Everybody had visions of going to San Antonio 5-3. It would have been a really nice buffer. That way you know you’re coming home at least a game over .500. Now, at 4-4, Oklahoma City has got to win in San Antonio to achieve that. Just not the position we wanted to be in. Read more…
(Morning Daily Thunder patrons. Thanks for your support. Keep it real.)
It’s a big game in San Antonio for the Thunder tonight and I’m sure most folks feel a bit uneasy about it. Well, remember last year? Oklahoma City had the Spurs’ number late in the year. I think most can agree this was the best win in the Scott Brooks era and potentially one that really turned it around for this group. It proved to not just fans, but to the team, that they could compete with the class of the West. So let this serve as a little pumper-upper for tonight.
I know, I know. Some weekly podcast. Well things got weird. I had guests but then it didn’t happen. So things are pushed back there. The life of a semi-unimportant blogger. Sigh.
But in the meantime, here’s some sounds of me talking to hold you over. I’m very excited about my guest today, even though it’s unlikely you will be. Today, we talk about:
My best friend, Jim Traber, and what his big freaking problem is.
The debate saying Russell Westbrook is NOT a real point guard and never will be.
Favorite Thunder players
The Thunder’s 4-4 start and what lies ahead for the next two weeks.
So let the sweet sounds of my possibly annoying raspy voice hold you over until next time. And I don’t plan on getting in a pissing match with The Ultimate, so hopefully this can kind of be my addressing of the matter. It’s all just very silly.
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The podcast returns later today. Have no fear lionhearted friends. You will soon hear my voice again.
Here we go again (@jimtraber says): “The pathetic Bill Simmons was at it again. He must nave pictures of someone at espn. He knows nothing about sports, and thinks he’s funny … Hey Bill… You work for GQ?? Iv’e seen you, and you need to stop dogging others looks, and clothes. Pathetic!! … You knew little dailythunder would come to the rescue. A dude who blogs on a sports he thinks he knows.LOL!! … dailythunder doesn’t listen to what I say, but he sure does listen everyday. I wouldn’t listen to someone I thin is so clueless. Nice life … OHHH, got me there nerd boy!! I guess little thunder boy is sending this to his idol, Simmons. Wow, thats scary.“ Traber LOLs. Now that’s scary.
Kevin Durant, doing cool things via Twitter: “Ok ima have a lil trivia question…1st person to answer it right ima send u a nike package…4 pairs of shoes and some hoodies n all dat … Jus gave out like 20 pairs of shoes to some of my tweet fam..now im goin 2 gamestop..ima give summore out tonight to the biggest thunder fan.” Read more…
It was a bipolar week featuring the Thunder’s best performance of the season, and followed immediately by their most embarrassing loss to date. As a result, the article trying to make sense of this team that I had planned isn’t going to happen because I am having trouble figuring them out. So, instead, enjoy a bunch of random thoughts I’ve had this past week that couldn’t merit an article on their own:
Has anyone noticed the Suns are 8 – 1. What happened to blowing that team up? There goes the significance of the pick we’re owed from them being “unprotected.”
During my senior year in high school, my school beat the Booker T. Washington Hornets who featured Etan “Derrick” Thomas, Ryan Humphrey (who was also an NBA first round pick), and B.J. Tiger (who started at QB for OSU briefly–before getting busted for selling pot) in the Tournament of Champions in Tulsa. I was not on the team.
Who wants to design a T-shirt fans can wear to the game that shames Nick Collison into growing the “Absolute Value Stache?” Read more…
A big happy birthday to Russell Westbrook who is 21 today. Put a little alcohol in that fruity drink tonight.
Really great stuff from Darnell Mayberry on last night’s game: ”Statistically, Durant has had more impressive showings. His line Wednesday — 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists — won’t wow you because it’s what we’ve come to expect of Durant. On numbers alone, this wasn’t even Durant’s best night in Staples Center. He poured in career-highs of 46 points and 15 rebounds against the Clippers last January, getting to the foul line 26 times and swishing 24 freebies. Both the attempts and the makes from the stripe stand as franchise records. But this game wasn’t about numbers. It was about winning, which the Thunder failed to do against a short-handed Clippers team last winter despite Durant’s career night. It was about the mega-talented Durant, maybe for the first time, coming to the realization that he is capable of doing whatever he needs to do on the court to lead his teammates to victory. Read more…
Let’s just start with this: You know how many points the Clippers had in the fourth quarter? Ten. Ten points.
The Thunder cranked up the defense and the effort late to lock away a nice road win against the Clippers, 83-79 in a game that wasn’t pretty. And the Thunder’s won ugly a couple times this year. Which I think is huge because when you can win games like this – come from behind, make key plays down the stretch and finish – it goes a long way in the final standings. You can say it all the time but this is a game OKC loses last year. But this time, they finish the deal.
One thing that has to be gotten out of the way: Oklahoma City trailed by seven late in the third when Russell Westbrook got stepped on and had to leave the game. The Thunder promptly went on an 18-6 run to take the lead about halfway through the third. I don’t think it was so much Kevin Ollie (though he did have 11 points and five rebounds) as it was James Harden (seven points, eight assists, five rebounds). Harden took over the role as playmaker and set up a bunch of good looks and scored a little himself. Games like this show exactly why he’s the fit for this team. Fear the Beard.
But let’s be honest, Westbrook was out of control. He was 1-11 from the floor and had just three assists in 22 minutes. Ollie really steadied the offense. It seemed like Westbrook started pressing when things weren’t going right and he desperately wanted to make a play and he couldn’t get it going. I feel like he’s taking two steps forward, one and a three-fourths back every other night. He’ll get there but there will have to be nights like this. Read more…
Oh boy! It’s Oklahoma native Blake Griffin against his hometown! What a matchup! The anticip– what’s that? Oh.
The Clippers had won three straight, but got absolutely waxed by New Orleans Monday night. Their three wins: Memphis, Golden State, Minnesota. Combined record: 4-18. Probably the most impressive game the Clips have had was a two-point loss to Phoenix. Other than that, they really haven’t been competitive in their other losses. And after the way Oklahoma City played in a “should win” game last night, it would make sense for the Thunder to come out excited and with something to prove. We had visions of two straight on the road, but honestly a split is a step forward from last year. Read more…
Happy Veterans Day! Much thanks to all those out there serving in our armed forces. Go USA.
BDL, Behind the Box Score: ”A competitive game, I’ll give it that. Not the easiest watch, because these teams are just so young. 71 free throws in the contest, divided almost sharply down the middle by both sides in terms of attempts, and so many mistakes. Not the most turnover-prone outing, mind you. It was a normally-paced game with 36 combined miscues, but just too much the usual “I don’t think that’s the shot the [team name] want at this point,” combined with physical play.”
Basketbawful: “After looking surprisingly decent recently, the Thunder lost a heartbreaker to the lowly Sacramento Kings, bricking a last second three for a 101-98 road loss. The Thunder only shot 39% from the field, led by Kevin Durant’s 9-for-23 effort in a 37 point night that included 18 foul shots, all of which he sank. This game was, as Chris put it, “not particularly memorable.” Mediocrity between two underperforming teams usually isn’t the most exciting thing to watch. The only moment that really stood out for Chris was “Durant giving up the rock immediately after regaining possession in the wake of the Kings blocking a Thunder shot.” Okay, I can see why that moment stood out.” Read more…
For some reason, something didn’t feel right heading into this game. Maybe it was because the Thunder was coming off a cakewalk against Orlando. Maybe it’s because it was on the road. Or maybe it was because the Kings have been playing better. Whatever it was, it just didn’t feel like a lock. Really, at this point, nothing does for this team.
Regardless of playing a pretty poo poo game, Oklahoma City had a shot to tie it in the end, with a Kevin Durant 3 falling short as the Thunder (3-4) lost 101-98 to Sacramento (4-4). It looks like a bad loss and in some ways it is. The Thunder was outrebounded by 15. At one point missed nine straight shots and went seven-plus minutes without a bucket. Shot under 40 percent. Missed a couple key free throws. And Tyreke Evans banked in a lucky jumper that basically broke OKC’s back. One of those nights.
Sure, they’re better. That much is clear. But we can’t forget this is a group with an average age of 24 and these nights are going to happen. If you expected a team that was going to be focused 82 nights and never lose to teams it shouldn’t, well, then you were expecting too much. The Thunder are a good team. They really are. But they aren’t ready to hit it every single night and win everything they should. Just aren’t. Read more…
After starting 0-3 and one of those losses at the hands of the Thunder, the Kings are trying to win a third straight tonight. Granted, the last win was against the lowly Warriors, but winning in Salt Lake City is nothing to dismiss. The Kings are improving and are already a better team than what Oklahoma City saw opening night.
And now there’s no Kevin Martin, the only reason Sacramento was even remotely close in the first meeting. And you know what? That scares me. Read more…
Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, forward Jeff Green and guard Russell Westbrook all appeared on the 2010 NBA All-Star Ballot that was unveiled today during a special tip-off event in Dallas, the Official Host City of NBA All-Star 2010.
There are several ways Thunder fans can cast their votes for Durant, Green and Westbrook. Voting will take place at all Thunder home contests at the Ford Center beginning this Sunday, November 15 vs. L.A. Clippers all the way through Oklahoma City’s matchup with Indiana on January 9. The Thunder trio can also be voted in via online balloting at thunder.nba.com which begins immediately and will conclude on January 18.
For the first time in balloting history, fans can vote for All-Stars any time by texting a player’s last name to 6-9-6-2-2 (“MYNBA”), via Web2Go® on T-Mobile phones or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. Fans can cast one SMS vote per day, per phone number.
Votevotevotevote. Or you know what happens to you. KD can already probably punch his ticket, but it would be nice to get a second player there. Rise together (see what I did there?) and let’s get our players to Dallas.
John Hollinger has come out with Future Power Rankings where he basically has a formula to predict the heirarchy of power in the league in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Thunder are sitting fourth (Insider): “One area in which they didn’t fare as well, however, was in the market category. Oklahoma City is the smallest NBA market and plagued by some wild weather, two factors that combine to put it well off the radar for most prospective free agents. But there’s hope: The Thunder have an excited fan base, and Oklahoma City might look like a pretty good destination if the Thunder start winning big.”
More on Jeff Green’s improvement: “At any rate, as you scan down the list at #18 in the league is Jeff Green. He has a defensive rating of 96. That means for every 100 hundred possessions he’s surrendering 96 points. If we narrow the search to only include forwards, he jumps to #10 in the league. If we limit it to just the PF spot, he jumps to #6 in the league. At any rate, the point is to illustrate how valuable Jeff Green is to the Thunder, particularly on defense.”
Etan Thomas, blogging for HoopsHype: “Why does the NBA, an almost 80 percent African-American league, constantly uses terms that reference slavery? Why are the CEO’s of the teams called owners? Why do they use the term “property” of a certain team when referring to a player’s employment? Why is the term trading block utilized? Why all the references to slavery, and why hasn’t anyone up until this point objected to this?”
With the Thunder’s encouraging 3-3 start it seems like most of the buzz is on the team’s new found defensive identity. I still find it stunning that Coach Brooks has made such a huge turnaround in team defense from last year with virtually the same working roster that was in use at the end of last season. We have the same starters and quite a few of the same supporting cast as well. Yet both units are putting the stops on the opponent this year. It’s great to watch.
Last season’s team allowed opponents to rock and roll at about 109 points per 100 possessions, which was good enough (or bad enough depending on whether your glass is half empty or half full) for 20th in the league. Depending on the pace or speed with which a team plays, there are usually just a few less than 100 possessions in a game. Of the 10 teams that had a worse defensive rating than the Thunder to end the season, not a one of them made the playoffs, and only the Phoenix Suns had at least a .500 record. Put another way, last year’s Thunder allowed 103.1 points per game, which ranked 22nd in the league, and the 8 teams that were worse were stinky and watched on TV during the playoffs.
This year the Thunder are holding the opponent to just 97.2 points per 100 possessions, good for 4th best in the league at this time! Let that soak in for a second. Better than teams like Cleveland, Dallas and the Lakers…(and Orlando). We are also 4th in points allowed per game at 89.2. The turnaround has been nothing short of amazing and coach Brooks deserves a ton of credit. Read more…
vs. 
With the Thunder’s encouraging 3-3 start it seems like most of the buzz is on the team’s new found defensive identity. I still find it stunning that Coach Brooks has made such a huge turnaround in team defense from last year with virtually the same working roster that was in use at the end of last season. We have the same starters and quite a few of the same supporting cast as well. Yet both units are putting the stops on the opponent this year. It’s great to watch.
