Oklahoma City Thunder: Don't believe everything you hear - NewsOK.com (blog)

on May 17, 2012M at 4:45 pm

It’s often interesting to talk to athletes and coaches about the games in which they just participated in. That doesn’t mean they know any more than you do about what went on. Case in point, the Thunder’s 77-75 victory over the Lakers on Wednesday night.

* Laker coach Mike Brown said that on the last play, in which Steve Blake missed a 3-pointer from the corner, Kobe Bryant was “wide open on the back side, but we told Metta (World Chaos) where other guys will be just in case Kobe was not open, and I think Metta saw Steve. Steve was open, and he passed it to him.”

Yes indeed, Chaos passed to Blake. For the best of reasons. Kobe wasn’t open. He wasn’t close to open. Kobe indeed flared around to the back side, but with Thabo Sefolosha hot on his tail, and a fellow named Serge Ibaka right in the middle of the lane. So to get the ball to Kobe, Chaos would have had to throw a delicate lob pass in rainbow fashion so that Ibaka couldn’t reach it, but then what about Thabo? Put that much air under it, and Sefolosha would have been in a jump-ball situation for an interception.

No way was Kobe open.

* Kobe said the Lakers’ two late turnovers were the result of “gambles. They jumped into the passing lane. That’s not something we’re accustomed to seeing. It was just flat out risk defensively, jumping in the passing lane to get the ball. Durant did it and got a steal. Westbrook did it and caused a turnover. It was unconventional.”

No, it was not gambling. It was not risky. The two turnovers in question came on these plays.

1. Kobe, guarded by Kevin Durant, was 30 feet from the basket and tried to throw a short lob pass to Pau Gasol. It was a lazy pass, and Durant speared it out of the air and was off to the races. Durant wasn’t jumping the passing lanes. He was playing position defense. Kobe just isn’t used to being guarded by a 6-foot-10 defender with superhero length arms.

“There’s not a lot of 6-10 guys you throw on Kobe,” said Thunder coach Scotty Brooks. “Most 6-10 guys are 260 and playing the four (power forward). He’s a guy that can guard multiple positions. It’s definitely a different look.”

If Thabo or James Harden are on Kobe on that play, or almost anyone else in the league who guards Kobe, that ball lands safely in Gasol’s hands. Kobe just didn’t adjust to the unique defender against him.

2. Blake made a pass to Kobe on the wing, and Westbrook jumped in front, seemed to block Kobe’s vision and the ball went through Kobe’s hands and out of bounds. So yes, Westbrook jumped that passing lane, but it was not a gamble. Westbrook has been doing that all series, when guarding Blake, because there is no chance that Blake is going to drive around him. If Blake decides to penetrate, Westbrook easily can recover. So that’s not unconventional. Watch any superior athlete playing defense; they will hedge all over the court against an outmanned foe.

-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.

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