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“Perk” Has Been There Done That

Leave it up to the Big Hoss. “Perk did it,” Kevin Durant told Yahoo Sports, when responding to who engineered the players-only meeting. “He wanted us to do it, and everybody listens to Perk.  The intimidation factor must make a difference.  The experience counts, too.  A shiny championship ring – YAHTZEE!

When Kendrick Perkins talks, you listen; especially if you’re a skinny, 6-foot-9 small forward.  What Perk wants to do, you do; it’s quite elementary.  Looks like everybody made the right decision based on Tuesday night’s results.

I guess all the youthful Thunder squad had to do in order to rebound from Game one’s lethargic showing, was to huddle up and share thoughts on what they needed to improve upon for Game two.  Sounds academic?  “Guys spoke up on what other guys should have done better. We made sure that we helped each other out. That’s the biggest thing.”  A team truly coming together amidst adversity.  Above all, a team that continues to progress even throughout the Playoffs.

“We talked about how we didn’t come out with any energy. We wanted to see it over again to see that we never wanted to play like that again. That’s the kind of feeling we had coming into this game, and it helped us.  Learning from your mistakes, a sign of a championship contender.  Better yet, it surely proves as a lesson for the fresh-faced group that you have to bring it each and every night, or else you’re going home early.

“We had to get a reminder and watch the film without the coaches telling us anything. We had to correct each other,” Perkins told Yahoo Sports.  A reminder that although the Grizzlies are a serious threat, the Thunder, if they correct their mishaps, are the more talented team.  Effort goes a long way, effort combined with talent; now that’s scary – just how the Thunder looked when clicking on all cylinder in Game two.

“We haven’t had a lot of major issues,” Thunder coach Scottie Brooks said.  A kick in the pants is exactly what Brooks’ boys needed to help steer them back into the right direction.  Now they’ve gotten their “swagger” back.  The only issue that remains is: how will Memphis respond to the re-focused Thunder?

“They played with much more urgency than we did,” Memphis mammoth Marc Gasol.  A players-only meeting calls for urgency.  You couldn’t dial up a better formula for success.  To ask the Thunder what got them going, they will point towards this potential season-changing meeting.

A Definition of a players-only meeting in professional sports: A spark that has the ability the bring a sputtering team together through tough times.

It looks like as if the Thunder have made their adjustments, and can now readjust their sights on winning, what is now, the best-of-five battle between Memphis.  Something you don’t see from an extremely young team that relies on skill more than anything else.

“We live to see another day,” Durant proclaimed.  Spoken like a guy who’s been through it all, right?  Talk about turning the corner in a matter of 48 hours.  It just goes to show you that a players-only meeting can do wonders.

“It means we are really dedicated to this,” Durant said, “and we really want to be good.”  The desire from the heart of a budding superstar.  Dedication to be good – Oklahoma City is beaming and proud to have an NBA franchise led by one of the best players in the NBA.  Who said players-only meetings where overrated?  Proof there it is: “The Perk is in the Pudding”.