- Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "If the playoffs are indeed where stars are born and legends are made, we just witnessed Kevin Durant take his first step toward forcing his way into an elite fraternity. In what he deemed a must-win game, Durant dominated the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter to lead his Oklahoma City Thunder to a 101-96 win on Thursday night. Durant scored 12 of his game-high 29 points in the final frame, climbing out of another cold shooting night at just the right moment to pull the Thunder within 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. Durant made just eight of 24 shots but finished with 19 rebounds, four assists and one huge blocked shot on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, preserving a four-point lead before extending it to six with 5:12 left to play. 'He had an impressive game,' said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. 'When you don’t have a good shooting night going -- and he’s the league’s leading scorer -- he took it upon himself to make plays for his team.' It was Durant’s defense that will be remembered, which, ironically enough, is the same supposed weakness the third-year player has long been criticized for."
- Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman: "NBA commissioner David Stern used Clint Eastwood’s famous line from the movie 'Dirty Harry' when asked about coaches being fined for politicking about officiating through the media. 'If someone wants to try me the rest of these playoffs, make my day,' Stern said, speaking with the media minutes before Game 3 of the Thunder-Lakers series Thursday night at the Ford Center. 'The game is too important. I don’t think people who trash it are respectful, and we’ll do what we have to do.' Stern said he might be forced to hand out suspensions instead of fines like the league has given to the Lakers’ Phil Jackson and Orlando’s Stan Van Gundy. Stern said he’s particularly upset when he hears analysts or fans suggest referees have an agenda. Stern blames himself for how coachspeak has gotten out of hand. 'I wish I had it to do all over again,' Stern said. 'Starting 20 years ago I’d be suspending Phil and Pat Riley for all the games they play in the media. You guys know our referees go out there and knock themselves out and do the best job they can. Our coaches do whatever they can to work them publicly. What that does is erode fan confidence and then we get some of the situations we have. Our coaches should be quiet because this is a good business that makes them good livings. If they don’t like it, they should go get a job somewhere else.' "
- T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times: "Meanwhile, down in the bowels of the Ford Center, NBA Commissioner
David Stern assumed the role of punk, diverting attention from the playoffs and back to himself. If anyone should be fined for conduct detrimental to the league it's Stern who actually suggested my good buddy Phil, who has spent a lifetime in basketball, doesn't 'respect' the game. A simple Page 2 response with no concern about being fined: Balderdash. 'The game is too important and I don't think that the people that are trashing it are respecting it,' Stern told the media. More than anything, it's a game that doesn't always respect the job Phil has done -- the coach with the most championship trophies being named coach of the year only once. OK, so what Phil says doesn't always make sense, is obviously done to get an edge or maybe tweak someone -- he can't help himself when given the chance to tweak someone. I know. But he's hasn't gone as far as Khloe Odom yet, who tweeted during Game 3: 'We should change the Refs names to 'Cheaters.' That will be more accurate.' If Stern thinks he's so tough -- our Mike Bresnahan likened him to Clint Eastwood -- let's see him go on the Kardashians' TV show." - Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: "Amid a prairie-rumbling roar, the eternal Lakers debate raged. Good Kobe or bad Kobe? With his team surrounded by the young energy of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the screeching hopes of their newbie fans, would Kobe Bryant's addiction to the ball and the dramatic lift the Lakers or doom them? Good Kobe or bad Kobe? With the Lakers needing a lift to close out Game 3 and essentially clinch this first-round series Thursday, would his renowned postseason pops save the day, or ruin it? In the end, fans dancing through streamers, white-clad players staggering through deep blue hugs, a building shaking in shock and awe, there could be no argument. This was bad Kobe. This was bad, bad Kobe. The Lakers lost, 101-96, in a game that they led every moment for three quarters because Kobe Bryant imploded in the fourth. They passed on a chance to put the dagger in an increasingly dangerous team because -- stop me if you've heard this before -- Bryant simply would not pass the dang ball. ... He missed seven jumpers, including two three-point attempts. He had one shot blocked by Kevin Durant. He lost another ball on a bad pass. It was Van Gogh creating with spray paint. It was Michelangelo building a mud fort. It was one on five. It was ridiculous."
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "The next time Luol Deng talks trash might be his first. Still, the veteran forward has no issue with his teammates riding James during games, which several Bulls insisted is not happening but James insists is. 'Why not?' Deng said. 'He's playing to win. We're playing to win. Their bench is talking to us too. I don't see why the bench should be quiet. He's just a good player who is making shots and we're out there competing. It's not like somebody is saying, ‘You're bad.' We're not really worried about that at all.' "
- Jim O'Donnell of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Talk about international coalitions. Maybe the teams should be parlaying together at the World Court in The Hague instead of playing basketball at the United Center. Thursday night it all spelled upset as the Bulls squeezed every ounce of multinational focus out of their rainbowed ranks to hang on and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-106. However fleeting the victory may prove to be, it juiced an Eastern Conference playoff series that appeared overwhelmingly lopsided at point of entry. The Bulls are now positioned to even things at 2 in Game 4 Sunday afternoon at the UC. In Game 3, it took a heroically resolute effort down the stretch to preserve the last vestiges of a lead that once stood at 21 -- 68-47 -- midway through the third quarter. ... Roll it all together, and it spelled enormously satisfying basketball theater for the 'See Red' segment of the 22,981 at the UC."
- Stu Courtney of the Chicago Tribune: "NBA commissioner David Stern likes Joakim Noah, is impressed with the Bulls' marketing efforts and is pleased that the team is 'back' on the national stage. Speaking Thursday at a meeting with Associated Press sports editors hours before Game 3 of the Bulls-Cavaliers series, Stern responded to a question about the Knicks by saying that New York isn't necessarily the center of the NBA's universe, despite some media perception to the contrary. 'We're doing great in L.A., Boston's setting records, the Bulls are back, Dallas is an exciting team,' Stern said. 'People are saying,'New York who?' ' Although he later acknowledged that the Bulls were 'back' only because they managed to qualify for the playoffs on the last day of the season, Stern tipped his cap to fans who supported the team by filling the United Center even during the leanest days of the post-Michael Jordan era."
- Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "The only thing the Cavaliers need a broom for at the moment is to clean up the little mess they've made over the last couple of playoff games. The momentum in the Cavs' first-round series with the Bulls flopped Thursday as Chicago unveiled a physical and well-rounded effort that knocked the Cavs on their heels and cut their lead in half. Getting strong production from the heretofore absent supporting cast, Derrick Rose led Chicago to a 108-106 Game 3 victory to cut the Cavs' series lead to 2-1. LeBron James had another prolific game, scoring 39 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists. He scored 13 in the fourth quarter with five assists as he led an impressive but ultimately failed comeback attempt. But on a night when the Cavs had significant problems elsewhere, it wasn't going to be enough. 'We didn't come into the game with a sense of urgency, didn't have a lot of energy,' James said. 'That's not our (style).' "
- Bill Livingston of The Plain Dealer: "The Bulls' fans booed LeBron James all game, but that is a sign of respect. They don't boo singles hitters in baseball, they boo the big stick. They don't boo Sebastian Telfair, they boo James. 'I've never said or done anything to make it personal, and I don't take it personally,' said James. He then qualified that. Maybe, he said, it was personal with the Washington Wizards when DeShawn Stevenson lacked only a jester's uniform to play the fool. 'And [with] Akron Hoban,' he said, recalling St. Vincent-St. Mary days. 'They were our big rivals.' Only with James do detractors find that such a huge game is a problem. They say he monopolizes the ball, which is utter twaddle. James loses assists by the bushel when his shooters can't cash out the 3s on which he sets up beautifully. Was there carping when Kobe Bryant went for 39 and the Lakers barely squeezed past craven Oklahoma City? It seems that the Bulls have several players, including Derrick Rose, brilliant again, and Noah, ditto, and Luol Deng who were in that seven-gamer with Boston. You know, the one that had enough overtimes to force stretch-bearers to carry off announcers' tongues at its conclusion. The Thunder is a newborn in the playoffs. For that matter, did Michael Jordan endure such second-guessing? Get back to me when a Scottie Pippen is playing with James. Get back to me when James has a Dennis Rodman at his side. Get back to me when Phil Jackson is on their bench."
- Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic: "Hot? The Suns are sizzling like a summer parade in the desert. After losing Game 1 in Phoenix, they responded with 185 points in the next six quarters, stealing back the home-court advantage. Peaking? When Jason Richardson is engaged, the Suns are nearly impossible to handle. In successive games, Richardson had 20 points or more ... by halftime. These days, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who wants a mulligan on that Boris Diaw-Raja Bell trade, and feel free to e-mail all apologies to the general manager. After freaking out the Valley with a subpar performance in the opener, the Suns twice have embarrassed a proud team. And after a 108-89 victory on Thursday, they are threatening to blow this series wide open. All this, and Amar'e Stoudemire has yet to have a serious impact in the playoffs. Unless you count the elbow that has everyone in the organization a bit worried. It was an elbow Stoudemire flung while tangled up in a crowd. The first replays looked benign. Another replay looked a bit more damning. Either way, the Suns and their fans are still raw from league-mandated suspensions in the postseason, and Gentry couldn't entertain the idea of losing his power forward for Game 4. 'After what we've been through in the past ...' Gentry fumed, recalling the controversial suspensions of Stoudemire and Diaw in a playoff series against the Spurs. Coupled with the Blazers' comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, the ending seemed a bit incongruous with the rest of the game. Losing Stoudemire surely would hurt, but that may be an unnecessary fear. And though the starters had to play much longer than anticipated, the fourth-quarter statistical slide will give Gentry something to complain about, keeping his team's attention in the moment."
- Mike Tokito of The Oregonian: "As the Trail Blazers were about to be introduced before their game against Phoenix on Thursday, a video flashed on the scoreboard with several slogans, including this: 'We DON’T leave early.' It was a reference to Blazers fans’ reputation for staying until the end of any game, no matter how lopsided the score. That loyalty was put to a great test Thursday as the Blazers played so poorly in the first half, they negated their usual home-court advantage. Portland did little during much of the game to inspire fans to match the huge roars they gave their team during the introductions. The Blazers trailed by as many as 29 points in the first half, drawing rare boos in their home arena. The crowd was quiet enough that several fans could easily be heard expressing their frustration. 'This is the playoffs, Portland!' one 200-level fan yelled. 'Play basketball!' The same fan later added, 'Give me my money back!' "
- Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "There's been an unexpected development three games into the Trail Blazers' best-of-seven playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. The run-and-gun, high-octane Phoenix offense has taken a back seat to -- gasp -- its defense. 'I thought last game and tonight, we won with our defense,' Suns forward Grant Hill said following the Suns' 108-89 victory Thursday night at the Rose Garden. 'People don't associate the Suns and defense in the same sentence, but we really have improved. And I think that's really been one of the reasons why we played so well right around the All-Star break.' The Suns won 14 of their final 16 regular season games and finished 23-6 after the All-Star break. And a significant amount of the credit goes to the defense -- even if it went largely unnoticed. After the All-Star Game, the Suns held teams below 100 points in 10 games, and below 90 in five. During the most important stretch of the season, they held opponents to 43.9 percent shooting. And nine times, opponents failed to shoot better than 40 percent. And after stealing Game 1 by racking up 105 points and shooting 47 percent from the field, the Blazers' offense has become yet another victim of the Suns' surprisingly stingy defense."
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
Henry AbbottTrueHoop | ESPN @TrueHoop |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop | ESPN @jadande |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop | ESPN @kevinarnovitz |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop | ESPN @Chris_Broussard |
Amin ElhassanTrueHoop | ESPN @AminESPN |
Chad FordTrueHoop | ESPN @chadfordinsider |
Israel GutierrezTrueHoop | ESPN @IzzyESPN |
Tom HaberstrohTrueHoop | ESPN @tomhaberstroh |
Marc SteinTrueHoop | ESPN @ESPNSteinLine |
David ThorpeTrueHoop | ESPN @coachthorpe |
Jade HoyeTrueHoop TV @truehooptv |
HoopIdeaTrueHoop @HoopIdea |
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