WTLC Daily Loud Links: Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Last night's Thunder win over the Nuggets is what we've always come to expect from these two - lightning pace, sloppy at times, but tight until the very end. Fortunately the Thunder were able to pull themselves together just in time.

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In Darnell Mayberry's post-game nuggets, he praises the use of Derek Fisher in the 4th quarter, but wonders why Reggie Jackson wasn't in the game sooner:

Two more things about the point in time that Jackson subbed in: 1) the Thunder was 5-for-18 when Jackson checked in. Westbrook and Durant had taken 10 of the Thunder’s 18 shots. They clearly needed some help. 2) If Jackson isn’t going to check in until that late in the quarter, he needs to play the rest of the game. And to Brooks’ credit, Jackson essentially did, subbing situationally only in the final four seconds when the Thunder needed defense for offense.

Anthony Slater also notes that the Thunder were saved by a rarity - good 3-point shooting:

Overall the Thunder made 13 threes, four more than its previous season-high. And 10 of those — on an efficient 17 attempts — came in the first three quarters.

The Thunder trailed by nine heading to the fourth, when it finally turned up the defense and turned the game.

Royce Young writes that our Kiwi hero Steven Adams did not get a lot of burn on this night:

Steven Adams only played six minutes and didn’t see any time in the second half. Nothing to see here, just a bad matchup thing as the Nuggets played small with only one big, and sometimes a power forward at center, for most of the game.

I believe a time will come when Adams is perfectly suited to be the lone big on the floor during smallball lineups. Today is not that day.

What to see something a bit nuts? Check out this fascinating Hickory High piece that examines how well teams shoot off of a catch-and-shoot play versus off-the-dribble play. Through 11/17, OKC is the only team that shoots one better than the other. Can you guess which?

Nuggest 1st year head coach Brian Shaw had a notable career in the NBA, but more significantly had a life-altering even back in 1993. He opens up to HBO about what happened:

Shaw spoke this summer — just after his hiring to lead the Nuggets and just past the 20-year anniversary of the tragedy — about the accident that took his mother, father and sister, and resulted in him having custody of his 11-month-old niece Brianna

Tony Allen was ejected for kicking Chris Paul in the face. Grit grind means something else when the Grizz play the Clippers, apparently. Although TA said he didn't do it intentionally, and CP3 believed him.

"I know Tony didn’t do it on purpose," Paul said. "I went mute for a while, just because I hate being hit on the lip more than anything. I just hate having a busted lip. But I know it wasn’t intentional, and I didn’t expect him to get ejected. I think he thought I was about to throw the ball to the corner, so that’s a natural instinct."

Is Kobe Bryant ready to return to the practice court? Eric Freeman wonders what it all means. Meanwhile for me, I find myself strangely rooting for White Mamba.

Meanwhile, a fan actually sent J.R. Smith $60 because apparently pipemaster is really good in a video game. I'll take his word for it.

Lastly, another Thunder fan hit a halfcourt shot last night. What do we need to do here to get one of our WTLC guys on the court for this?

More from Welcome to Loud City:

• Oklahoma City Thunder final score: Thunder stiff Nuggets, 115-113
• Thabo Sefolosha's contract status: "I like what we're building here"
• Film study: how did the Thunder give up all those 3-pointers to the Golden State Warriors?
• Thunder Trade Rumors: Do the Thunder Have a Chance at Omer Asik?
• WTLC Daily Loud Links: Monday November 18, 2013