All over the map today, and some Thunder fallout

A tantalizing collection of unrelated notes today, folks.

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Speaking of tantalizing, how about them Thunder?

It was another tough finish of missed shots, bad decisions odd coaching and the vagaries of youth on display.

And painful, painful lessons learned.

But those lessons are important ones and while I know Russell Westbrook and Eric Maynor (there is no way he waved off Kevin Durant in the final minute, was there? That couldn’t have possibly happened, could it?) are the targets right now, I don’t think they really need to make any change.

Seriously. And I don’t say that just to stop the onslaught of “how do the Raptors get Westbrook” questions that come every day.

Each of those four kids – Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden and Durant – are 22 years old or younger and none of them has been through anything like this before.

I know Westbrook had his moments, and Durant wasn’t nearly as forceful as I would have liked him to be in many respects but to think they need to “blow this up” is, to me, ridiculous.

They’ll figure it out and if they don’t, well, maybe in two years or 18 months you start thinking longingly at free-agents-to-be Chris Paul or Deron Williams but right now, you let ‘em burn inside a little bit and hope they come back better.

No reason to think they won’t, is there? They’ve improved in leaps and bounds in two seasons, why can’t they get a bit better in the next two?

That’s a very good young team – with the emphasis on young – and the NBA’s a man’s league.

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Mike Brown to the Lakers?

Wow. That’s a gamble to me.

And not at all the direction I thought they’d go; I figured they’d throw all kinds of money at a “name” guy like Jeff Van Gundy or try to pry Coach K out of the colleges or get Jerry Sloan off the farm or Rick Adelman or someone of that ilk.

The fact they didn’t really look at Brian Shaw was a bit of a surprise, too; I imagine we’ll be hearing his name being mentioned for every other opening right now.

Anyway, I wasn’t a huge Mike Brown fan when he was in Cleveland because I didn’t think his teams had any semblance of effective offence other than running clearouts for LeBron and it’ll be interesting to see how he manages Kobe, Pau, Bynum, Odom, Artest and whichever point guard they have next year.

Of course, I also think coaching is bit over-rated so maybe he’ll be fine; after all, he does have an awful lot of talent to work with.

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Well, another travel first.

And I’m not even talking flying from Miami to Chicago and getting into O’Hare from the west so we skirted the weather.

I get to my seat, 28C, to find a guy in 28B and a fellow dead asleep leaning against the window in 28A.

They’re about to close the doors when a dude in a suit and two very imposing Miami-Dade police officers come walking down the aisle.

They stop at 28, the guy in the suit wakes the guy sleeping and tells him the two officers want him to go with them.

Sleeping guy gets up, meekly walks out of the seat, is taken by the arms up the aisle and out of the plane.

Last I heard, by the guy who go this seat on the over-sold flight, was that he was being patted down by the two cops while a detective waited for him on the jetway.

No guns were drawn and the sleeping guy didn’t look around to take a hostage but it was cool.

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After watching Mark Cuban and listening to him in the post-game celebration, I’m wondering how many of you are going to have to hold your nose and cheer for the Mavs when they play whoever.

Me?

I have a lot of time for Rick Carlisle, he’s good man and an excellent coach, and, yes, it’d be nice to see Dirk get a ring and some more accolades but there’s just something about Cuban and Jason Terry that rubs me the wrong way.

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Hmm, how easy is this:

Q: Top 5 cakes?

Antony N, Amman

A: Chocolate

Double-chocolate

Chocolate ice cream

Chocolate fudge

Cup

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You know, remember yesterday when it was mentioned that it’d be nice to see LeBron try to guard Dirk a little bit in part of a Mavs-Heat final?

The other one I’m really looking forward to is seeing Shawn Marion on James.

Quietly, Marion’s been playing at an all-star level for most of the playoffs and he’s quick and long and strong enough to, perhaps, give James a spot of trouble.

Not that anyone is capable of stopping James, of course, but Marion’s long been under-rated as a defender and I know him well enough to know that he thinks he can wildly effective against a guy like James.

Confidence has never been an issue with Marion; the way he’s playing now will only fuel that.

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So, if the Heat wins tonight, the Final starts Tuesday in Miami.

If the Bulls win, we all have to traipse back to Florida for a game Saturday, the Final won’t start until next Thursday in either Miami or Chicago and that’ll be terribly inconvenient for a lot of us here now.

That pretty much guarantees a Bulls win. Maybe in an overtime or two.

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Not only didn’t I get to Chicago in time to catch Oprah’s last show, I didn’t get to a stool in time to join any of the “viewing parties” I saw chronicled all night on the local news.

And, surprisingly, I don’t feel cheated.

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I wonder if the folks in Oklahoma are going nuts today about the inability of the Thunder to get a defensive rebound when it mattered most and calling for this guy to be traded and that guy to be fired.

Those two in the final seconds are a prime example of bad breaks and bounces and, as coaches all point out, the need to “finish defensive possessions.

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Mighty Rockies 22

Dreaded Other Team 8

Now that’s a season opener!

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Know what I learned yesterday?

If you’re going to do lists of people with a body of work like Dylan’s, 10 might be a suitable number.

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Oh, a mail call for the weekend ‘cause I have no idea when I’ll be doing what but it’s pouring rain today here and there might be some lobby time to get to it.

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Comments

[Matthieu]

Hi Doug and thanks for the post.

Quick question: I cannot remember the Raptors could not re-sign Marion back in the Summer in 2009. Is it because he didn't want to stay?

Blogger's note: Mostly, yes

[dave]

http://blogs.thescore.com/timandsid/2011/05/25/tim-and-sid-uncut-may-25/

The link for BC interview. Talks about AB @28 min mark.

[Lee Z]

(Whoops, I think I accidentally posted this in yesterday's comments, but if not, please forgive the duplication). You're right about 10 being a more appropriate number for a list of Dylan's greatest songs. Indeed, one could easily make the case that Bobbie D. penned at least 30 of the greatest songs ever written. But Doug, there are far weightier issues to discuss on your blog than the top ten songs of Bob Dylan. Like...Bob Dylan's greatest album. The winner, hands down? Bringing it All Back Home. Anyone countering with Highway 61 Revisited, please include your address with your post so I can personally toilet-paper your house! @Lori: you're with me on this, right?

[Johnn19]

Mark Cuban, love him or hate him, has an all consuming will to be a winner and have a winning Dallas Mavericks team, no matter the cost. Mav's going to their 2nd Final in 31 years, tough to win in the NBA, even willing to spend.

Something that MLSE does not, and will never have (the overiding will to win no matter the cost), as they are simply profit driven, first and last, as far as the Raptors are concerned.

By the way, Marion was the player of the game for Mav's, a player who could have been a Raptor, except they were not willing to spend the money to sign him, and instead made the mistake of signing the Turk.

GM's win some, lose some, keep on plugging, the way of the NBA.

Blogger's note: Check the revisionist history on Marion; was more him than them

[kelsey]

Wow that hurt last night if your a OKC fan..Or just a fan that doesnt like Dallas!!... People having been knocking Westbrook, but he was more effective at taking it to the Dallas team...Durant just settles for too many long jumpers, that is not a winning formula...

Perkins was useless sorry to say, Collision played extremely well, really like his play. Maynor bad bad shot..They are young and will be back.

Marion wasnt a good fit at the time for Toronto, Raptors didnt have the players that would make him effective and it was obvious he didnt want to be in Toronto the following season. Im glad he is doing well. People thought he was washed up

I like Mike Brown as a coach.. I hope he does well in Laker Land with Kobe and D Howard...Did I say D Howard, I can see it happening in the near future... Orlando heading for the pitts, team is in serious peril..Hedont Turk, Arenas ($18+ mill/yr),J Rich (still useful) they have to may seriously high paid players for a team going nowhere!!!

[Lorie]

@LeeZ
Oh, Yeah! With you on this one, for sure. But between you and me, that toilet paper stuff's for amateurs. I have access to more...ahhh..."construct"-ive methods. As long as we don't have to transport it across any international borders, we should be okay. And I agree. MUCH weightier issues should be addressed here. (Don't you just HATE it when Doug goes all basketball on us? For at least half the blog? What is THAT all about?) For example, I think we should be discussing the creation of The Infinite Irregular Playlist, where we each suggest One Desert Island Album. And you're right about the Dylan one. Give me Beatles' White, though. Would never, ever tire of that one. So, Cheers! (And Doug - just how whiteknuckled was that flight yesterday? I think you flew through several Extraordinary-Super-Sized Cells. Could you feel them? Or did you peacefully nap through it all?) Cheers!

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Morning Doug,
I still think Thunder-Bulls would have been a lot of fun, but now I'm pretty convinced Heat-Mavs will be even funner (that's a word, isn't it? should be). Leave that Thunder lineup alone – they'll be a top team in the West for years to come. And Marion? He's still very much the Matrix, a quietly elite player. He does so much out on that floor that gets little mention; if only he could knock down all those chip shots he whiffs on, he'd be a perennial All Star. Dirk is at the very top of his game, but I think the difference this year over past early Mavs exits is J Kidd out front and the very-nearly-our-own Tyson Chandler down low. Hell of a roster. They've got both depth and plenty of veteran presence to make the finals a 7-game hell for the Heats. Cheers. And Doug, would chicken wing cake be your #6?

[Kent]

Marion has been decent in these playoffs but let's not go crazy and ask why the raptors didn't keep him. At this point of his career, Marion is only capable of being a role player on a great team. He was terrible in Miami and he was terrible in Toronto. He was also terrible on some nights for Dallas in this past regular season...Totally expect the Bulls to come out strong in tonight's game. Their role players will get brave again in front of the home crowd but the inevitable will happen either in the second half tonight or in Game 6...I thought the Lakers didn't want to hire Brain Shaw because they were afraid that he will just become Kobe's puppet. So I was waiting for them to annouce somebody like Rick Adelman. But then they hire Mike Brown, Lebron James' former puppet.

[Natalie]

Good Morning from the Left coast Doug!

Read yesterday that Sam Smith received the inaugural PBWA Phil Jasner Lifetime Achievement Award. I first became 'aware' of the NBA during the heady days of the first Bulls three-peat (Riley your cheque is in the mail..) and had the perception that he turned the world of beat-reporting on its head with the 'Jordan Rules and hes still going strong on the team website.

I was wondering if you could share your thoughts about his work and any beat stories on him as he comes across as a bit of a character in addition to a great journalist.

Oh and great great call naming the award after Mr. Jasner.

Blogger's note: There's a little pre-game ceremony tonight on the court for Sam, was planning to do something on him in the morning if that's okay?

[J]

@Kent:

1) You obviously missed the point about picking arbitrary cutoffs to support one's point. Just as you wanted to include a fictional 4th All-NBA team, I could argue for only the top 3. It's pointless.

2) You're the one who spoke up about the rate of American players making the All-NBA teams. If you wish to talk about absolute numbers, don't mention rate. Also, don't mention absolute numbers at all since it has even LESS bearing on whether a prospect is worth drafting. What exactly does the number of Americans on the three All-NBA teams have to do with whether an American prospect is a legit talent? Keep making excuses for not picking the BPA.

3) I asked you straight out what YOUR definition of "American" is, but as I expected, you completely dodged the question, just as you completely dodged the fact that you offered fiction so vehemently as "fact". Is Deng American? Is Anthony/Ilgauskas American? Is Ibaka American? Is Sefolosha American? Still waiting for your excuses.

[Vince]

If Dirk earning respect and your hatred of Terry/Cuban kind of balance out when deciding whether to cheer for the Mavs in the Finals, you may want to consider another fact: Jason Kidd, maybe the best point guard of his time, also remains ring-less. Go Mavs!

[Mike D.]

Geez, Doug, it took MONTHS for the Irregulars to set up that "get Doug fake-arrested" prank to add a little spice to your travel, and now you're telling us they grabbed the wrong guy? Back to the drawing board.......

[Pipit]

Hey Doug. Just read yesterday's blog about your 5 best and 5 worst and is inevitable for me to say that it is one of the best blogs you had this year. One question though. As you had said, your job gives you the privilege to meet famous people so can you rank your top 5 in terms of people you had met who made you starstruck?

Blogger's note: Have actually been trying to figure that out; can I move it over to the regular blog for one day

[Steve]

Whats more frustrating to you Doug, answering all of our crazy questions or talking Andrea Bargnani with Bob McCown??

[Lorie]

@Mike D:
If we've told you ONCE we've told you 999 SuperBillion times: No Telling! Loose lips sink ships, or at least scuttle our Let's "Do" Doug Operation. So, Team Irregular, the usual fine for Mike? (And, buddy, this time we will NOT accept your payment in Crappy Tire Money.) Now, as agreed, next meeting at Casa Paolo, right? Apparently Serafina has a new trick to lay on us. And don't worry, Doug, we always seek legal advice before proceeding. Well, at least befoe we reach the Point Of No Return. (Does anyone remember when that is?) Okay, Irregulars. Back into the breach. The Eagle Has, If Not Landed, at least Hatched a New Egg!

[The J]

"...but to think they need to “blow this up” is, to me, ridiculous.".
Extremely ridiculous. Every team goes through things like this on their path to glory. I'm certain we were saying similar things when a young Kobe wouldn't pass enough to Shaq (or any teams for that matter). There will always be growing pains. As a Raptors fan, I would love to have that problem. I would love to be complaining about how our conference final matchup ended, rather than be debating what Andrea meant in an out of context interview, or who to draft in an awful draft. I would love to debate whether Westbrook or Durant should have the ball in there hands rather than Derozan or Bargs.
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Agreee on Mike Brown, he was a solid defensive coach but had no plans for offence other than pass it to Lebron. I know many have questioned if Lebron's development would have been better with a better teaching coach (find his shot earlier, FTs, and shouldn't a guy his size have some post moves? Not to mention teaching a guy the importance of handshakes). But in his defense he never had as much depth past Lebron as he will now with the Lakers. Plus, I would be glad if he is the wrong coach, since I am ready to see the Lakers (continue to) fall.
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Speaking of handshakes, did anyone else notice Westbrook left the game without shaking anyone on Dallas's hand? He apparently also skipped post game interviews. Hmm... Interesting that he hasn't been slammed like Lebron was when he skipped shaking hands. Very interesting.
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Oh and Chocolate ice cream cake = good, Mint Chocolate ice cream cake = better.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Doh, @Lorie, youch, keep it in code, kid... Remember, it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsey in snide, mainly. And Doug, never mind. Okay, cheers.

[Nick]

I have a list for you Doug...your top 10 songs of all time.

[james]

Arriving a bit late for the Dylan discussion, one is shocked to find his favourite song missing: A Simple Twist of Fate, the ultimate paean to lost love located on the greatest of all Dylan albums, Blood on the Tracks.

[Bill]

Hi Doug,

I just realize last night that the game clock is not stopped immediately after a made basket (i.e. it keeps running while the players gathers the ball from the made basket and tries to inbound the ball). This is evident by the fact that the shot clock was not running while the game clock continues to run. Can you explain why this is?

Another funny observation is that this "practice" seems to disappear in the fourth quarter and particularly towards the end of it. I find that very weird.

Blogger's note: The rules are it stops in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime

[Matt M]

Hi Doug,
With the playoffs winding down do you think Griffin would mind if you shifted this to a Jays Blog for the summer months? I think we need a closer debate to replace the never-ending point guard debate that fills my winters! Heck, maybe we could even include a heated debate about how terrible non-American players are in spite of much evidence to the contrary.
Thanks,

Blogger's note: Let me get the Finals and draft out of the way and we'll see what we can do.

[Lee Z]

@James: Blood on the Tracks is indeed worthy of consideration among Dylan's finest albums. But sadly, not quite good enough. No less authorities than Lori and I have already ruled on that. In other words, the bill has left the committee stage and is now on its way to Doug's desk for final Royal sanction. I'm guessing it'll be law by tomorrow.

[Mike kovacs]

Black Forest Cake

[doug]

as far as the Thunder go to me as I have stated all along Presti blew it, a young team with no strong veteran presence is just a big mistake...as they start to turn on one another...a example of a veteran presence is Garnett and Rondo, remember a few years ago Rondo was pouting and moreorless going thru the exact same thing Westbrook is now, and and at a presser Rondo and Garnett were on the same podium, and Rondo started to speak in terms of him and I statements and basically whining...Garnett reached over grabbed the table mic and took over, literally cutting Rondo off...the Thunder need a veteran presence that plays and leads by example and this would allow the thunder to concentrate in my opinion on the task at hand, not each others failings,roles....leadership is earned not given, that's why stats lie, the Thunder are a prime example of forgetting about character ,maturity and effective leadership...to have even a Top 10 list of songs for Dylan is short-changing him or to have one fav album to me is unfathomable...he has made over what 50, and one's like Love and Theft, Time Out of Mind, Modern Times, later albums for instance would be anyone else's pièce de résistance instead with Dylan they are just another piece of work work among the many others..no different then a Picasso, or any of the great artists...Dylan's one of a kind and one of the most profilic writers ever....

[doug]

2 words Lakers fans will soon learn to hate....Jimmy Buss....the next Jerry Jones of sports...