Daily Thunder.com

vs.

Portland Trail Blazers (30-18, 12-13 road) vs. OKC Thunder (11-38, 8-18 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.8 (28th), Portland: 113.6 (2nd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.3 (21st), Portland: 109.1 (19th)
Pace: Thunder: 93.7 (7th), Portland: 86.1 (30th)

The story lines are there. We got Oden vs. Durant for the first time. We’ve got the “rivalry,” that really isn’t a rivalry at all. The slow-it-down Blazer offense against the high-tempo OKC game. Blazer head coach Nate McMillan against his former team – sort of.

But the best storyline is that it’s a Friday night game against an exciting team that I hope to be like in the next one or two years. The Blazers have built a contender through primarily the draft, the same way Sam Presti is trying to do, and have a strong, young core.

As for the game, the Blazers are on a quick three-game roadie and lost at Dallas Wednesday night. But like a lot of teams, they’re very mediocre on the road (12-13). Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge will be a handful for the Thunder tonight because OKC really can’t match that size inside. While there’s a bunch of big guys at OKC’s disposal, I don’t know if any of them really match up all that well. And Brandon Roy is one of my favorite professional athletes. He’s the rare combination of Glue Guy that does all the little things with superstar talent. I wish OKC had him. I wish he could be my favorite player.

But instead of your typical, what we need to do, what they do well, who’s gonna win thing, I did a little question and answer with OregonLive.com and you can find that HERE. And they were kind enough to return the favor as Sean Meagher answered a few questions: Read more…

Other

Really fun post from Low Posts on classic NBA gaffes and goofs. I love seeing these super-human guys look incredibly human: “Have you ever seen something so unbelievably bad, that you need to watch the replay three or four times before you can believe it actually happened? For me, the defining moment can in the mid-’90’s, when I watched Shawn Bradley brick a sky hook of the side of the backboard just a few feet away from my seat. I’m sure that every fan has their own version of the Bradley shot, and you’re more than welcome to share them in the comments. Let’s take a look at some of worst plays and funniest moments in NBA history.”

Someone is ready to say the Blazers messed up: “Here’s the problem though, Blazer fans: “Your rapidly-ascending squad could have been better. Much, much better. As in, NBA powerhouse. Not just next year. Not just in a few years. Not just several years down the road. I’m talking about right now. It’s been nearly 25 years since the Blazers passed over Michael Jordan for Sam Bowie, and while Durant is no Jordan (and Oden, for his sake, is no Bowie — at least not yet), the Blazers may again find themselves selling the franchise short of what it could have been.”

Who’s ready for some G-E-I-C-O? Yep, our world got sadder. The NBA sold the naming rights to H-O-R-S-E: “Sports are often made for TV. And TV is made for advertisers. So it shouldn’t surprise — especially as all sports are scrambling to find new places to hang “for sale” signs given the current economy — that the NBA’s first H-O-R-S-E contest won’t use those letters. As that contest joins dunking and three-point shooting contests as part of TNT’s NBA All-Star Weekend coverage, the as-yet unnamed three contestants — who’ll be overseen by an NBA ref — will play G-E-I-C-O. As in the insurance company that will be the event’s unavoidable sponsor. (Suggestion: The winner then takes on the famous ad lizard to really drive home the brand awareness.)”

I stumbled across this little NBA Draft preview from last year on Deadspin. Pretty spot on: “I’ll admit it: Westbrook has seduced me with his athleticism. He can sprint and slash, and explodes off the ground like NASA built him. He’s not a great ball-handler and can’t hit consistently from distance, but he’s an above average passer who has shown a knack for improvement. He has strong work ethic and an aching hunger to play defense. He has…I can’t believe I’m saying it…incredible upside.” 

And in the same vein, Draft Express takes a retroactive look at Westbrook (really great stuff… read it): “Fast forward nine months, and it looks like another in a quickly growing line of excellent decisions made by the Thunder GM, as Westbrook has put all those doubts to rest in impressive fashion. Oklahoma City’s starting point guard has been arguably the best rookie in the class to date, even though he just turned 20 in November and is only three years removed from being seen as just a mid-major prospect. In the fifth installment of our new “Rookie Retrospective” series, we’ll be taking a look at another future star right in the thick of the Rookie of the Year race.” Read more…

Other

Friday night, for the first time in their professional careers, No. 1 and No. 2 finally go head-to-head. Well, not really since they play different positions, but you know what I mean. Back in 2006 the two met at the McDonald’s All-American game where KD dropped 25 points and grabbed five boards en route to game MVP. (Oden had 10 points, five rebounds.) Other than that, the most competitive game they played was their pre-draft workout in Portland two years ago.

But during the spring of 2007, the debate was fierce – Oden or Durant? Durant or Oden? Old Face or Baby Face? Plastic Man or Fred Sanford? Sam Bowie or Michael Jordan? (OK, that’s a little too much.)

So let’s have a look back at some of those arguments:

• In 2007, 10 reasons for each guy: “Durant’s averaging more rebounds — playing small forward — than is Oden, who rarely strays more than eight feet from the basket. Even though Durant plays more minutes than Oden and Oden’s playing without his good hand, that’s a telling stat … Oden is poised to be a franchise center, someone you can build a team around. Franchise centers usually win championships. His name’s already being mentioned in the company of Russell, Robinson, Olajuwon, and Shaq. Lot of rings on those fingers. Durant is most often compared to Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett. Some people project him as a combination of the two. That’s pretty darn good – but I don’t see any rings on their fingers.”

• Bill Simmons: “I see Durant’s worst case as a lankier, more benign Glenn Robinson. But I can’t picture his best case or most plausible scenario, because there has never been anyone like him before. A 6’9″ shooting guard with a 7’5″ wingspan? And he’s still growing? I see pieces of different players — KG’s body, Bob McAdoo’s scoring, MJ’s competitiveness, T-Mac’s ability to attack the rim with either hand, Hakeem’s fallaway, C-Webb’s passing. But add it up and you get an original. Durant is the first iPod, or the plane the Wright brothers built … No GM has the testicular fortitude to pass up a potential superstar center, not even for someone as potentially game-changing as Durant. If you want to compete from now until 2020, take Oden. Simple. But as soon as the Blazers pass on Durant, he will instantly be more dangerous. Because from that moment on, he’ll be playing with a chip on his shoulder. As Karl Malone, Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer and others have taught us, a draft slight is a scary thing: It’s a contract-year push that never ends. Each season, you want to stick it to everyone who didn’t believe in you all over again. (Note: The term for this phenomenon is “anti-Darkoism.”) So the Sonics might one day look as if they were the ones who caught the break on May 22. I just don’t know. ” Read more…

Other

Statiscally, the Thunder are one of the most improved offenses and defenses. But there’s a reason: “There are three teams that appear twice above. The Thunder are on the right end of both lists. They’ve improved both offensively and defensively, thanks in part to how horrible they were early in the season. They had nowhere to go but up.”

Some nice words from the Nuggets about Oklahoma City: “I love it here,” [J.R. Smith] said. “This is a great city with great people. Every since I played here in high school the fans have always embraced me. I really love it here.” “I love it here,” Anthony said of playing in Oklahoma City. “This is a great city with great people.”

Hoops World on the rumored John Salmons deal: “Salmons would be a solid choice for the Thunder to fill their one remaining hole in the starting lineup, at shooting guard. He may be better suited to the small forward position – owned by Kevin Durant – but like Durant can play both positions. He can shoot, pass, and score, something that would be a great asset on the Thunder.”

Why Portland should regret passing on KD: “And while the eyes and ears of Rip City constantly lie on Oden’s ill knee, Durant has been a rock so far in his career. He played 80 out of 82 games last season and has only missed one contest all of this year. Needless to say, Blazer fans wouldn’t have to worry about a guy being in and out of the lineup every other game, and that’s not to mention the long-term ramifications of micro fracture surgery.”  Read more…

Other

As Denver inbounded the ball with 17 seconds left and Oklahoma City clinging to a one point lead, we were all thinking the same thing. Not again, not again, not again…

But it happened. Again.

Carmelo Anthony hit an impossible runner in the lane with five seconds left, lifting the Nuggets to a 114-113 win over the Thunder. But two possessions really stand out in this ballgame like Kevin James with his shirt off. The possession with the pathetic kick call on Russell Westbrook and the last play by OKC.

First, the last play. Everybody knew the ball was going to Kevin Durant. And why shouldn’t it? That’s who I would’ve drawn up the final shot for. But on the inbounds pass to Westbrook, Nene switched on him. So Russell Westbrook, one of the quickest, most explosive guards in the league, has a 6-foot-11, 250 pound monster on him with the lane cleared out. Instead of recognizing this, the young rookie ran the play he was supposed to. The play is designed for KD, so I’m going to pass it to KD. The result? A 40-foot fadeaway heave by Durant that clanked off the rim. I guess we’ll just snap our fingers and say darn because RW is a rookie learning the ropes, but dang. Freaking dang.

Next, the “kick ball” with OKC down one with 40 seconds left. Look, I understand officials make bad calls. They’re human and they get a lot more right than wrong. I know I’d screw up a ton. But my biggest beef with officiating is the Out of Position Call. The one where the official behind the play with 16 people skewing his view decides to blow his whistle three seconds after the play to make a definitive, exaggerated call. And that’s exactly what happened here. Carmelo drove the lane and lost control of the ball. The ball took two bounces and Westbrook poked it to separate it from him and Melo. Westbrook scooped it up and took a step en route to a dunk and a one-point lead for OKC but that’s when the gray shirt with absolutely no clear view of the play blew his little whistle. That wasn’t really the difference, but a bad call nonetheless. Read more…

Recap

vs.

Denver Nuggets (32-16, 12-10 road) vs. OKC Thunder (11-37, 8-17 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.5 (28th), Denver: 109.7 (8th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.1 (20th), Denver: 105.5 (8th)
Pace: Thunder: 93.6 (7th), Denver: 94.5 (5th)

Remember last time? Yeah, that sucked.

But that was when we still thought wins were going to come once every lunar eclipse. Now we realize any given night, these guys can beat anybody – especially at home. So that’s taken some of the sting out of that one. But still, screw you Carmelo and your awesome buzzer-beating capabilities.

There’s a major difference between this meeting and the last – Denver is going to be ready this time. There won’t be any sneaking up on them. They know what will happen if they come out flat. Chauncey Billups raved about OKC’s ability and desire and there’s no doubt the Nuggs will be ready. But even so, is that enough to beat the Thunder at home?

I know that sounds (or reads, whatever) a little crazy. But the Nuggets are coming off a grueler against the San Antonio jayvee team and they may have some heavy legs. Flip side, OKC’s coming in on three days solid rest, with the bad taste of an overtime loss to the Kings in its mouth. Plus, the Thunder’s been very tough at home lately, winning four of five at the Ford Center. The Nuggets are average on the road, sitting at 12-10. And on top of it, Denver hasn’t been on the road much lately, having played 11 of its last 15 at home. They’re looking at a three-week roadie, so a few mental naps are expected. Chauncey Billups sprained his ankle against the Spurs last night and is questionable for tonight. Kenyon Martin is sick and is questionable. So, all that adds up to… maybe the Thunder playing them tough again.

Matchup wise, I don’t think there’s any secret as to what we’ll see. Billups will hit big threes (if he plays) in Earl Watson’s face, Carmelo Anthony will score a bulk of points and guys like Linas Kleiza will drive you nuts by hitting four random threes in the second half. The key matchup is containing Nene. He’s built like a mountain and he’s an aggressive rebounder and a solid offensive threat. Nick Collison and Nenad Krstic will likely get bullied by him, so we may see a steady dose of Chris Wilcox on the Nuggs big man. We can only hope this is one of the random games Wilcox decides to play hard in.

The main key: limit turnovers. The Thunder seems to be figuring weaknesses out one at a time. First it was solving the offense. Then rebounding. Then free throw shooting. Still working on defense. But 20 turns against a top-notch team like Denver can be the difference in winning and losing. Limit turnovers, get all the “hidden points,” take advantage of free points and in general, just bust your butt. That’s what it will take to get sweet revenge on Carmelo Killjoy and company.

Preview

First off, a happy birthday to my wonderful mother who is (BLEEP) today. Oh, and also, happy signing day.

Can Kevin Durant be the league’s Most Improved Player?: When we think of the MIP in the NBA in 2008-09, Kevin Durant has to be towards the top of the list.  When we look at his per 36 minute stats (courtesy of Basketball-Reference) we see that Durant’s shooting efficiency has improved tremendously.  And he is rebounding more as well. Although he is not yet the player we envisioned the night he was drafted, he’s now an above average NBA player.  And as Table One reveals, his improvement with respect to Wins Produced ranks toward the top of the league this season.

No comment: “The jilted hoops fans at Saveoursonics.org are organizing a road trip to Portland for the Oklahoma City-Blazers game on Feb. 11. I’m not sure if they’re going to boo or cheer for the Sonics but it’s being billed as, “Come watch Seattle favorites Brandon Roy, Nate McMillan and the Portland Trail Blazers take on the new Oklahoma City Thunder.” You can get a discount on tickets here. (Discount code: SOS). The Blazers ticket reps have even organized a “Blunder Bus” that will transport Seattle residents to Portland for a cool $49. I love their passion, but I’m thinking those Sonics fans are just prolonging their misery, yeah?”

Chad Ford looks at Orlando’s options now that Jameer Nelson is out for the season: “Thunder trade Earl Watson for Cook and Bogans. Watson may not be an ideal starting point guard, but he’s a veteran who plays tough defense and keeps turnovers to a minimum. The real downside is that Watson has another year at $6.6 million left on his contract. For the Thunder, the bright side is that they would move Watson’s salary off the books and get an expiring contract (Bogans) in return.”  Read more…

Bolts

UPDATE: Finally, video of the halftime performance nearly gone horribly wrong. Watch and be horrified.

NBA.com Power Rankings: “The Thunder had shown some defensive improvement (104.9 rating over a 10-game stretch) until they lost Desmond Mason for the season with a hyperextended right knee. Then they gave up a combined 232 points in Utah and Sacramento.”

And No. 25 in SI’s rankings: “Kevin Durant was rightfully left off the All-Star team, as a club as bad as OKC probably doesn’t deserve to be represented. But is there any doubt this will be the final time for a while that this happens? Durant is averaging 26.1 points since coach Scott Brooks took over and moved him to small forward in November. “Kevin Durant is a potential Hall of Fame player,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He has the passion. He’s basically unstoppable.”

Update on Serge Ibaka: The Sergeant had one of his best games of the season two nights ago, scoring 16 on 7-9 shooting and grabbing 15 boards against DKV Joventut. He’s getting more and more minutes (almost 19 a game over the last six, up from about 11 in his first 13). Follow Serge here. (Are you might need this.)

The TrueHoop network got together to come up with some ideas for All-Star reform: “I’d like to see the freshmen play the NBDL All Stars. It’s become apparent that the NBDL is a viable source of NBA level talent. I think this would be a competitive game, since each has something valuable to play for. The D-Leaguers will be fighting to show that they belong in the league, and they may have an extra chip on their shoulder playing millionaire rookies.”

SLAM’s top shooting guard prospects – a position OKC definitely needs help at: “Up until the past month or so, Duke’s Gerald Henderson has only shown frustratingly small doses of his talent and potential. He seems to have turned a corner, however, posting 13-straight double-digit scoring games and four games of 20 or more points in January alone. Henderson is NBA athleticism personified.”

Read more…

Bolts

January will go down as the winningest month in Thunder history (so far). Prior to last month, OKC was 4-29. Now it’s 11-37. While the overall record is still crappy, it’s pretty darn good considering. So what happened? What changed? Simply put: the Thunder quit sucking. They worked hard, played better defense and hit the glass hard. They hit free throws, made winning plays and learned how to close.

Consider: October/November record: 2-16. December record: 2-12. January: 7-7. That’s pretty heavy improvement. Kevin Durant averaged 27.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.7 apg and shot almost 50 percent from the field. Russell Westbrook built on his strong December, raising his numbers almost across the board. He averaged 16.5 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.9 rpg, brought his turnovers down 1.3 per game and shot 44 percent from the field. But the role guys finally did some work. Nick Collison averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg, points up three per game and rebounds up two per game from the previous months. A strong core is there and we’re finally starting to see it.

Scoring was up with OKC putting up 102.8 points a game and allowed 103. Consider the fact that in December, the Thunder averaged 96 a game and gave up 103 and in November scored 87 ppg and gave up 103. Rebounds went up seven from November to December (35 to 42) and then three more from December to January. Read more…

Commentary

Because of some duties in fulfilling my requirement in being an American male, I chose to watch the Super Bowl yesterday and not write a recap of the game. And like I told my wife, had we won, I probably would have happily skipped into the office to crank out 800 words, but because of the outcome, I thought using the Super Bowl would be a good excuse to just ignore a really disappointing loss. But here’s all you need to know: Durant, Westbrook, Green = good (95 points). Rest of team = not good (23 points). Well, Nick Collison had a nice game, but geez, what a stinky loss. Although, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “make the first, miss the second and get a tip-in” work live and I was impressed with Jeff Green’s execution there. Anyway, to the Bolts…

The Durant v. Oden debate is finally able to gain some traction: “Fair or not, Oden and Durant are destined to be linked in history. Like Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, without the gunfire. And a look back at the 1984 draft offers both worst-case and best-case scenarios. Oden and Durant could be remembered as Michael Jordan and Sam Bowie, as a mismatch of a comparison that highlights Portland’s blundering. Or they could be remembered as Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, who combined for eight championships, eight Finals MVP awards, and six regular-season MVPs.”

Le Basketbawl’s midseason report: “We now know that the Thunder will not have the worst record in the history of the Association. Scott Brooks while an improvement over P.J. still has not shown that he is more than an interim coach.”

Hardwood Paroxysm sums up yesterday’s game pretty nicely: “The Definition of Awesome Futility: Kevin Durant; 33PTS 5 RB, 2 AS, 1 BL, Russell Westbrook; 34 PTS 6 RB 8 AS 1 ST, Jeff Green; 28 PTS, 13 RBS 5 AS 3 ST. And they lost.”

BDL Behind the Box Score:  Timed up against a Cavaliers/Pistons game on national TV, this contest between two of the NBA’s worst teams was blacked out on the dish, and I gotta say, I’m a little cheesed off. Blackouts are something we have to live with every Sunday afternoon; they’re all over the pace as the NBA wants all basketball-watching eyes on what’s happening on the major network of its choice, but an overtime close one with 240 combined points? I’d like to know how, and why? Even the gamer is a little messed-up. Kevin Martin had 37 points on 24 shots, turning it over only twice in 49 minutes of play (that’s a tremendous accomplishment), Jeff Green had 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, one turnover, and three steals for Oklahoma City, and Thunder rookie Russell Westbrook got to the line 22 times (making 20), helping to overcome seven of 18 shooting and five turnovers. He had eight assists, and all six of his rebounds were on the offensive end. Read more…

Bolts

Jeff Green has had a tremendous sophomore season, especially compared to his rookie year. He is a very real candidate for most improved player with his huge jump in production.  He moved into the starting lineup in the middle of the season last year, and through the coaching change, he has never relinquished it.

His skill set is unique: he is a sweet shooting big man who isn’t afraid to go inside. So often we see big men who kind of do one or the other. Either they camp outside and bomb away and avoid the paint (Andrea Bargnani?) or they do the dirty work inside and don’t have the jumper (Collison). Every team out there would love to have the true inside/outside big man, but there just aren’t that many to be had. The guys that are able to pull it off are the matchup nightmares that every coach dreams of having, guys like Nowitzki, Bosh and Stoudamire. Read more…

Commentary