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Kevin Ollie used the word intimidation.
Scott Brooks went with toughness.
Jeff Green chose “physical presence.”
They were all talking about Thunder center Etan Thomas, who has continued to make an impact off the bench in his first season in Oklahoma City.
Thomas nearly recorded his first double-double in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, finishing with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in 35 minutes off the bench.
Playing the entire fourth quarter, Thomas had two clutch blocks and four rebounds in a 12-minute span during which neither team built a lead larger than five points.
Thomas’ block on a Lamar Odom layup attempt with a minute left in regulation led to Jeff Green’s 18-foot jump shot that tied the game and sent it to overtime. Layups and shots under the basket were not easy to come by for the Lakers whenever Thomas was on the floor. Neither Odom nor center Andrew Bynum scored in the fourth quarter.
“He brings that, he brings the toughness,” Brooks said. “He throws his body around. Guys on the other team, they know they better be ready to play because he’s not goinig to back down no matter who’s on the other team. I like that. I like the toughness he brings to the team.” While the season is just four games old, this is the type of role the Thunder envisioned Thomas could serve when he was acquired in an offseason trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thomas has been a bully in the paint for the Thunder, an interior presence and traditional low-post player the team did not have a season ago.
Thomas has shown that toughness in a variety of ways:
Through the way he caroms a rebound off the glass, holding the ball chest-high, elbows out and swinging in motion, daring any opponent to try to take it from him.
Through the way he bangs bodies with anyone in sight, using all his might to put himself in the best position to come up with a rebound. Through the way he shows his emotion, whether with a menacing glare toward an opponent after blocking a shot, or a howl and scowl followed by a fistpump after he scores a put-back off a missed shot.
Both Thomas and fellow seven-footer Nenad Krstic, an accurate perimeter shooter, have been perfect compliments to each other this season. They have given the Thunder more options.
“We need Etan blocking shots and bringing that intimidation factor down there and getting crucial rebounds,” Ollie said. “He’s really helping our bench.”
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson all but called Thomas a difference maker.
“Many things happened that kept the complexity of that game tight,” Jackson said. “They brought in (Etan) Thomas and he did a better job of high-siding and making it difficult to get the passes in. We didn’t go back in again until overtime. We just didn’t get back in the post very often and we needed to."
Contact Chris Silva
Scott Brooks went with toughness.
Jeff Green chose “physical presence.”
They were all talking about Thunder center Etan Thomas, who has continued to make an impact off the bench in his first season in Oklahoma City.
Thomas nearly recorded his first double-double in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, finishing with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in 35 minutes off the bench.
Playing the entire fourth quarter, Thomas had two clutch blocks and four rebounds in a 12-minute span during which neither team built a lead larger than five points.
Thomas’ block on a Lamar Odom layup attempt with a minute left in regulation led to Jeff Green’s 18-foot jump shot that tied the game and sent it to overtime. Layups and shots under the basket were not easy to come by for the Lakers whenever Thomas was on the floor. Neither Odom nor center Andrew Bynum scored in the fourth quarter.
“He brings that, he brings the toughness,” Brooks said. “He throws his body around. Guys on the other team, they know they better be ready to play because he’s not goinig to back down no matter who’s on the other team. I like that. I like the toughness he brings to the team.” While the season is just four games old, this is the type of role the Thunder envisioned Thomas could serve when he was acquired in an offseason trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thomas has been a bully in the paint for the Thunder, an interior presence and traditional low-post player the team did not have a season ago.
Thomas has shown that toughness in a variety of ways:
Through the way he caroms a rebound off the glass, holding the ball chest-high, elbows out and swinging in motion, daring any opponent to try to take it from him.
Through the way he bangs bodies with anyone in sight, using all his might to put himself in the best position to come up with a rebound. Through the way he shows his emotion, whether with a menacing glare toward an opponent after blocking a shot, or a howl and scowl followed by a fistpump after he scores a put-back off a missed shot.
Both Thomas and fellow seven-footer Nenad Krstic, an accurate perimeter shooter, have been perfect compliments to each other this season. They have given the Thunder more options.
“We need Etan blocking shots and bringing that intimidation factor down there and getting crucial rebounds,” Ollie said. “He’s really helping our bench.”
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson all but called Thomas a difference maker.
“Many things happened that kept the complexity of that game tight,” Jackson said. “They brought in (Etan) Thomas and he did a better job of high-siding and making it difficult to get the passes in. We didn’t go back in again until overtime. We just didn’t get back in the post very often and we needed to."
Contact Chris Silva
