My point of it being tough for a game to boil down to one call is that it doesn't. Anybody who's ever played basketball knows that every possession can change the game and that while the Thunder were certainly slighted in that no-call late in the game, the fact of the matter is that there were countless possessions where a championship team steps up, especially at home and doesn't leave it to the refs to decide the game. See: LeBron going 12-12 from the line and Wade looking like he was finally in harmony with LeBron, aggressive on the fast break but also instrumental to his teammates, specifically James, in the half court. Bosh got hammered all game and shot five free throws. I didn't watch the replay over and over again but I didn't like the and-one call on LeBron that gave Westbrook the chance to tie (I think tie, I didn't bother to go back and look but if it wasn't the game was certainly close at that point) the game with under two minutes to go. So sure, COULD the Thunder have won game 2? Maybe... just maybe. Did they win? No. And judging by how they completely lay down to Miami in the first half, they shouldn't have. The Thunder actually shot more free throws than the Heat so I don't see any astounding bias on the part of the refs. As Jalen Rose mentioned (please excuse me for bringing Jalen Rose into this, I don't like him but he makes a good point here), the Thunder have four rotational players 6'10" or taller in comparison to the Heat's one and only outrebounded Miami by four. The Thunder did not deserve to win game 2 and didn't. Let's see if they can win tonight.
That's a good point about Howard's camaraderie issues though. I've actually become scared off of the Celtics pursuing him. But that's because this team has a certain locker room cohesiveness that Howard could be detrimental to, the fit just isn't right here. These guys, and by that I mean Pierce and possibly KG, have one more year to win a title together if Danny decides to go int that direction. They aren't going to want to re-maneuver, so to speak, their entire gameplan around him and I doubt the rest of the vets are going to want to budge anymore for another ego. The Thunder however, are young, have plenty of time to mesh, and don't have an overflowing amount of egos. KD is relatively passive at least off the court and would be more likely, along with Westbrook to form a friendship with Dwight that has flexibility in terms of erratic egos than the stars on the Celtics would. Also as for the concern that Brooks wouldn't be up to handling the risk for the reward... check out Westbrook and Durant even just at the beginning of this season. It wasn't out of the question that the Thunder would trade Westbrook because his attitude was too much for Durant. A CoY-caliber season from Brooks and a season's worth of mental practice on both the part of KD and Westbrook later has them in the NBA Finals. I would think the Thunder locker room would be an excellent place for Howard to grow.
Lastly, I again completely disagree with your talent assessment of Howard. He's started to add a reliable low block game, his constant second chance efforts on both tip-ins and dunks would be nearly unstoppable on a team with shooters and slashers like OKC, and his athleticism is valuable whether its conventional or not. The game of basketball doesn't revolve entirely around skill anymore and that shouldn't discredit players either. There is no question that Ray Allen is a more skilled player than Avery Bradley even at Ray's age. But Bradley is clearly the more useful guy because of his athleticism. That's just today's game. Is Howard Wilt-esque? No. Is he Shaq-esque? No. Hakeem-esque? No. But in a game where effective centers are tough to find, he's dominant on both ends. There are few players in the game's history that can outperform a more skilled guy on both ends on sheer athleticism night in and night out and one of them is Howard. That's not to say he doesn't have skill or that he should be slighted for that. It's just how it is.
Topic: Idea: Dwight Howard to the Thunder? (Read 6065 times)