Thunder at HEAT: Pregame Primer
vs. 
Oklahoma City Thunder (5-5, 3-2 road) vs. Miami Heat (7-2, 5-1 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 753)
Stream: Click Here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 6:30 CST
View from the enemy: Hot Hot Hoops
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 101.9 (25th), Heat – 105.9 (16th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 99.5 (4th), Heat – 99.2 (3rd)
Pace: Thunder – 90.9 (25th), Heat – 90.8 (26th)
Can someone tell me why the HEAT always capitalize their name? I’ve always wondered this but never wanted to ask. So I am now. Why do they shout their name at us? Anyone?
Anycrap, Oklahoma City travels to Florida for a two-game tilt in Miami and Orlando. Right on time too because the weather decided to get extremely cold here in Oklahoma. So enjoy your sun boys. This is a game last year where I watch only to hope to see a competitive team. I watch just to hope it finishes in single digits. This year, I’m not EXPECTING a win, but I’m watching because I realistically could see one.
Any game the Thunder has had a let down so far this year, they’ve responded extremely well. After a lackluster game against Portland, the Thunder took the World Champion Lakers to the brink. After playing flat in Houston, OKC came home and obliterated the Magic. After dropping a semi-bad one in Sacramento, the Thunder beat the Clippers on the road in a gritty win. So with losing a really bad one at home against the Clippers, one might assume the Thunder plays well tonight in South Beach.
THE MATCHUPS
Both teams sit in the top five in defensive efficiency, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this game is played in the 80s. It could definitely be a grind.
Once again, the Thunder will rely on Thabo Sefolosha to shut down the opposing team’s No. 1 option. And the thing is, Thabo has played some solid defense on Dwyane Wade before. So that’s encouraging. I guess Quentin Richardson will be matching up with Kevin Durant, which is definitely a good thing for the Thunder.
Michael Beasley against Jeff Green is kind of a carbon copy match with both guys playing a little out of position and possessing inside-outside qualities. And I would think Russell Westbrook would have the leg up on Mario Chalmers, though Chalmers is a very savvy defender, even for a a second year guy. However, he’s questionable for tonight’s game and if he can’t go, Carlos Arroyo is the backup. The Heat bench is basically Udonis Haslem and Daequan Cook, which isn’t to say the bench is bad, just not deep.
This is a tough back-to-back for the Thunder and I really wouldn’t expect anything more than coming back home with two losses. But if there is any way to split, this might be the better chance of the two. The Thunder matches up relatively well with Miami and plus, this will be the night OKC has fresh legs. Not saying the Heat aren’t good, but keep in mind, their seven wins are against teams a combined 19-36. Their two losses came at the hands of the Suns and Cavs. Their best win (and it’s a good one) is over the Nuggets. So I don’t know if that means anything. If anything, it means that the Thunder are exactly the type of team the Heat beat. So… yeah.
Tip at 6:30. Go THUNDER.
Does anyone know if Green is hurt or something. Coach went with Colly down the stretch. (I am happy of course)
News: Green played a season-low 22 minutes Sunday because of a sore hip, The Oklahoman reports.
Spin: Green played long enough to collect four fouls but only totaled seven points and a rebound. He injured the hip in Saturday’s game apparently. The team has three games this week, including back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Green could be limited in those games, though there’s no word on the seriousness of the injury.
How about some RW love for the next 24 hours????
I know it’s blasphemy around here, but I much prefer Collison as the starter alongside Krstic. The +/- numbers bear it out this year and last as well.
I agree 10000%.
If there is a good thing about this back-to-back, it’s they don’t have to spend a lot of time traveling, so they should get more time to rest instead of having to fly several hundred miles.
This is what happens when russell doesn’t try to be a hero and force out of control plays
Hey, if anyone wants to be a millionaire, just start betting the money line on the underdog in every single Thunder game. My word.
Not for nothing, but here’s our defense on top-level 2 guards this year:
Ben Gordon (DET): 8-20, 25 points
Brandon Roy (POR): 5-17, 16 points
Kobe Bryant (LAL): 9-22, 31 points
Manu Ginobili (SAS): 0-8, 7 points
Dwyane Wade (MIA): 6-19, 22 points
It’s obviously not the most detailed analysis, but you have to get Thabo a lot of credit and it would appear that Harden is not the liability it looked like he might be early in the season.
I’ll buy that for a dollar
See what happens when other players on the team pull their weight and Russell can just feed them the ball?
That’s not blasphemy, thats a gutsy statement grounded in truth even though it is not neccesarily the popular thing to say
I have made a career of such un-popular but true and gutsy statements
It’s the dream shake to my hakeem, the sky hook to my kareem
Outside of KD, no one pulled their weight offensively……..at all (maybe kristic did just a tad)
Wheres all the westbrook haters @ today. Its funny theres 100 posts about him when he has a bad game. And i have yet 2 see any sayin he played a solid game tonite. I think The Don should be required to write a 500 word essay on the game Westbrook played tonite b4 posting again. Haha
First of all, don’t rely too much on +/-
Second, Collison split his time between the 5 and 4, playing much of his time against Miami’s back up bigs.
And let’s not forget that with the exception of the last two games, Green has been playing some outstanding ball.
@The DON
And Collison and Thomas made shots that they both missed the other night…
But it doesn’t really matter what anyone else says… if Russ has a bad night, you bury him. If he plays essentially the same type of game by shooting the ball with frequency, you just say he played more to your style…. it’s just silly
@B-RY
Fist of all dont tell me what to do. < that is a joke.
Second, Krstic and collison play better together than Green and anyone else at center. It is just an observation though.
@B-RY
And by the way, I love Westbrook.
Oh great, now we are going to have to read a 500 word essay on how Westbrook took some pointers from the DON
I want to re-post this from f5alcon in the bolts today
“If wade scores 30+ we will probably lose, thabo/harden need to hold him to under 30, preferably to under 25, he is a slasher so if they can stay in front of him and force him to shoot outside much better chance. Green also needs to outplay beasley, if those 2 things happen its a winnable game.”
I got in my car tonight and flipped on the the animal and Traber says “If we can keep Wade to 25 or less then I think we win, if he goes over 30 then we loose”
What I am saying is “things that make you go hmmmm…”
@Blake
So because he plays well today I am disqualified from acknowledging when he does bad?
And when he plays well like he did today i am disqualified from acknowledging it because i have the guts to acknowledge when he plays terrible?
Great game tonight. Thunder had too many match up problems for the Heat.
@Warren
I here ya… I think I just saw DON’s name and automatically got irritated… j/k
don’t you provoke me into dropping a dissertation on westbrook young man…….do you REALLY want to subject yourself to that?
@The DON
No… that was precisely my point
You guys are killing me around here. lol
@B-RY
I know what your saying. It is hard to tell when I am kidding if you can’t hear the tone of my keyboard keys.
BTW, is there ANY doubt about me being the pound-for-pound greatest and most influential poster on this site?
I have literally lost count of how many times i have been referenced here. I am becoming a hotter topic than the Thunder. And although I do suffer from narcissism, i have to humble myself and request that we shift our focus from me and onto where it belongs: the mighty glorious Thunder
great win !!!
i had the thunder in a multi bet to win 1k total for $20 – let down by the davis/dunleavy combo!!!!!
@The DON
AIDS is talked about alot, but it does not mean that is is anything good. I am just saying….
Green needs to be more physical when he’s in the game. I think at times he sees how easy Durant makes things look and he tries to play that way. He doesn’t need to shoot the contested fall aways. He’s not playing as physical as he was earlier in the year. May be related to his injured hip.
Dwyane Wade had 7 turnovers? The Heat need to ditch him fast and pickup CP3.
I kid I kid.
I was unable to keep up with the game tonight. I got in my car just as the postgame show was starting and was quite pleasantly surprised to hear we won. Good game tonight, guys.
There is a difference between “influential” and “loud,” but whatever helps you sleep at night.
As far as I am concerned you have ruined this forum.
I really think (see: hope) that he’s just feeling his minutes per game and nursing that hip.
Need I remind you guys what kerosene does to a fire!!
@The DON
i just think its funny that u overreact when he has a bad game yet dont say anything when he does good until somebody calls u out.
@Warren
You do realize that being compared to AIDS is the sweetest thing said about me on this site in recent memory?
You take that back this instant!
Back a while ago I read that it takes, on average, a point guard 4 years to get accustomed to the league. From what I see, Westbrook does more things right than wrong. Sure, some of the things he does wrong are infuriating, but that is just learning.
In fact, to me that is this whole team, learning to play together. Think back to August and what you would have thought if I told you that with this wicked early schedule that we would be 6-5 with more road wins than home wins and three wins against playoff teams. How many would have said I was smoking crack?
Yes we may need a more dominant big man, but I don’t think we sell the farm to try to win a championship this year. After seeing the deals for Sefolosha, the Harden pick, the Westbrook pick, and all of the other things that Presti has done, I am firmly in the camp of “In Presti we trust”
I would rather wait till 2011 to get to the playoffs than ruin the dynamics that I saw tonight. For those who say we should have won the Clipper’s game and the Sac game. I agree! But I would rather loose those and win the ones against San Antonio, Orlando, HEAT (for you Royce), and taking LAL to overtime, than to just be beating LAC.
Just my 2 cents…
@B-RY
I too hope it’s just the hip. He was making me look bad earlier when I said we need to use him in a trade to upgrade the frontcourt, and I couldn’t have been happier. Green needs to be ready to body up his man consistently and really take it to his man with his versatility. He did that in the beginning of the year (ironically while Durant struggled), and I really hope he can do it for the rest of the year when healthy.
Honestly the only thing this team needs to work on hard is consistency. We can’t follow every big game with a letdown, nor hope every bad loss spurs us on the playing better. Play your best every game, regardless of the opponent or previous game result.
I just heard this. Thabo is not the sniper, but rather a Dementor because he suck the life out of the shooting guard…
I like it!
Im still out on harden, he needs to start being more of an offensive threat, i also think green should be coming off the bench with collison starting next to kristic. we need the inside – outside that having those two starting and thomas – green off bench would give us.
I think the lack of a consistent third scorer is a major problem for us though, some instant offense off the bench would be good.
stackhouse off the bench would be awesome. he’s available.
Lol, is there still a chance that the suns lose a bunch of games, so we
can still get a good pick in the lottery. B/c they are killing in the
west.
man what a game!! i only got to watch the last 7 minutes but we played well… love when The Don gets proved wrong