Bears Blitz

Published by Adam Fromal on November 4, 2016
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Could there have been something special driving Kevin Durant? 

On a night filled with photographer outfits, trash-talking jabs directed at the benches, fury-laden rejections and unmistakable passion, it was the newest Golden State Warrior who got the last laugh. Not only did Durant spark the team’s 122-96 victory over his former franchise, but also he put up the best individual line of the night. 

Frankly, it wasn’t even close. Durant’s 39 points, seven rebounds and one assist on 15-of-24 shooting from the field and a career-best 7-of-11 from downtown would’ve stood out against nearly any backdrop. But it looks especially nice on a night that saw Russell Westbrook shoot 4-of-15 from the field, Klay Thompson continue the search for his missing shot and Stephen Curry take a backseat role for most of the proceedings. 

This was simply Durant’s night. It was his chance to take vengeance on his old organization—though what exactly he needed vengeance for is still rather uncertain, considering how well the Thunder treated him throughout his time in the Sooner State—and the superstar point guard with whom he once shared the floor. 

Take your pick from these prime contenders for play of the night.

First is a monster swat of Westbrook, which notably came just a few possessions after the OKC 1-guard rejected one of Durant’s own shot attempts:

Second, we have a transition triple that followed a nifty behind-the-back feed from Curry: 

Maybe Durant splitting a double-team and throwing down to beat the clock at the end of the third quarter will strike your fancy: 

Westbrook started off strong, making his first two shots from the field and getting his teammates involved early. While Golden State missed one look after another, OKC increased its lead. When the dynamic floor general lost control of the rock and it still fell through the net for two crazy points, everything felt like it was swinging toward the visiting Thunder: 

But when Westbrook left the game, the drastic talent disparity between the two squads quickly became evident. A 29-19 Thunder lead with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter dissipated into a one-point advantage by that buzzer. By the time he reentered with 9:36 left in the second period, the Warriors were ahead by six points—part of a 19-3 run. 

Tuesday night, we saw what could happen when Curry goes off. Forty-eight hours later, it was readily apparent just how good this team could be with another superstar leading the charge against an overmatched opponent. 

Durant won’t always be this motivated for a regular-season affair. Even if it was his decision to leave Oklahoma City for greener golden pastures, he still played like he had something to prove. He made it abundantly clear this wasn’t “just another game” with his constant jawing at former teammates, no matter what previous statements he’d made about his relationship with Westbrook. 

But the Warriors now have firsthand knowledge of just how dominant he can be, and they won’t be afraid to deploy their newest superweapon against tougher opponents looming on the schedule. And rest assured that tougher opponents—cough, the Cleveland Cavaliers, cough—will be coming.

So long as everything is clicking, Golden State should be capable of emerging victorious. When Durant is playing like this, there’s nothing anyone can do. That was true in Oklahoma City, and doubly so when he’s paired with three more potential All-Stars. 

       

When Do We Say Tristan Thompson is Part of the Big Four?

The members of the Big Three all did their parts during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 128-122 victory over the Boston Celtics. 

LeBron James inched closer to passing Hakeem Olajuwon for No. 10 on the all-time scoring leaderboard (he’s now just one point shy), recording 30 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists while shooting 12-of-22 from the field. He was his typically brilliant self as a distributor, but he also didn’t show any hesitation attacking the basket at opportune moments. 

Kyrie Irving kept up his high-scoring ways with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, and he also chipped in with four boards and six dimes. Kevin Love found his way to the free-throw line early and often, negating his shooting struggles from the field to finish with 26 points and eight rebounds. 

But, particularly in the first half, Tristan Thompson also made a monumental impact with energy on the glass and his knack for finishing plays around the hoop. He wound up with 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks on 6-of-7 shooting, and that somehow seems to sell his value short. 

After all, the box score isn’t going to account for the energy provided by his ferocious jams, like the one you can see below: 

Or how about his early rejection work? 

According to NBA Math’s total points added, we should’ve seen this coming: 

The Cavaliers are dangerous enough with three studs. Hell, they’d be good enough with only James.

They may now have four, assuming Thompson’s early-season improvements—largely thanks to his increased abilities to finish around the hoop, protect the rim and serve as a distributor—aren’t fluky. 

So far, it doesn’t look like they are. 

       

Indiana Pacers Must Display Commitment to Defense

Everything the Indiana Pacers did throughout the offseason was geared around pushing the pace.

Jeff Teague replacing George Hill at the point gave the team another primary ball-handler alongside Paul George, allowing them to squeeze out more possessions by running in transition as frequently as possible. Thaddeus Young similarly fit into the uptempo schemes, and he’s thrived at the start of the year.

Handing Myles Turner the starting role at center? Same deal. 

But the risk of upping the pace to focus on offense is always going to come on the point-preventing end. Defense has already reared its ugly head in Indiana, with Thursday night’s 125-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks only serving as the latest example. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo may be aptly named the “Greek Freak,” but defenders still need to step over and contest shots. At the very least, Al Jefferson could have tried to stop the ball. 

Antetokounmpo exploded for 27 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks on 11-of-18 shooting, and he wasn’t Milwaukee’s only standout. Jabari Parker (27 points and eight rebounds on 11-of-17 shooting), Tony Snell (14 points on 6-of-9), Greg Monroe (16 points on 6-of-10) and Malcolm Brogdon (12 points on 3-of-5) all had big scoring nights for the victorious home outfit. 

As a whole, the Bucks shot 58 percent from the field, knocked down 44 percent of their downtown looks and made 24 trips to the charity stripe. Indiana was never going to have a chance while playing that type of defense, even if it had received more offensive help around George.

Unfortunately for the Pacers, this is no fluke.  

Heading into Thursday night, only seven teams were allowing opponents to shoot a higher percentage from the floor. Worse still, the Pacers were giving up 109.2 points per 100 possessions—the No. 24 mark in the Association. 

“I think defense gotta mean something to us,” George explained to Fox Sports Indiana’s Jeremiah Johnson after Tuesday night’s 115-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers (h/t IndyCornrows.com). “Right now, we’re getting scored on, and it’s not hurting us.”

It might hurt more after a loss to the offensively challenged Bucks.

      

Thank Goodness for Denver-Minnesota

This isn’t about the final score of the contest between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, even if the Nuggets surely won’t complain about coming back from an early double-digit deficit to emerge with a 102-99 victory on the road. Instead, let’s focus on the fact we basketball fans get to watch these two up-and-coming squads play four times per season. 

The number of intriguing young players on the two rosters is just staggering, and so many of their talents were on display Thursday night. 

Even though Denver won, we have to start with Karl-Anthony Towns. 

The reigning Rookie of the Year is blossoming into an even better player, now torching the Denver front line with 32 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. His defense is ridiculous enough. But when Towns combines that interior presence with three-point shooting and a nearly unmatched combination of offensive finesse and athleticism, he’s flat-out unfair. 

Take a gander at the move to create the first look in the video below. Even though he missed the close-range attempt, witness the subsequent athleticism necessary to jump a second time to corral the rebound, then a third time in quick succession to complete the play:

We could go on and on with Towns highlights, but so many other players deserve credit. 

Jusuf Nurkic (18 points and five rebounds) continues to contribute during his breakout season, flashing impressive passing ability and a knack for finishing plays around the hoop. Emmanuel Mudiay (12 points and five steals) is showing flashes of excellence on the defensive end, and he made a timely and-1 bucket down the stretch.

His positional counterpart, Kris Dunn, looked the part of a defensive ace and dynamite playmaker for the ‘Wolves by recording nine dimes and three swipes. 

And we haven’t even gotten to Andrew Wiggins (25 points), Zach LaVine (14 points and five rebounds), Nikola Jokic (eight points and five assists) or Jamal Murray (made a positive impact despite missing all eight of his shots). 

We just mentioned eight players—four on each team. Not one of them has celebrated a 23rd birthday. 

      

Elfrid Payton Showing Flashes

The Orlando Magic point guard still has a long way to go. He remains prone to making life too easy for the opposing floor general and struggles tremendously with his shooting form.

That was the case once again during Thursday night’s 102-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings, as he allowed Ty Lawson to put together a respectable performance while scoring only six points himself. Worse still, those points came on 3-of-13 shooting from the field and a 0-of-5 showing from beyond the arc. 

But Payton’s playmaking was superb.

That’s the one part of his game that keeps improving, and it’s vital the trend continues. Orlando is far more dangerous on offense when he’s able to distribute the ball to all of his teammates, since his vision and knack for squeezing the rock into tight windows negate some of the team’s all-too-legitimate spacing concerns. 

Against the Kings, Payton kept his head on a swivel. He found Aaron Gordon on a baseline cut for an alley-oop slam, made plays in transition and thrived in the pick-and-roll. Take the play below as an example, even if this was a pick-and-pop paired with a weak-side cut from Bismack Biyombo:

Perhaps most impressively, Payton just isn’t making mistakes.

The third-year point guard coughed the ball up just once—the product of a traveling violation late in the fourth quarter. His 11 assists and the lone turnover help further the trend we’ve already been seeing throughout his career: 

In many ways, Payton remains a liability for the developing Magic. But at least his playmaking gives the organization hope he could still become a franchise centerpiece. 

      

A Rebounding Highlight?!?!

You heard us. 

Jaylen Brown had a strong beginning to his career as an NBA starter, holding his own against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers as he recorded 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from downtown. But no play was more impressive than this rebound over Kevin Love: 

Keep an eye on this kid. If he can make rebounds this special, there’s no telling what else he could do.

     

Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @fromal09. 

Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com or NBA Math and are current heading into games on Nov. 3.

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