Tag: 2011 NBA Playoffs (Page 6 of 16)

      Heat win Game 4, take 3-1 lead in series

      May 24, 2011 /
      Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah (R) dives for the ball held by Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem as Miami’s LeBron James looks on during Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Finals NBA basketball series in Miami, May 24, 2011. REUTERS/Joe Skipper (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      The Miami Heat are one game away from the NBA Finals after their 101-93 overtime win against Chicago.

      The Bulls had their chances in this one, but like the Thunder last night, they just couldn’t get quality looks in crunch time. And for all the (justifiable) criticism that Russell Westbrook has taken over the last couple of weeks, Derrick Rose has really struggled of late, shooting just 33% over the last three games (all losses), including a pretty dreadful 1-for-7, two-turnover effort in the 4th quarter and overtime tonight. He had seven turnovers on the evening.

      One could argue that Rose has to play super-aggressive basketball since he doesn’t have someone like Kevin Durant to carry the load, and they’d be right. But the bottom line is that the Bulls aren’t going to win when Rose is only making 33% of his attempts and has more turnovers than assists.

      But back to the Heat, who deserve credit for their smothering defense tonight. They forced Rose into all sorts of mistakes and held the Bulls to just 40% shooting from the field.

      But the most glaring difference in this game was Mike Miller. He scored 12 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and gathered nine boards off the bench. He was especially big in the fourth quarter when Miami made its run; he went 4-for-4 (for nine points) to go with three rebounds. That’s the kind of play that Pat Riley envisioned when he signed Miller to a full mid-level deal last summer.

      External Sports, NBA

      How did the Thunder blow a 15-point lead in five minutes?

      May 24, 2011 /
      Oklahoma City Thunder’s Nick Collison (L-R), Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant react during overtime of Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Final basketball playoff against the Dallas Mavericks in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 23, 2011. REUTERS/Bill Waugh (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      After a Kevin Durant three-pointer with 5:05 to play in regulation, the Thunder led 99-84 and looked destined to tie the series up. But somehow they ended up in overtime — how did that happen?

      It was a combination of two factors: 1) Dirk Nowitzki took over offensively for the Mavs, and 2) the Thunder had several poor possessions down the stretch.

      Take a look at the Mavs’ final 10 possessions:

      4:48 Shawn Marion makes two free throws
      4:33 Dirk Nowitzki makes 1 of 2 free throws
      4:09 Dirk Nowitzki turnover
      3:48 Jason Kidd makes two free throws
      3:15 Dirk Nowitzki makes 13-foot jumper
      2:11 Dirk Nowitzki makes 24-foot three point jumper (Jason Kidd assists)
      2:00 Dirk Nowitzki makes 14-foot jumper
      1:25 Dirk Nowitzki makes 5-foot two point shot
      0:39 Shawn Marion makes 1 of 2 free throws
      0:06 Dirk Nowitzki makes two free throws

      That’s 17 points on 10 possessions, or 1.7 points per possession, which is outstanding.

      Now, the Thunder’s final possessions:

      5:07 Russell Westbrook misses 25-foot three point jumper
      4:33 Serge Ibaka misses 6-foot jumper
      4:20 Russell Westbrook misses 17-foot jumper
      3:48 Russell Westbrook lost ball (Jason Kidd steals)
      3:32 Kevin Durant misses 22-foot jumper
      2:49 Kevin Durant misses 25-foot three point jumper
      2:32 Russell Westbrook makes two point shot
      2:11 Russell Westbrook misses two free throws
      1:38 Russell Westbrook misses 15-foot jumper
      1:07 Kevin Durant lost ball (Shawn Marion steals)
      0:40 Russell Westbrook misses 16-foot jumper
      0:20 Thabo Sefolosha misses 23-foot three point jumper
      0:01 Shawn Marion blocks Kevin Durant’s 30-foot three point jumper

      That’s two points on the Thunder’s final 13 possessions, or 0.2 points per possession. They went 1-for-11 from the field with two turnovers. Westbrook went 1-for-6 with a turnover and zero assists in the final 5:07. OKC was just unable to get good shots when the Mavs tightened up the defense in crunch time. Durant was getting pushed around while Westbrook was doing his usual dribble-around-and-fire-up-a-shot act.

      Overtime was more of the same for OKC. Take a look:

      4:26 Kevin Durant misses 24-foot three point jumper
      3:54 Thabo Sefolosha makes jumper (Kevin Durant assists)
      2:51 Russell Westbrook misses 25-foot three point jumper
      2:31 Russell Westbrook step out of bounds turnover
      1:54 Serge Ibaka makes 17-foot jumper (Russell Westbrook assists)
      1:01 Kevin Durant lost ball (Jason Kidd steals)
      0:26 Russell Westbrook misses 5-foot running jumper
      0:09 Kevin Durant misses 24-foot three point jumper
      0:01 Kevin Durant misses 25-foot three point jumper

      Over the final 10 minutes, Russell Westbrook went 1-for-8 with two turnovers and an assist. The turnover in overtime was inexplicable. The ball was tapped back on the Mavs’ end of the court and it hit Jason Terry’s hand as it headed over towards the Dallas bench. Westbrook should have let the ball go, but instead tried to save it. It’s what I like to call “dumb hustle.”

      It’s no surprise that Westbrook struggled down the stretch; it has been a common theme in these Playoffs. But Durant was pretty awful too. Here’s his line for the final 10 minutes: 0-for-6 from the field (0-5 3PT), one assist and two turnovers. Combined, the Thunder’s two stars went 1-for-14 from the field with four turnovers and two assists.

      And that’s how you blow a 15-point lead with five minutes to play, only to lose in overtime. In total, they were outscored 28-6 over the final 10 minutes.

      External Sports, NBA

      Thunder vet: Westbrook “thinks he’s better than Kevin Durant.”

      May 23, 2011 /
      Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks (L) provides instruction to key players Kevin Durant (35) and Russell Westbrook (0) during Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference playoff series in Oklahoma City, April 24, 2010. REUTERS/Bill Waugh (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      The NY Daily News has a quote from an unnamed Thunder vet that is bound to stir up some controversy.

      As one Thunder veteran said, privately, “He thinks he’s better than Kevin Durant.”

      Not only that, but Westbrook has the backing of Thunder GM Sam Presti, who made a name for himself with his drafting of Westbrook with the fourth pick in 2008. Presti’s micromanagement behind the scenes has caused some friction between the head of the front office and his coaches, but Brooks didn’t pay any attention to that when he saw that Maynor was his best option to even the series.

      Who is this veteran? And why is he dropping nuggets like this while the Thunder are in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out playoff series with the Mavs? Perhaps it’s a former player, not someone currently on the roster.

      The thing that interests me about this story is the take of CBS writer Royce Young, who had this to say about Westbrook’s belief in his ability.

      But when you’re an All-Star, a second-team All-NBA player that’s as confident in yourself as Westbrook, would you really not think you’re better than Durant. Not us in the general public here. We all know Durant is better. In terms of Westbrook, is it really so bad to think that? In fact, isn’t it probably a good thing?

      No, it’s not a good thing. The best teams usually have players that know their roles. Pau Gasol doesn’t think he’s better than Kobe, and Kevin Garnett doesn’t think he should be shooting the ball instead of Paul Pierce. The last really great team to have a pecking order issue was the Shaq/Kobe-era Lakers, and look what happened to them. When Kobe accepted his role, the duo was able to win three straight titles. As soon as he started to try to take over alpha dog status, they crashed and burned in the Finals against a much more cohesive Detroit Pistons team.

      If Westbrook does in fact think he’s better than Durant, then there’s trouble brewing in OKC. This isn’t the case of a young upstart trying to take the mantle from an established vet. These are two young players that will be playing with each other for a while, and if Westbrook can’t accept his role as second fiddle, then there are going to be problems down the line.

      Scratch that — there might be problems right now.

      External Sports, NBA

      Russell Westbrook’s late-game woes continue

      May 21, 2011 /
      Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook pauses during Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Final basketball playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 21, 2011. REUTERS/Bill Waugh (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      For the first half of the fourth quarter, Russell Wesbrook was playing well. He went 2-for-3 from the field, hit a pair of free throws, and had one assist. His play helped the Thunder cut the Mavs’ lead from 12 points to eight, giving OKC a shot to win the game going down the stretch.

      But starting at the six-minute mark, Westbrook was pretty dreadful. He went 1-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 from the free throw line and turned the ball over twice. That’s just four points on those eight possessions.

      Is it fair to focus solely on Westbrook? No, there’s enough blame to go around for the Thunder. OKC shot 36% from the field. Kevin Durant was 7-of-22 from the field and 0-for-8 from long range. In fact, if it wasn’t for Westbrook’s made three in the final moments, the Thunder would have set a record for most three pointers attempted without a make. (They finished 1-for-17 from long range.) Westbrook was the Thunder’s most effective player — he finished with 30 points and four assists, but he also had seven turnovers.

      Dirk Nowitzki struggled for most of the game, but came on down the stretch. He had 10 points in the final 7:22 and dealt with the physical play of Nick Collison pretty well. These Mavs continue to show great resiliency.

      External Sports, NBA

      Is the Russell Westbrook benching a big deal?

      May 20, 2011 /
      Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (R) goes to the basket past Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (L) in the first half during Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Final basketball playoff in Dallas, Texas May 17, 2011. REUTERS/Tim Sharp (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      Last night, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks took Westbrook out of the game with 0:28 remaining in the third quarter. He had just turned the ball over and committed a foul, giving the Mavs two free throws. Brooks exchanged words with Westbrook as he came to the bench, and Westbrook even stopped and turned to say something extra to his coach. For the next couple of minutes, he could be seen talking to no one in particular on the bench and he looked none too happy about taking a seat.

      Brooks stuck with Eric Maynor for the entire fourth quarter and the Thunder went on to win 106-100. In the final period, Maynor went 2-for-3 from the field (four points), with one assist and one rebound. He did contribute to one turnover, a shot clock violation, but otherwise took care of the ball and got OKC into its offense. It wasn’t so much about Maynor’s numbers as it was about how the unit (Maynor-Daequan Cook-James Harden-Kevin Durant-Nick Collison) was clicking.

      Brooks has finished games with Maynor in the past, but it’s rare, and I don’t remember it happening in the playoffs. It’s not uncommon for coaches to go with a bench player over a starter if the bench player has it going, but it’s not common for a coach to bench an All-Star for the entire fourth quarter of a playoff game.

      But that’s where Westbrook’s game is at this point. He has been up-and-down, especially in crunch time. Brooks never knows what he’s going to get from his “point guard.” (I put that in quotes because Westbrook really isn’t a point guard, he’s just the de facto point guard for the Thunder.) I’ve railed on his game throughout the postseason. The Thunder aren’t still playing because of him — they’re still playing despite him. For every one of his sublime games, like his 14-assist triple-double against the Grizzlies in Game 7, he has two or three clunkers where he turns the ball over repeatedly and jacks up sketchy shots in the clutch.

      For his part, he did congratulate his teammates during the fourth quarter and seemed relatively involved in the game. From what I could tell, he was up and cheering and wasn’t sitting on the bench sulking about his predicament. That’s important, because Thursday’s benching is only a big deal if Westbrook makes it a big deal. If he becomes (more) moody or if he lets it impact his relationship with his head coach, then it will rear it’s ugly head in the future when the chips are down.

      I didn’t see a lot of Westbrook in his rookie season, but the punditry has been saying that h has “come a long way” in becoming a point guard. If that’s the case, I shudder to think about his decision-making in his rookie season. His assist-to-turnover ratio was dreadful (1.61) in his first year, got a lot better in his second season (2.42), then dipped in his third season (2.10). In the playoffs, his A/TO ratio is 1.48 — so tell me, how far has he really come?

      I may be dead wrong, but I don’t think the Thunder can win a title this year with Westbrook at the point.

      External Sports, NBA

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