OKC Morning Loud Links: Pushing Past the Celtics

Last night's game was an unevenly played match between the surging Thunder and the stalwart Celtics. Boston is trying to figure out how to right the ship, and ended up proving to be another tough challenge for the Thunder on the road. Fortunately for OKC, they did a great job holding off the Celtics in the end.

One particular note worth making - the Thunder continue to make great strides in their end-of-game performance. Last night, clinging to a two point lead with five minutes to play, the Thunder outscored the Celtics 19-12 the rest of the way. Remarkably, 15 of those points came off of five 3-pointers - one by Kevin Durant, two by Russell Westbrook, and two by Thabo Sefalosha. It was a remarkable display of clutch long-range shooting that kept the Celtics from pulling off the upset.

Post-Game Nuggets | NewsOK

Mayberry writes that one of the reasons why the Thunder struggled offensively last night is that James Harden seems to be struggling with his shooting stroke away from home.

Thunder Top the Celtics | Daily Thunder

This may be my favorite sentence written by Young in 2012:

"Welcome to RussellLand where you don’t sit anywhere but on edge and the dreams can be real."

Perkins' Humanity is Refreshing | NewsOK

For a man who is enjoyably rough around the edges, this quote is quite eloquent and sentimental:

"I was calling people, asking them, if I cry, should I let it out or what. At the end of the day, it’s just a bond I have with the city of Boston. Not only the whole organization, when you win a championship and grow from an 18-year-old boy to a 26-year-old man, it’s just something that you can’t cut with scissors and say it’s not there no more." - Kendrick Perkins

Eric Maynor Seeking 2nd Opinion | NewsOK

Eric Maynor headed to New York after the Celtics game to get a 2nd opinion on his knee injury. According to Mayberry, this is standard procedure, and Maynor will then decide on who will perform the surgery, and where.

All-Star Voting: Who Should Get Consideration? | Behind the Basket

Blott argues that Westbrook's merit had not quite reached the level of an All-Star through the first few weeks of play, but in the past six games he has been on a tear.

Griffin Posterizes Kris Humphries | Ball Don't Lie

Blake Griffin, Internet hero.

More links after the jump.

The Trouble in Evaluating Kobe | Sports Illustrated

White Mamba is an enigma, and is holding the ball longer than ever. Is this going to change? Probably not, since his coach is LeBron James' former coach, Mike Brown.

Blake Griffin Can't Reach His Defensive Potential | HoopSpeak

In which Strauss argues that Blake Griffin has T-Rex arms.

Utah Jazz & The Team Concept | Hardwood Paroxysm

Did you know that the Jazz have the 4th-best record in the West?

David West and the Pick and Roll | 8 Points, 9 Seconds

David West has always been a master at the pick and roll offense, building his repertoire while playing with Chris Paul. Here is a great analysis as to how he is bringing this area of expertise to the Pacers this season.

Dikembe Mutombo Caught Up in Illegal Gold Trading Scheme | Ball Don't Lie

The things you think you will never read...

Defending Defense | Wages of Wins

Defensive stats galore!