Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
SI.com: Would you say the NBA’s two toughest defenders to play against are on your team, that being Avery Bradley and Smart.
Thomas: For sure. Smart can guard multiple positions whether it be taking on Paul Millsap like he did in our series against Atlanta or even guarding [Kristaps] Porzingis on the Knicks. He’s a guy who doesn’t back down from anybody. And Avery, he’s the best on-ball defender there is. There’s no question about that. Put him against anybody and they’ll have trouble against him.
SI.com: Are there any defenders in the league who you fear?
Thomas: No, because nobody can guard me so it doesn’t really matter. But Avery and Marcus are two great defenders and I’m happy they’re on my team.
Andy Gray has a fun interview with Isaiah Thomas over on the Sports Illustrated website. Check it out to discover IT’s thoughts on wrestling, breakfast food and Kelly Olynyk’s sartorial quirks.
Page 2: Where the Steven hype train makes another stop
“Brad’s awesome,” Olynyk said. “He’s a stand-up guy, really, really high character. He’s just a basketball mind. He’s basically a basketball genius. His Xs and Os are off the charts, but he’s an even better person, which makes it even better. He just wants to get better every single day. He wants everybody on the team around him to succeed just as much. That’s something you don’t find anywhere. He’s really special in that sense. He’s an outstanding coach.”
Olynyk also lauded Stevens’ dedication to his craft.
“He’ll come in and tell you he just watched 25 hours of baseline out-of-bounds plays, and baseline out-of-bounds plays are three seconds,” Olynyk said, laughing. “You can imagine how many he watched.”
Kelly Olynyk dishing out the praise this time, at a Hall of Fame event in Springfield, Mass.
Page 3: Where Amir Johnson is cleaning up
In his first season with Boston last year, Johnson was particularly impressive when it came to defending at the rim. According to NBA.com/stats, Johnson limited opponents to shooting 8.9 percent less from the field within six feet of the rim when he was defending them.
I thought this was a really interesting tidbit. While Johnson is an effective defender overall (holding his opponents below the NBA average), his ability to alter shots at the rim is really impressive. Of course, Amir has the physical tools to accomplish that, but defense is as much about mental processes as it is physical gifts. There’s a fair amount of credit given to offensive players like Curry who have spent thousands of hours honing their craft, but defense is, if anything, even more of a craft. A good defender knows the tendencies of the players he’s guarding, and knows how to make them uncomfortable within the confines of the rulebook and the officials on the court. As Bill Russell once said, “what I try to do on defense is to make the offensive man do not what he wants but what I want.”
Page 4: Where the All Star game is officially moving to New Orleans
New Orleans has been a frequent host for the activities — most recently in 2014 and before that in 2008. The city’s vibrant culture lends itself well to the laid-back atmosphere that has come to be associated with the All-Star game and weekend in general.
New Orleans has hosted the All Star game three times in the past ten years. Boston has hosted the All Star game as many times in the last fifty as has my home town of Sioux Falls, SD. Just sayin’.
By the way, for “the city’s vibrant culture”, read “this is one of the USA’s two official party towns.”
Finally: A little essay on Larry Bird’s last basket
But it was more than that. Displaying the unselfish offense of three future Hall of Famers, it was the best of the Dream Team distilled into a single play. Never actually challenged by the awed opposition, U.S. superstars were free to show a brand of basketball that was the ultimate crowd-pleaser. In their role as “goodwill ambassadors,” exquisitely worked layups that would otherwise have been forgotten afterthoughts took on more meaning.
https://youtu.be/7aPvNA0tPWY
And that’s it for the week, folks.
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