Smack / Mar 17, 2011 / 2:00 am

Kevin Durant and the Thunder Send a Message to the Rest of the NBA; Blake Griffin’s Birthday is Ruined

By

Kevin Durant
The Oklahoma City Thunder took a big step forward last night. Kevin Durant & Co. went into Miami and beat a fired up Heat team – and to be honest, didn’t even play all that well offensively in the process. The Thunder traded haymakers with Miami in the first half as each team took turns churning out highlight reel material. Then in the second half, OKC clamped down on defense and completely shut down the Big 3, forcing them into a 4-24 performance in the third and fourth quarters, and propelling the Thunder to a 96-85 win. The whole thing was foreshadowed by Durant as he headed into the locker room at halftime. In his interview with Heather Cox, visibly irritated Durant told her, “The first team that plays defense will win the game.” If they play defense like this and get their offense going at the same time? Unbeatable … We can’t stress how incredible some of the highlights in the first half were last night. Dwyane Wade had an absurd spin into the lane through Serge Ibaka and a two-hander on Kendrick Perkins; LeBron had a baseline, one-handed reverse that was followed by a fast break dunk that prompted Mike Tirico to comment on how many “violent” dunks there were in the half … After Ibaka came up with one of his three blocks on the night, Tirico said, “Let’s just call him Serge I-Blocka.” No Mike, we will not be doing that … Wade was an animal last night. He only had 21 points, but it seemed like he was in attack mode on both ends of the floor all game long. To go with his dunks, he also tracked down Eric Maynor on a break and sent his shot to the frank man’s frank man. The ball literally went further than into the crowd than a lot of those t-shirts that cheer teams shoot into the crowd during breaks in the action … With the game just about over in Miami, the Thunder were set to let the shot clock expire without shooting leaving four seconds on the game clock. KD passed the ball to Westbrook with about nine seconds remaining, but just before the violation Westbrook passed it back so that KD would credited for the turnover. You could see Russ laughing and Kevin just shaking his head … Remember a few weeks ago when everyone was wondering what was wrong with Chris Paul, including Chris Paul? Not to make light of his scary head injury, but it’s like he had something jarred loose. He’s come back like a monster face, averaging 28.7 points and 11.3 dimes since he’s returned. Last night he had 26 and nine as the Hornets beat the Suns 100-95 … Read More: The Nuggets take a shot at Melo, Pyscho T is under control, and Blake gets the Philly business…

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  • LakeShow84

    i think half the time Kobe is whining about fouls BEFORE the shot..

    Like in the end of the Heat game Wade was all over his arm BEFORE he went and lost the ball on his own.. to the naked eye that would look like dude crying wolf but like i said if u watch Wade was all over his left arm..

    Dude gets bumped and held CONSTANTLY on the perimeter.. way more than any other superstar i see..

    But they have to.. hes the best scorer in the game and if u let him get going its a WRAP..

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @LakeShow84 — I’m not saying LeBron should be No. 1 or Wade should be No. 1, I’m saying it’s obviously not as simple as people were trying to make it. And you can’t pre-determine who should be No. 1 before the game starts. You can make a game plan, but if a guy isn’t making shots you have to adapt. There are nights where Bosh should be the go-to guy, even nights where Mike Miller or James Jones might have to be the go-to guy. (Unlikely, but possible.)

  • Stunnaboy2K11

    @Lakeshow

    At least you admit your guy whines, I’ve had arguments with guys who think Kobe gets fouled 30 times a game. LeBron gets waaay more contact than Kobe, yet only shoots 1.2 more than him.

    Look I agree Pierce does the “AND ONE” shout before contact/making the shot but hey I’m not defending him. And when you play like Pierce you need all the advantage you can.

    I may be wrong, but isn’t that SF in OKC the best scorer in the game? haha

  • LakeShow84

    @ AB

    i can dig it.. really i think the debate was on closer neways.. but i agree u cant have a clear cut #1 as part of a GAMEPLAN but there are pecking orders on teams.. just sayin lol

    but yeah the secret is when Bosh is attacking and playing a major role they usually win.. in they loss yesterday he reverted back to jump shooting after he said himself the team has more success when hes attacking and rolling to the hoop..

    @ StunnaBoy

    Nah hes just the scoring leader lol Kobe got WAAAAYYYY more tricks than Durant.. be real..

    But dont be down on your boy i read an article that said Pierce and Kobe are the only 2 players in the league who have perfected the art of the midrange game.. and when i really sat back and thought about it i full heartedly agree.. well midrange at a superstar level..

    That shot EVERYONE says ANYONE should be able to stop because they know its coming?? thats that midrange game for ya lol

  • Sporty-j

    Here goes AB again! When was Wade #1 option last night. Everybody was off from the begining and played sloppy. When the game was about to start shifting in our direction. The refs killed it with that none call and the game went from potential a 5 point game to be over on a 12 point swing. Wade never had a chance to do his Magic in the 4th and it certainly did not help with your #1 wish dream opt for the Heat lettiing Durant put his foot in his a$$ over and over. I just hope that since he has been demoted back to his Scottie Pipen role that he was not letting Durant do that purpose because i dont trust him. We should not have to run a screen for him to get a mismatch on a PG in order for him to go down in the post. It does not take the coach to tell Lebron that he should have gotten physical with Durant, force the issue, and should have taken Durants little a$$ down in the post and punish him on everyplay until they call a foul…

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Sporty-j — You say “Scottie Pippen role” like that’s a bad thing. Isn’t Pippen in the Hall of Fame? And you’re forgetting all the games where James carried Miami as the No. 1 when Wade was hurt, playing bad, or simply playing the No. 2 role.

    And don’t act like playing against Kevin Durant is easy. Some of the best defenders in the world try their hardest and still see Durant put up 29 points on 21 shots. That’s what he does. Keeping him just under 30 is about average.

  • Sporty-j

    Neither should be #1 opt or else it would hurt in the playoffs and a team like Boston would key in on to that. Everybody has to score against a team like Boston at the end of games if we want to get to the Finals. Not just 1 man. I should have said Robin instead of Scottie, so my bad on that 1. Wade was hurt during the preseason if you forgot. He had a little funk at the begining of they year because of it and yet hes still right there in PPG with your King lol. Carried the team??? The guy is already choking under all the pressure. Now listen to me closely on this 1 AB. Imagine what he would do in the playoffs where the pressure is going to be 10 worse because of all the pressure hes under this year which he brought upon himself lol. Wade thrives under all of that pressure and lives for those Jordan moments.

  • Sporty-j

    the

  • Sporty-j

    10x %^$$^(moving to fast)

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Sporty-J — I’m starting to doubt if you even watch your team play. Think about every Boston game in which Wade was playing like crap and Miami was still competitive. Who was carrying the offense? LeBron.

    Now think about the Portland win where LeBron had 44 and took over down the stretch … the close Indiana win where LeBron had 41-13-8 while Wade was 7-for-17 .. the Orlando win where LeBron scored 51 and Wade shot 5-for-12 … the OKC win where LeBron had 23 and 13 dimes and assisted House’s game-winner while Wade had 9 turnovers … the Detroit win where Wade and Bosh didn’t play and LeBron had 39-9-8 … The Knicks loss when Wade went scoreless in the 4th quarter and LeBron kept them close … the Lakers win on Christmas where LeBron had a triple-double and Wade shot 6-for-17 …

    You have the best (at worst, 3rd best) player in the League on your team and you act like he’s a scrub. If you want to talk about handling playoff pressure, we’ve now seen how bad Cleveland is without LeBron, and he carried that team deep into the playoffs multiple times. Wade hasn’t been out of the first round since 2006. Where are all those Jordan moments then?

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    And again, I’m not saying LeBron unquestionably has to be Miami’s go-to guy or their closer, nor am I saying that Wade isn’t a great option as the top guy. But anybody trying to argue that LeBron isn’t a clutch player or doesn’t have crunch-time credentials, or that he “chokes” at a higher rate than Wade (or any superstar) needs to rethink their argument.

  • Sporty-j

    There go Lebron fans with all there “STAT” stuff. Its just like Laker fans that always talk about how there team does not play series after every lose because they are saving it for the playoffs lol. So predictable. I could go show you stats on how Lebron performed in certain games but its a waste of time. Go watch that Christmas game again by the way and you would see that it was Wade that built us that lead, not the stat Machine that dominates the ball all game in order to get his while his teammates stand around wondering what hes going to do. Im not downing your boy either but hes just not clutch like his fellow draft mates. What would the Heat roster from last year record have been this year Austin if you take away Wade away, Haslem gets injured, Chalmers leaves for Boston along with J.Oneal, and our back up center leaves the team also and follows Wade? That look at Cleveland now without Lebron can be said about my Heat without Wade so whats your point? 1 was coward enough to leave his team once times got rough. Why did Lebron come and join a guy that cant even get out of the 1st round of the playoffs anymore like you said? You just made Lebron look even dummer? And please dont come back on here and act like Lebron had no choice but to join Wade because Gallo, Amare, and etc in N.Y. would not have been enough for him to win a ship. I guess that team in Chicago with Rose, Boozer, and etc would have not been enough for him to win a ship also huh??? Lebron just is not confident in his abilities unlike Wade who said he would have rode out with Boozer in Miami if it came down to it. I bet you if Wade would have went to N.Y. or Chicago that Lebron would have followed. Thats a coward AB and how can you have a guy thats a pu$$y as your fav NBA player???

  • Rainman

    @ Mr Brodgen:

    Bucks are missing something? how about a scorer?

    oh idk…maybe Michael Redd?

    Salmons stepped up in his absence last year, he’s been playing liek crap this year, so the missing void of Michael Redd has been very apparent in their offense.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Sporty-J –

    “He’s just not clutch like his fellow draft mates.”

    Again, look at the results. Carmelo has been out of the first round one time in his career. Wade hasn’t been out of the first round since 2006. I’ll give you more numbers: LeBron has played 71 playoff games in his career. Carmelo has played 45. Wade has 66. What that tells me is that LeBron is advancing farther into the playoffs than his draft mates. He’s winning rounds and playing in Game 7′s and Game 6′s. Now are you gonna say Cleveland’s supporting cast was any better than Miami’s or Denver’s? If not, how do you explain the fact that LeBron consistently took his teams farther into the playoffs?

    “1 was coward enough to leave his team once times got rough. Why did Lebron come and join a guy that cant even get out of the 1st round of the playoffs anymore like you said? You just made Lebron look even dummer?”

    Or LeBron left because he just didn’t want to play/live in Cleveland anymore. Like I’ve said before, the man has been in the same state his whole life; why is he not allowed to do something different? Because he’s an athlete, he has to stick with the same employer forever? But even if you just look at it from a basketball perspective, you could say every free agent “left when times got rough.” Do you say that about Amar’e in Phoenix, about Grant Hill in Detroit, about Shaq in Orlando? LeBron knows he will be judged on how many championships he wins, and Cleveland wasn’t doing its part to put a championship team (and coach) around him. Even KG chose not to stick around in Minnesota when he saw the writing on the wall, yet nobody calls him a coward for asking out of that situation.

    “Lebron just is not confident in his abilities unlike Wade who said he would have rode out with Boozer in Miami if it came down to it.”

    That’s easy for Wade to say it after the fact. But if the Heat hadn’t signed Bosh and let Wade know they had a very good shot at LeBron, he wouldn’t have re-signed. Why do you think he didn’t sign the extension when he had the chance? He wanted to see what Miami would do. If Bosh had been OK with going to Cleveland, you could also say LeBron would have stayed. But then we’re playing the “if” game.

    “I bet you if Wade would have went to N.Y. or Chicago that Lebron would have followed. Thats a coward AB and how can you have a guy thats a pu$$y as your fav NBA player???”

    And how do you know that? Again, how does it make you a coward to want to play with better players? Magic Johnson said when he joined the 92 Dream Team, “I always wanted to play with Michael and Larry.” Is he a coward now?

    So I guess I’ll just ask you this: Would you rather NOT have LeBron on your team? Last summer, were you hoping Miami didn’t sign him?

  • Sporty-j

    @AB I get the fact that he did not want to stay in Cleveland becuase he has lived in the state of ohio 25yrs of his life. Why didnt he go to N.Y. or Chicago instead of going to play with a dude that cant even carry his team past the 1st round anymore? Wasnt that a dum decision? Lebron playing more playoff games than Wade and Melo or advancing his team further has nothing to do with Clutch by the way lol. Wade has been to 2 ECF just like Lebron and has been in 1 Finals just like Lebron and how did both players teams do? The best thing that ever happened to Lebrons carreer is Wade getting hurt or else this would not even be a conversation. Clutch is what you do in the 4th if the game is close. Lebron will go hit buzzer beaters in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd qrts but when the 4th qrt starts. He does not have that same confidence in his jumpshot when the game is close. See how he drove for a layup both times against the Knicks and Chicago when the game was on the line instead of pull up for a jumpshot once the defense started to collaspe or even a tear drop. Going to join a guy that was in your draft class team that some people consider to be better than you is totally diff than playing on team USA with the worlds best players so i have no idea what you are trying to say with that 1. KG was out of his prime by the time he joined the Celtics and still won a ship. Nobody ever said a player is a coward for wanting to play woth better teammates. For instance, Bosh wanted to play with Lebron. Boozer and Amare wanted to play with Wade. Wade was not leaving Miami and just wanted better teammates which every player Wants. But the 1 Teammate Lebron wanted was Wade. He was not going to N.Y. or Chicago unless Wade was going with him. Thats a chicken!!! Maybe if he had a ring like Wade it would have been a lot of easier for him to convince whoever to join him. Lebron was not trying to convince anybody to join him in Cleveland and Wade did not convince Bosh to join him because they all deciding when they met that summer. What they were going to do. All 3 of them to be honest aint fooling nobody especially Lebron with that, he could not get anybody to go to Cleveland lie. Somebody would have went to join the 2 time MVP if he had tried. Dont have people in your circle lie and say he cant and tell Bosh to say: I dont want to got to Cleveland after the guy said he wanted to play with Lebron. Just be up front about your stuff and people will respect you for that. Hes a grown man and does not have to lie to anybody. Im not even going to sit here and front Austin because i got to keep it real. The 1 player Wade wanted to join him was Lebron so its all a waste of arguement at the end of the day. I dont even know why we are having this conversation my Brotha. Lebrons a Heat now, your a Heat now until Lebron retires so lets go win some ships. Happy for Lebron though thats hes with his best-friend. He needs to be around someone that a good character person, really cares about, is loyal, and has a “job”. Instead of guys that try to live off of him, will leave him if he ever becomes broke, and help influence him to be a douche…

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