I say "intangibles" with Kendrick Perkins because I'm not really sure how else to describe the impact of a team meeting the big man ordered before the Thunder's must-win Game 2 against the Grizzlies Tuesday night. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports has that story.
Grizzlies Vs. Thunder: Kendrick Perkins Spurs Oklahoma City, Danny Ainge Grimaces
After watching the Memphis Grizzlies batter his Oklahoma City Thunder in the opener of the teams’ second-round series, Kendrick Perkins(notes) knew something needed to change. So he encouragedKevin Durant(notes) to gather the team together ... and watch the game again.
Durant took Perkins’ suggestion and arranged for a players-only dinner at his house on Monday night. The team dined on a Thanksgiving-worthy spread prepared by Durant’s personal chef and watched every minute of OKC’s disheartening loss to the Grizzlies. The players stopped the video at times to discuss specific breakdowns. By the end of the evening, they were in agreement on what needed to be done to improve.
Oklahoma City bounced back with a much, much better defensive effort in a 102-91 win that really wasn't that close. The two biggest improvements came in areas where you could argue Perkins' team meeting had an effect. One was the defensive activity of the big men, who stifled Zach Randolph and lorded over the paint. Their activity was inspiring to everyone else and led to the win. The other big improvement was from the bench, as Eric Maynor and James Harden both had big games. A little reminder for them to focus certainly played a big role.
Meanwhile, in Boston, where Perkins used to hone his craft, Danny Ainge looks thrilled.
(via @jose3030)
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