OKC Thunder: Game 2 notebook from Chesapeake Arena

Brooks said he never knew such was the case.

“I appreciate the love that he gave me,” Brooks said before Game 2. “Little does he know, if I would have got the job, I was going to ask for him to be traded. I'm just kidding. Maybe that's the reason I didn't get the job, that he was fighting for me. I had a great relationship with him. At that time, he was … maybe third-best, two-way player (behind Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant), and you like guys like that. You like guys who are going to play both ends of the floor.

“Ron Artest (now World Peace) was one of the best two-way defenders. You knew every game that at end of the night his plus-minus was probably going to be 12 to 15 points. He was scoring 20 points a game, and his opponent was getting four or five. He was great. I loved coaching him."

BIRD HONORED

Indiana general manager Larry Bird was named NBA Executive of the Year, becoming the first person in league history to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti received one first-place vote and finished tied for eighth.

“I'm really happy for Larry,” Presti said. “He's done some great things for that organization.”

Despite the Thunder's rapid advancement to the upper echelon of the league thanks to an array of deals, draft picks and free-agent signings orchestrated by Presti, he has yet to be named Executive of the Year.

“I don't concern myself with those type things,” Presti said. “How can I ask our players and coaches to keep the team first and not concern themselves with individual accolades and then not hold myself to those same standards?”

PRESTI ON BOARD

Presti has been named to the NBA's new competition committee.

Last month, the league's board of governors voted to change the composition of the committee to include two owners, four general managers, three head coaches and one representative from the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). Previously, the committee included the general manager from each of the 30 teams. That committee has been reconstituted as the new general managers committee.

Presti said he is still awaiting the exact details of his appointment. “When an opportunity like this comes your way, you're definitely honored by it,” Presti said.

Also in the new competition committee are owners Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Joe Lacob (GoldenState); general managers Bryan Colangelo (Toronto Raptors), Mitch Kupchak (L.A. Lakers) and Kevin O'Connor (Utah Jazz); coaches Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks), Lionel Hollins (Memphis Grizzlies) and Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics). The NBPA will designate one of its members to serve on the committee.