NBA 360: Spurs-Warriors 'Star Wars' comparison, and KD uses the Force

With the NBA season in complete swing, we take a look at some of the notable developments from around the league -- numerous of which aren't getting talked about sufficient -- like stats, quotes, videos, and more in our (click here to buy NBA 2k16 MT) roundup of observations.

TeamObservationsJust One Shot

In a tightly contested affair among the Thunder and Jazz on the 1st game of a house and property, the Jazz have been struggling to keep in the game inside the middle of the fourth quarter. They could not very get more than the hump against OKC, plus the final thing they required was for Kevin Durant to get going. He checked in having a little more than seven minutes left in the game and definitely didn't do a great deal inside the beginning of his fourth-quarter run.

He missed a single shot, but could not get into a rhythm inside the offense to demand the ball and start out forcing his offensive will on the Jazz defense -- a defense nevertheless looking to piece items collectively without the need of Rudy Gobert. Then Durant got a hard shot to fall, and for him, it was like blowing the doors off the floodgates.(vist NBA 2k16 MT coins) 

“I wouldn't say I was struggling shooting the ball," Durant said when asked about his slow start to the fourth. "I felt like I was within the right range and around the fine line of hitting three or four of them within a row or missing three or four inside a row. I didn't feel like I was in a slump. I just felt like if I hit a single shot, I feel like I am hot. I was able to make 1. It was a crazy off balance shot, but once I saw it go through the rim I was like ‘alright, let's go, it's time to obtain it going.'"

Over the final five minutes on the game, Durant was a flamethrower. He scored 11 points on 4-of-6 from the field, like big shot after big shot, as well as the Jazz just could not do anything about it. They had Gordon Hayward draped all over him. They had help defenders. They threw different defensive looks at him. But that one shot for Durant had fallen to make him feel like he was hot. Once he's hot, good luck cooling him off. -- Zach Harper

"Stop copying me." "Stop copying me."

Presented with out comment.

-- James Herbert

5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

I noticed it early this season. A high-pitched voice at the end of every house Raptors possession that got late in the clock. It sounded like somewhat kid. I was amused, so I asked the folks who go to the games about it. It's not just a little kid. It's actually DeMar DeRozan's fiance, Kiara Morrison. Ms. Morrison attends almost every Raptors game to support her betrothed and gets very considerably into the game. I'm told she even calls out screens. Her most obvious presence, however, is shouting out the clock when it gets late. Like so (listen for her call-out:

It's kind of ridiculous... but it's also kind of awesome. She's into it. Isn't that what you want from a fan? -- Matt Moore

T-Shirt Trite

Bucks fans are a pretty small minority, especially using the team struggling the way it has this season. But they are an active, vocal bunch. There's a section (which ironically used to be sponsored by Andrew Bogut) who would show up at games and do crazy chants and generally just charge the atmosphere. So it wasn't that significantly of a surprise when this T-shirt showed up before the Warriors-Bucks game at the Bradley Center last week.

Naturally, the Warriors fans responded in kind when the two met on Friday night.

Bucks trolled by @0aklandish with 10-18 T-shirt for Warriors game tonight to counter 24-1 T-shirts Bucks fans wore. pic.twitter.com/OdHEFslcBE

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) December 18, 2015

Both teams won their respective games. So of course, the secret is for fans to make T-shirts using the oppponents' projected record on them. That's the real key to winning. -- Matt Moore

/Deceptively "Meh"

We need to talk about perception vs. reality for a minute. There's this idea that Brad Stevens is the best after-timeout offensive coach inside the history of existence and that the Cavaliers, getting an offensive juggernaut, are substantially the same.

 

/This Would Not Look As Ridiculous As You Airballing Free Throws

With the Hack-A stuff getting out of hand this week (Jordan shot 36 free throws in four (come to 2k16 MT) games this week, Dwight Howard shot 37, second-most within the league over the past seven days), I wanted to bring up this Sporting News article about the rise of the under-hand free throws in college along with the success players are having with it.

I'm just saying, guys. It might be better for you to try something different than just doing the same factor that makes you look stupid more than and more than again. -- Matt Moore

Things That Could Have Been Brought To My Attention Yesterday

During the Celtics' loss to the Cavaliers, I tweeted out the fact that the Celtics have the worst effective field-goal percentage of any group within the league on shots with a defender six or far more feet away, via NBA.com's SportVU data.