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“Blame is just a lazy person’s way of making sense of chaos” - Doug Copland

(AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

I recently have been installing shelves in my garage to help better organize the general mess that a self-admitting pack-rat can accumulate. They are fairly easy to install, nail in the support beams that run at a 45 degree angle into a stud, screw in the bracket clips above the support team so that the shelves are held in place by the clip and given structural integrity by the beams. Of course, as I pondered what explicative I should refrain from screaming into the heavens while squeezing my pulsating thumb, I would not have agreed with my own assessment. So as the evil (and yes, I believe inanimate objects sometimes earn these types of adjectives) hammer dropped to the ground and I stood at the shelf, grumbling some amalgamation of agitated words and grunts, I began to ponder who is truly at fault for the Thunder’s offensive woes.

Don’t be surprised, a lot of things in life lead me back to the Thunder…in fact, if you’re here at this site reading this, I really don’t feel a need to explain it to you because, well, you’re here. You understand perfectly.

But as I stared at the shelf, the hammer and my ever swelling thumb, I began to wonder about what is the real reason the Thunder struggle so badly on offense. The shelves that required the use of a hammer…the moron holding his thumb because he couldn’t execute the hammer swing correctly…both of those things led me to ask a question I’m sure we all want an answer for regarding the offensives woes: Who’s more to blame, the offensive scheme OR the players? Read more…

Commentary

The 66ers had a fairly nice week, going 2-1 with two wins over Rio Grande Valley. They also made a roster move, trading for leaper Deron Washington, in a deal that sent Keith Clark to the L.A. Defenders.

Sunday: Tulsa lost in Maine against the Red Claws, 87-82. The 66ers were outscored 26-12 in the third and 21-13 in the fourth (47-25 for the half) after leading 57-40 at the half. Mustafa Shakur had 21 points and seven assists, Byron Mullens 19 points and six rebounds and three blocks and Larry Owens added 16.

Friday: Four players combined for 83 of Tulsa’s 108 points as the Sixers rolled Rio Grande Valley 108-90 at home. Moses Ehambe had 18, Shakur 16 points and eight assists, Cecil Brown 22 and Owens 27. In his first game, Deron Washington scored just one point in 18 minutes of run. Latavious Williams led Tulsa on the boards pulling down eight. Byron Mullens did not play as he was rehabbing a minor ankle injury.

Saturday: The 66ers improved to 6-5 with a sweep of the Vipers, who came in at 6-1 before taking on the Sixers. This one went to overtime, as Tulsa clawed back from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit, outscoring the Vipers 22-11 in the final frame to force OT. Shakur had 13 points, six assists, Larry Owens 19, Washington 11, DeVon Hardin (who was released and then re-signed) had seven points and 10 boards. Latavious Williams scored six and had seven rebounds. Mullens did not play.

News Tulsa 66ers

BOX SCORE

Oklahoma City lost to a good Houston Rocket team 95-90 on the road tonight to drop to 13-13. At one point the Thunder was down 17, but they fought and clawed back to get it to one at one point. Honestly, it was a pretty good game. Especially coming off a a tough game the night before.

But I felt serious frustration in the third quarter. Like the kind of frustration where you’re moving things out of arms reach because one more missed jumper, one more defensive breakdown and something is getting thrown. Missed shots, lazy defense, bad rebounding. I don’t care if you’re tired and flat, there’s no excuse to forgo effort. I was planning on writing a scathing, upset recap just blasting the lack of effort. No excuse for it. You may get beat, but don’t give up. Play with some pride.

And they did exactly that. The last three minutes of the third were going to be the most important of the game. If the Thunder could get it to single-digits, they might have a chance. They did exactly that, cutting the Rocket lead to nine heading into the money period. They came out in the fourth with good energy. They fought. They clawed. They played the way they should have the first 34 minutes. It all culminated to Oklahoma City having a legitimate shot to win this game. Really, a game they didn’t have any business being in.

Regardless, I was still frustrated by the final buzzer. Here are 10 things about this game that made me want to pile drive an infant: Read more…

Recap Houston Rockets

 vs.

OKC Thunder (13-12, 6-5 road) vs. Houston Rockets (15-11, 6-4 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: 7:30 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder – 105.4 (21st), Rockets – 107.6 (15th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.9 (7th), Rockets – 105.9 (15th)
Pace: Thunder – 91.9 (21tst), Rockets – 93.6 (10th)

View from the enemy: Red 94

And so it begins. The tough three-game roadie I’ve been talking about far too much over the last week is finally here. It starts with a trip to Houston, less than 24 hours after winning a big game at home against Detroit.

Honestly, I’d be entirely shocked to see the Thunder come out with good energy and effort tonight. Last night’s win against the Pistons was a little emotional because it was important. The team knew it. The crowd knew it. And with a big fourth quarter, OKC surged (more like SERGED amirite?) to a big win. Read more…

Preview Houston Rockets

(Good morning Thunderers. Thanks for your support of Daily Thunder. Most of the t-shirts have been re-stocked and are ready for your money to be thrown at them. Buy ‘em up.)

This is part of a new little campaign Nike is running, but I really dig this interview with KD. I love this quote from Durant: “As a team, I just want us to get better each and every day. And win. We’ve been taking losing for two years. I think that each and every game, like I said, we try to get better, but this year we want to win every game we play. That’s the mindset I think I’m coming in with and as the leader of this team, I think all the guys are going to follow. So if I come back with that, I think we’ll be alright.”

You can just feel KD’s hunger to win and be the best he can be. I’m sure it’s contagious. These are the type of things that really hammer home the idea that he can take this team to great places. I think he’s the type of leader that lift his teammates to higher places. Which is what it takes to be great in this league, both as an individual and a team.

Video Kevin Durant

A most excellent team effort tonight taking care of the home court against a team with a lesser record. That’s what this team needs to do: beat the lesser teams and pick off a few of the elite teams when everything goes just right.

Box Score

This was a pretty even victory in that it wasn’t the Kevin Durant show and a cameo by everyone else like we’ve seen more than a few times. Tonight we had six Thunder players with double figures scoring including Serge with a new career high of 12 points in 23 minutes.

In fact, to me the real story of the game was the second unit and not the first. The lineup of Livingston, Harden, Green (OK, he’s a starter) Ibaka and Collison was absolutely the linchpin for this victory. On that second unit in the fourth quarter they played some great basketball on both sides of the ball.  Harden had 10 and Ibaka had 6, which accounts for half of the scoring for the entire team in the  quarter.

It’s nice to see our top draft pick find his place and actually PACE  that second unit. The bearded one hit jumpers, he drove the lane and he finished at the line. It was like he decided that the second unit was his and he was the man. Good for him; especially when he delivers.

The Thunder also hit the deep ball tonight which for us is a nice surprise. 8/15 from three is mighty fine territory for the Thunder; it was the difference between eeking out a close game and putting your foot on the opponent’s throat. Read more…

Other

vs.

Detroit Pistons (11-14, 3-10 road) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-12, 6-7 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: 7:00 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder – 104.6 (23rd), Pistons – 105.9 (19th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.5 (7th), Pistons – 107.7 (19th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.2 (18th), Pistons – 88.0 (29th)

View from the enemy: Piston Powered

The swing game. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but alas, it has. Oklahoma City needs a win over a solid Pistons team to stay above even. But here’s the scary thing: The Thunder have already beaten the Pistons. Why does that matter? Because so far, OKC is 0-3 in rematches after winning the first game. In fact, the Thunder are 0-5 in rematches period. That’s nearing trend territory. Read more…

Preview Detroit Pistons

On this episode of the unnamed podcast, Rob Mahoney of the excellent, excellent Dallas blog The Two Man Game stops by (Why do people say stops by? He didn’t stop by… I called him. Weird.)  to discuss stuff. Big, important stuff. We chat about (keep in mind, this was recorded late yesterday so if “last night” throws you off, that’s why) :

• The Thunder-Mavs game from Wednesday
• Russell Westbrook, his development and what he really is or should be
• “Positionality” in the NBA, or the concept of
• What could have maybe been with Rodrigue Beaubois
• Expectations for the Mavericks

You’ll be slightly smarter after you listen. I promise. Well, I don’t promise, but I think you might be. Maybe. Check it out and be sure to read Rob at Hardwood Paroxysm and The Two Man Game. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. His Moving Pictures feature is a must-see.

DOWNLOAD

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Podcast Dallas Mavericks, Russell Westbrook

Throughout the week some of you drop some brilliant or at least somewhat thoughtful comments and so this is a try at highlighting some of them. Disclaimer: It’s not that I necessarily agree with all of them, but they were interesting and for the most part, well put. Consider everything [sic’d].

I believe he’s at six thousand words per minute, all incredibly alliterated. (Aaron): Oh yeah, I forgot to mention another that bothers me about Pinto. I feel like he is constantly trying to set a record for words spoken per minute. Every time I’m listening to a game on the radio I worry that I’m gonna flip my car cause I’m concentrating on the radio so intensely.

Smart Thoughts

UPDATE: Broingtons shirts available online! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Remember, there are XXL sizes, but if you’re ordering online you need to call the store and let them know.

Oklahoma City won another NBATV Fan Night, this time with a game against the Lakers Tuesday.

Dime looks at five D-League players that could get called up: “Mustafa Shakur: Shakur has followed the footsteps of guys like Ed Cota and Hollis Price as college stars who couldn’t find a niche in the NBA. But so far in the D-League season, Shakur is displaying attributes that should catch the eyes of NBA scouts. Shakur is showing effectiveness both as a scorer and distributer. His shot selection and accuracy has improved since his Pac-10 days. On the road last week against Maine, Mustafa had 21 points, 7 assists and 6 steals. If he can cut down his turnovers (he’s averaging 4 turnovers per contest), then he will get serious consideration for 10-day contract.” Read more…

Bolts

(Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

It has come to my attention over the past few weeks that the most controversial player on the Thunder roster is the one least likely to stir up controversy. 

Drafted in 2007 with the 5th overall pick acquired from Boston in the Ray Allen trade, Jeff Green was an afterthought to Sonics fans excited by the selection of Kevin Durant about fifteen minutes prior.  Of course, much of the reason Sam Presti tabbed “Uncle Jeff” (as his teammates have been known to refer to him) with the second draft choice of his general managing career had everything to do with Green being satisfied with playing second fiddle.  The draft was just a warm-up for him.

Every successful superstar in the NBA seems to need a less heralded companion who does all the dirty work while they make the headlines.  Bill Russell had Bob Cousy.  Tim Duncan has had Manu Ginobili.  Kareem had Magic (then vice versa).  Oh, and some guy named Michael Jordan used to play with this Scottie Pippen person.

Scottie Pippen is the gold standard for side kicks.  When the 1990′s Bulls won six championships in eight years, Pippen did such an amazing job of being unassuming that everyone assumed he was unambitious.  While Michael Jordan won scoring title after scoring title and built a multi billion dollar persona, Pippen simply reduced the pressure from Jordan on the floor and shouldered the fan’s blame when the team failed.

The Thunder hope that Jeff Green develops into a Scottie Pippen type of player.  Not just in his approach to professionalism, which I would argue he already does perfectly, but also his production on the floor.  For his career he averaged 16 points per game, but during Chicago’s glory days, he always hovered near twenty as the second option in their offense.

Looking at the two players’ third year stats, they are actually pretty close.  Green is averaging 14.7 to Pippen’s 16.5 points, and in rebounds Pippen led 6.5 to 6.1.  So, while Green could still improve upon or drop some in the last three-quarters of this season, he is not completely off pace.

You would not get that if you listen to the vocal detractors that are spawning.  As the Thunder have enjoyed more and more success, some of the fans have been willing to give less and less of the credit to the team’s co-captain.  Listening to the litany of complaints about Green–he’s inconsitent, too small, unworthy of starting, and a defensive liability–it’s sometimes forgotten that he’s the second best player on a team with playoff aspirations.

Read more…

Commentary

Thunder players to donate the “Creamsicle” shoes they were wearing last night: ”The orange shoes worn by Thunder players during tonight’s nationally televised home contest with the Dallas Mavericks will be looking for good homes once they come off the players’ feet following the game. Each player will be autographing his shoes and donating them to an auction benefiting the Oklahoma City Thunder Community Foundation. That silent auction will occur in the Ford Center during the following three home games: December 18 vs. Detroit, December 26 vs. Charlotte and December 31 vs. Utah.”

Oh, and the kicks were named Worst of the Night: “For their tacky bright orange shoes, called “Creamsicles” (no, really, I did not make this up) that made them look like their Turbo button was stuck. I mean this is how NBA Jam should be played anyways, and this is probably too awesome of a description for how it actually looked… maybe more like ducks with racing stripes. And since I can’t really think of anything bad to say about the Mavs, here’s a closeup of said shoes.” Read more…

Bolts

(Note: Sorry about the site issues during the game. We had a little overload this evening. Apologies for that.)

BOX SCORE

Kevin Durant hit a jumper to put Oklahoma City up two, 73-71 with nine minutes left. At that point, it was on. This was the biggest of spots for the Thunder. Somewhere they really haven’t ever been. A national television audience. A big game against the Dallas Mavericks. A chance to make a bold statement to everyone. Could they get the stops, could they execute, could they win when it mattered?

The answer this time was no. A pretty resounding no in fact. The last eight minutes Dallas outscored Oklahoma City 29-13 to send the Thunder to their third straight loss and drop them back to .500.

And I’m not going to lie, I’m a little upset about this one. Not because OKC lacked effort. Because boy howdy, these guys busted it. But when it really mattered, the seasoned, veteran team took over and made the plays. The young, inexperienced group didn’t. In areas the Thunder are normally very good, they weren’t. An uncharacteristic 14-23 from the free throw line. A couple defensive breakdowns late. Poor shooting from their best players. Maybe it was the pressure of the night, the lights of ESPN or something else. But the fact is, Oklahoma City just didn’t perform. And I had visions of a big win in front of a big audience to show this team is here and something to be reckoned with. I guess I’m not so much upset with the TEAM, but more with the result. Read more…

Recap Dallas Mavericks

vs.

Dallas Mavericks (18-7, 9-4 road) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-11, 6-6 home)

TV: ESPN (Cox 29, HD 720); KSBI (Cox 15, HD 715)
Stream: Click Here; ESPN360
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder – 104.9 (22nd), Mavericks – 108.0 (14th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.1 (6th), Mavericks – 102.8 (4th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.3 (19th), Mavericks – 92.3 (17th)

View from the enemy: The Two Man Game

National TV. A pretty important game. Dirk Nowitzki’s hair and headband. Yep, I’d say this is something to be excited about.

The big implications are there. Again, on ESPN for the whole world to see. The Thunder needs to stop a two-game losing streak (hasn’t had a three-game since Nov. 6). And a loss could drop OKC to .500 again, with the toughest stretch of the season looming. I’d say this is a big game. I know that’s crazy to say about a December tilt, but when you haven’t really had a game of any importance in the last couple years, a December game keeping you above .500 on national TV against a really good team qualifies as big. At least to me. Read more…

Preview Dallas Mavericks

Well, at least according to John Hollinger’s player efficiency ratings.

One of these is not like the others… can you find it? Now, in Hollinger’s defense, his real rankings and not projected rankings don’t have Weaver anywhere near the top 50. That’s because Weaver has not played near enough to actually qualify. Maybe there was a bug in Hollinger’s formula that let Weaver slip through here. But who cares, right now Weaver is the best of the best. Someone needs to clip this and send it to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver for their refrigerator. Weaver’s future grandchildren don’t have to know he’d only played in three games.

But you know what? Anytime you sit on top of LeBron, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan and Chris Bosh, you’re doing something right. Even if you’ve only played 30 minutes total this season.

(tip of the cap to reader Matthew Chatelain)

Riff Raff Kyle Weaver