OKLAHOMA CITY — Durant versus Gallinari? Westbrook versus Lawson? If we’re talking fascinating matchups for tonight’s Game 2, how about Brooks versus Karl?
The coaching strategies of the Thunder’s Scott Brooks and his mentor George Karl will be under the spotlight tonight:
Brooks was previously on Karl’s staff in Denver in the mid-2000s, until he got a better job with Sacramento – a gig that Brooks parlayed into the top job with Oklahoma City.
“He has done an incredible job,” Karl said of his cohort. “He does a good job of understand and allowing his young players to play, which I think young coaches have trouble doing.”
Karl said he and Brooks are similar coaches and also were similar players: “There’s no question we’re similar type of competitors,” Karl said. “He wasn’t a great player – I was worse than he was – but I think we stayed on the court because we knew how to compete and win games with the little things. When he was playing, as I was, he was probably thinking about being a coach.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
