Time to Thunder Up

I caught the OKC Thunder for the first time this season last night on TNT at the Portland Trailblazers. Reggie Miller was calling the game, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable, despite the Thunder blowing an early lead to go down big in the third quarter.

If I've learned anything about NBA basketball though, the good teams are the ones that are resilient. And getting two offensive boards in the expiring seconds of the fourth quarter to force overtime is certainly a sign of resilience, as is Russell Westbrook's three quarters of inspiring play (discounting the disappointing third period). In fact, Westbrook's highlight reel post-International play is nothing short of a top three point guard in the NBA (fuck you, Rondo).

One unfortunate trend that was appropriately noted by Miller and company is Kevin Durant's tendency to turn the ball over coupled with his lack of assists. Surely the two are connected, and you have to believe Durant will re-adjust to NBA play before too long. His teammate are getting it done, and sooner or later Durant will play a game in which he has as many assists as points. Go ahead and quote me one that.

One of his teammates getting it done of the bench is Dank Game favorite Serge "the Congolese Squeeze" Ibaka (it's gonna stick, just give it time to sink in). As the sixth man, Ibaka came off the bench in both halfs and provided lights out defensive play, keeping the Thunder in a game in which they gave up an atrocious number of offensive rebounds and let the 'Blazers shoot an absurdly high percentage in the second half.

More could be said about the Thunder's effort, including Jeff Green's 20+ points and Cole Aldrich's scrappy, albeit limited play (he didn't really do much, but Slim McFavorite feels like I'm supposed to be some big fan of his). But sitting at 3-2 and slowly cleaning up the mistakes, OKC next heads to Boston for their biggest game of the young NBA season (have I said fuck Rondo yet?)

*note - I'm pretty sure that picture isn't from last night's game, but I'm also pretty sure it's awesome.

There's Basketball on Television Again!

Last night after playing some hoops, I was flipping through channels and stumbled across a replay of the FIBA exhibition game between USA and Spain. Luckily, I had yet to check my usual basketball websites so I was unaware of the outcome. It turned out to be a super entertaining game and has got me pumped to tune into future FIBA games. Here's some of my observations:

Spain Has Got Some Ballers

Spain is obviously the biggest threat to USA's basketball supremacy. They came close to beating the Redeem Team in the '08 Olympics, which is a game I have still yet to watch. Apparently Chauncey Billups hasn't either, so that makes me feel a little better.

Ricky Rubio's court vision is certainly not all hype. He made some creative passes in transition, and the Pistol Pete comparisons are certainly justified. He's also very disruptive with his length on defense. Former Memphis Grizzly Juan Carlos Navarro was also impressive. He appears to be Spain's go-to offensive weapon, especially during crunch time. I wish he would have stuck around in the NBA, but there's just as much money to be made in Europe so I can't say I blame him for choosing Europe over the US. Marc Gasol played a decent game, but it was also really interesting to see some Spanish players who have never played in the NBA, like Fran Vazquez and Felipe Reyes.

Team USA Was Inconsistent Yet Exciting

Besides Durant, who had an excellent all around game, many of USA's players were making some really great plays but following them up with really stupid plays. For instance, Stephen Curry at one point crossed over Ricky Rubio and finished with a beautiful floater and shortly thereafter stole it from Rubio and finished with a reverse layup on the break. Soon after though, he committed a turnover and missed a jumper on consecutive possessions. Andre Iguodala was making plays but struggled shooting. Russell Westbrook missed a fastbreak dunk after getting a steal early in the game, but redeemed himself with a nice drive and a behind the back pass to Durant on the break. Derrick Rose had flashes of brilliance, especially down the stretch, but also turned it over five times.

Overall, Team USA seems impressive in transition but they still need time to mesh as a team and adjust to the international rules, as there were several travels called throughout the game.

Lamar Odom and Chauncey Billups provide veteran leadership, but Durant is clearly the leader with Derrick Rose playing second fiddle. KD was brilliant on offense and had two crucial blocks at the end of the game, including one on Rudy Fernandez as time expired.

Props to Coach K

Mike Krzyzewski deserves plenty of credit for this win, as he switched to zone during Spain's final possession of the game. Spain wanted to run the pick and roll with Navarro, so Coach K switched it up after running man-to-man for almost the entire game. Spain's Fran Vasquez said that they weren't surprised by the move, but it did prove to be a decision that affected the outcome of the game. With that said, Durant deserves the bulk of the credit for his stifling D on Fernandez.

Also Worth Noting

Durant and Marc Gasol exchanged words at one point during the game, which is something I'm not used to seeing from either of those players. Maybe there's a chance that Nenad Krstic will have the opportunity to throw chairs in KD's defense after all.

They kept running some awful chocolate milk ad with Chris Bosh and some woman Olympic athlete. There's a close-up of Bosh talking about the benefits of chocolate milk, and this woman keeps popping up next to him to fill in certain words and phrases. When the camera cuts to a wide shot, it's revealed that he's soooo tall that she has to jump on a trampoline to reach his height. It's a piss poor concept to begin with and Chris Bosh doesn't help, as he has the personality of a rock.

OKC's Nenad Krstic Gets All WWF on Greece

The Thunder's Nenad Krstic has never seemed like much of a violent guy. In fact, he would probably benefit from playing with some more aggression on the basketball court. In a recent exhibition game with his native Serbia going up against Greece, Krstic showed that he is willing to mix it up, but he didn't show it by setting hard screens or banging on defense in the paint. When a scuffle broke out in the middle of the game, Nenad showed that he is willing to ride out for his fellow countrymen as he threw several punches, stomped on a fallen player for Greece and even threw a chair all WWF-style.



It kind of makes sense now that he hasn't shown much of a mean streak in the past, as Krstic seems absolutely clueless of how to throw a punch. Not that I'm much of a scrapper, but I at least know to punch with my knuckles rather than the soft bottom of my fist. Nenad looks more like he's playing Whac-A-Mole with his fists than he does fighting.

I think the real question here is whether Nenad is willing to get violent like this in defense of his OKC brethren. I really can't imagine Durant, Westbrook or any other member of the Thunder getting in a fight so we'll probably never know.

A Belated OKC perspective on "The Decision"

I'm not here to lampoon LeBron James and his ludicrus "The Decision" ESPN special. Dank Game, among many, many others, has done that plenty already.

Instead I've allowed a little time to pass, hopefully instilling reason into my OKC-themed reaction. So here it goes:

Kevin Durant will be the 2010-11 NBA MVP. And the runner-up will probably be Kobe Bryant.

Here's why:

James won MVP honors as the defacto leader of a Cavaliers team built around him. And it is a regular season award, so any talk of him not truly stepping up in the playoffs is inconsequential. LeBron was the undisputed focus of the team that won the most regular season ball games in the NBA in the 2009-10 season.

And the runner up was Kevin Durant, from the somewhat more team-oriented Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC was only able to muster an 8th seed in a crowded Western Conference, but coming off a truly bad debut season for the OKC franchise the year before, Durant quickly reestablished himself as a young superstar. He cemented this status by supplanting James as the NBA scoring leader and again winning the All-Star weekend HORSE competition (I know nobody cares about that, but I love mentioning it).

So now, with the "Three Headed Monster" in Miami, how can James (or Wade and Bosh for that matter) truly put up MVP stats? LeBron's points per game will almost have to go down, as the offense will no longer depend on him nearly every possession; the days of him playing point-forward should be over. Although his post-season aspirations should benefit as a result of this, the fact remains James is no longer the heart and soul of his team.

But Durant is. And unless Kobe has a season that makes him look a decade younger, Durant should easily be able to repeat as scoring champion. With the Lakers getting another year older, the window is opening for the Thunder, and I definitely see them enough games (55?) to put them in the top half of the West. That coupled with his prolific scoring ability will push Kevin Durant to an MVP season.

And Kobe, the likely runner-up, will have to watch as the West begins to slip away from his Lakers.

Colangelo Trims 3

Ah the summer of 2010, world championship basketball is gearing up and Team USA looks pretty solid. I'm excited about Kevin Durant's introduction to the world basketball scene. Hopefully Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook will make the final cut and there will be an Oklahoma City Thunder triple threat repping USA--I'm sure 'Stache would get a kick out of that.

Unfortunately O.J. Mayo didn't make the squad. It's not too surprising he got cut considering the quality of guards on the roster, but I was hoping the former North College Hill star would make the team. Jerry Colangelo also trimmed the roster of Tyreke Evans and center JaVale McGee. I really thought they should have kept three centers, but then again I wanted them to keep Tyson Chandler for the '08 Olympics and they did alright without him. McGee could have been a good energy player off the bench. Chandler seems so gimpy anymore and Brook Lopez is more of a half court type of guy.

A Miami Heat Fan's Reaction To "The Decision"

If there's one word to describe how I feel about the arrival of LeBron James to South Beach, it's conflicted. Obviously bringing LeBron to the Heat is an excellent basketball move, and Pat Riley deserves all the praise in the world for pulling off the greatest heist in NBA history, but as a Heat fan soaking this all in right now I just feel, well, dirty.

I feel dirty for rubbernecking through that entire broadcast last night, watching as Cleveland fans' hearts were scraped from the asphalt after LeBron announced "The Decision." I feel dirty because, at the expense of the Cleveland faithful, my favorite team has transformed like Voltron into a Yankees-esque super team.

While true Miami Heat fans like myself do deserve a winning team after sitting through one year of atrocious Heat basketball (2007-08) and the following two years of expiring contract mediocrity, Cleveland fans certainly don't deserve this. I would have been completely content with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade surrounded by role players in Miami, while LeBron continued to toil away in Cleveland. But clearly, LeBron wasn't content with that fate.

Now my favorite team will forever be linked to that ridiculous broadcast last night. It seemed as if the King was a mere pawn during The Decision, as many are speculating that LeBron's marketing team LRMR pushed him into making his choice on live television. LeBron was clearly uncomfortable and flustered with his speech, at one point saying, "One thing you can't control is you never know." Maybe that's some way out there transcendental shit that's over my head, like some George Harrison lyrics or something, but my best bet is that LeBron was so caught up in the moment that he hardly knew what he was saying.

I understand and respect LeBron's choice to join Wade and Bosh with the Heat, but the television special was a huge misstep by him and his camp. Although it did raise millions of dollars through advertising for the Boys and Girls Club of America, there has to have been another way to give back to charity that spared LeBron's former fan base. As Dank Game's own Teenage Soul Patch has been quick to point out, Kevin Durant signed a lucrative long-term contract with the Thunder without any of the hype. Of course LeBron's decision carried a lot more weight, but he certainly could learn a thing or two from Durant's humility.

Brooklyn Thunder? Not Gonna Happen

For the first time in Dank Game history, one of our popular conspiracy theories has been lobbied at yours truly, teenage_mustache.

Specifically (if you don't feel like clicking the hyperlink above or the "read more" link on the post below), SlimMcBitchTits and some hack co-conspirator Andy "the turd" Young have suggested that LeBron's looming free agency could impact my beloved Oklahoma City Thunder. The suggestion is as laughable as the Cavaliers' defense against Garnett and Rondo.

While I appreciate Andy and Slim trying to look past the obvious - recognizing OKC, Northern Ohio and NYC interests convening at an opportune time - let's look at the facts. First off, the Thunder is one of the few teams that truly doesn't need King James. I'd like to remind you that Durant actually outscored LeBron this season. I don't see Durant and LeBron on the same team outside of the Olympics. Someone even asked Durant via Twitter (KDthunderup) if he'd like to see the Thunder sign LeBron and he responded more or less to the tune of; 'no, this is my team.'

Ron Artest's Mustache Smothers Durant/Thunder

After a convincing 110-89 game 4 victory in Oklahoma City on Saturday, the Thunder appeared overwhelmed by the Lakers last night in Los Angeles. What made the difference in the Lakers' 111-87 win? While many people are crediting Kobe's defense on Russell Westbrook, the real difference was Ron Artest's mustache.

"When Ron had the fucked up dyed hair in games 3 and 4 in Oklahoma City, I was able to get into a good rhythm. His shit just look so botched that I got into a mindset like, 'Can't nobody with fucked up hair like that stop me,' and I was able to just take it to him," said Kevin Durant in his post-game interview.

"Tonight though, I guess I just wasn't prepared for the mustache and bald head. That shit was mad intimidating. I'm just going to have to watch some tape with coach and figure out how to overcome it. He might come out with a totally new look though, so I have to be prepared for anything."

Ron Artest also gave credit to his mustache for getting into Durant's mind.

"I could tell that the dyed hair was losing its power after games 1 and 2, so I knew that I had to come back into LA with a new look that would throw Durant off his game," said Artest.

"As soon as I finished shaving my head and getting my mustache right, I looked into the mirror and said to my mustache, 'You're going to be the X-factor tonight, 'stache. Can't nobody get by you.' From that moment on, I just knew we were going to take them out. As great as my mustache was, I think my bald head deserves a lot of credit for this win too."

While Artest's 'stache proved to make the difference last night, can it continue to slow down the Thunder on their home court? Lakers' coach Phil Jackson is already planning what Artest's next look will be for game 6.

"Now that Ron is bald, we're starting to run out of options as far as what to do with his appearance," said Jackson, "but we've been tossing around some ideas on how he can come into Oklahoma City with a new, and even more intimidating look. Our first idea was to bring in a professional make up artist to make Ron look like one of the zombies from Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' music video, but that little bitch David Stern caught wind of that and threatened to fine me again. It's a real shame too, because we a had whole dance routine in the works for the announcing of the starting line-ups. At least we have Pau who basically looks straight out of the 'Thriller' video."

Because he's a big fan of mustaches and the Thunder, I tried to get a comment from Dank Game's Teenage Mustache regarding Ron's 'stache and the Thunder's loss last night. Thus far he hasn't answered his phone or responded to e-mails. I suspect that he's jealous of Ron's mustache and embarrassed by how much crazier Artest has proven to be than the Cincinnati Bengal's Chad Ochocinco.

Oh, It's On

That's right Dank Game, the moment has arrived. With the NBA playoffs only a few days away, the first official match-up is our beloved Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the hated Los Angeles Lakers.

Now I don't want to hear any guff about how the Lakers are defending champions, number one in the West, or a certain number 24. Because none of that is going to matter. The Thunder are too hungry.

Durant is the reigning scoring king of the NBA. Kobe Bryant is a pathetic fourth in the league. Russell Westbrook has 645 assists on the year. The closer Laker is this Kobe Bryant fellow again, with 365.

These stats tell me that the Lakers have only one legitimate offensive threat. Tell me how the Lakers are going to keep up with the Thunder air show with Serge "the Congolese Squeeze" Ibaka blocking half of everything Kobe tosses up with? (Ibaka has 91 blocks on the season as a rookie - he's also from the Democratic Republic of Congo - I'm trying to invent a nickname for him)

So that should settle it. Thunder over the Lakers. In six.

The only remaining question is whether it will be the Dank Game approved Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the Thunder in the finals.

Stats provided by NBA.com

Thunder F*cked!

After the Thunder beat Boston last week, Kevin Garnett said that he "thought [the Celtics] were playing Michael fucking Jordan" with the way Kevin Durant was getting the whistle. This week, Durant got no call after being fouled in overtime by C.J. Miles on a potential game winning three-pointer against the Jazz. Normally KD is a pretty laid back, easy going guy, but after the no-call he was absolutely livid.

The NBA announced today that Durant was in fact fouled on the play by Miles, robbing the Thunder of a game that very much could have been theirs.

Needless to say, Teenage Mustache is busy writing an angry letter to David Stern.

Even though the officiating was less than ideal, this was still an instant classic. With a final score of 140-139, it was the most points scored in a game this season. Deron Williams and Kevin Durant both took their game to another level, with Williams finishing with a career-high 42 points and Durant finishing with a season-high 45 points.

After the Jazz seemed to have pulled away in the fourth, Durant went off for 12 points in the final three minutes. Jeff Green also made some key plays down the stretch, including a game-tying three-pointer to knot the game at 129 with 8.3 seconds left in regulation. In the end, Deron Williams would make the game winning shot with 1.1 seconds left off of a Boozer hand-off and screen. After watching this amazing game, I'm praying for a Thunder vs. Jazz matchup in the first round.

Kevin Durant Is Top Dog

Quick question:

What NBA player to date has scored the most points this season?

It isn't Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade or even LeBron James. As diehard Thunder fans who frequent the site likely already know, it's OKC forward Kevin Durant! (pictured)

Durant has scored 2,195 points through 74 games played. King James is trailing by 25 points with one fewer game played. The two each have an impressive 29.7 points per game average.

As a side note, I am pleased that in Dank Game's first NBA season, it appears every team we represent will be in the playoffs, barring an epic collapse by either the Heat or the Thunder.

All Good Things Come to an End

One by one, the Thunder's streaks have both been stopped. On Tuesday, their 9-game winning streak was brought to an end at the hands of the Suns (without Steve Nash) after a last second floater by Jason Richardson. Jeff Green nearly hit a desparation three with under a second remaining, but it just missed.

And last night, Kevin Durant's streak of scoring at least 25 points or more was ended at 29 games in a 95-87 loss to the Spurs. Durant appeared to be on track to keep his streak alive as he finished the half with 17 points, but in the second half the Spurs held him to just 4 points.

Despite not reaching 30 games of 25 points or more, KD's streak puts him in good company. Allen Iverson (ok, maybe A.I.'s not the best of company) had a streak of 27 games with 25 points or more, while Jordan managed two 40 game streaks in his career.

I have a feeling KD's name will end up near the top of that list again.

To add insult to injury, with just under three minutes left and the Spurs up by one, Manu Ginobli somehow managed to do this:

Thunder Beat the Celtics . . .

. . . at h.o.r.s.e.

So it's not an actual game.  Hell, it's not even an exhibition game.  But I'll celebrate nonetheless.  Kevin Durant bested the Boston Celtic's Rajon Rondo in a last minute shootout.  It is his second consecutive NBA H.o.r.s.e. victory.

Durant and Rondo also easily handled Sacramento Kings rookie Omri Casspi.  Casspi was unfortunately "coached" by Charles Barkley, who I'm pretty sure called him Omar at least once.  Barkley also jumped rope shortly before the event started.

It's really too bad that Durant has won more H.o.r.s.e. titles than trips to the playoffs.  That's going to change this year though.  Well, I guess next year since even if the Thunder do make it to postseason basketball he'll still have won h.o.r.s.e. more times.  And even if the Thunder make the playoffs in consecutive years, it's always possible he'll continue winning the H.o.r.s.e. challenge.

Well at any rate, I'm really glad I accidently started rooting for this guy when I arbitrarily decided to root for the Thunder.

Thunder Weathering the Storm

Step 1:  Kevin Durant wins NBA scoring title the same year he becomes old enough to drink

Step 2:  Oklahoma City goes to playoffs for first time since relocation from Seattle

Step 3:  Team finally gets decent looking uniforms

If all three happen, I may have to start coming up with less cliched post titles.  But seriously, Durant is scoring just about 30 points every game.  This has led to a six game winning streak.  The Thunder are now back in playoff position, rallying all the way to the 6-seed with number 5 just a game ahead.

Give it two more years and no one will even remember who the Supersonics were

Durant gets the block wearing one shoe

The second best play involving a lost shoe this season. Ron Artest still holds that #1 spot.

MVP, MVP, MVP!

Lebron showed his entire game on the last two possessions against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He grabbed a rebound, made a sweet pass to a wide open Boobie Gibson for a three to put the Cavs up by two. Then he plays Kevin Durant on the last meaningful possession for the Thunder and forces him into a really tough shot, which Lebron easily blocks. Red Auerbach would be proud because Lebron comes up with the ball after the block, gets fouled by Jeff Green, then makes two free throws amidst MVP chants to seal the win. He's becoming the best closer in the league and will be after Kobe.

Miami of Ohio Heat

The Heat have finally come back down to earth after an unexpected 6-1 start, but first I want to address something else: that dick Teenage Mustache spreading lies about me. In his recent Thunder vs. Heat Dank Game Showdown post, 'Stache claims that as a child I thought the Miami Heat were a local team based in Oxford, which is widely known as Miami of Ohio. While it was meant to be fun and games, more people than I'm comfortable with have taken 'Stache's silly joke seriously. So let me clear the air and make it known that I have always been aware that the Miami Heat were based in Miami, FL. I'm sure 'Stache is off in Newark, OH (pronounced "Nurk") cackling with satisfaction as he reads this. Now, back to the Miami of Ohio Hea... I mean... the Miami Heat... of Florida. I swear, I've known all along.

The Heat have dropped two straight back-to-back games, which seemed due to happen at some point. In the Dank Game Showdown between the Heat and Thunder, Oklahoma City's height was just too much for the Heat. Thabo Sefolosha has been gaining a reputation as a lockdown defender, and he looked the part guarding Dwyane Wade who couldn't seem to get a good look at the basket. Sefolosha's length pestered Wade, as Thabo kept Wade in check and at one point stripped the ball from him as he was driving which led to an easy fastbreak dunk. Another matchup in which height gave OKC the advantage was 6'9" Kevin Durant against 6'6" Quentin Richardson. I thought that coach Spoelstra should've utilized 6'9" Dorell Wright against Durant, who's played some good perimeter defense when given the chance. Dorell guarded LeBron better than anyone else on the Heat. With the young point guard showdown, Russell Westbrook picked up where he left off last season in murdering Mario Chalmers. Westbrook more or less finished the Heat off halfway through the 4th after hitting a deep three to put the Thunder up 87-72. The only bright spot was that Daequan Cook found his three-point stroke in the fourth quarter, almost making it a game. But of course, it was too little too late.

I only watched the second half of last night's game against the Hawks, so I don't have much insight on this one. With Udonis Haslem out and Beasley finding himself on the bench due to foul trouble, Shavlik Randolph (pictured above) played a lot more than I would've liked. By the way, I mainly just used that image because Shav (which I can only assume he likes to be called) has that certain white bread look that you can't find outside of Oxford's campus. Anyhow, Shav had yet to play a game this season and he looked pretty shook out there. Again, coach Spoelstra went with a lineup at the beginning of the fourth that made no sense to me. For some reason he saw it fit to throw Shav, Carlos Arroyo, Daequan Cook, James Jones, and Joel Anthony on the floor together. The Hawks' lead would go from 7 to 12 in a matter of minutes with this group. By the time Spoelstra put a real lineup on the floor, the Heat looked like they had already accepted a loss. This team really needs to get it together, as the past few games they haven't played with any urgency.

Also, I knew I would regret not putting the Hawks in the playoffs. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Dank Game Showdown - Heat vs. Thunder

Yesterday, there was a Dank Game preseason showdown between my own Miami Heat and Mustache's beloved OKC Thunder (I'm anxiously awaiting your Thunder season preview, 'stache). This match up was also a showdown between young stars Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant, who were childhood friends having grown up in Washington D.C. together. The Thunder would pull this one out 96-91 after the Heat controlled the game through the first three quarters. Listen Mustache, before you get too excited, fantasizing about the Thunder bringing home the Larry O'Brien trophy, keep in mind that Dwyane Wade sat this one out due to a strained muscle in his left rib cage.

Michael Beasley (seen throwing down a fastbreak oop from Chalmers at the beginning of the video) had an excellent game, going 9-13 from the field and 6-6 from the line to finish with 24 points in 38 minutes. Despite those impressive numbers, Beasley only pulled in 4 rebounds, none of which were offensive, and he turned the ball over 7 times. The rebounding numbers could be worse, but the turnovers are a real concern. Beasley started at small forward but would see plenty of time at power forward when the Heat played small ball with Haslem at center.

Haslem was his reliable self, adding 9 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks in 35 minutes. Unspectacular as usual, but mildly effective nonetheless. The Heat might continue to utilize Haslem at center (who's already somewhat undersized as a power forward) as Jermaine O'Neal continues to struggle with rebounding, pulling in just 3 in 23 minutes. Numbers like these are all too familiar after acquiring him last season. J.O. did go 4-7 from the field and 2-2 from the line for 10 points, though.

Two of the Heat's youngsters, Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers, had some solid production with both playing about 30 minutes. Both of these guys have been having decent games with Wade out since they can look for their own offense without having to defer to Wade. Dayton native Daequan Cook would only shoot 5-15 from the field, but he did hit 4-7 three pointers, two of which can be seen in the highlights. He would finish with 14 points. Chalmers shot 4-7 from the field and 4-4 from the line for 13 points and added 4 assists. He also had 4 turnovers, though. Chalmers can be seen setting up J.O. for a dunk with a nice pass at the 1:16 mark on the video.

As for the rest of the Heat, James Jones shot well in limited minutes, Quentin Richardson struggled shooting going just 1-7 from deep, and newly acquired point guard Carlos Arroyo was quiet with a couple of dimes in 16 minutes.

Kevin Durant continues to look like a superstar in the making, going 10-16 from the field and 9-10 from the line for 30 points. His dunk on Joel Anthony at the 0:25 second mark on the video is reminiscent of Clyde Drexler and he can be seen dominating throughout the rest of the highlights, including the game clinching shot in the final minutes. I guess he had something to prove after firing back at Truehoop's Henry Abbot via Twitter after Abbot wrote a piece about Durant hurting his team when he's on the floor, despite being an obvious star.

The Thunder's Jeff Green also had an impressive game, going 9-16 from the field and 3-3 from deep for 25 points in 36 minutes. For as much hype as KD gets, I've always thought Green has shown a lot of promise. Second year point guard Russell Westbrook struggled from the field going 3-12 and 6-10 from the line for 12 points, but he did add 7 dimes.

We have yet another Dank Game showdown tonight in Kansas City between the Heat and HAM's New Orleans Hornets. I guess you would only know that from the Hornets logo on the side of the blog, though. Wade could play, so hopefully the Heat can pull it together as a team with only three more preseason games left and no wins.

Nike's Cooking Up Something Amazing

Some photos have surfaced on the web from a Nike commercial being filmed featuring Andre Iguodala (above), Mo Williams, Rashard Lewis and Kevin Durant. Judging by the 80s Hip Hop-inspired outfits, this is gonna be good.