Thunder at Spurs: Pregame Primer
vs. 
Oklahoma City Thunder (4-4, 2-2 road) at San Antonio Spurs (4-3, 4-0 home)
TV: KSBI-HD (Cox 15, HD 715, Tulsa Cox 3)
Stream: Click Here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:30 CST
View from the enemy: 48 Minutes of Hell
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 101.0 (22nd), Spurs – 113.2 (3rd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 97.3 (3rd), Spurs – 110.2 (25th)
Pace: Thunder – 90.6 (25th), Spurs – 90.5 (26th)
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.
But here’s what’s encouraging: The Thunder can play the Spurs game. The Thunder is ready and willing to play an ugly, defensive game where points don’t come easy. In fact, OKC may be better equipped because of some of the injury concerns with the Spurs. And if you look, OKC is actually statistically far and away better defensively than San Antonio. The Spurs have been great offensively and poor on the other end. OKC has been the exact opposite, efficiency wise. Interesting.
THE MATCHUPS
Both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are listed as questionable. So who knows what’s going to happen there. Regardless, the Spurs are a good team even without them. The addition of Richard Jefferson has been so huge because he gives an added scoring dimension. We’ve all been impressed by Kevin Durant’s improved defense, but this is probably the best offensive guy he’s had to go against.
I like the shooting guard matchup because it’s defender versus defender. It actually wouldn’t shock me if Thabo guarded Jefferson and Durant matched up against Bogans. If Duncan doesn’t play, DeJuan Blair will likely start so I’m really interested how Jeff Green plays against the undersized, physical Blair.
Russell Westbrook will have George Hill on him which won’t be easy because Hill is an athletic defender. I’m sure Russ is looking to rebound after a poor showing in Los Angeles. Two of Westbrook’s best games last year were against San Antonio.
So much of this game will depend on balanced scoring from the Spurs with Manu Ginobili leading the way. The Spurs are 4-0 this season at home and are never easy to beat at the AT&T Center. Even without Duncan and Parker, the Spurs are still a solid team and this won’t be easy. So I honestly don’t know what to expect.
Tip at 7:30. Go Thunders.
Thabo won’t start on Ginobli?
is manu even starting at the moment?
Manu didn’t start against Dallas, so I’m assuming he’ll come off the bench.
I’m hoping to get this win and Russ can get the bad taste outta our mouths with some stellar play.
Fan House has a report that the Hornets are offering Okafor to Sacramento in exchange for Kenny Thomas’ expiring contract. NOOOOOOOOOO! If there is a shred of truth this, Presti needs to get on the phone and dangle Etan, Mullins, and a draft pick or two in front of Bower. No physicals required.
I don’t know what to expect out of this game either. But one very simple thing that I think will be a litmus test is the 3 point shot. If SA can hit their open 3′s tonight, I bet we lose. If they shoot 20% or less from 3, we win. We’re not that good a road team yet, so it depends on which defense shows up; the one that played Houston, or the one that played Orlando.
I bet Popovich is ready to pull his hair out and or jump off a cliff when he looks at the stats and sees that his team is allowing opponents to shoot 46.7% from the field (21st) and 36.4% from deep (18th). Not to mention 110 defensive rating and 50% efg….
I bet his assistant coaches are on a Popovich suicide watch.,
I cannot believe that they are essentially trying to give away a very effective starting quality/defensive minded/borderline all star level Center for throwaway trash. Unbelievable. I know he’s got a big contract, but he would be very nice in our frontcourt. Etan Thomas is a 7.3 Mil expiring contract and it’s a possibility that Nenad won’t be back next year since he has a player option (though he likely will be back because nobody will offer him more than 5.8 for next season and beyond). We are one of the few teams that can afford him.
@Joe
Man… I hope that trade doesn’t happen at Sac… it would make them instantly better than the Thunder. I don’t like it all.
If it’s true that they are shopping for expiring contracts, then Presti needs to get busy.
isn’t okafor in the second year of a six-year, $72 million (!) dollar deal? he’s pretty good (14 ppg, 10 rpg), but not 72 milli good…
@donuteyes I’m not sure of the specifics, but he’s still owed over 50 mil for sure. Big bucks when KD, Green and Westbrook have to be paid also down the road. But, and this is a big but, Presti was willing at one point to take on Chandler’s contract, so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Does anyone know what time the game should be over by?
My band is playing at Belle Isle Brewery from 10-2 and I want to watch the whole game before going… I don’t think that’s going to happen…
with that suit and that hair, matt pinto looks as if he might have a strong pimp-hand…
Okafor sucks and he’s got a 5-year contract. I don’t want any part of that.
at the game watching the Thunder warm up
Not sure I’d take Okafor with his contract. Brendan Haywood could be had for much less in the offseason and he’s probably almost as good.
Pretty entertaining first quarter so far.
Who just saw that dunk Harden just did? That was just rude lol.
Not a lot of comments this game.. surprising
I think alot of people are watching college football right now. that might be why there arent many comments. i left the OU game early so i could catch this game. I think the Thunder have passed Sooner football as my fav team to follow.
Anyone trying to watch the game on the atdhe stream? The link gives me the Bucks game and not the Thunder. I’d like to watch the 4th quarter…
Westbrook with 10 assist and ZERO…0 turnovers. Excuse me from the coach while I go change my underwear.
@Casey, amazing!
*couch
3 Min and change to go. I really want a W, but I will still be happy regardless with the effort.
How big are those two missed free throws now?
YYYYEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Whooooo!!
Four missed free throws at the end made it much closer than it should have been, but a 101-98 win feels great!
fellas…we just handed the mighty Spurs their 1st loss at home this season! Great defense all around. I guess Traber might retract some of the RW not being a legit PG.(I will, as well!)
Nice win against a full strength Spurs team.. RW took care of the ball and the guys started making shots for him hence the assist totals. I think the zero turnovers is more impressive than the 11 assists.
KD had an off night shooting again, it’s good to see a quality win without his best game.
Jeff Green was fantastic on both ends, incredible defense from him today.
I still have no faith in this bench, starters played way too many minutes (41 minuets for Thabo? really?). They are going to be gassed for LAC tomorrow..
To me, there is a list of untouchables at this point:
Durant
Westbrook
Green
Sefolosha
Collison
Harden
Thomas
Krstic
Those who are on the bubble
Ibaka
Weaver
White
Ollie
At this point 5&4 unless you can bring in a single player that can guarantee to get you to 48+ wins, it is not worth breaking the chemistry.
Not at all. Ten games into the season we are only out done by Phoenix, Lakers, Portland, Denver and Dallas. Before any trade ask why? Is is worth it.
When when fermenting a cheese, creating a wine, or when brewing a beer, it takes time. You cannot rush it. If we do not get another player this season and we continue to be around 500, that’s good with me. that would be over 40 wins.
If you are still not convinced, can I say one word….Hornets!
They screwed up.
As Jax Raging Bile Duct saith: “If SA can hit their open 3′s tonight, I bet we lose. If they shoot 20% or less from 3, we win.”
They shot 16.7% (3 of 18). I believe the proper response is “Good call.”
Just got back from the Bobcats-Blazers game. It’s a good thing the Chandler trade got rescinded. He looks like a shell of his former self.
This Okafor thing is very puzzling. I guess New Orleans figured that they would give it one more shot this year before rebuilding, and when CP3 went down, they decided to throw in the towel. If this trade with the Kings for Kenny Thomas straight up goes through, we could possibly benefit from it indirectly. If Okafor goes to Sacto, Spencer Hawes would probably become available.
The only player on the roster who is untouchable is Kevin Durant, and maybe Russell Westbrook. I don’t think Sam Presti would trade Jeff Green, but I can’t imagine them turning down a trade for a legitimate power forward on his account.
Nick Collison and Etan Thomas are both very tradable considering they are expirings. If for some (unlikely) reason Sam Presti chose to pursue a trade for a center or power forward it’s likely one or both of them would be involved. Again, I don’t think that is likely considering how conservative Presti has been.
James Harden probably won’t be traded since rookies are rarely traded. Sefolosha was just extended so that’s unlikely too.
As long as the team continues to show improvement there probably won’t be any significant trades, but they should not rob themselves of any opportunities to upgrade at either C or PF .. probably unlikely that happens this year with the draft picks and free agency, but you never know.
5th win last year: Jan 6
3rd road win last year: Jan 21
Over .500 after 9 games: Priceless
I bet Spurs fans are really starting to hate the Thunder. We’re not even good enough to be considered a rival. We’re a gimme, but we never do.
@Floppy Punch!
Words to the effect of “Will we ever beat this team again?”
You should read some of the comments on the ESPN conversations page…
man i really wish The Don was here so i can tell him i told you so…
Hat tip sir.
Russell played his ass off. Good comeback game for him. Loved the effort all around. I love to watch this team play defense when they’re really into it.
What are the odds that 1/3 of our games to this point end up with the score of 101-98?
Convinced my family that we really should stop watching OU and devote our full attention to the Thunder. They were resistant, but the Thunder bowled them over. What a great game!!!
Meaning no disrespect, that is just stupid talking! If we were to trade (pick some group of players, picks, and cash) for Lebron (or Kobe) , do you honestly think we could win a championship with the rest of the team? This is as much a part of personal commitment and team work as it is of skill.
To me this is building like San Antonio to where you can win multiple championships over time. There is no magic bullet. It has to be taken the long way.
If you got rid of a core player (see untouchable0 there would be so much disarray and anger that would be like….New Orleans, Memphis, or any number of teams that try to buy players and only find out it hurts them. Players then become to think am I next? Why should I try?
Then you end up at 3 and 7.
Amen!
The post game recap is up. Thanks for being here!
@Taz-Maniac
Trading is part of the game; if there’s any players on the team that are bothered by trades I wouldn’t want them on the team anyway.
Look at LAL, BOS, CLE, ORL, pretty much every successful organization in the NBA aside from possibly the Spurs (although they just traded for Richard Jefferson) have made significant trades in an attempt to upgrade the roster. Obviously, you do not trade your best player(s) if you are looking to upgrade because you don’t get value. But Nick Collison, Etan Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha, these guys are tradable assets with some sort of value that might get back more than their worth on the court.
It’s really unlikely that a team can just build up to a contender solely through the draft and free agency. You have to use trades smartly to upgrade at positions when possible. The Thunder are thin up front, but strong on the wings. If it’s possible to upgrade the front court significantly by sacrificing some strength on the wings it is a no brainer.
I understand that, but it has to be a smart trade and not just throwing money because someone is available. It needs to be someone who is a fit with the team.
My point here, is that these guys are developing chemistry. Let it develop and see what happens before trying to trade. Once you get the chemistry down, it will be much easier to find and plug in an individual and less likely that the new player will disrupt that chemistry.
@Joe
I was shocked to read they were even discussing a dump of Okafor’s salary, and if they do, they will seriously piss off their two all-stars by throwing in the towell on this season. That said, their crappy start is going to get even crappier with CP3 out for the next month. I sincerely doubt NO can make the play-offs this year after spotting the rest of the west the months of NOV and DEC. Shinn saying “screw-this, I anin’t paying luxury tax to not even make the play-offs” makes sense, and they don’t have any significant movable contracts other than CP3, D-West and Okafor. If they do pull the trigger on something like this, I really hope recinding the Chandler didn’t sour them on dealing with Presti. Okafor would be exactly the kind of long-term, low-post presence we are looking for. We have one of the lowest pay-rolls in the league. Even with the expense of re-signing KD, Green and Westbrook, we can certainly add a 12 mill per cornerstone to the roster. Presti should be making them an offer too good to pass up, unless ownership IS trying to run the club on the cheap and the real reason for passing on Chandler was $ and not health concerns.
@Taz-Maniac
10 points+, 10 rebounds, 1.9 blocks per year in, year out. What part of that stat-line is spooking you off of Okafor? Thomas has done some decent work, but his age and health make him a short-term contributer on this team at best. Trust me, when he is snagging his 10 boards and swatting 2 blocks on a regular basis, the rest of the team will like him just fine.
@Steve H
Emeka Okafor has a gigantic contract that would probably put a hamper on the team’s ability to extend Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant while also being able to put good players around them. The difference between Okafor and, say, Joel Przbilla or Brendan Haywood (free agents next year) isn’t big enough to justify what would probably amount to double the salary.
So long as the team is improving it’s probably in OKC’s best interest to wait until the offseason and draft to address the center position. We’ll have a much better idea where the roster stands at that point.
@justin
I don’t really see Portland letting Przbilla go, and I think the 4 boards per night career numbers difference between Okafor and both proposed players is a pretty significant difference. The fact that Okafor is 27 and haywood and Przbilla are 30 yoa is also pretty significant for such a young team building with a long term plan. While I agree that Okafor’s contract would preclude adding any pricey new pieces- adding Okafor shores up the last remaining roster gap in my opinion. As the NBA team sitting dead last in team salary, we should certainly be able to retain the rest of our roster without straying into the tax penalty. Okafor ain’t cheap, but he is not a max contract.
@justin
I’m pretty sure we have disagreed about this in the, but I have absolutely zero confidence in our ability to add a quality center through the draft. Wish I had a cite for this, but I recently read an article at espn.com addressing how hard it is to do. Big men take longer to develop in the NBA, and if you have a center prospect who looks like a sure thing, you can count on him going earlier in the draft than we will be picking for some time to come. Swift, Petro and Sene all looked good on paper, and all amounted to squandered first-round picks. I didn’t have a real problem with taking Mullens last year, but seriously doubt he will merit playing time for a couple of years- if ever. I would hate to see our ownership refuse to address this team need simply because they are cheap. THAT is a long term recipe for failure. If we can add a known quantity that gives us rebounding and defense inside without moving us into tax penalty country, we should do it.