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Box score

Best. Win. Ever.

Ok, so that’s maybe a little strong, but I’ve got to tell you, there was something special about this one. About 40 different times, I threw my hands up and said, “Ppph, annnnd here’s where we blow it.” But somehow, someway, Oklahoma City had one more point than San Antonio in the end, winning for the first time on the road against a plus .500 team, 96-95.

That last minute was kind of a blur. I may or may not have blacked out. I remember Durant missing a shot or something, then the Spurs getting like six offensive rebounds before Tim Duncan tipped it in and then Russell Westbrook did something and then the Spurs threw the ball everywhere before a Michael Finley rainmaker missed. Something like that.

Just like last time, OKC did it with defense. And just like last time, after the first quarter, it didn’t look like there was going to be any defense. The Spurs were backcutting, hitting wide open shots and just ripping the Thunder up as they scored 32 points. Luckily, Kevin Durant re-discovered his awesomeness and had 14 first quarter points, en route to a game-high 31. But defense: After the first, the Thunder just got physical. Duncan was not going to get anything easy. Green, Collison and Krstic did their best to push him around and frustrate him. Westbrook, Kyle Weaver and Thabo Sefolosha were playing up-in-your-face, on-the-ball man-to-man. They were closing out, rotating and best of all, San Antonio was missing shots. That helps. Read more…

Recap

vs.

Thunder (20-53, 6-30 road) at San Antonio Spurs (48-25, 26-11 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:30 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 103.1 (28th), San Antonio: 108.2 (13th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.2 (20th), San Antonio: 103.9 (5th)
Pace: Thunder: 93.6 (8th), San Antonio: 88.5 (26th)

A stat to consider: The Spurs are 28-10 when their “big three” of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili play. And Ginobili is back and expected to play tonight. Awesome.

We all remember last time, a defining 78-76 win over San Antonio in which OKC shot 36 percent from the field, was outrebounded and trailed at one point by 17 and yet somehow won. In that game all five Thunder starters were minuses while the entire bench was pluses. A strange but excellent win. One big helper in the last game was the Spurs went 3-19 for three. They’re a good shooting team and OKC can’t expect that kind of performance again.

And the Thunder’s going to have to grind another one if they intend to win again. San Antonio is the best defensive team in the league and the OKC offense has sputtered a bit lately. The Thunder hasn’t scored 100 points in 15 games after topping the century mark in seven of 10 before that. Read more…

Preview

From the AP, via NewsOK.com:

Oklahoma City Thunder have signed former first round draft pick Shaun Livingston to a multiyear contract. Thunder vice president and general manager Sam Presti announced the signing Tuesday. Terms of the agreement were not announced.

Very interesting. The fact that this isn’t a 10-day contract or even just a one-year deal is surprising. Livingston wasn’t doing a whole lot to wow anyone in Tulsa, averaging 9.5 ppg, 6.0 apg and 3.5 rpg in almost 30 minutes a night in 11 games. Not exactly numbers that blow you away. But the dude has talent which is why he’s a 6-7 point guard that was taken No. 4 by the Clippers in 2004. The Thunder’s clearly looking for a legit backup point guard and it looks like the Chucky Atkins experience isn’t working out so well. The draft is always another option, but Livingston is a quality semi-veteran that’s going to give solid minutes.

UPDATE: “Livingston will be with the Thunder for the remaining nine games and throughout the summer. Thunder fans can expect to see him in uniform before the regular season ends, although it won’t be tonight in San Antonio, where he joined the team today and will participate in this morning’s shoot around.”

Also, D.J. White has been recalled. So he really needed one more game in Tulsa to get ready? Weird.

News

Well, I caved. Daily Thunder is now Twittering. I know, how lame. Twitter was so two months ago. But hopefully it will be an easy way to stay updated with new stories and the like. And also, because I’m sure you’re all just dying to know what I’m doing at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night. Just put my feet up on the coffee table. And now I’m taking a sip of Diet Dr. Pepper. Is someone at the door? Oh, that’s just the TV. How many characters do I get with thi– You know, that type of stuff. I also reserve the right to randomly stop and abandon it whenever I dang well please.

The Puns are Starting to Bore Me draft redux: “OKC, Kevin Love: Speculation says that the Thunder will draft Blake Griffin if awarded the no.1 pick in the 09 draft. Why wait until then? The Thunder get a legit double/double guy in Love to place alongside Kevin Durant while still keeping Jeff Green at the 4. They miss out on a PG, but with the 09 draft stocked with guards, they can afford to pass on one this year.” If you’re wondering, Russell Westbrook was taking third by the Wolves.

FreeDarko on KD’s quote to the Boston Globe and more: “Durant has more of an uphill battle in this respect, since despite his college hype he’s been all but invisible this season. Still, this can’t last much longer, and if next season the recognition comes, and the fans flock, by 2010 OKC might not be a joke any longer. But more importantly is Durant’s conviction, even good-natured shock, and just how brilliantly-engineered this team’s future is. Sam Presti is smart. Sure, being surrounded by bikinis and beaches is nice, as would time spent in a national spotlight you don’t have to earn. And yet we’ve seen that the Knicks can tumble into oblivion, even before the economy collapsed. Presti will not mess up when it comes to developing this team and its players. You could say similar things about Pritchard. If team markets are becoming more and more negligible, and the perilous state of all things financial makes the astute GM more precious than ever, how far are we from Presti being what keeps Durant in OKC?”

I like how KD has been say glowing things about Oklahoma City all year but when some major newspaper in the northeast quotes him on it, everyone perks up. And why does everyone seem so shocked by him saying he loves this city? Read more…

Bolts

From Stephen A. Smith’s story on Tyler Hansbrough and Blake Griffin. Some great quotes on Griffin’s NBA potential.

“Blake Griffin is a man,” one NBA scout said. “You can end whatever speculation there is right now. Come June, he will be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft by anyone who gets it. Anyone.

“The only way that doesn’t happen is if he elects to stay for his junior year. His skills are too superior to everyone else. He can score at will. He’s a ferocious rebounder with quick jumping ability. He’s about to be the player of the year. There’s ‘star’ written all over this guy.

“Tyler Hansbrough is a very good player with a place for him on the next level. He’s simply too good a kid, too productive and too hard a worker not to be picked somewhere in the top 15. But Blake Griffin is just special. They shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence.”

After watching Blake for two years in college and four in high school, I’m honestly starting to wonder if he’s the type of player you sell the farm to get. People can question the little things about him – free throw shooting, defense, mid-range jumper – but he’s got those tools. They just weren’t always on display. He didn’t need the mid-range game because he could post up any player in America. His defense sometimes didn’t look great because he was concerned with foul trouble – OU couldn’t afford for Blake to not be on the floor. And his free throw shooting numbers look bad, but he’s got a great release and a small mechanical hitch. Nothing some good coaching can’t fix.

Blake Griffin is an incredibly special player because he combines unreal ability with passion, intensity and outstanding character. Regardless of where the Thunder lands in the lottery, I know I’m doing just about anything (within reason) to get Blake. He’s worth the price tag. Maybe you don’t think he fits well or there’s a place for him. Trust me, a guy like this, you find a place.

And don’t count the Thunder out of the Griffin Sweepstakes quite yet – if you have the worst record in the league you get just a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick. That means there’s a 75 percent chance you don’t. Right now, OKC stands at 8.8 percent. The Bulls had just a 1.7 percent chance last year and won the top spot. It can happen people.

Commentary

Take a good look through there. Which one of those names doesn’t belong? Let’s see, by position: PF, PF, C, PF, C, PF, C, PF, C, C, C, PF, C, PF, PG, PF, C, PF, C.

Double-take? That’s right, Russell Westbrook is 16th in the Western Conference in offensive rebounds per game. A point guard - A POINT GUARD – right in the middle of all those names. In fact, he’s 30th in the entire league in offensive rebounds per game. He’s first in point guards by 49 offensive rebounds (Andre Miller is second with 106) and he’s sixth in all the rookies right behind Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (does he have an abbreviation for that mouthful? LRMaM? Can we just call him Mbah?) and right in front of Greg Oden.

Westbrook even had a game earlier this year where he recorded eight offensive boards (some good power forwards never do that in an entire career) and he’s got 11 games where he’s got five or more. (David Lee’s had five or more 17 times, Emeka Okafor 17 times, Pau Gasol 16 times and Paul Millsap 16 times. That’s numbers three, four, five and six in offensive rebounds in the league. And Westbrook, a 6-3 point guard, has 11. Amazing.)

More than anything else, this stat tells the story about Russell Westbrook. He may not make the best decisions. He may turn it over a lot. His jumper may be a work in progress. His court vision may not be there yet. He may the force the issue sometimes. And maybe you think he’s not the answer at point guard. But the guy plays ball. He works, he hustles and he does every stinking thing he’s capable of to help the team win. Say what you will about Russ and his defienciencies (which he has plenty), but the guy is an absolute, all-out ballplayer.

Commentary offensive rebounding, Russell Westbrook

Pro Basketball News on Shaun Livingston: “Playing for the Tulsa 66ers is not a demotion but another opportunity for me to better myself,” Livingston said. “There’s no substitute for actual game time. You can’t simulate the movement. And contrary to popular belief, basketball is a contact sport.” Livingston is getting almost 30 minutes a game and is averaging 9.5 ppg, 6.0 apg and 3.5 rpg in 11 games in Tulsa.

Ryan McNeill of Hoops Addict talked one-on-one with Scott Brooks. (Audio inside.)

And the article mentioned in the interview, where Charley Rosen says he’d vote for Scott Brooks for Coach of the Year: “If I had a vote, I’d pick Scott Brooks. When Brooks took over, OKC seemed doomed to challenge the 1972-73 Sixers for having the worst record in the history of the NBA. Philly finished at 9-73, and under the sad-sack leadership of P. J. Carlesimo, the Thunder started the current season at 1-12. Granted that the Thunder is only 18-37 with Brooks in the command seat, but they’ve won six of their last 10 games — including a stunning victory over the Spurs. Moreover, several of the Thunders’ most recent wins have been accomplished without the services of their two leading scorers, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Indeed, Brooks has miraculously transformed OKC from a pushover to a dangerous ball club. The key word here is “miraculously.” Read more…

Bolts

Box Score

The Thunder played surprising, inspired basketball for most of three quarters before finally succumbing to the excellence of the World Champs on the road. It might have been that the Celtics didn’t really expect much of a fight from a 20-53 team, but nevertheless, they turned it on when they needed to on both sides of the ball. Judging by the Celts dominance, it was sort of like a shark with blood in the water. The crowd got going, the defense tightened and the Thunder folded, only able to score 16 points in the fourth to the Celtic’s 32.

The Thunder came out and played fairly well in the first quarter, especially after Durant went to the bench with his second foul at around 4:oo in.  The Thunder were down 7-4 at the time, but immediately went on a run without him closing out the quarter 21-13 and ending with a 5 point lead. Kyle Weaver was the key in that run, getting 4 assists and a steal and being the glue guy in the quarter. Read more…

Recap

Reading some of my favorite basketball blogs  this morning I came across this little snippet in Ballerblogger where the author references John Hollingers per diem piece from Friday. It’s a great read, I highly recommend it. I am not a big Hollinger devotee, but he is great at noticing statistical trends. In the Friday Per diem article, Hollinger makes the connection between teams that attempt a lot of three pointers, and teams that don’t, and how they respectively shake out in wins and losses.

“…the reason teams shoot more often from out there (and perhaps employ players who do it better) is a simple one: It works.  In fact, few stats correlate better with winning than 3-point attempts. If you tell me only how many 3-pointers a team has chucked up this season and provide no other information, I can tell you whether it is a winning team and be right eight times out of 10.”

“Check this out: The teams in the top 10 in 3-point attempts per field goal attempt have a combined winning percentage of .593 … and those in the bottom 10 have a combined winning percentage of .400.

That’s no accident. Three-point attempts have correlated highly with winning for the past several years.

Nine of the top 10 teams in 3-point attempts per field goal attempt also are above the league average in offensive efficiency, the lone exception being 20th-place Indiana. Similarly, only two teams , Utah and Golden State, have had below-average rates of 3-point attempts and still rank in the league’s upper half in offensive efficiency.”

Hollinger has a point there. Being as how the Thunder are dead last in three point attempts per game in the NBA, and also pretty close to the bottom of the win/loss column as well I decided to put Hollinger’s hypothesis to the test.

Thunder field goal shooting:

fga/gm=81.8
fgm/gm=36.7 (combined 2fgm+3fgm)
Points per shot (PPS)  from fg=.947 (combined 2fg+3fg)
NBA league average Points per shot=.998 Read more…

Commentary

Earlier in the week when we got taken to the woodshed by the Lakers, Royce titled the post game “Schooled”.  After tonight’s debacle game, I am fielding suggestions for a good title for the post game wrap. Any ideas? Does the picture on the left stir your imagination?

Box Score

Tonight was just a forgettable game. The Thunder jumped out to a 5-0 lead to open up, and then the bleeding started. The Raps reeled off a 15-2 run and never looked back. They had the lead from that point on, and the Thunder never really made a game of it.

Throughout the season, we’ve had plenty of losses, and after being a longsuffering Sonic fan for two decades, I’ve seen a lot of them, especially in the last 4 or 5 years. But during this new Thunder era, we’ve almost always been competitive; even when we were 3-29, most nights we were “in the game”.  That just wasn’t the case tonight.

If you told me that we would lose tonight by 16 to Toronto, my mind would have instantly jumped to turnovers. The Thunder lead the league in Turnovers (as in the most) at 16 a game. I would think the Turns did us in once again. That also just wasn’t the case. The Thunder only turned it a mere 11 times.  What did us in was extra poor shooting and getting busted on the boards. Read more…

Recap

vs.

Thunder (20-51, 6-28 road) at Toronto Raptors (26-45, 15-20 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 6:00 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 103.3 (28th), Raptors: 106.3 (23rd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.1 (20th), Raptors: 109.9 (21st)
Pace: Thunder: 93.6 (8th), Raptors: 91.5 (16th)

Get your DVR’s ready! Sweet 16, Thunder-Raptors? Sweet 16, Thunder-Raptors? Decisions, decisions. Plus you’ve got Supernanny at 8:00. I think I know where my DVR is going.

OKC’s got a chance at another season sweep in Toronto tonight, with the Thunder taking game one 91-83 against a, let’s just say less than inspired Raptor ballclub. Toronto shot 36 percent that night and looked like they took roofies at halftime. That game had maybe my favorite Thunder play of the year with Nick Collison getting on the floor and wrestling away a loose ball from Chris Bosh late in the fourth quarter which led to a Jeff Green icer.

The Raps have won two in a row and while they are one of the league’s most disappointing teams, they still have talent. For whatever reason things haven’t worked this year, but this isn’t going to be anything easy for the Thunder. Heck, when is anything ever easy for a 20-51 team? Read more…

Preview

ESPN.com (h/t Joey):

New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler is expected to sit out another one to two weeks while his sore left ankle heals. Team officials said Friday that Chandler had been fitted with a medical walking boot, which he is expected to wear anywhere from seven to 14 days. Chandler already has missed four straight games since his left ankle, which kept him out for about a month earlier this season, began to bother him again.

I know, I know. Forget about Tyson Chandler. Let’s move on. I want to as well. But when you see news like this, it’s hard not to notice. I really wish the best to Tyson, but deep down (waaaaay deep down, in the really dark place) the more I see of these types of stories, the better I feel.

News

Scott Brooks on “Twitting“: “Twitting? What is it?’” Oklahoma City interim coach Scott Brooks said the other day. “So you ‘tweet’ on Twitter? I don’t anticipate myself ever doing that. I guess I’m not around the guys in the locker room enough to see it.”

The Lost Ogle thinks we should say bye to Blake. And makes the point that Oklahoma State fans that are rooting against the Thunder winning the lottery because that means a Sooner would join the team, should stop. Is that really happening? Because that’s, uh, really stupid. Clark makes a comparison too: “As I said before, I initially bought the Boozer link and once mentioned it to Patrick. Then, Patrick came up with a much better player to view Griffin in light of: Amar’e Stoudamire. The Suns’ power forward/center is practically who Blake was cloned from. Stoudamire has the strength and the athleticism to overpower, run past or jump over any defender who has the misfortune of being assigned to him.” Fran Fraschilla agrees with you. And so do I.

Another vote for KD for Most Improved: “I still vote for Kevin Durant for most improved; making the jump from pretty good to almost great is a bigger deal to me than whoever doubled their numbers because their minutes went up significantly. The difference between champions and playoff teams is that champions are led by men who play with that attitude, that ‘I’m King of the World and I’m gonna crush you’re a@#!’ demeanor. Durant has been showing that this season, and it’s going to serve him well when he has a good team around him. Some might want to give it to Paul Milsap, but he really just got more minutes to do what he was already capable of doing. Rajon Rondo has definitely gotten better, but how much of that is due to his teammates? Devin Harris got consistent minutes and more shot opportunities, but I don’t know that he is a better player than he was a year ago. Durant has showed a real change in the quality of his performance, one that transcends minutes and shots.” Read more…

Bolts

Russell Westbrook had an interesting quote last week. He said something to the effect, “I know what I’m doing wrong and I know what I need to improve on, but with 82 games and playing every night, it’s not easy to change and learn on the fly.”

Nailed it, young fella. That’s why players get better year-to-year. They have a summer to reflect and take a breath. They can watch video, slow down and focus on details. Instead of just watching a little tape and getting an earful from a coach and then turning around and playing that night with all those thoughts running through their head, they can take time and progress naturally.

Some have been grumbling lately about Russell. He’s not a point guard. He’s a two trapped in a point guard’s body. He’s solid but he’s not the point guard of the future. He takes too many bad shots. He forces it all the time. Way too many turnovers. He’s not getting it. And on. And on. And on.

I can understand those gripes sometimes, especially when he tosses up seven and eight turnover games. I’ll admit to having headbutted my coffee table on more than one occasion when Russ forces a pass or takes a quick shot. The fact that he’s shooing 39 percent with over four turnovers a game this month is understandably frustrating.

But sometimes while we watch, it’s easy to forget what’s going on. He’s a rookie that’s never exclusively played point guard, even in college. Most didn’t think he was worthy of being the No. 4 pick. Most thought he would be a “project” or just a defensive stopper. And now look at him – possibly the Rookie of the Year and averaging 15 points, five assists and five rebounds, something not too many rookies have ever done. Seriously, that list is pretty thin – just nine other rookies have ever done it with names like LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson on it. Uh, that’s pretty good. Read more…

Commentary Russell Westbrook

Scoop Jackson has 12 things to watch in the NBA: “4. The non-trade/trade of Tyson Chandler: Either Jeff Bower is going to come off as the luckiest GM in the game or a licensed idiot. If the Hornets play themselves into “elite” conversation in the West by season’s end (and they’ve won 12 of their past 15 games) and upset either the Lakers or the Spurs in the playoffs, then Chandler’s failing his physical with Oklahoma City may be the biggest blessing-in-disguise in the NBA this season.”

The curious case of Earl Watson’s playing time: “That angle could be Watson is no longer in the plans. The Thunder came close to trading him at least once this season in a three-team deal that would have sent him to Charlotte back in January and would have brought Dallas’ Jerry Stackhouse to Oklahoma City. Watson, who is earning $6.2 million this season, would also be the team’s highest paid player next year at $6.6 million in the final year of his deal if he is not dealt this summer. A small piece of the puzzle could be that Watson is set to earn twice as much as Atkins next year and the team is evaluating whether Atkins, 34, can still be a full-time backup. Of Atkins’ $3.48 million salary for next season only $760,000 is guaranteed.” I think Darnell is on to something there.

I must say, I’m incredibly impressed by this. The best thing I could ever do on an Etch-A-Sketch was draw a box and write my name in it.

David Thorpe’s rookie watch: “Westbrook has stumbled a bit in March, making fewer than 40 percent of his shots while being on pace to take more shots than in any other month. And he’s not getting to the free-throw line nearly as often, either: He took 70 or more free throws in every month up to March (97 in February), but has just 44 attempts this month.”

I wanna be like Kevin. Russell Westbrook wore Durant’s KD1′s against the Lakers: “Against the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook laced up a white/blue colorway of the Nike KD1. Although this color scheme is not as vivid and eye catching as Durant’s OG colorway (shown after the jump), Westbrook’s KD1 is still fresh. Is it better than the OG colors of the Nike KD1?” Read more…

Bolts