THUNDER ALLEY: Game 1 thoughts

Well, that didn't take long...

Clearly it's going to be Kevin Durant's team from the get-go. KD got the green light to shoot, which lead to a 3-14 first half. After that, he played more in the flow of the game, and was an effective force. We knew he could score, and we might need to raise the upper limit on his scoring average if he's going to take 25 shots per game. He shot 4-8 in the second half, and didn't force anything until the Nuggets started to pull away, and no one else on the Sonics was stepping up to try to stop them. Overall, KD finished 7-22 in 31 minutes.

More importantly he did more than just score. He pulled down 5 boards, and had 3 steals (helped in part by his freakishly long arms). He averaged over 11 rebounds per game in college, so he's obviously capable, but I was at least a little concerned that Coach Carlesimo's decision to play KD at the '2' guard was going to limit his rebounding. I was partially right. He pulled down 5 boards in the first half, but was absent on the boards in the 2nd half. Why?

The team looked really good for 3 quarters against an excellent Denver team. Seriously, this Denver team will be competing for a top-4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Denver played a fast-paced game, which suits the young Sonics's just fine. Carmelo Anthony looked particularly energized...he could average 32-33 ppg this year. He's THAT good. Allen Iverson is energized by not having to be the man.

The game was lost at the start of the 4th quarter when the Nuggets pulled away for good. This overlapped with an extended stretch of Earl Watson playing over Delonte West. I know West needs rest, but sometimes you have to go with the hot hand. By the time West got back in, Denver was up 15 and the game was effectively over.

Some quick thoughts

The pace was remarkable. Both teams were looking to run every possession. Very fun game to watch.

Delonte West played a really nice game. I fully expect him to replace Watson as the starter sooner, rather than later. I still don't buy him as a pure point guard, but he is a basketball player. Great job grabbing him in the Ray Allen trade Mr. Presti.

The defense is pretty ugly. Not Rashard Lewis ugly, but not good.

Nick Collison is very active around the basket and he runs the floor hard. He sometimes tries to do too much leading to a couple of travels, but he's a really nice piece. He would be extremely effective as a backup (first big off the bench). Probably a little overmatched as a starter.

The Nuggets started to blow the game wide open at the start of the 3rd quarter, but Sonics fought their way back in it.

I'm expecting the Sonics to play ALOT of zone defense this year.

Chris Wilcox had 4 assists in the opener. He had more than 4 assists just once all of last year. He's not turning into Garnett or anything, but it's a god sign of the team-first concept that Coach Carlesimo wants to install. Players like Jeff Green (who was often chided as being unselfish to a fault in college) are going to make that easy.