Monday, December 31, 2012
Thunder/Rockets Recap
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thunder/Mavs Recap
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Thunder/Heat Recap
As noted at the onset of the game, it had been something like 4 games in a row since LBJ was called for a foul, and OKC managed to give him one early on in the first half, but with Durant getting his 3rd foul before halftime, it really put a damper on OKC's ability to compete. The role players for Miami (mostly the 3 point shooters) came through in a big way, with Mario Chalmers nearly matching DWade's 21 with 20 points of his own. Bosh had 16 including a huge dunk near the end of the game that killed the Thunder's rally bid.
Russ rebounded the rock well, and finished with a double dip of 21 and 11, but had only 3 dimes to go along with 5 turnovers. Not exactly the pass first look most folks are hoping for out of their point guard. But without Russ attacking the rim relentlessly (he had 12 free throw attempts) the Thunder would have been much worse off. This was a chippy game, with a scrum between Russ, Wade, and Shane Battier near the midway point of the game, and you could tell both of these teams wanted a W badly.
There was the dunk by Bosh near the end of the game I mentioned before. Perkins came off his man (Bosh) to help on LeBron out near the 3 point line...but it wasn't a hard double, and LeBron really wasn't driving or looking to shoot. Perk also went to the wrong side of the floor if he was going to double, and I'll have to put my thoughts on Perk's value to the team in another article I guess. Suffice it to say...it was an ugly game for Thunder fans. But if I know one thing...is that the #ThunderNationRISE.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thunder Weekly Roundup
Some news and notes from around the NBA, with a Thunder heavy focus:
- Thunder rookie Jeremy Lamb isn't getting a whole lot of minutes while riding the Thunder bench, but when he's not in OKC, he's spending his time with the Thunder's D-League affiliate the Tulsa 66'ers. And man, is that time well spent: as of this writing, he's putting up 23ppg, 4.9rpg, and 3.3apg. Not bad for the Association, much less the D-League. As Lamb was really the centerpiece of the Harden-to-Houston trade for the future, I must say the future looks pretty bright. We know Lamb can score (see his 2 year college career stats here) but to really fill Harden's mighty big shoes, we need to see his play-making abilities. But he's off to a good start.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
All good things...
Guess who's back? (again)
So...I'm back. Or I'm trying to be. I'm not gonna lie...last year was hard man. Really hard...to have game 1 in hand and then to have the Finals just basically ripped away...it was tough to take. I still to this day can't watch any of the highlights or the commercials advertising the "Miami Heat NBA Champions" swag. But its over and done with - and we've all got to move on. Even me.
Which is easier to do when you've got lots going on...and there is TONS going on in the NBA right now. As of the time of this post, both the Thunder and Clippers are on double digit win streaks, the Lakers are in complete disarray, and the Heat look very little like the defending NBA champs at this point. And that's only 4 teams in the L.
So I'm hoping to welcome you back to the blog - as I welcome myself back to the up and down world of being an NBA fan. There's plenty more to come. But, as always, #ThunderNationRISE
P.S. If hoops isn't your thing, check out my tech blog with a few friends of mine...its worth the read!
Two Tech Geeks
Which is easier to do when you've got lots going on...and there is TONS going on in the NBA right now. As of the time of this post, both the Thunder and Clippers are on double digit win streaks, the Lakers are in complete disarray, and the Heat look very little like the defending NBA champs at this point. And that's only 4 teams in the L.
So I'm hoping to welcome you back to the blog - as I welcome myself back to the up and down world of being an NBA fan. There's plenty more to come. But, as always, #ThunderNationRISE
P.S. If hoops isn't your thing, check out my tech blog with a few friends of mine...its worth the read!
Two Tech Geeks
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
As the Turning Point turns...
There are games, and there are GAMES. Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals was one of the latter. A pivotal game. A must win game for both the Thunder and Spurs, this was a back and forth contest that honestly, gave me not one but several heart attacks during the 48 minute contest. A contest which the Thunder wrested away from the Spurs, 108-103. Not without significant effort and timely heroics from a whole number of Thunder players, but keyed by the increased great play from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Big shocker there I know.
But keep in mind…all of this involves the Spurs - a team that won 20 games in a row, and hadn’t lost at home this entire post season. The then went on to lose back to back games to the Thunder…but hadn’t lost at home this post season. Heck, the Spurs hadn’t lost 3 games in a row all year long. Granted, it was only a 66 game shortened season, but still - that’s hard to do and pretty damn impressive in itself. The same Spurs team that won a close game in game 1 of this series, and downright embarrassed the Thunder in game 2 in this exact same building. I’m sure just about every person that covers basketball expected the Spurs to win this game. Truth be told, even I was fearful the Thunder wouldn’t be able to pull this one out. But that’s why they play the actual games…because you never know what you are going to get once the roundball gets tossed up at center court.
Watching this game was an exercise in all the highs and lows of being a fan. Tight and chippy play early, resulting in a slow start by the Thunder and foul trouble for Ibaka. A slow but steady comeback where the athleticism of the Thunder shows clearly the biggest difference between the two teams. Gaining ground and a shift in momentum, resulting in a Thunder lead of at first single digits, then later on double digits. A little stumble before halftime, leading to an 8 point lead after 24 minutes. Taking a breath at halftime…and hope building that this might turn out well for the road team for the first time in any Western or Eastern Conference series so far. Second half begins…Spurs come out with tremendous defensive energy, trim the lead down, then its all the way gone. Poor execution by the Thunder and awesome effort by the Spurs and some individual brilliance by Manu puts them up by 6 or 7. Then the Thunder collect their poise, and answer back. Build up another big lead…then more almost unbelievable lapses in judgment lead to an almost Thunder collapse. But at the end, Russ atones for his turnovers with a smooth 17 foot elbow jumper…and Harden drains as cold blooded a 3 pointer as you would see from well…Kevin Durant. This pushes the lead from 2 to 5 points, and results in the end margin of victory. I’m pretty sure I experienced every single human positive or negative emotion during this game - my wife even commented at one point that she was so worried about some of my outbursts she was afraid I might injure myself, or at the very least the television. THAT’S what it means to be a real fan…you take it all in, both the good times AND the not-so-good times.
This isn’t last year’s Thunder team. Last year’s team doesn’t find a way to dig this game out. Last year’s team lets their late game struggles overwhelm them and they lose their composure, the game, and probably the series. But this years Thunder are maturing, possession by possession, game by game, series by series. Last year’s Russell Westbrook doesn’t offset his 9-24 night with 12 assists. Last year’s James Harden maybe doesn’t have the confidence to take and make a momentum shifting transition 3 that turns into a 4 point play, or the clinching 3 pointer with under 45 seconds in the game. And maybe last years Kevin Durant doesn’t know when to pick and choose the spots where he sets up his teammates and when to take the game over. This year’s team has been tested, both on the road and at home. And the tests are still yet to come - including the close out game 6 coming up on Wednesday. Maybe the toughest test of this team to date. But if they find a way to get it done (and I personally think they will) they will have done what the expectations heaped upon them at the beginning of the year said they should: found a way to get themselves to the NBA Finals.
Let’s not kid ourselves here - we are witnessing the true NBA Finals during this series - whoever comes out of the West will not face a team that is nearly as good as either these Thunder or the Spurs. So if the Thunder do advance (as the playoff odds say often happens when a team wins game 5) they will surely have learned enough lessons from the Mavericks, Lakers, and Spurs to ultimately bring home the Larry O’Brien to OKC. As always, #ThunderNationRISE
But keep in mind…all of this involves the Spurs - a team that won 20 games in a row, and hadn’t lost at home this entire post season. The then went on to lose back to back games to the Thunder…but hadn’t lost at home this post season. Heck, the Spurs hadn’t lost 3 games in a row all year long. Granted, it was only a 66 game shortened season, but still - that’s hard to do and pretty damn impressive in itself. The same Spurs team that won a close game in game 1 of this series, and downright embarrassed the Thunder in game 2 in this exact same building. I’m sure just about every person that covers basketball expected the Spurs to win this game. Truth be told, even I was fearful the Thunder wouldn’t be able to pull this one out. But that’s why they play the actual games…because you never know what you are going to get once the roundball gets tossed up at center court.
Watching this game was an exercise in all the highs and lows of being a fan. Tight and chippy play early, resulting in a slow start by the Thunder and foul trouble for Ibaka. A slow but steady comeback where the athleticism of the Thunder shows clearly the biggest difference between the two teams. Gaining ground and a shift in momentum, resulting in a Thunder lead of at first single digits, then later on double digits. A little stumble before halftime, leading to an 8 point lead after 24 minutes. Taking a breath at halftime…and hope building that this might turn out well for the road team for the first time in any Western or Eastern Conference series so far. Second half begins…Spurs come out with tremendous defensive energy, trim the lead down, then its all the way gone. Poor execution by the Thunder and awesome effort by the Spurs and some individual brilliance by Manu puts them up by 6 or 7. Then the Thunder collect their poise, and answer back. Build up another big lead…then more almost unbelievable lapses in judgment lead to an almost Thunder collapse. But at the end, Russ atones for his turnovers with a smooth 17 foot elbow jumper…and Harden drains as cold blooded a 3 pointer as you would see from well…Kevin Durant. This pushes the lead from 2 to 5 points, and results in the end margin of victory. I’m pretty sure I experienced every single human positive or negative emotion during this game - my wife even commented at one point that she was so worried about some of my outbursts she was afraid I might injure myself, or at the very least the television. THAT’S what it means to be a real fan…you take it all in, both the good times AND the not-so-good times.
This isn’t last year’s Thunder team. Last year’s team doesn’t find a way to dig this game out. Last year’s team lets their late game struggles overwhelm them and they lose their composure, the game, and probably the series. But this years Thunder are maturing, possession by possession, game by game, series by series. Last year’s Russell Westbrook doesn’t offset his 9-24 night with 12 assists. Last year’s James Harden maybe doesn’t have the confidence to take and make a momentum shifting transition 3 that turns into a 4 point play, or the clinching 3 pointer with under 45 seconds in the game. And maybe last years Kevin Durant doesn’t know when to pick and choose the spots where he sets up his teammates and when to take the game over. This year’s team has been tested, both on the road and at home. And the tests are still yet to come - including the close out game 6 coming up on Wednesday. Maybe the toughest test of this team to date. But if they find a way to get it done (and I personally think they will) they will have done what the expectations heaped upon them at the beginning of the year said they should: found a way to get themselves to the NBA Finals.
Let’s not kid ourselves here - we are witnessing the true NBA Finals during this series - whoever comes out of the West will not face a team that is nearly as good as either these Thunder or the Spurs. So if the Thunder do advance (as the playoff odds say often happens when a team wins game 5) they will surely have learned enough lessons from the Mavericks, Lakers, and Spurs to ultimately bring home the Larry O’Brien to OKC. As always, #ThunderNationRISE
Monday, June 4, 2012
Not quite a one man show - but close
They say there are times in a basketball players life when, if you are one of those kinds of players, the basketball hoop looks like the size of a hula hoop, and everything you throw up goes in. Its usually called being in "the zone" and everybody who has ever watched a basketball game knows what I'm talking about. Mr. Kevin Durant had himself one of those "in the zone" performances in the 4th quarter of game 4 of the Western Conference Finals - and man was it a thing of beauty to watch. Without KD's virtuoso performance, this game doesn't end up a 109-103 Thunder win (not even close). But KD is that kind of player, and even though he got by with a lot of help from his friends, when the Spurs began to close in on the Thunder in the 4th, he took his game to a level that no one could touch. The dude they call Iceberg Slim aka The Durantula was flat out unguardable scoring 16 straight points for the Thunder, and put up 18 of his 36 points overall in the 4th quarter.
Now, not even KD can do it by himself, and KD's late game heroics overshadowed a tremendous performance from the Thunder bigs - in particular Serge Ibaka, who poured in 26 points on a perfect 11-11 from the field, and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Kendrick Perkins mean mugged his way to 15 and 9, and even Nick Collison got his with some nice dunks and finishing 4-5 from the field. In case you weren't keeping track at home, those same bigs for the Thunder that everyone (including me) was calling out after games 1 and 2 went 22 of 25 from the field. Now THAT is answering the call. And while I don't think anyone expects to get that kind of production from the Thunder front court every game, it was absolutely the right time to have one of those nights. And since everyone else was doing their thing, KD and Russ could just take a back seat and be content to pass the rock and enjoy the show. Which would enable them to save their best for last. These two cats combined for 13 assists in the game, and many of them were pretty setups for their teammates that lead to easy shots, if not outright dunks.
When basketball is played the right way, its a beautiful thing. I said this about the Spurs when they played a near perfect half of basketball in game 2. And now the situations were reversed. The bigs were doing their thing, and at the end of the game, when things started to tighten up, the whole team looked to Durant to take them home. KD had that look in his eye...what I've heard called the eye of the tiger. And I saw something I've seen a few times throughout this season, but never in this way - Kevin took this whole entire Thunder team and put them on his back and carried them to a win. Jumper, swish. High screen and switch with Tony Parker put on him - shot over that was money. Bucket after bucket after bucket...KD became (or maybe already was) nothing short of unstoppable. 7-9 from the field...and did it in a variety of ways. It was amazing to see in person, and better to watch as a fan of the sport and this team in particular.
Check out this article from ESPN.com's John Hollinger, which talks a bit more about the spectacular night from KD, Ibaka, and the rest of the Thunder front court. Heck of a game...heck of a series. And you know we will be in for more in store when the Thunder and Spurs play game 5. As always, #ThunderNationRISE
Now, not even KD can do it by himself, and KD's late game heroics overshadowed a tremendous performance from the Thunder bigs - in particular Serge Ibaka, who poured in 26 points on a perfect 11-11 from the field, and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Kendrick Perkins mean mugged his way to 15 and 9, and even Nick Collison got his with some nice dunks and finishing 4-5 from the field. In case you weren't keeping track at home, those same bigs for the Thunder that everyone (including me) was calling out after games 1 and 2 went 22 of 25 from the field. Now THAT is answering the call. And while I don't think anyone expects to get that kind of production from the Thunder front court every game, it was absolutely the right time to have one of those nights. And since everyone else was doing their thing, KD and Russ could just take a back seat and be content to pass the rock and enjoy the show. Which would enable them to save their best for last. These two cats combined for 13 assists in the game, and many of them were pretty setups for their teammates that lead to easy shots, if not outright dunks.
When basketball is played the right way, its a beautiful thing. I said this about the Spurs when they played a near perfect half of basketball in game 2. And now the situations were reversed. The bigs were doing their thing, and at the end of the game, when things started to tighten up, the whole team looked to Durant to take them home. KD had that look in his eye...what I've heard called the eye of the tiger. And I saw something I've seen a few times throughout this season, but never in this way - Kevin took this whole entire Thunder team and put them on his back and carried them to a win. Jumper, swish. High screen and switch with Tony Parker put on him - shot over that was money. Bucket after bucket after bucket...KD became (or maybe already was) nothing short of unstoppable. 7-9 from the field...and did it in a variety of ways. It was amazing to see in person, and better to watch as a fan of the sport and this team in particular.
Check out this article from ESPN.com's John Hollinger, which talks a bit more about the spectacular night from KD, Ibaka, and the rest of the Thunder front court. Heck of a game...heck of a series. And you know we will be in for more in store when the Thunder and Spurs play game 5. As always, #ThunderNationRISE
A runaway train...
After the first quarter, that's what this Thunder team sure felt like in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. A 20 point blowout Thunder win, 102-82, the Thunder looked and felt like a freight train rolling downhill and not stopping at the station. This was EXACTLY the type of statement game that had to happen after a "close but not close enough" game 1 loss, and a game 2 whupping that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. The Thunder came out and made a few adjustments that paid immediate dividends, most notably the switching of Thabo Sefolosha defensively onto Tony Parker. TP had a quiet 16 point 4 assist night, and all of the Spur starters got lots of rest in the 4th quarter and the benches were emptied pretty early into this one.
Obviously the Thunder didn't want to get into a 0-3 hole in the series, and after looking all but outclassed in the 2nd of their losses to San Antonio, the Thunder really needed to come out and play with fire...with desperation. And they did just that. You could see the obvious focus to increase their energy level; the hard work and effort that they knew would pay off for them if they just played their game. And play their game they did. The stats will be down, obviously, and there was a lot of garbage time minutes for guys off both benches, but this was really a game that was OKC's to lose, and they weren't going to let that happen. The emotion was high, and guys were going to get even more of a lift when the crowd got going, and get going Loud City did, early and often. The Cheaspeake Energy Arena may be the single greatest homecourt advantage in the NBA, meaning no disrespect to all the other fans and team homes. But when you got a place nicknamed "Loud City," you have to put up or shut up...and this team's fans are doing the damn thing.
There wasn't much not to like as a Thunder fan about this game....and honestly, this was probably an easy one to put behind you if you are a Spurs fan. Sometimes you get your ass kicked, and that's just the way it is. You let it go and move on. It's not nearly as bad as a one or two point loss that you can say "if we did this or did that differently..." The Thunder are talented and coming together defensively at the right time, and when you've three guys like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on your team - you've always got a fighting chance. And tonight, they had more than a chance. They had themselves a downright stomping of one of the better teames in the West.
#ThunderNationRISE
Obviously the Thunder didn't want to get into a 0-3 hole in the series, and after looking all but outclassed in the 2nd of their losses to San Antonio, the Thunder really needed to come out and play with fire...with desperation. And they did just that. You could see the obvious focus to increase their energy level; the hard work and effort that they knew would pay off for them if they just played their game. And play their game they did. The stats will be down, obviously, and there was a lot of garbage time minutes for guys off both benches, but this was really a game that was OKC's to lose, and they weren't going to let that happen. The emotion was high, and guys were going to get even more of a lift when the crowd got going, and get going Loud City did, early and often. The Cheaspeake Energy Arena may be the single greatest homecourt advantage in the NBA, meaning no disrespect to all the other fans and team homes. But when you got a place nicknamed "Loud City," you have to put up or shut up...and this team's fans are doing the damn thing.
There wasn't much not to like as a Thunder fan about this game....and honestly, this was probably an easy one to put behind you if you are a Spurs fan. Sometimes you get your ass kicked, and that's just the way it is. You let it go and move on. It's not nearly as bad as a one or two point loss that you can say "if we did this or did that differently..." The Thunder are talented and coming together defensively at the right time, and when you've three guys like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on your team - you've always got a fighting chance. And tonight, they had more than a chance. They had themselves a downright stomping of one of the better teames in the West.
#ThunderNationRISE
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Headed in the wrong direction...
Okay...I'm not gonna lie here - I turned this game off in the second half. Wait...before you go off all half cocked on me, I know what you're thinking - "Dude, you are the hella Thunder fan...what the heck were you doing NOT watching the game???" And for the most part, you'd be right...I am a huge Thunder fan, and that's exactly WHY I couldn't watch the game. It was too painful to watch the team I've seen wreck other teams all season get thumped on their way to a 120-111 loss. And I just found out that I've had Showtime at my house for almost 2 years and didn't know it...so since the King's Speech had just started, I figured I'd give that a whirl. And having seen the King's Speech once before, I figured I knew how it and the Thunder/Spurs game would both end.
On paper, this doesn't seem like a huge loss for the Thunder, but having watched the first half and most of the 3rd quarter, let me tell you - it was. If I said to anyone before the game that the Thunder would score 111, KD would drop 31 points on only 17 shots (31 on only 17 shots!), Harden would finally get on track and shred the Spurs for 30 on 10-13 shooting, and Russ would put up a 27-7-8 line with ZERO turnovers (and that the Thunder would only have 10 total turns as a team) that anyone would have said "holy crap, that's a Thunder win going away huh?" Only it wasn't. It wasn't anything even close to that.
First off, Tony Parker was out of his mind in this game. And I mean out-of-his-mind. Like he took 21 shots and only missed 5 all night out of his mind. And it wasn't even that he made a lot of shots, it was how and when that he made them that was the difference...everything was in the rhythm of the Spurs offense. Heck, even the wide open 3 he canned midway thru the 3rd quarter was the right shot to take (and TP doesn't attempt a lot of 3s at all) for that moment in the game. If I wasn't rooting for the other team, it would have been a beautiful thing to behold.
Ginobili was a little more pedestrian than he was in game 1, if only for the fact that Parker took his role of "single handedly killing the Thunder." Duncan had a relatively quiet double double, but once again it was the timely shots by Spurs role players that hurt. Kawhi Leonard dropped 18 points and Splitter and Diaw combined for 17 more. Mostly it was the obvious difference in the defensive mindset of the Thunder players from game 1 that hurt them the most. There was less activity on the defensive side, not as much of the bodies-flying-everywhere tactic to chase the Spurs off the 3 point line that I mentioned in my game 1 recap (which I know you already read). There was little if any rotational help from the Thunder interior players, and the number of wide open layups and jump shots the Spurs had because of it was staggering. This is a team that scored 120 in regulation! Another painfully obvious fact is the Thunders bigs can't really finish around the hoop. I think Steve Kerr pointed this out during the first half of the game...there is an obvious scoring ability difference between guys like Diaw and Splitter on the Spurs, and guys like Perkins and Collison on the Thunder. Getting a combined 11 points from Ibaka, Perkins, Mohammed, and Collison is NOT going to get the job done against the Spurs frontcourt, and this forced Scott Brooks to go small ball and play a lineup that includes Fisher or Sefolosha a lot more. Listen...I get not everyone has got an Andrew Bynum or Dwight Howard ready to go in their starting lineup. But looking at other basketball metrics tells us the real story...when Perkins and Ibaka are a -14 and a -9 respectively, while Derek Fisher (yes I said 37 year old former Laker Derek Fisher) is a +9, there are issues with OKC's frontcourt. To be fair, KD was a -6, Russ was a -3, and Harden (off the bench) was only a +3. But when you get a combined 88 points from your big 3, you should win most nights. And put simply, the Thunder didn't.
After having missed a golden opportunity to steal game 1 from the Spurs in their house, game 2 was more like a referendum on how to play basketball "the right way" and the Spurs sure did put on a clinic in that respect. I don't know that the Thunder could play better than they did on Tuesday night...and they still lost. But they are going home, and there is something to be said for that. All the Spurs did was what they were supposed to do...win games on their home floor. If the Thunder can get a win on Thursday night, they can breathe a little easier. Getting a win off a team that has won 20 in a row won't be easy, but there were moments in game 1 and game 2 where the Spurs could have been had. The Thunder have been tested in the playoffs before this, but have not faced a team like the Spurs before. Its going to take every offensive and defensive skill in their arsenal to get one at home against San Antonio. i think they will have to play mistake free basketball for 48 minutes at their highest level to get a W.
Can they do it? I damn sure believe they can. This Thunder squad isn't going down without a fight. For as good as the Spurs have been, they are heading now to a place called Loud City for a reason. And the Thunder are very, very good at home. Just ask the Mavs and the Lakers. As always, #ThunderNationRISE
On paper, this doesn't seem like a huge loss for the Thunder, but having watched the first half and most of the 3rd quarter, let me tell you - it was. If I said to anyone before the game that the Thunder would score 111, KD would drop 31 points on only 17 shots (31 on only 17 shots!), Harden would finally get on track and shred the Spurs for 30 on 10-13 shooting, and Russ would put up a 27-7-8 line with ZERO turnovers (and that the Thunder would only have 10 total turns as a team) that anyone would have said "holy crap, that's a Thunder win going away huh?" Only it wasn't. It wasn't anything even close to that.
First off, Tony Parker was out of his mind in this game. And I mean out-of-his-mind. Like he took 21 shots and only missed 5 all night out of his mind. And it wasn't even that he made a lot of shots, it was how and when that he made them that was the difference...everything was in the rhythm of the Spurs offense. Heck, even the wide open 3 he canned midway thru the 3rd quarter was the right shot to take (and TP doesn't attempt a lot of 3s at all) for that moment in the game. If I wasn't rooting for the other team, it would have been a beautiful thing to behold.
Ginobili was a little more pedestrian than he was in game 1, if only for the fact that Parker took his role of "single handedly killing the Thunder." Duncan had a relatively quiet double double, but once again it was the timely shots by Spurs role players that hurt. Kawhi Leonard dropped 18 points and Splitter and Diaw combined for 17 more. Mostly it was the obvious difference in the defensive mindset of the Thunder players from game 1 that hurt them the most. There was less activity on the defensive side, not as much of the bodies-flying-everywhere tactic to chase the Spurs off the 3 point line that I mentioned in my game 1 recap (which I know you already read). There was little if any rotational help from the Thunder interior players, and the number of wide open layups and jump shots the Spurs had because of it was staggering. This is a team that scored 120 in regulation! Another painfully obvious fact is the Thunders bigs can't really finish around the hoop. I think Steve Kerr pointed this out during the first half of the game...there is an obvious scoring ability difference between guys like Diaw and Splitter on the Spurs, and guys like Perkins and Collison on the Thunder. Getting a combined 11 points from Ibaka, Perkins, Mohammed, and Collison is NOT going to get the job done against the Spurs frontcourt, and this forced Scott Brooks to go small ball and play a lineup that includes Fisher or Sefolosha a lot more. Listen...I get not everyone has got an Andrew Bynum or Dwight Howard ready to go in their starting lineup. But looking at other basketball metrics tells us the real story...when Perkins and Ibaka are a -14 and a -9 respectively, while Derek Fisher (yes I said 37 year old former Laker Derek Fisher) is a +9, there are issues with OKC's frontcourt. To be fair, KD was a -6, Russ was a -3, and Harden (off the bench) was only a +3. But when you get a combined 88 points from your big 3, you should win most nights. And put simply, the Thunder didn't.
After having missed a golden opportunity to steal game 1 from the Spurs in their house, game 2 was more like a referendum on how to play basketball "the right way" and the Spurs sure did put on a clinic in that respect. I don't know that the Thunder could play better than they did on Tuesday night...and they still lost. But they are going home, and there is something to be said for that. All the Spurs did was what they were supposed to do...win games on their home floor. If the Thunder can get a win on Thursday night, they can breathe a little easier. Getting a win off a team that has won 20 in a row won't be easy, but there were moments in game 1 and game 2 where the Spurs could have been had. The Thunder have been tested in the playoffs before this, but have not faced a team like the Spurs before. Its going to take every offensive and defensive skill in their arsenal to get one at home against San Antonio. i think they will have to play mistake free basketball for 48 minutes at their highest level to get a W.
Can they do it? I damn sure believe they can. This Thunder squad isn't going down without a fight. For as good as the Spurs have been, they are heading now to a place called Loud City for a reason. And the Thunder are very, very good at home. Just ask the Mavs and the Lakers. As always, #ThunderNationRISE
Close...but not close enough.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was Sunday, and not only did it hold a number of surprises for both teams, it also ended up being just the 2nd Thunder loss in the last 10 games. We were witness to a 101-98 finish that wasn't that close in the 4th quarter, until the Thunder closed the gap in the last minute with 3 straight 3 pointers. A solid start for the Thunder in this one, I compared it to a boxing match where the underdog comes out and pops the favorite in the face real early on, and the favorite is a little stunned by the shot they just took. The first 3 quarters of the game played out pretty much just like that, with the Thunder eventually pulling away for a 9 point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter.
They did it with a ferocious focus on defense, with quick rotations and a dedicated effort to chase the Spurs off the 3 point line. OKC bodies were flying all around the court, and it really showed as the Spurs were a little out of sync early on, and the only real player in white and black to get it going was Manu Ginobili, who played the way that Ginobili can do when he's healthy. Duncan and Parker were mostly non factors, but the bad news for the Thunder was that so was James Harden, who had a statistically decent night, but finished the game by hitting back to back 3s to pad his stats, and didn't even ATTEMPT a single free throw. For a player who takes and makes a ton of foul shots, that's a bit of a disappointment. KD played well, in an efficient outing, but you could tell down the stretch in the 4th quarter that the Spurs were going to double him and force someone else to beat them in a tight game. The Thunder offensive execution fell apart in the 4th as well, and that 9 point lead evaporated over the course of a 6 minute span to start the final period. With Ginobili creating plays for himself, or getting easy hoops for the other Spurs, including role players like Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal (who both came off the pine and played well) the Spurs eventually pulled away from the stagnant Thunder players on the floor.
The game was impacted in large part in the last period by the Spurs bench, who have played well all year and even the recently acquired pieces like Boris Diaw (a 6'8" French player who has balled it up with TP before) and Stephen Jackson (on his 2nd stint with the Spurs) fit into the Spurs system almost as if they had been in San Antonio for years. The bench depth of the Spurs at key scoring positions is going to be a big difference this year I think for the Spurs, and could cause large problems for the Thunder bench. The OKC bench isn't terrible like the Lakers or Mavs bench was, but they do struggle to score, and when they aren't stopping the other team, it puts Scott Brooks in a tight spot by having to insert the starters sooner than he would probably have liked to on some nights. Guys like Collison, Nazr Mohammed, and Fisher are limited offensively, and even Daequan Cook is mostly a 3 point specialist and can't really create his own shot. By contrast, Diaw is a big body who handles like a point guard, can shoot all the way out to the 3 point line, and can rebound and finish down in the paint. Stephen Jackson (aka Captain Jack) has been the main weapon on a few other teams since he last left San Anton, and can put up numbers in a hurry and isn't afraid to take (or make) the big shot. This puts the OKC second unit at a disadvantage when they have to keep up the brisk offensive pace that the Spurs are going to likely want to set.
Game 2 is Tuesday - as always, #ThunderNationRISE
They did it with a ferocious focus on defense, with quick rotations and a dedicated effort to chase the Spurs off the 3 point line. OKC bodies were flying all around the court, and it really showed as the Spurs were a little out of sync early on, and the only real player in white and black to get it going was Manu Ginobili, who played the way that Ginobili can do when he's healthy. Duncan and Parker were mostly non factors, but the bad news for the Thunder was that so was James Harden, who had a statistically decent night, but finished the game by hitting back to back 3s to pad his stats, and didn't even ATTEMPT a single free throw. For a player who takes and makes a ton of foul shots, that's a bit of a disappointment. KD played well, in an efficient outing, but you could tell down the stretch in the 4th quarter that the Spurs were going to double him and force someone else to beat them in a tight game. The Thunder offensive execution fell apart in the 4th as well, and that 9 point lead evaporated over the course of a 6 minute span to start the final period. With Ginobili creating plays for himself, or getting easy hoops for the other Spurs, including role players like Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal (who both came off the pine and played well) the Spurs eventually pulled away from the stagnant Thunder players on the floor.
The game was impacted in large part in the last period by the Spurs bench, who have played well all year and even the recently acquired pieces like Boris Diaw (a 6'8" French player who has balled it up with TP before) and Stephen Jackson (on his 2nd stint with the Spurs) fit into the Spurs system almost as if they had been in San Antonio for years. The bench depth of the Spurs at key scoring positions is going to be a big difference this year I think for the Spurs, and could cause large problems for the Thunder bench. The OKC bench isn't terrible like the Lakers or Mavs bench was, but they do struggle to score, and when they aren't stopping the other team, it puts Scott Brooks in a tight spot by having to insert the starters sooner than he would probably have liked to on some nights. Guys like Collison, Nazr Mohammed, and Fisher are limited offensively, and even Daequan Cook is mostly a 3 point specialist and can't really create his own shot. By contrast, Diaw is a big body who handles like a point guard, can shoot all the way out to the 3 point line, and can rebound and finish down in the paint. Stephen Jackson (aka Captain Jack) has been the main weapon on a few other teams since he last left San Anton, and can put up numbers in a hurry and isn't afraid to take (or make) the big shot. This puts the OKC second unit at a disadvantage when they have to keep up the brisk offensive pace that the Spurs are going to likely want to set.
Game 2 is Tuesday - as always, #ThunderNationRISE
Monday, May 28, 2012
Destiny Fulfilled
Going back home to Chesapeake Energy Arena, the OKC Thunder continued their recent trend of eliminating previous NBA Championship teams by running away from the Lakers in a 106-90 game that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. Kobe Bryant came to play for LA...and everyone else pretty much laid down for the Thunder. Steve Blake and Ramon Sessions in particular had their pictures up on the sides of milk cartons since game 1. Bynum was disengaged and looked out of sync the whole game, and Gasol wasn't much better. Indeed, there were several times of obvious miscommunication between the Laker stars, and a visibly frustrated Kobe's answer was to keep gunning to the tune of 42 points on a wide variety of shots.
The Thunder countered with inspired play from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant (the former who scored a team high 28, and the latter with a solid double double of 25 and 10) and this game ended in the fashion that I think pretty much everyone in both Oklahoma City and Los Angeles knew it would. Rarely does a game show you its turning point so blatantly as this one did on a Russell Westbrook steal and and-1 play, where Russ threw in a crazy underhand scoop shot as Ramon Sessions fouled him to try to stop a fast break dunk. Always an emotional player, Westbrook erupted along with the crowd, and it was pretty much a done deal from that point forward. All that was left was the final ticks off of the game clock.
For the Thunder, it was sweet redemption, having now beaten the last two teams to hand them early playoff exits. And in true "we got this" fashion, by sweeping Dallas and allowing the Lakers only one controversial referee influenced win. The young kids from OKC have just about grown up, and they were eager to show off their newfound composure and level headed play to both of the squads they would face in the first two rounds. Their next opponent is likely to be their biggest challenge yet, as the Spurs have been on an impressive run of their own, getting sweeps in both of their first round matchups against the Jazz and the Clippers on their way to the Western Conference Finals.
Even in the game they lost, you got the feeling that there was something different from last years Thunder team to this one. They knew what to do, and they went out and executed it. They ran their game plan and played at their pace. The rotations were crisp, and the bench did its job. A team that is mostly known as an offensive juggernaut hung its hat on blocked shots, contesting all jumpers, and playing good solid help defense. Even with Kendrick Perkins not at 100%, the Thunder gave the "twin towers" of Gasol and Bynum all kinds of problems, and the Big 3 of OKC did the rest of the damage from there. In fact, one of the best looking lineups was a small ball unit of Derek Fisher, Westbrook, Harden, KD, and Ibaka, being able to switch just about any matchup and take advantage of their mismatches on offense. When the jumpers are falling, and the drives to the hoop draw fouls, this year's OKC team is very hard to beat.
Game 1 of the WCF starts Sunday, in San Antonio. #ThunderNationRISE
The Thunder countered with inspired play from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant (the former who scored a team high 28, and the latter with a solid double double of 25 and 10) and this game ended in the fashion that I think pretty much everyone in both Oklahoma City and Los Angeles knew it would. Rarely does a game show you its turning point so blatantly as this one did on a Russell Westbrook steal and and-1 play, where Russ threw in a crazy underhand scoop shot as Ramon Sessions fouled him to try to stop a fast break dunk. Always an emotional player, Westbrook erupted along with the crowd, and it was pretty much a done deal from that point forward. All that was left was the final ticks off of the game clock.
For the Thunder, it was sweet redemption, having now beaten the last two teams to hand them early playoff exits. And in true "we got this" fashion, by sweeping Dallas and allowing the Lakers only one controversial referee influenced win. The young kids from OKC have just about grown up, and they were eager to show off their newfound composure and level headed play to both of the squads they would face in the first two rounds. Their next opponent is likely to be their biggest challenge yet, as the Spurs have been on an impressive run of their own, getting sweeps in both of their first round matchups against the Jazz and the Clippers on their way to the Western Conference Finals.
Even in the game they lost, you got the feeling that there was something different from last years Thunder team to this one. They knew what to do, and they went out and executed it. They ran their game plan and played at their pace. The rotations were crisp, and the bench did its job. A team that is mostly known as an offensive juggernaut hung its hat on blocked shots, contesting all jumpers, and playing good solid help defense. Even with Kendrick Perkins not at 100%, the Thunder gave the "twin towers" of Gasol and Bynum all kinds of problems, and the Big 3 of OKC did the rest of the damage from there. In fact, one of the best looking lineups was a small ball unit of Derek Fisher, Westbrook, Harden, KD, and Ibaka, being able to switch just about any matchup and take advantage of their mismatches on offense. When the jumpers are falling, and the drives to the hoop draw fouls, this year's OKC team is very hard to beat.
Game 1 of the WCF starts Sunday, in San Antonio. #ThunderNationRISE
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Deja Vu all over again
If there is one thing that these playoffs have shown us, its that records are made to be broken, and no lead is safe. Once again, the Lakers took a lead into the 4th quarter of their game with the Thunder, and once again the Thunder pulled out a victory. The Thunder took game 4 with a 103-100 final., after being down by 13 points with just 8 minutes left to go in the game. The Thunder started the game a bit flat, and even though they had hung around most of the first 3 quarters, you never got the sense that this was the Thunder team that destroyed the Lakers in game 1 by 29 points running away. Especially on the 2nd night of a back to back, one would have expected the Lakers to come out a bit tired and soft, and yet it was these same Lakers that pounded the ball inside to Andrew Bynum to take an early double digit lead. In fact, the Lakers led most of the game, and this certainly seemed like a game the Lakers were destined to win, holding the Thunder to 46 first half points. The pace through the first half was played at a Laker pace, and the jumpers that are the hallmark of this very good Thunder squad just weren’t falling. And yet, after game 2, you could always sense a bit of nervousness on the part of the Lakers team and their fans. Even Steve Kerr, who was commentating the game, made mention of this during the early parts of the 4th quarter. And during one of the last Thunder timeouts, Scott Brooks mentions in the huddle “we haven’t played our best basketball.” And he was right…the Thunders best basketball was yet to come.
There are many plays that can turn the course of a game, and it would be hard to pick out a single play from this game that caused the Thunder to turn the corner, but it all comes down to your stars have to play well and that was certainly the case tonight. Russell Westbrook played out of his mind in the 3rd quarter and Kevin Durant did what Kevin Durant do in the 4th quarter. With KD and Russ combining for 21 points in the 4th quarter (outscoring the entire Lakers team in the process) they showed that they were not ready to surrender even though down by double digits in the 4th. KD and Russ combined for 68 of the Thunder’s 103 points, and traded off down the stretch making big plays for their team. KD played stellar defense on Kobe (who went 0-4 while being guarded by KD) and the Thunder defense in general stiffened up in the final period to hold the Lakers to 43% for the game. Ibaka and Perkins stepped up late (Ibaka having back to back blocks on Jordan Hill within 5 feet of the basket, Perk with several key rounds in traffic and HUGE putback of a Westbrook missed jumper) and even Fisher chipped in a nice 3 pointer from the corner in the comeback. But make no mistake - this was all about the Thunder stars, and they surely delivered.
Now I’m going to throw something out there, and I know its been brought up before - but I’m going to bring it up again. The Lakers 2 losses have exposed them as being soft mentally. If you’re mentally tough, and know what you need to do to win a basketball game, you go out and get it done. When you’ve got a 7 point lead with 2 minutes left to go, if you’re mentally tough, you win that game. If you’ve got a double digit lead with 8 minutes left, you win that one too. Mental mistakes and an over reliance on Kobe Bryant for their offense did the Lakers in in both of these games. When you’ve got a clear advantage in the post, you need to use that advantage until the defense takes it away from you. Instead of going down low, the Lakers spread the floor for Kobe to take long jumper after long jumper and he didn’t (maybe doesn’t?) have anything left in the tank. He talks a good game, and certainly Kobe has shown himself to play big at times, but I think the rest of his team is soft mentally, and I don’t think there is anything he can do to change that. And now, down 3-1, it may be too late to try and change anything. But after this series is over, on thing is certain - there will be some things changing in LA. You can take that to the bank.
Game 5 is Monday night - the Thunder already eliminated the last NBA champ…can they do the same to the champs from 2 years ago? You know what my answer is…tune in to watch history unfold. #ThunderNationRISE
There are many plays that can turn the course of a game, and it would be hard to pick out a single play from this game that caused the Thunder to turn the corner, but it all comes down to your stars have to play well and that was certainly the case tonight. Russell Westbrook played out of his mind in the 3rd quarter and Kevin Durant did what Kevin Durant do in the 4th quarter. With KD and Russ combining for 21 points in the 4th quarter (outscoring the entire Lakers team in the process) they showed that they were not ready to surrender even though down by double digits in the 4th. KD and Russ combined for 68 of the Thunder’s 103 points, and traded off down the stretch making big plays for their team. KD played stellar defense on Kobe (who went 0-4 while being guarded by KD) and the Thunder defense in general stiffened up in the final period to hold the Lakers to 43% for the game. Ibaka and Perkins stepped up late (Ibaka having back to back blocks on Jordan Hill within 5 feet of the basket, Perk with several key rounds in traffic and HUGE putback of a Westbrook missed jumper) and even Fisher chipped in a nice 3 pointer from the corner in the comeback. But make no mistake - this was all about the Thunder stars, and they surely delivered.
Now I’m going to throw something out there, and I know its been brought up before - but I’m going to bring it up again. The Lakers 2 losses have exposed them as being soft mentally. If you’re mentally tough, and know what you need to do to win a basketball game, you go out and get it done. When you’ve got a 7 point lead with 2 minutes left to go, if you’re mentally tough, you win that game. If you’ve got a double digit lead with 8 minutes left, you win that one too. Mental mistakes and an over reliance on Kobe Bryant for their offense did the Lakers in in both of these games. When you’ve got a clear advantage in the post, you need to use that advantage until the defense takes it away from you. Instead of going down low, the Lakers spread the floor for Kobe to take long jumper after long jumper and he didn’t (maybe doesn’t?) have anything left in the tank. He talks a good game, and certainly Kobe has shown himself to play big at times, but I think the rest of his team is soft mentally, and I don’t think there is anything he can do to change that. And now, down 3-1, it may be too late to try and change anything. But after this series is over, on thing is certain - there will be some things changing in LA. You can take that to the bank.
Game 5 is Monday night - the Thunder already eliminated the last NBA champ…can they do the same to the champs from 2 years ago? You know what my answer is…tune in to watch history unfold. #ThunderNationRISE
One word - traveshamockery
If you guessed that this is a combination of the words “travesty” “sham” and “mockery,” then you’d be right. And really that’s the only way to describe Game 3 of the Thunder/Lakers series. With what can only be described as home cooking all night long, the Lakers used a 42-28 free throw attempt disparity to pull out a 99-96 victory. Since this is my blog, you’ll get my opinion, and I’m not going to pull any punches here - this was one of the most poorly officiated games I’ve ever seen. There have been some very obvious missed calls in this series (most notably the Metta World Peace clothesline of not 1 but 2 Thunder players here) but even commentators Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy were making comments on how bad the calls were. At least 2 “fouls” by Harden on Kobe were clean blocked shots, and a potential game changing rebound by Kevin Durant is negated when he’s shoved to the ground and loses control of the ball, with no foul called - replays clearly showing the bump and shove by Pau Gasol.
If you take away the free throws made by Kobe for the non-fouls, and add in even one point off of free throws that KD would have made (more likely two, since he’s an excellent free throw shooter) this game becomes a Thunder win. And I’ll admit that there were likely some other Thunder fouls that were not called, but the obvious pro-Laker bias in the officiating makes one wonder if a call came directly from David Stern to the referees before the game that went something along the lines of “the Lakers are going to win tonight, right?” And don’t act all shocked…there’s a former NBA referee serving time in prison RIGHT NOW for gambling on games he officiated. An officials conspiracy is far from an impossibility.
Several times Kobe gets calls because he’s Kobe, and similar contact with any other Thunder player goes uncalled. When the unbiased guys broadcasting the game for the national TV audience are telling you that these are bad calls or no calls, then you know the officiating is poor. If I’m Scott Brooks, I’m sending a tape of this game to the league office, and at least getting a public comment from the NBA that this game was not called correctly. Is this going to change the outcome? Of course not. But maybe it will improve their chances at getting a win in game 4, scheduled for Saturday night in LA. #ThunderNationRISE
If you take away the free throws made by Kobe for the non-fouls, and add in even one point off of free throws that KD would have made (more likely two, since he’s an excellent free throw shooter) this game becomes a Thunder win. And I’ll admit that there were likely some other Thunder fouls that were not called, but the obvious pro-Laker bias in the officiating makes one wonder if a call came directly from David Stern to the referees before the game that went something along the lines of “the Lakers are going to win tonight, right?” And don’t act all shocked…there’s a former NBA referee serving time in prison RIGHT NOW for gambling on games he officiated. An officials conspiracy is far from an impossibility.
Several times Kobe gets calls because he’s Kobe, and similar contact with any other Thunder player goes uncalled. When the unbiased guys broadcasting the game for the national TV audience are telling you that these are bad calls or no calls, then you know the officiating is poor. If I’m Scott Brooks, I’m sending a tape of this game to the league office, and at least getting a public comment from the NBA that this game was not called correctly. Is this going to change the outcome? Of course not. But maybe it will improve their chances at getting a win in game 4, scheduled for Saturday night in LA. #ThunderNationRISE
Friday, May 18, 2012
Wait...did that just happen?
Right in the middle of a Laker win in game 2 of the series between Los Angeles and OKC, the Thunder managed to snatch a win away from the road team. Up 7 with 2:08 to go in the game, the Lakers basically choked away the game. There isn’t really a nice way to say it…mental mistakes and bad decisions (along with some incredibly athletic plays from the Thunder team) cost the Lakers a win they will very likely need if they want to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Instead, the Thunder will head into Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead in the series, and with the upcoming games 3 and 4 looming back to back on Friday & Saturday, it could spell a very quick end to the Lakers 2nd round playoff hopes.
While this game was marred by ugly fouls, cheap calls in general by the officials, and regular stoppages of play due to turnovers, it was played at a pace that truly favored the Lakers and their big frontline. And yet still the Lakers could not find a way to pull a win out in Loud City. Having done so would have changed the face of the series. A heavy underdog, and picked by almost no one outside of LA to win this round, the Lakers could have been heading home with a split of games on the road with a ton of confidence in their chances to prevail. Now…they are sent home to LaLa Land with what is rightfully called a sucker punch to the stomach of a loss. And may have also inadvertently provided confidence to Kevin Durant (with his late game floater over Bynum and Gasol proving to the winning basket.) And if you have watched KD as much as I have, you can only imagine how much more dangerous Kevin will be with his already crazy skill set bolstered by this confidence.
Game 3 is in Los Angeles on Friday at 7:30pm. You know where I will be…you should be watching too!
While this game was marred by ugly fouls, cheap calls in general by the officials, and regular stoppages of play due to turnovers, it was played at a pace that truly favored the Lakers and their big frontline. And yet still the Lakers could not find a way to pull a win out in Loud City. Having done so would have changed the face of the series. A heavy underdog, and picked by almost no one outside of LA to win this round, the Lakers could have been heading home with a split of games on the road with a ton of confidence in their chances to prevail. Now…they are sent home to LaLa Land with what is rightfully called a sucker punch to the stomach of a loss. And may have also inadvertently provided confidence to Kevin Durant (with his late game floater over Bynum and Gasol proving to the winning basket.) And if you have watched KD as much as I have, you can only imagine how much more dangerous Kevin will be with his already crazy skill set bolstered by this confidence.
Game 3 is in Los Angeles on Friday at 7:30pm. You know where I will be…you should be watching too!
Let the 2nd round games...BEGIN!
So we have now borne witness to the birth of what may very well become a legend in our lifetimes - the juggernaut that is the Oklahoma City Thunder. As if a first round sweep of the defending NBA Champs wasn’t impressive enough, we now submit for your review: the first game of the Thunder/Lakers 2nd round matchup that ended in a 29 point Thunder blowout of the Lake Show. And more impressive than the final score (and the game wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate) was HOW the Thunder did the damage. A barrage of mid range jumpers and floaters were mixed in with crisp passes to open men for 3s as well as “put your head down and get to the cup” drives. Offensively, the Thunder were as good as a team can be and not have a guy who scored 30 or more. Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple double and KD had a quiet 25 points, but this game wasn’t the singular win of one impressive players performance. It was the collective imposing of one teams will upon another in a fashion that left no room for doubt as to who was the better team on the floor.
Now you can read your fill of recaps and reviews on other Worldwide Leader websites, so I know you want me to dig deeper and really get into the meat of why the Thunder were 29 points better (with the bulge getting as high as 35) than the Lakers. Could it be the short rest the Lakers came in on? Yes, it was only 1 day, but that’s not it. Could it be the age disparity between the two teams, with the Thunder being the 2nd youngest team in the league? Maybe…but that’s not really it either. Could it be the talent level between the two squads, where the Thunder boast 3 top 5 picks all under the age of 25? Perhaps…but its not like the Lakers are short on talent either, with 3 All Stars in their starting five. What I really think it is? Hunger. These young kids from Oklahoma City are hungry for a shot at the NBA title. And the Lakers aren’t as hungry for a ‘chip, having already won twice the last 4 years. And personally, I think it’s as simple a thing as that.
Now you can read your fill of recaps and reviews on other Worldwide Leader websites, so I know you want me to dig deeper and really get into the meat of why the Thunder were 29 points better (with the bulge getting as high as 35) than the Lakers. Could it be the short rest the Lakers came in on? Yes, it was only 1 day, but that’s not it. Could it be the age disparity between the two teams, with the Thunder being the 2nd youngest team in the league? Maybe…but that’s not really it either. Could it be the talent level between the two squads, where the Thunder boast 3 top 5 picks all under the age of 25? Perhaps…but its not like the Lakers are short on talent either, with 3 All Stars in their starting five. What I really think it is? Hunger. These young kids from Oklahoma City are hungry for a shot at the NBA title. And the Lakers aren’t as hungry for a ‘chip, having already won twice the last 4 years. And personally, I think it’s as simple a thing as that.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Business as usual
New Years Eve saw the Thunder go about their business and stay unbeaten by manhandling the Phoenix Suns 107-97, in a game that wasn't as close as the final indicates. OKC was up by as many as 22 during this game and only garbage time in the 4th quarter allowed Phoenix to whittle it down to a 10 point loss. Most encouraging about this game was the play of Russell Westbrook, who finally got his game going by going 8-14 from the field for 18 points (while only playing 25 minutes). Considering his "oh-fer" game recently and his miserable shooting to start the season in general, lets hope this game gets him back on the right track. KD had a bit of an off night (for him) scoring only 12 points after averaging 30 per thru the first 4 games, and having 5 turnovers, but he too only played 26 minutes and this was perhaps a good time and place for him to have an off night.
The bench helped out in a big way this game, with Nazr Mohammed, Nick Collison, and Eric Maynor all playing 20 or more minutes, and we actually had a Lazar Hayward sighting! He only played 12 minutes but its good to see him get some action. The depth at every position is going to be a huge deal for the Thunder as we move forward in this shortened season and getting the young guys (or maybe I should say rookies since almost everyone on this squad is youngish) some minutes early on can only help the team as the playoffs get closer. At 5-0 and with a rematch with the Mavs on the horizon, I think its safe to say the Thunder are all but a lock for the post season this year. The challenge will be can they take that next step after getting to the Western Conference Finals and make it all the way to the NBA Finals. The West is stacked with good quality teams, but I think pretty much everyone in the business assumes that OKC will be near or at the top of the pile when all is said and done. Consistency and continued development should ensure they fulfill everyone's (and their own) expectations.
Next up: a rematch with Dallas on Monday night, 01-02-2012 at 5:30pm Pacific. Buckle up...with Big D at home and the KD game winner fresh on their minds, you know this will be a heck of a game.
#BasketballNeverStops
The bench helped out in a big way this game, with Nazr Mohammed, Nick Collison, and Eric Maynor all playing 20 or more minutes, and we actually had a Lazar Hayward sighting! He only played 12 minutes but its good to see him get some action. The depth at every position is going to be a huge deal for the Thunder as we move forward in this shortened season and getting the young guys (or maybe I should say rookies since almost everyone on this squad is youngish) some minutes early on can only help the team as the playoffs get closer. At 5-0 and with a rematch with the Mavs on the horizon, I think its safe to say the Thunder are all but a lock for the post season this year. The challenge will be can they take that next step after getting to the Western Conference Finals and make it all the way to the NBA Finals. The West is stacked with good quality teams, but I think pretty much everyone in the business assumes that OKC will be near or at the top of the pile when all is said and done. Consistency and continued development should ensure they fulfill everyone's (and their own) expectations.
Next up: a rematch with Dallas on Monday night, 01-02-2012 at 5:30pm Pacific. Buckle up...with Big D at home and the KD game winner fresh on their minds, you know this will be a heck of a game.
#BasketballNeverStops
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