On The Mark

The Oklahoma City/Dallas series was a fun one to watch for someone who is a fan of both teams.  And though I personally cheered for the Thunder during the past week, it should be noted that OTA made its official prediction just before Game One.
I'm going to go put my Mavs jersey back on and get ready for the NBA Finals now...

OKC/DAL Game Five: 12 Down, 4 To Go

Once again

DAL/OKC Game Four: Age Before Beauty

When James Harden fouled out with 4:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder still had a 12-point advantage over the Dallas Mavericks.  But no one in a white jersey wanted to put the Mavs away and Dallas fought back.
The veteran Mavericks took advantage of a little momentum, a young Thunder team, and an incredibly hot shooting German and sucked life out the OKC Arena in overtime.  Dallas won Game Four 112-105 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
Oklahoma City looked to put the terrible shooting of Game Three behind them and started off beautifully going 9-9 from the field and opening up an 18-6 lead to open the contest.  But wave after wave of Thunder scoring runs were patiently weathered by the older and more experienced Mavs.  And eventually the offensive meltdown caught up to OKC when Dallas closed out regulation with a 17-2 run, capped off by two Dirk Nowitski free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining.
When searching for answers about this game, the Thunder can also look at the 23 turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch.
Nowitski outdueled Kevin Durant 40-29 in points scored, but it was when those points were scored that told the story.  Nowitski lit up the basket once again in the fourth quarter with shots that looked physically impossible.  And Durant’s offense slipped quietly out of the building.
And the bench battle went to the Mavs again – Jason Terry’s 20 points were just a bit better than the 12 from Nick Collison combined with Harden’s seven.

DAL/OKC Game Three: Muted Thunder

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said the Oklahoma City Thunder responded in Game Two.  He went on to say that the Mavs would have to respond to that responding in Game Three.

Respond they did.  

Dallas regained home-court advantage with a 93-87 win in Oklahoma City on Saturday night.

Dallas got out to an early lead and on more than one occasion in the second period led by 23 points.  The Thunder looked like as though they thought the game was being in Edmond and showed up late to the party.  Their offense didn’t begin to get underway until late in the third quarter. 

In addition, the highest scoring team in the playoffs this season nearly set an NBA playoff record for long-range shooting futility by going 1-17 behind the arc.

Granted, OKC mounted an impressive rally and pulled to within four in the final minute, but the hole they dug themselves was just too great.

A big key to the Game Three win for the Mavs was incredible ball movement in the first half.  Dallas just looked like they were in a different gear through the first 24 minutes and every pass went exactly where and to whom it needed to go.  Also, the experience of the Mavericks with Dirk Nowitski, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, and the rest seemed to be a major factor as the series shifted sites.

And Marion threw his name in the hat for Best Performance by a Player in a Supporting Role with a team-high 18 points (matching Dirk’s scoring output) and was everywhere he needed to be with rebounds, deflections and steals.

The media made such a big deal about Russell Westbrook’s pine time in the fourth quarter of Game Two, but guard play wasn’t the main issue in the early going in this one.  In the first-ever conference finals game in Oklahoma City, the Thunder collectively looked tight and tense. 

As for Westbrook, he looked none the worse for wear, or the media’s overhyped beatdown.  He looked more like the Westbrook of Game Seven in the Memphis series and scored as well as distributed.

Kevin Durant, on the other hand, fell prey to the tough Dallas defense and couldn’t ever get going.

With Game Four looming on Monday, the Thunder need to spend a little more time in the shootaround to try to overcome the 36 percent performance from tonight.   The shots are going to have fall more in the first half for OKC if they are going to respond to the response of the response.

OKC/DAL Game Two: Second Team Wins The Second Game

So Dirk is human.
It was likely that Nowitski wouldn’t match the 48 points he had in Game One, and this was so for a number of reasons – Coach Scott Brooks would come up with a different defensive scheme; a new officiating crew might not send him to the line 24 times (and he may actually miss!); and hey, 48 points is a lot!

But even with a 16-point fourth quarter, it still seemed as though Dirk had come down to earth.

James Harden, on the other hand, was headed for orbit as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 106-100, and gained a split in the Metroplex.

Harden and the OKC bench appeared to take personally that Jason Terry outscored them all by himself on Tuesday night.  Harden had a career scoring night with 23 points and was 4 for 7 from outside the arc.  The Thunder’s second unit plus Kevin Durant played almost the entire final period and earned their time on the court.

In fact, after Russell Westbrook picked up his fourth foul at the end of the third quarter, he never re-entered the contest.  It was somewhat surprising because Westbrook completely turned his game around from Game One.  He had 18 points in three quarters and shot the ball much better.  He looked like a point guard, not just a ball handler.

Give credit to Coach Brooks who decided that chemistry of a set of five was bigger than the play of one and kept the crew on the court that was doing the damage to the Mavs.  Make no mistake, the starting five for the Thunder need to remain starters.  But Harden, Eric Maynor, and Nick Collison were the difference makers tonight.

The Thunder goes home on Saturday night to face the Mavericks in OKC Arena knowing they have wrested home-court advantage away from the Red River rivals.

OKC/DAL Game One: All Dirk, All The Time

There was no one in the states of Texas or Oklahoma, much less in the American Airlines Center, who could guard Dirk Nowitski on Tuesday night.  He has been just about as unstoppable as one player can be in the 2011 playoffs.  The Dallas Mavericks took Game One over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-112.
The 13-for-13 free throw shooting performance in the third quarter was just an added bonus to go with the turn-around jumpers and all-around great play.  Dirk had 48 points on the strength of 12-for-15 from the field and had an NBA record 24 made free throws with no misses.  The Thunder had no answet for Nowitski's offense and it seemed that the only reason he stopped scoring was so he could let J.J. Barea go off on Nate Robinson in the fourth quarter.
In Kevin Durant's first conference finals appearance, he put on a show of his own.  He shot 10-for-18 from the field and his free throw was almost as good at 18-of-19.
And as much as Russell Westbrook looked like a great point guard in Game Seven of the Memphis series on Sunday, he looked as though the ball was stuck to his hands tonight.  Creating only three assists to go along with shooting 3-of-15 from the field simply is not going to get it done in the conference finals.
But the fantastic and timely shooting by Jason Terry and gutsy play from Shawn Marion was overshadowed by an incredible scoring display from the 7-foot Maverick veteran, who didn't even attempt a three-pointer in this one.
It was simply a show for the ages.  If you didn't see this one, set up your DVR for the first time it shows up on ESPN Classic.
Coach Scott Brooks has to go back to the drawing board for Game Two on Thursday.

Do I Really Want To Make This Prediction?

I have been a fan of the Dallas Mavericks since the '80s.  But I always said that if Oklahoma ever got a major professional team I would cheer for it.
Now I have the dream matchup in the conference finals I have looked forward to.
So before the tip, and though I will be cheering for the Thunder, I'm going to say...          Mavs in 5.

.......

Royals Manager Should Be Linked To Historically Bad Pitching Performance

Kansas City Royals’ manager Ted Yost was interviewed in Detroit this weekend during his team’s series with the Tigers.  Yost said that he doesn’t worry about how long a player has been in the major leagues when he decides which one to put on the mound.
“I think if you’re a big-leaguer, you’re a big-leaguer, and I don’t try to protect guys in the big leagues,” Yost said.  “I throw them right into the fire and let them go.  They’re big-league players.  They’ve earned their way here.”
Apparently Yost doesn’t try to protect any of his players – young, old, or struggling in colossal fashion.
Monday night, the Royals were at home to face the Cleveland Indians.  It seemed as though the only thing the Royals did right was to get their uniforms on properly.  Cleveland trounced them 19-1.
The issue here is not the loss but the historic significance in the way it went down.  Relief pitcher Vin Mazzaro gave up 14 runs in a three-inning stretch, including 10 runs in the fourth.  It will go down as the worst pitching performance in Royals’ history and one of the worst ever.
This game has been shown repeated on Sportscenter and other similar shows through the night and day today and understandably so.  What I don’t understand is how this situation came about.
Was Yost not watching this game?  How can a manager let one of his team collapse in such grand fashion?
Seriously?!  Mazzaro gave up 10 runs in the fourth and Yost dragged him back out on the mound to be whipped more.  It’s clear that Yost isn’t trying to protect his players, any of them.

It should be noted that Mazzaro was sent down to Triple-A immediately after the contest.  Well of course he was!  A 25-year-old Nolan Ryan would have been sent down to Triple-A following a meltdown like that.
Mazzaro will go down in history for the bad performance on display Monday night.  But a portion of the blame/credit definitely should go to Ted Yost for not knowing when to get a struggling member of HIS team out of the game in a timely and reasonable manner.

Westbrook Was The Difference In Game Seven

Although I have grown to like Russell Westbrook and what he does for the Oklahoma City Thunder, I really wondered if he was worthy of being selected to the 2010-2011 All-NBA Second Team.  Those wonderings have gone by the wayside after his Game Seven performance.

The Thunder won today 105-90 over the Memphis Grizzlies to advance 4-3 in the Western Conference Semifinals, cementing a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Finals.  You can also catch OKC Thunder updates on OSN.

And Westbrook’s triple-double was not only impressive, but also a performance fitting of a high-caliber point guard.  His 14 points were matched by 14 assists, with 10 boards thrown in for good measure.  Westbrook was all over the court finding open teammates and having a sixth sense as to where rebounds would fall.

Westbrook shot only 25 percent from the field, but was 6 for 6 from the free throw line.  His assists more than made up for the lack of points scored and likely was a better scenario.  Although he exploded for 40 points in the Game Four triple-overtime overnight watch party, it seemed to be more of a one- (and sometimes two-, with Kevin Durant) man show.

Today’s display showed a true point guard who got his team involved in all facets of the game. Westbrook’s hustle has never been in question, but the ball distribution during the playoffs has at times had room for improvement.

The Thunder is now two steps further into the NBA playoffs than the franchise has been since its trek to OKC.  More challenges lie ahead against a Maverick team that looks better than it has in the postseason in the last five years.  But if Westbrook can match the heads-up play and fantastic execution of today’s Game Seven feats, the Thunder has a real chance to be playing in June.

In-Game Thoughts

MIdway through the second quarter in flooded Memphis, the Grizzlies have almost doubled up the OKC Thunder, 35-18.  As for this Thunder fan, I want to change the channel.
It does give me time to consider how little credit the Dallas Mavericks have been getting in their sweep of the Lakers.  No, the disorganized, dysfunctional group that have worn purple and gold through the playoffs don't look anything like the teams have brought back hardware to the Left Coast.  But that's not to say that the Lakers lost all four games.
The Mavericks won those games.  And there is a difference.
So Media-types, of which I am somewhat, stop being apologists and give Carlisle and the boys in blue their due.  They won it and won it with defense, a facet of the game unheard of in past two decades in the Metroplex.
In fact, they look to be toward a rematch of the 2006 Finals.  There's a matchup Dirk Nowitski and Jason Terry would likely be very interested in.

Out Of The Abundance Of The Heart, The Forearm Shoveth

Classless.  That’s one of the many words with a negative connotation that have been used to accurately describe what Andrew Bynum did to J.J. Berea on Sunday afternoon.
Bynum later said that he just fouled somebody.
“It was embarrassing to have the smallest guy on the court keep running down the lane and making shots,” Bynum said.
Really?!  Then stop him!  At least foul him hard in the first quarter while you’re still in the game. To try to cause a person’s chest to collapse in midair in the fourth quarter when your team is down 30+ points and you’re about to get swept in the series is beyond disgraceful.
The problem here is that this kind of attitude has been in there all along.  It simply found an outlet Sunday.  Most players would not even think about doing something like that, and therefore, will never do anything like that.  But when the action comes out like that, it becomes apparent that the intent was there the whole time.
Bynum’s issue was not the scumbag moment that was witnessed against the Mavs.  It’s a matter of the heart that has likely been brewing for a long time.  Until that, whatever “that” is, is solved, expect more of the same in the future at a seemingly unexpected moment.  If it’s on the inside, it will eventually come out.

3-0!

  Dirk Nowitski and Jason Terry are two of the people who likely remember the Great Collapse of '06 the best.  They are doing their part to make sure there is no sequel five years later.
  The Dallas Mavericks have taken the 2-0 series lead and raise it to 3-0 tonight with a 98-92 win at home.  Nowitski had 32 points and nine rebounds while Terry had 23 points of the bench.
  Bench play was once again a factor tonight as the Mavs' bench outplayed their L.A. counterparts.  The Mavs' bench outs the Lakers' bench 42-15.
  And the Mavs have outscored the Lakers in the fourth quarter in all three games.
  The series is not over yet, but another collapse is more unlikely now.

Back to Work

  The spring semester at OSU finally ended today and the first half of my second stint in college is officially in the books.  While I was learning more about journalism in a challenging reporting class, I allowed the daily and weekly pressure of writing for that class affect my responsibilities to this site. But enough about me...
  In my last entry, I chided Kobe and the Lakers for their lackluster effort going into the All-Star Break.  Of course, following that hiatus the Lakers came back and won 17 of their next 18 games.
  But here we are into the second round of the NBA playoffs and it looks as though the Lakers haven't yet turned the switch to "ON."
  Game Three of this Western Conference Semifinal series is now in the second quarter as Dallas holds a two-game advantage coming into tonight.  Anyone who has been a Mavs fan for very long knows that the good feeling of this series lead can easily disappear though.  Please fill the next moments with your own disheartening flashback to the 2006 NBA Finals.  (If you listen closely, you can hear another whistle blown as Dwayne Wade goes to the free throw line again to shoot in Game Five...)
  Right the Mavs are on top by two early in the period.  Can they finish the job they started in L.A.?  It's possible, but a statement must be made tonight.  Even with a Laker win, the Mavs can't come across as if they've folded.