Cavs thump the Thunder, 115-92
OK, OK. I’ve got thoughts.
And here there’s the main one: The Thunder stunk on Sunday. In a way we’ve never really seen from them at home. The Cavs beat them down, embarrassing them on national TV for the fourth-worst home loss in the OKC-era, and the worst EVER in games Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook play.
The simple story is that the Thunder gave up 63 points in the first half, came out of the locker room and looked like they were straightening out, cutting it to 66-62 after a monster Westbrook dunk. The Cavs, though, were the ones that rolled after that, outscoring OKC 29-11 the final eight minutes of the third quarter. Any fourth quarter comeback push was thwarted easily, as the Thunder never got closer than 17. Westbrook and Durant sat the final five minutes.
So, the question you’re asking: How concerning is this? First, Westbrook:
“Nah, we’re not concerned. There’s a reason why it’s rare. It doesn’t really happen. Not a concern. We’ll be back and ready to go to Dallas.”
And now Durant:
“We’re not going to go home and think it’s the end of the world. We lost a game against a good team. We’ve got to regroup and figure out what we need to do better and move on. It’s the regular season.”
That’s fine, and we’ve grown to learn that the two stars of the team don’t like going on call-out mode after losses. They prefer the perspective approach, which I can certainly sympathize with, and stay on message.
But. BUT.
Come on. The Thunder just don’t lose like this. And coming off Friday’s meltdown, and all the little things that have added up over the first 56 games, it feels like this is a culmination of something bigger. Like a brewing storm that finally hit shore. The Thunder haven’t played well against the best teams, with an eight-point loss to the Warriors somehow being their top achievement.
Sure, it was an avalanche in the second half where the Cavs made a bunch of shots and the Thunder made none, but the same story was told anyway. 63 first half points for Cleveland with the Thunder basically playing a “maybe we’ll just outscore them” kind of game. The commitment on the defensive end wasn’t there, which, yeah, is something I’m getting tired of saying too.
Durant did say this: “We’ve got to dig down deep, man. Xs and Os, and shootarounds and schemes and practices, that shit is out the window. You’ve got to dig down deep and decide what you want to do. And that’s everybody.”
The schedule is no fun from here on out. The Thunder are 40-16, yep, and they’ve won 30 of their last 39, yep. Good things, things we can keep saying. But that’s also with a schedule that has been forgiving, with one that’s not, ahead.
“I think the second half of our schedule is set up with the teams we are going to play,” Billy Donovan said. “I think the more adversity our team faces I think the better, because I think that is the only true way to really come together, rise above it.”
Donovan made a good point: The Thunder have a habit of watching things go wrong in a game and letting that blow them apart. They’ve done a much better job of guarding against that this season, to just keep playing, but today that wasn’t the case. They got taken out of the game as much by themselves as they did by the Cavs.
Like Durant said, they move on, because you have to. There’s bounce back opportunities ahead, with two winnable, but potentially challenging games on the road leading into another showdown against the Warriors on Feb. 27. They have a chance ahead to right themselves, to put this low point behind them quickly.
Or, the hole could just get deeper.
NOTES:
- Not that this loss would’ve been any better, but this is precisely why that loss Friday to the Pacers was so bad. This was always going to be a challenging one to win.
- Foye checked in late in the first. Color me a bit surprised that they’re trying to work him in. Maybe it’s just a tryout of sorts, a let’s-see-what-you-can-do kind of thing. And he didn’t do particularly much, touching the ball little. He essentially got Kyle Singler’s minutes, and did a pretty good impression.
- Dion Waiters is 1-15 shooting since the All-Star break.
- That moment where Waiters was about to break his drought and then he traveled before attempting what should’ve been a wide open layup.
- “I’m not trying to pity Dion, but…” — Billy Donovan
- Look, I don’t know what to really say about Waiters. It’s easy to forget that he was playing solid basketball as a starter leading into the All-Star break. He’s just a trainwreck right now, looking like a guy that is worried about his place, or lacking confidence, or something. I will say: He’s not dogging it on the defensive end because of it, which is why he’s still playing, but his inconsistency is a problem. And will probably continue to be.
- Andre Roberson was cleared to play today, but Donovan said he held him out because… something? It was mainly about how he didn’t feel like Roberson was quite ready to see time. Which I’m not sure I get because the Thunder like to preach the message of, “If our doctors clear you, you can play.” So I guess Donovan either didn’t want him to have to test the knee against LeBron and the Cavs, or played a little doctor himself.
- Hey, Steven Adams started out well, right?
- Yes, you can note that the Warriors just got blitzed by the Blazers 137-105. But, they’re also 48-5. And quite clearly a team with very few questions. The Thunder have a lot they need to answer, and in the opportunities they’ve had, they haven’t done a good job of that.
- The bench was just a mess again. Basically if Kanter isn’t scoring, the bench isn’t either.
- I will say this: The next two weeks will be interesting to watch. For one, because there are statement games ahead to win back some confidence, but also in how the team responds. There seems to be a bit more tension lately, which is something losing can do. How they hold together and move ahead will be important.
- OK, I don’t have anything else to say.
Next up: At the Mavs on Wednesday
