Westbrook: ‘I play every game the same’ | Rose expecting boos in Chicago | DeRozan keeps on sizzling | Wall: ‘They still don’t respect me’
No. 1: Westbrook vows he’s not approaching Warriors game differently — Tonight on TNT (10:30 ET), the Golden State Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant of the Warriors will square off against old teammate Russell Westbrook for the first time. Of late, Durant has been candid about his feelings about this game and Westbrook, too. As for Westbrook? He’s mostly keeping a poker face as game time approaches, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com:
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the last unbeaten team in the Western Conference after taking down the Clippers 85-83 on Wednesday to improve to 4-0.
Awaiting the Thunder next: a trip to Oracle Arena in Oakland to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
The upcoming matchup carries heavy amounts of hype and anticipation, with Russell Westbrook and the Thunder meeting former teammate Kevin Durant for the first time since he joined the Warriors over the summer. Asked if there’s any extra level of excitement going into Thursday’s game, Westbrook said it’s just another game on the schedule.
“I play every game like it’s my last,” Westbrook said. “I play every game the same, always. Like I’ve been saying for years. And regardless of who we play, I’m going to play the same way.”
Thunder coach Billy Donovan offered his take on the matchup.
“It’s not just Kevin. We’re playing the Warriors,” Donovan said. “He’s part of that. That’s Klay Thompson. Steph Curry. Draymond Green. It’s Kevin. It’s all those guys. It’s their whole team we have to prepare for.”
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After being teammates for eight years in Oklahoma City, the two have not spoken since Durant sent a text to Westbrook informing him of his decision. In the interview, Durant expressed some regret about how he handled that situation.
Asked if he saw the comments, Westbrook declined to answer.
“Like I said in Oklahoma City, I don’t know if you guys know, but I’m not answering any more Kevin questions,” he said. “If you want to talk about basketball, I’m more than welcome to talk about that. But other than that.”
Following Durant’s departure, there was expectation from many that the Thunder would drop off as a contender. Westbrook scoffed at that notion.
“Who said that?” Westbrook responded. Informed it was a lot of people, Westbrook said, “That’s where they went wrong.”
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No. 2: Rose expecting boos in Chicago — Maybe the good feelings of the Chicago Cubs winning their first World Series since 1908 will wash over Chicago Bulls fans on Friday when the New York Knicks come to town. Maybe they’ll forget the last few years of Derrick Rose’s tenure and, instead, cheer him. But Rose, the former standout Bulls point guard, isn’t counting on a lot of positive vibes from the crowd tomorrow night. Ian Begley of ESPN.com has more:
Derrick Rose knows he won’t get a unanimous ovation from the United Center crowd on Friday, when he returns to the arena for the first time since being traded to the New York Knicks.
“That would be a dream, but I know I’m going to get some boos here and there,” Rose said Wednesday night. “It’s all a part of the game, all a part of the sport. It’s not going to affect the way that I play and how bad I want to win that game.”
Rose will play in Chicago for the first time as a visitor on Friday night, after spending his first seven NBA seasons as the face of the Bulls franchise.
Rose, a native of the South Side of Chicago, said he has no ill feelings toward the organization as he prepares to head home.
“There’s no bad blood there at all,” Rose said. “I totally understand the business of this game, and yeah, there’s no bad blood. I never felt that way about getting traded or me coming to this team. I always took it as a blessing that I had the opportunity to come in this market, this franchise, and to be able to create a culture here.”
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Earlier this week, Rose said that he approaches the game differently in New York than he did as a Bull.
“That was a young, raw talent, reckless type player. The player you see now, I’m more mature,” Rose told reporters. “My IQ of the game has gotten higher. I don’t have to do the things I did in the past with the team I have right now. I’ll look crazy going out there shooting some of the shots I shot with the Bulls. There’s no need for that.”
Rose and the Knicks are off to a slow start thus far. New York is 1-3 and struggling to find cohesion on either end of the floor entering the game against Chicago. Rose is averaging 16 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists over four games and is still trying to get comfortable with the offense after missing two weeks during the preseason to attend a civil trial in Los Angeles.
“We’ve got to figure this out,” Rose said after the Knicks’ 19-point loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. “We’re trying to get better every day. That’s our approach to every game and practice, but it takes time.
“We’re building a culture here, and it takes time.”
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No. 3: DeRozan just keeps on dominating — The Toronto Raptors are off to a 3-1 start after last night’s win in Washington against the Wizards. Fueling that fantastic beginning is All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan, who notched his second 40-point game of the season last night. In short, DeRozan is out disproving his doubters with an efficient game that has, at times, stretched to the 3-point line. The Wizards got an up-close view of DeRozan’s versatile game last night, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun:
The Raptors got 40 points, the second he has done that in four games this season and all of them 30-or-better for DeRozan, who is simply not a guy any team can handle right now on their way to a 113-103 win to improve its own record to 3-1.
The must-win proclamation came from Wizards’ centre Marcin Gortat and while he was a force most of the night, he didn’t come close to having the impact on the game DeRozan did.
“He is playing at another level right now, man,” Kyle Lowry said of his fellow American gold medallist. “ He’s making my life a lot easier and everyone on our team’s life a lot easier. He’s saving possessions, he’s creating possessions, he’s creating offence and tonight he hit a three.”
You just knew Lowry wasn’t going to let go at that.
“Now y’all can’t say he ain’t got a three-point shooter,” Lowry said fully enjoying the moment. “He was 1-for-2 (Wednesday night). That’s 50%. Y’all can’t get mad. Now what? He scored 40 points and hit a three. What ya’ll going to say now?”
DeRozan is just taking it all in stride and reminding anyone that asks that this type of success doesn’t just fall in one’s lap.
“I’m just a student of the game,” DeRozan said. “I work extremely hard in the summer time, extremely hard. I try to put everything together, be a student of the game while working always feeling like I’m new to the game so I can soak up as much as possible. I try to release that once I get on the court.”
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Perhaps Washington’s best hope came early in the second quarter with both Lowry and DeRozan back in the locker room having separate issues attended to. Lowry took a Gortat elbow to the face and needed three mid-game stitches to close the gash under his right eye.
DeRozan left at the end of the quarter to have his ankles re-wrapped.
The ankle, though, clearly isn’t slowing him down. His 35.8 points per night average is easily tops in the Eastern Conference and third overall in the Association behind only Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
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No. 4: Wall: ‘They still don’t respect me’ — Washington Wizards point guard John Wall is a three-time All-Star and one of the best playmakers in the NBA. His Wizards, however, are off to an 0-3 start and after last season’s letdown campaign, Wall is out to prove that he can keep Washington among the Eastern Conference elite. In a Q&A session with Andrew Sharp of SportsIllustrated.com, Wall talks about his contract, Bradley Beal, winning it all in D.C. and much more:
John Wall just began his seventh year in the NBA. He’s been an All-Star for each of the past three seasons. He puts up 20 and 10 like a reflex. Wherever he goes on offense, open looks follow for everyone else. He’s making almost $17 million this year. He’s probably one of the 15 best players in the league. Objectively, he’s a success. The problem is subjectively.
“They still don’t respect me,” Wall said when we sat down and I asked about his reputation nationally. “But I mean, that’s something that comes with the games. I’m gonna let people know this season.” Wall speaks in a perpetual fast break, but there’s a pause here.
“And I don’t know,” he adds. “You know what I mean? You have career years, when you’re winning games, you start an All-Star Game, and you’re still not put on the top three All-NBA teams. That lets you know. But all I can do is control what John Wall does. Going out there and leading my team. You’re not getting any recognition as a point guard if you ain’t winning.”
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SI: So how hard has it been to try to change that culture around here?
Wall: Well, it’s been tough. Kentucky, they showed me what loyalty is to the game of basketball. Their fans are amazing. They don’t have no other sports down there. You love horses, you love basketball. And here? My ultimate goal is to bring a championship here. I don’t want to go nowhere. I’m one of those guys that likes to lead, not follow. So when we get to that 50-win point, they’ll be happy all over again. I think our fans… They have their ups and downs. And it’s tough, because it’s like a curse that’s been going around with playoff teams. The Nationals lost in the first round, the Redskins will go and they’ll lose, we’ll make it to the second round and lose. I just want to bring the sense of urgency back. Get us to the Eastern Conference finals, get a chance to make the Finals, see what can happen.
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SI: Early on it was you and Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Javale McGee. What do you remember from that experience?
Wall: It was tough. Tough and very frustrating. There really weren’t any veterans around. Those guys were still young at the same time, and very talented. They were trying to get their careers started and build their name up, get a face in this league. I’m coming in as a young guy trying to establish myself in this league. It was all just mixed up. Great group of guys, we had fun, but we just didn’t know how to play together. We didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t have any veteran sitting in the locker room to control everything. It was all just fun and games.
SI: Then you had the flipside a few years ago. What did you learn from Paul Pierce?
Wall: Just his work ethic. He has a routine he does every morning, every day. He sticks to his routine. And he’s a great leader. He knows how to lead by example, but also talk to guys. He helped with my leadership. Just giving me that demeanor to say, “Every time you step on this court, you’re the best player, no matter who you’re playing.” I always had that confidence in myself, but it just gave me more. No matter who you’re playing, they can’t stop you.
SI: Then you guys had that playoff run. The Hawks series. Your hand was swollen to the size of a basketball, and then a few days later you were playing. Let me ask you: HOW?
Wall: Paul Pierce.
SI: What about Paul Pierce?
Wall: Just… Come on man. You gotta think, when I first came here we were the laughingstock. They used to call us the Washington Generals. You would’ve never thought a Hall of Famer like that would want to come play with us. So to have a guy like that meant a whole lot, and I felt like we had an opportunity to do something special. Go to the Eastern Conference finals, and give ourselves a shot. My ultimate goal was to get back and play for him. I mean, we were basically one rebound away.
SI: Do you win that series if you’re healthy?
Wall: Oh, if we were healthy we would’ve won that series in five games. And they knew that. They knew that.
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SI: Pierce is someone who survived some down years with the Celtics, before getting the help he needs, winning his title. Does that kind of story appeal to you?
Wall: You know, it’s a new era in the NBA right now, but I’m a loyal guy. If people stick behind me like the city’s been doing for the first six years, going on seven… You never know what can happen, but I love being here. I enjoy playing here. My dad was from here. And it’s a short drive to North Carolina if I ever want to see my family, or they want to come see me. Like I said, my ultimate goal is to hang up another banner in this arena.
SI: OK, so then… last season. What was that experience like from a mental standpoint?
Wall: It was frustrating. Playing through a lot of pain, some nights not knowing if I could be myself. Just us dealing with a lot of injuries. Every year I’ve been in the league, my team has had a lot of injuries. Sometimes we overcame that, but the Eastern Conference got better. Usually .500 will get you in the playoffs in the East, but the East got better last year, and this year it’s even better. I think that was like a slap in the face. We kinda walked in last year like “OK we’ve been here the last two years, we’re going back to the second round,” and it slapped us in the face. We wasn’t dedicated every day, we didn’t give 110%. We took shortcuts.
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SI: Big picture, next to Wes Unseld and maybe a few others, you could be one of the best players this team has ever had. Is that something you’ve considered? Do you want to be here for your entire career?
Wall: Totally. I love being here. I love the city. I do so much here, my Dad being from here, it’s easy for family to come see. I’m an East Coast guy. I love the weather. Like people don’t like cold, but that’s how you feel the freshest. So yeah, I look at all those things. Being the assists leader, the steals leader. I want to set records here that people won’t break for a long, long time. But none of that will mean anything if I don’t hang a banner here.
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SOME RANDOM HEADLINES: Don’t overlook the rematch between Steven Adams and Draymond Green in the paint tonight … Boston Celtics defensive whiz Jae Crowder (ankle) is expected to be out a week … New York Knicks fans weren’t happy with the team’s performance last night against Houston … Speaking of the Knicks, coach Jeff Hornacek wants his players to get in better shape … Atlanta Hawks swingman Kent Bazemore explains why he passed on returning to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer … Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers isn’t worrying about Klay Thompson’s shooting woes to start this season … Portland Trail Blazers swingman Al-Farouq Aminu has some words for those criticizing his jump shot … ICYMI, Jordan Farmar is back with the Sacramento Kings … Feel-good story for NBA fans: Leandro Barbosa’s dog has been found …
