Normally don’t repost stuff like this, but I’m feeling ratchet.
![fuckyeanba:
J. O. Applegate created this composite sketch of James Harden’s stylistic transformation over his first 4 years in the league, inevitably turning into Mr. T after a decade.
[Via Hooped Up Online]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4x1euag8C1qbcs46o1_400.jpg)
J. O. Applegate created this composite sketch of James Harden’s stylistic transformation over his first 4 years in the league, inevitably turning into Mr. T after a decade.
[Via Hooped Up Online]
What can Kevin Durant do? What can any Thunder player do against this Spurs team? About the only thing Durant could do is shoot more. He only shot the ball 17 times on Tuesday night. 17 times is a lot for most players, but not when you’re Kevin Durant and not when Russell Westbrook needed 7 more shots to hit as many field goals (10) as you.
I know Durant has said, and will continue to say, Russ needs the offensive freedom to take 24 shots in a game, and the Thunder are better because of it, but is that really true?
Durant started the game 6 for 10 in the first half. That means he was 4 for 7 in the second half. He took 7 shots in the entire 24 minutes of the second half, which equals a field goal attempt every 3 minutes. If Durant took Westbrook’s extra 7 shots, theoretically, he’d have hit 4 of them, which adds 8 extra points. The Thunder lost by 9. The math makes it seem simple, but it’s far from it.
The egos of the Thunder are carefully choreographed by GM Sam Presti; witness, the emergence of James Harden as their uber-sub, on par with Manu in San Antonio. Perhaps the most astounding thing about this Thunder team is the shift from Russ to Durant and back again throughout the game. Russ is an emotive point guard easily uplifted by the emotional charges in a game: the steal, the fast break dunk, the 3-point play, a big shot as the shot clock winds down, or taking a charge during an opponents fast break. He’s hyper-sensitive to the ebbs and flows of a particular basketball game.
Durant is the opposite. He’s got the Tim Duncan studied non-chalance down pat. Rarely do you see him overcome with emotion, and his game mimics that even-handed demeanor. He’s fluid and smart and knows his spots. His game beyond the arc is as deadly as those little jumpers from 15. He is a long limb George Gervin inspired scoring behemoth, that doesn’t need the ball to score. He just needs an opening; he might not even need that, but he doesn’t rush his offense, it comes to him within the flow of play.
There were plenty of openings last night, and Durant took advantage, when he could. But he might have taken more advantage or pushed his offense more if he’d known it would help the team. He didn’t as much as he could have, preferring to stay in the background as Russ—and sometimes Harden—attempted to shoot their way back in game 2. They fell short—not because they weren’t scoring, but because they weren’t scoring at the rate of the Spurs. Nobody has so far this postseason.
When does Kevin Durant say “fuck it,” and go for 50? The Thunder might need that to get a game in this series. First, both teams will head to Oklahoma City today, and tomorrow they’ll play game 3. Not much will change about the offensive dynamic of the Thunder. But of OKC goes down 3-0, I’d like to think Durant would realize it’s time to be selfish. Not for posterity, but to push this series past the 4 game sweep it’s headed towards. It’s a last resort, but we’re inching closer and closer to that day. A day Kevin Durant decides to go for it and screw the friendship with Russ or balance of the team; he’s just trying to survive the Spurs.
Shit, the Spurs inspire last resorts for every team they’ve faced over the last 2 months, why not the Thunder and why not Durant?
PHOTOS VIA
