(Good day Thunders. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Jump around.)
Here is a video of Russell Westbrook trying to say some kind of promo in Spanish. It’s slightly humorous. Not as good as his new commercial, but still, decent. In other news, what was the official verdict on his hair? Is this something we would like to see during the actual NBA season? I’m torn.
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Sports
(Kyle Porter is the author of an excellent new Oklahoma State Cowboys blog called Pistols Firing. He’s taking over this installment of some random NBA Power Rankings. So have a read here and then skip on over to Pistols Firing if you’re orange inclined. You can follow him on Twitter at @pistolsguy.)
I won’t be breaking down Evan Turner’s PER vs. the Western Conference, but rather dropping a sampling of what’s hot in the basketball world today. Here we go:
1. UCLA – This year has been a coming out party for Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. Throw in the fact that Jrue Holliday and Darren Collison are having a coming out social get-together and UCLA is leaving quite the mark on this 2010-2011 NBA season. By the way is it just me or does it seem like Kevin Love is posting a 28-18 every other night? Seriously, every time I log on to check NBA scores it seems like he’s putting up high double figures in each category.
If you had “Kevin Love, NBA rebounding champ” at 15-1 odds before the season started I’m standing up and applauding you. Also, while we’re here, how good was the 2007-2008 UCLA team that had Love, Westbrok and Collison? That team wins a three on three tournament against any other trio of current NBA guys who played on the same team in college, right? Read more…
Clipper GM Neil Olshey on keeping Blake Griffin: “I can guarantee you he will only ever be a Clipper. If [Oklahoma City Thunder general manager] Sam Presti arrived on Kevin Durant’s doorstep at midnight on July 1st with an extension, understand that Blake Griffin lives two blocks away from me in Manhattan Beach so it’s going to be a much shorter commute for me.”
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld looking at the go-to guys of the future: “Kevin Durant is the man in Oklahoma City. Period. However, it was Westbrook who unexpectedly stole some of Durant’s early season MVP when the forward got off to a slow start due to injury. Whether it’s been points, rebounds, assists or field goal percentage, you name it and Westbrook has improved in that category this season. If his game continues to develop at this pace there’s no reason not to believe he could be some franchise’s centerpiece. For now, he’s Durant’s sidekick.” Read more…
I always get a little jealous when I see players on other teams doing low-budget commercials for local businesses. Like some random ad with J.J. Barea and Shawn Marion talking about a carwash in Dallas. The production is mediocre and the players can barely spit out their lines, but something about it is so wonderful.
To this point, we haven’t seen very many local commercials featuring Thunder players. All we ever get is the soft acoustic stylings of MidFirst, Devon Energy and every other corporate sponsor of the Thunder that just has a commercial with a quiet riff played over some hands doing something.
Really, these little commercials are one of the big reasons players look at bigger markets. When you go to Chicago, New York, Los Angeles or Miami, there are a lot more opportunities for local companies to pay you to be in some little 30 second spot. In Oklahoma City, there isn’t as much opportunity because there aren’t as many businesses with the bank account to do it. In OKC it’s way better to be a classical guitarist than a famous basketball player I guess.
But BancFirst just dropped a new spot featuring Russell Westbrook spitting out just about every Oklahoma town you can think of. It’s like the worst version of “I’ve Been Everywhere” you’ve ever heard. He even slipped in Coweta and Konawa in there. That’s good random Oklahoma town hustle. I bet Gary England is jealous that Westbrook got to say all those great small towns. That’s like a dream night for him.
Now of course the big national commercials like the Hyperizers spot, the 2K11 ads or new NBA one with KD are entirely awesome, but there’s just a little extra charm to the local ads. And this one with Russ definitely has plenty of that.
Small announcement: I’ve made a slight tweak to the commenting system. From now on, registering is required. I know this might inconvenience some, but hopefully this will ensure that DT’s comments stay smart, insightful and devoid of a whole lot of anonymous trolling.
Art Garica grades OKC at the halfway point: “Brooks has set a system where defense is the foundation, but it hasn’t been up to snuff so far this season. OKC has gotten by on their ability to score probably more than Brooks cares to admit. Durant and Westbrook form the league’s highest-scoring tandem, with Green and Harden also capable of filling it up. OKC has been relatively healthy and goes into the second half realizing that there’s still plenty of room for improvement. A division title and top-four seed in the West is there for the taking, which would leave the Thunder in good position to make some noise in the playoffs.” Read more…
Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
Carmelo Anthony played like himself tonight, and Kevin Durant didn’t. That in of itself could have been the main difference in Denver as Oklahoma City dropped its second straight game with a 112-107 loss to the Nuggets.
Durant finished the second half 1-9 from the field, including 0-4 in the fourth quarter, and the Thunder just didn’t have the gas to keep up with the Nuggets even with Russell Westbrook dominating the third quarter. Anthony on the other hand poured it in from all over the court and finished with 37 points on 12-25 shooting, with KD finishing with 22 points on a lousy 6-18 night from the floor.
Although it’s just third time this season Oklahoma City has dropped two in a row, it’s still just a wee bit troubling. I’m not one to overreact to a couple of losses — count me among those who shrugged at the loss to the Lakers because of the uncharacteristically bad (even for OKC) night from behind the arc — but I do think it’s at least worth noting that the Thunder has dropped four of its last five road games against teams currently in playoff position. That’s not a sign of doom, but it’s an indicator that there’s much work to be done. As if that wasn’t obvious already.
Oklahoma City wasted another stellar performance from Westbrook, who had a double-double with 28 points and 10 assists. Westbrook was a facilitator in the first half and a scorer in the second half, but the Thunder couldn’t manage to rally around him and get buckets when it mattered in the fourth quarter. Read more…
vs. 
TV: FSOK (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 8:00 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 109.8 (9th), Nuggets – 111.4 (3rd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 108.0 (17th), Nuggets – 108.2 (18th)
Pace: Thunder – 93.3 (11th), Nuggets – 96.2 (3rd)
View from the enemy: Roundball Mining Company
As has been well documented, the Thunder bounces back well. Here’s another opportunity, although this isn’t an easy shot at it. Most teams struggle with the trip from L.A. to Denver, though at least the Thunder has the luxury of this not being a back-to-back. Still, the Nuggets are excellent at home and the Thunder’s never played well in the Pepsi Center. Read more…
Harry How/NBAE/Getty Images
We’re half way through this season. Seems like it was September just a few months ago, doesn’t it? Well, I guess that’s true. But you get the point.
And you know what halfway through means. It means the Thunder’s played 41 games. It also means it’s time to do one of those cliche review the season posts.
But after 41, I think we’d all agree that we’re happy with the Thunder’s 27-14 record. Right now it has OKC sitting third in the West, meaning the Thunder would have home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. In fact, it would mean if the Thunder advanced, it’s possible they’d have home court in the SECOND round too.
If the season ended right this second, OKC would be taking on the Hornets in the opening round of the playoffs. That’d be fun, right? I think our dislike for Chris Paul might reach atmospheric heights if the Thunder played the Hornets in a seven-game series. I might have to go to counseling.
FIRST HALF MVP
I maintain that Kevin Durant still is the MVP of this team. He’s the leader. He’s The Man. But I think it’s also clear that the Thunder wouldn’t be 27-14 without the outstanding play of Russell Westbrook. Not to say KD has been bad or even not excellent, but Westbrook has played big in so many big ways.
Durant is still the team’s best player and I think when the season comes to a close he’ll be in the top three in the MVP voting, but to this point, Westbrook has been the Thunder’s MVP. Over the past months, it’s been Durant. But Westbrook is what got OKC through November and some of December with its head above water. Read more…
Kevin Durant told Fanhouse that Russell Westbrook better be an All-Star: “If they don’t put him in (the All-Star Game), it’s the ultimate snub,” Durant said.
Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post: “As soon as the Nuggets trade Carmelo Anthony, they will start down the road of rebuilding. It can be a long, arduous process that tests the patience of fans and the nerves of front-office executives. The Nuggets could do worse than look at Oklahoma City, which comes into tonight’s game at Denver tied with Utah atop the Northwest Division. The Thunder (27-14) built from the bottom up and is on everyone’s shortlist of teams with a bright future.” Read more…
Charles Barkley was called out by Ernie Johnson last night about Jenni Carlson’s column. Barkley didn’t really say that he’d come to Oklahoma, only saying, “Yeah, I need to go there.” He also claimed he never called Oklahoma a “wasteland.”
Kurt Helin of PBT: “Meet the new Thunder, same as the old Thunder. Which is a pretty good thing, those old Thunder captured the imagination of the NBA fans nationwide last season. They were athletic, they got and ran, they were just fresh and fun. Thunder players talk openly of wanting to get rings with this group, there is a real chemistry there. That’s one reason before the season started a lot of people thought the Oklahoma City would take another step forward and could be the one team that would take a ring off the fingers of the Lakers out West. There was patience in the front office — Oklahoma City stuck with the players they had rather than trying to make a big splash in free agency. They were going to grow. When they finally got a chance to match up on the Lakers again Monday night and measure themselves… It looked almost exactly like the NBA playoffs last season. Right down to the Lakers winning, 101-94.” Read more…
Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images
Only against a select few teams can you feel good about playing a solid game and losing. One of those teams is definitely the Lakers, especially with the game in Los Angeles.
The Thunder were in a tough spot tonight. The Lakers had just dropped a bad one against the Clippers and were in the market for redemption. The game was of course in Staples, where things tend to lean the yellow way. And for the most part, especially in the half court, the Lakers present a pretty tough matchup for Oklahoma City.
Still though, it feels like one slipped through the cracks here. It feels like an opportunity to beat the Lakers in Los Angeles just barely squeezed through the Thunder’s fingers. Statistically, across the board, the Thunder really were right there. Field goal percentage wasn’t a big gap. The Lakers only outrebounded OKC by one. Only nine turnovers for OKC compared to LA’s 15. Both teams made 18 free throws. Everything was pretty much even, sans one category. Three-point shooting. Read more…
vs. 
TV: TNT (Cox 31, HD 730)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 9:30 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 110.9 (8th), Lakers – 112.0 (1st)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 107.9 (17th), Lakers – 104.9 (9th)
Pace: Thunder – 93.3 (10th), Lakers – 92.4 (16th)
View from the enemy: Forum Blue and Gold
(Also, I answered some questions for this game at the outstanding ESPN LA Land O’Lakers blog.)
The last time we saw the Lakers, Pau Gasol was breaking our hearts with a last second tip-in. Remember that? I’m sure you do. In fact, here’s a reminder in video form, just to bring up bad memories and re-open those wounds. Read more…
Darnell Mayberry tries to solve the defensive mystery: “Several players admit that Adams’ departure has been a significant factor. ‘Ron Adams was a big part of our defense,’ said Thunder center Nenad Krstic. ‘He was always talking about that. He was always getting on some guys if they don’t play good defense. We really miss him.’ Practice sessions are said to be the same this season as last year’s. And from a scheme standpoint, the Thunder hasn’t changed anything. But having Adams harp on all the finer points made a major difference, players say.”
Another pretty excellent example of how awesome KD is: “I met Kevin Durant during his junior year at Oak Hill and began working him out that spring. He then transferred to Montrose Christian for his senior year (I was the team’s strength & conditioning coach). Fast forward to today. KD is an All-Star and one of the NBA’s most potent scorers. Even though I no longer work him out, we have kept in touch after all these years. This past weekend, Blair and I flew to Oklahoma City to see the Warriors play the Thunder. It was a whirlwind trip – in and out in less than 24 hours. But it was one I will never forget. KD rolled out the red carpet for us. He had us picked up from the airport, let us stay at his house, autographed some stuff for our friends and family, and gave us an inside look at what NBA players do on game day (not to mention gave us courtside seats for the game).” Read more…
After winning a huge game on TNT against one of the best in the East, leading the Northwest Division and on pace to beat last year’s record, are we fans giving the Thunder enough credit? Maybe all the talk about the Jeff Green issues, our lack of defense, and the big gaping whole in the middle is taking away from enjoying a great season as a Thunder fan.
On this week’s episode we talk to Audley and Dave from The Breakdown who attempt to set us straight. Our first foursome on the podcast should get some laughs.
We also get some insight from Darnell Mayberry regarding Jeff Green and his possible future with the team, among many other Thunder related topics.
Finally, be sure to catch the last interview of the episode. Its only 3 minutes long but includes the world’s most knowledgeable 2 1/2 year old NBA fan.
Download, listen and respond.
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