5.7.14 -- I think its funny all the shit that Scott Brooks takes for his laissez-faire style of coaching. Dude, if Adolph Rupp rose up out of the ground and felt like preaching basketball, he'd be the first to tell you that Durant and Westbrook are great players and the team would be best served by giving them the ball and getting out of their way. So what is it you want Soctty to do? Shore up the D? Well, the Thunder D is pretty solid. Don't like him playing Perkins and Fisher? I suspect those guys play because Durant likes them and wants them around; I think Durant is sensitive to the vicissitudes of stardom and having veterans around that can be lightning rods on and off the court is invaluable to him; and besides Durant's production makes up for a lame center or back-up shooting guard (truthfully its the amount of money that Perkins earns that is insufferable). He wins when his guys are right, he can't win without them anyway so when they go down, what's the coach supposed to do about it?
All the writers really need from Scotty is to be a charismatic presence. If he were jocular and funny like Joe Madden of the Rays, then the writer's would sing his praises. Check it out, their careers are pretty similar: sometimes overachieving, sometimes under, but generally good in the regular season, spotty in the playoffs depending on the health of his stars, made one championship and lost it. Ask a sportswriter who is the better coach and they'd laugh at the question. Scotty, the path is clear: make funny comments! Be funny and cryptic, say weird things about 'the game of basketball' and then smile like Mona Lisa and those writers'll think you're the bees' knees.
When Durant and Westbrook play well, the Thunder win just about every game; when Durant and Westbrook don't play well, the Thunder lose just about every game. The games in between are where a coach or a different supporting cast might be able to make a difference but not really because you're always gonna favor Durant and Westbrook right to the end even if it costs you your job (just ask that guy that left Pedro in one inning too long at Yankee Stadium). Whoever the coach is this team will go as far as Durant and Westbrook take them.
Durant didn't play well against the Grizzlies. Is it he hitting the wall after an MVP season? Could be. But Durant is one of the last superstars in sports that I root for, his game is so exciting to watch and he seems like such a lovable guy that you want him to succeed. So I certainly hope he is as right as he needs to be to carry on. Westbrook seems healthy which is important because his game is all about volume and intensity. He's not at his most efficient right now but he's playing well enough and a healthy Westbrook is tough for anyone to deal with. (The only thing holding them back from a championship is Scotty Brooks starting Kendrick Perkins--oh, when will this abomination cease? *sarcasm*)
The Clippers are a good team playing well right now after having their best season yet. This team is hungry to win now. But, man, I just can't see Chris Paul going too deep into a season. He works too hard and stresses so much that I just can't see his body holding out for extending minutes against the best teams in the league night after night. And as much as I like the steps forward that Griffin and Jordan and the general supporting cast, I don't like them more than Durant and Westbrook playing well. Basketball is a team game but the great players can maximize their individual efforts to make the team stronger. I don't think Chris Paul is that kind of great player in the sense that I think he has to work too hard to will a team to that many wins. It burns him from the inside out, whereas Durant and Westbrook can bring it again and again and again.
Unlike the Spurs-Blazers, I do not think the home team has any great advantage in this series. I can see all 7 games going to the road team. These two teams are gonna play grudge matches and I think that favors the away team: you wanna sludge down your opponent and that can be tough to do in front of the home fans that are expecting you to make their children all responsible and shit. These types of matches are won by the sleazier guy, the bad guy, the heavy, the out-of-towner, the interloper, the hamburglers of the world. I think the Thunder win game 7, all that nice guy stuff goes out the window then, but otherwise I wouldn't be surpised if the Clippers went back to LA with 2 game lead and the Thunder snatch the home advantage back. That is perhaps a bit severe, these teams are both good and play with pride wherever they are, but I can see swings in momentum ahead in this series.
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