Kurt Helin of PBT says OKC is on notice with Denver: “The Thunder have more size and more talent, they are more athletic. But Nuggets are going to make it very tough to beat them four times out of seven. This is a good team. And if the Thunder don’t bring it and are looking ahead to the second round they will not get there.”
Another who’s better from Chris Palmer of ESPN.com, this time between Blake Griffin and KD: “Despite his victory, Griffin has a long way to go. He isn’t particularly long and is bothered by post players who have exceptional length and must learn not to beat himself up when he makes a mistake. He could also stand to block more shots given his terrific hops. Durant is a phenomenal talent who can explode for 40 on any given night. But there’s a way to deal with him — be physical and push him as far out as possible to disrupt his rhythm. With Griffin, the league has figured out no such approach.” Yeah, Blake Griffin is not better than KD. Like in no way, shape or form. Read more…
Thunder beat writer for the Oklahoman, Darnell Mayberry joins TGR to talk Thunder travel habits, how the new guys have fit in, and preparing for the playoffs.
He also shoots Joel down pretty good, so you wont wanna miss that. Our Deep Thoughts segment has never been so steamy. Lots of talk, about STDs, packages and sleep habits!
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All I could say for the last four minutes of this game was, “I can’t believe the Thunder is going to lose this game.” I was sort of saying it because I didn’t really think it was going to happen, but was trying to reverse jinx it anyway.
And then the Thunder lost the game.
With the game tied at 92-92, Eric Gordon dropped a big 3 with 45 seconds left. On the Thunder’s following possession, Russell Westbrook threw the ball away and was forced to foul Randy Foye. Just like that the Clippers were up five with 30 seconds remaining and Oklahoma City was essentially sunk.
I don’t really know how to describe it. The easiest way is to say that this was a ridiculous loss. About as bad as they get. The way the Thunder fell asleep at the wheel again in the third quarter, then failed to execute late in the game was almost disorienting. It was basically the same story from Friday night, but to a worse team.
Oklahoma City took charge early, held a solid 12-point lead at halftime and looked to be on the way to a nice take-care-of-business win. The defense was good, the offense pretty crisp and the energy solid.
Then Joey Crawford took over the game in the third quarter. A total of six technical fouls were called in about a three-minute stretch (five on OKC) and whether they were deserved or not, all of that took every bit of focus and energy out of the Thunder. The one on Nazr Mohammed was the breaking point for the team. Mohammed was hit for mildly touching Blake Griffin and the message was sent by the officiating crew and the Thunder took it to heart: quit playing so darn hard. Read more…
Most times, back-to-backs are no good. But I have a feeling in this case, the Thunder’s eager to get back out on the floor. After last night’s offensive debacle in the second half, OKC’s players are probably itching to knock down a clean 18-foot jumper. Read more…
Good Saturday. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Warm weather again!
A neat feature on Serge Ibaka was put up on YouTube yesterday. For shame that I have no idea what anyone is saying during it, but still, it looks good and has some neat footage. Notice the giant knife Serge is using to open a can of corn. I can only hope that he has discovered the wonders of can openers recently. And if you don’t love Serge just a little bit more after watching him rehearse that speech then you have no heart. (I posted part two because there’s more words I understand in it. Watch part one here.)
Beating a team four times in a season is tough. Especially if they’re good. Especially if it’s on their home floor. Especially with a building full of very angry people.
That’s what the Thunder was up against Friday and Portland and it went very well — for a quarter. Oklahoma City came out hot, leading 30-20 after one as KD went 5-6 in the first, dropping shots from everywhere. Things looked good, things looked normal.
The tide started to turn in the second as OKC’s defense sank a bit. Regardless, the Thunder led 59-53 at halftime and mid-way through the third, held a comfortable 65-57 edge. Then it all just went to crap.
The Blazers reeled off a 15-0 run, the Thunder finished the quarter shooting 4-19 and Kevin Durant couldn’t keep the ball down to save his life. KD endured an 0-8 third quarter and finished the second half with three points on 3-15 shooting (25 points, 9-24 overall, 3-13 from 3). The Thunder offense completely ran itself out of sync, missing shots everywhere, taking long jumpers, settling for 3s, turning it over — it was rough. Read more…
OKC is 3-0 versus Portland so sweeping a team, especially on their home floor, won’t be easy. But the Thunder will be ready. They’re rolling after a great March so OKC should play well. But beating the Blazers will definitely be a challenge. Read more…
I think I’d like to modify my stance from three weeks ago that Thunder fans should fear the Trail Blazers more as a potential playoff foe than the Nuggets. The Nuggets scare the crap out of me right now.
A lot of that of course has to do with Denver continuing to win. Like a lot of people, I figured the Nuggets would eventually cool down at least a little bit after the tear they started following the Carmelo Anthony trade. But they haven’t. They’re right there with the Lakers, Thunder, Bulls and Heat as one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now.
But what really makes me think that they’re the team Oklahoma City would have the most trouble with in the first round is that they have no pressure. They played until just after the All-Star break with a gigantic black cloud following them in the Anthony trade stuff. Once the trade actually went down, few expected much from them in terms of a late run. Many expected something akin to what the Jazz are going through after the Deron Wiliams trade, although probably not as severe. It’s hard to win in the NBA without a true star, especially in the playoffs, and Denver doesn’t have one. Read more…
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com picked Russell Westbrook as his Most Improved: “This giant leap forward not only made him an All-Star for the first time this year, it has defined Oklahoma City’s season and future. His emergence as a superstar will push OKC from 50 wins last year to the mid-50s and a Northwest Division title this year, and it gave GM Sam Presti the confidence to take the plunge on a franchise-altering trade for center Kendrick Perkins at the deadline, as he could be confident that he had two franchise building blocks that seamlessly fit together from which to build around. Westbrook’s improvement makes the Thunder the most feared team in the West this season — outside of the Lakers, of course – and it makes them, on paper, a sure-fire Western Conference contender for the next 5-10 years. Taken together, Russell Westbrook has improved his skills, bumped his numbers, carried his team to new heights and he’s done it in a way that seems sustainable for years to come. That’s everything – and more – that I ask of my NBA MIP. Give the man his trophy.”
Kurt Helin of PBT says OKC is on notice with Denver: “The Thunder have more size and more talent, they are more athletic. But Nuggets are going to make it very tough to beat them four times out of seven. This is a good team. And if the Thunder don’t bring it and are looking ahead to the second round they will not get there.”
