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Scott Brooks: The Cooler
Published: 6/20/2012 2:08 PM
Last Modified: 6/20/2012 2:08 PM

Game four of the NBA finals had some historical importance beyond Russell Westbrook's masterpiece performance: That was as lousy a coaching job as you're ever apt to see in a playoff situation.

The Thunder started the crucial game roaring, scorching hot. Led by the pure genius of Westbrook, OKC tore off to a 17-point lead. AND THEN THE THUNDER COACH TOOK WESTBROOK OUT OF THE GAME!

When Westbrook was put on the bench for no reason whatsoever, the Thunder was up by 15. When he returned, OKC was up by 7. Westbrook had been cooled off in the most crucial stretch of the game.

Why interrupt a streak of brilliance like Westbrook's? These guys play pick-up games lasting three days without eating or sleeping.

Let them play the stinking game.

Taking hot-playing guys out of the game for no reason whatsoever is what they must call "coaching."

Brooks could do better sitting quietly at crucial moments. The Thunder has no half-court offense to speak of. None. It's embarrassing. There are few actual plays. The team has gotten this far because of mind-boggling individual talent. Durant or Westbrook or Harden take the ball out by the half-court line and usually make solo plays. When they do, they win.

In more playoff notes:

The officiating has been some of the worst in the history of playoff sports. LeBron gets every single call all day and all night. The officiating has been so bad, there should be an asterisk in the league handbook that adds the footnote that league champ Miami was greatly benefitted by consistently rotten calls.

The national electronic media has once more presented itself as a bunch of incompetent nincompoops, led by one of the most unpleasant people on earth, Skip Bayless. The NBA network has the good sense to use some of the TNT people, so the second the game ends, switch there. Michael Wilbon is typical of ESPN's smug star-lovers.

Just look at these game four lines:

Harden, two for 10 field goals.
Ibaka, four points.
Perkins, three rebounds, four points.
Sefolosha, five points.
Fisher, no points.

The Thunder has nothing inside. Except Westbrook.

His fantastic game was wasted by:

The coach.
Harden.
The scrubs.

It was foul.




Reader Comments 8 Total
PrayingHam (8 months ago)
Same game I saw.
JCD1978 (8 months ago)
And why did he pull Collison? He was a monster last night while they scored 33 points in the first quarter.
The Picker (8 months ago)
He's "coaching."

Most of the time he sounds like he's coaching coach-pitch, all those cute little cliches.

These people must have pre-conceived ideas about who should come out and when.

Absurd.
norsemustang (8 months ago)
So true about the Thunder not having a half-court offense. Four players standing around watching one player go one on one is bad basketball. The Thunder need an offense like the triangle that is organized and forces everyone to keep moving.
zilck (8 months ago)
Pick; came here to post "just shut the frick up with your monday morning point guarding." But no, you nailed it.
241362 (8 months ago)
Why take out somebody hot?

Because you don't know what you're doing.
PostThis (8 months ago)
I've noticed in the "half court offense" usually Durant disappears into a corner.
241362 (8 months ago)
Who wouldn't.
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The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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