the third and this thing is over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 It's still close but I don't like the looks of the Pacers offense tonight. Each possession is a struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Some desperate team is going to give Stephenson the max and regret it for the rest of their lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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