Actually, when I was in high school the Houston Astros were Oklahoma City’s AAA affiliate and I was a fan of the Astros back in those days. It’s a nice story for the city of Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey so I’m good with it.
LA was pretty much awful on Wednesday night in losing 5-1 at home in Game 7. Yu Darvish was brutal again in giving up five runs in an inning and two-thirds. Bellinger left something like six base runners stranded and Dave Roberts was a bit murky from a managerial standpoint, but give the Astros a ton of credit they never backed down and because of that grit they stand atop the world as champions of baseball only three years removed from being the worst team in the league.
I was happy to see Clayton Kershaw pitch effectively in a long middle relief stinct to keep the Astros scoreless after they torched Darvish…there was that at least.
Very ironic for me in that my favorite OKC Dodger was second baseman Willie Calhoun—and Calhoun was the key piece from LA which brought Darvish from the Texas Rangers to the Dodgers in a late season trade.
Except for Game 7…a rousing World Series featuring two teams who both won over a hundred games this season and should both be right back in the hunt next season.
After three days of beach inner peace in Melbourne, Florida — I feel refreshed, reset, and ready to follow the Thunder’s season. It was wonderful. Great weather, almost completely empty beaches, collecting sea shells with my wife, talking surf fishing with the locals, sea food and cheeseburgers, watching the World Series and college football at night. I know the Thunder lost by three at Minnesota and then blew out the Bulls–but for the most part I was only a casual observer for those two games.
Last night was my first night back and as my custom I was seriously focused for the Thunder’s game in Milwaukee.
I thought it was easily OKC’s best game of the season as they pretty much did what they wanted to in a surprisingly easy 110-91 win over the promising Bucks. OKC improved to 4-3 and now has a two game winning streak heading into Friday’s home game versus the Celtics.
The standings mean little to me this early in the season. Just get better every game and define the roles on the team while getting a feel for one another. What I saw on Tuesday night made me feel this Thunder team has some very good team basketball in front of them as they make their journey through this season.
I can’t think of one thing to bitch about in this recap. Not one. Other than Nick didn’t see the floor. C’mon, Billy Donovan.
Five Thunder players scored in double figures while Felton and Roberson were both one point away from scoring in double figures themselves. And, oh…BTW–Andre Roberson looked liked John Stockton perfectly swishing his two free throw attempts. Andre Being the Ball is what that was about. He must be reading okcthunderground.com. Be the ball, Andre, be the ball, buddy.
Something about Raymond Felton as well. Quite frankly, he’s giving OKC the best backup point guard play they ever had in the ten years here. Some might bristle at that comment and say, “What about Reggie Jackson?” But what I would say is fuck the little bitch Reggie and I’m going with Ray Felton. I really like what I’m seeing from Felton.
Russell almost had another triple double, but this isn’t the season of chasing Oscar. This is the season of chasing a ring so trip dubs aren’t our focus this season. The ball moved, the Thunder had 25 assists as a team. Teams which move the ball win championships–teams which don’t move the ball are on golf courses in May and June. That’s a fairly simple axiom of basketball.
Paul George and Carmelo look more comfortable every game. I have nothing to bitch about there except I am a little disappointed Presti couldn’t land LeBron on this year’s roster.
Steven Adams was excellent and is on a nice run of basketball pretty much looking like the guy from two seasons ago in post season. As I wrote earlier in this season–Adams should be the one player who benefits the most from all the space created by the additions of PG and Melo. Oceans of space and time are there whenever he and Russ nod and wink at each other. That’s another axiom of basketball. Space and time…move the ball. This isn’t as complex as figuring out health care.
Jerami Grant was great in this game with a 17 point performance. Given the fact he’s been a member of my two favorite teams–the Thunder and Sixers…Jerami is one of my favorite Thunder players. Plus, like all serious OU basketball fans how could I not love a guy related to Harvey ‘The General’ Grant from OU’s ’88 championship final team.
Patrick Patterson looks like he’s getting healthy and he played 23 solid minutes on Tuesday night.
I still want to see more from Alex Abrines, but I’m not going to bitch when the Thunder win by 19 points on the road against a playoff caliber team. He made a nice power move on the baseline, then missed the dunk. Great move, but finish. I’m seeing more overall TSN toughness in his game and less of the Euro frilliness…both good things.
The Thunder host the Celtics on Friday inside Chesapeake Energy Arena and it should be a great game with what I think will be a playoff feel inside the building. But really—who needs Big Al Horford when Sam Presti can put Russ, PG, and Melo together in Mystery, Alaska?
Game 7 of the World Series tonight and of course I’m for the Dodgers as my son and I watched so many of these guys play in AAA for the OKC Dodgers…even Clayton Kershaw on an injury rehab assignment pitched here in July. Chris Taylor, the leadoff hitter, is one of those guys and he’s pretty much my favorite Dodger.
I’ve been in Florida for several days on a beach trying to ignore the world. But it now begins, the unraveling of Caligula’s reign of overt stupidity. Gates will be the dude to watch moving forward, not Manafort. Mueller has clearly made it known he’s flipped Crazy Papa and intends to do the same with Gates and others. Mueller’s actions also make it clear he believes he has enough on Caligula which he hasn’t made public. Mueller is going for the removal of Caligula despite what Sarah Huckabee-Sanders tells the cult groupies. I’m wondering where Michael Flynn will re-enter this putrid saga of American history which is even more tawdry than the Tea Pot Dome Scandal or Watergate.
My guess is those 30 per cent who defend Caligula to the death are still with him and will remain with him till he’s tweeting from his bunker in the White House. If Eva Braun and the children are smart they’ll get their asses back to New York and stay there. I’m thinking I’ll probably call my former youth minister turned U.S. Senator James Lankford one more time to discuss his public stance on all of this.
It’s certainly not a time to gloat for those of us who have railed against Caligula since Day 1 of his announced candidacy, but more of a time to feel extremely sad on how far our country has devolved culturally.
When all the evidentiary threads of this sordid tale are exposed it will make Watergate seem like a feel good story.
Can’t wait for the Cypriot bank money laundering chapters. I’m assuming John Grisham, Bob Woodward, and Michael Lewis are taking notes. Some great books are on the horizon.
But I do feel somewhat sad for all the unread whites who put their faith in this rogue con artist as if he were ever even remotely interested in their welfare. My suggestion to these people is to start reading books and turn their televisions off.
A nice take care of business win for the Thunder on Wednesday night inside Chesapeake Energy Arena over the Indiana Pacers by a score of 114-96. The Pacers aren’t much and without Myles Turner they’re even less, but it was a good win for OKC as they continue to feel themselves out in the team building process.
Russell Westbrook triple doubled for the 81st time in his career this time with 28 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony chipped in with 28 points. Steven Adams double doubled for the second straight game. Raymond Felton was solid. Some nice things from Jerami Grant and Josh Huestis. Andre didn’t have to attempt a free throw. Alex Abrines stuffed Domas Sabonis on a point blank shot at the rim. Patrick Patterson played 16 minutes and looks like he’s getting his legs back under him. Paul George fouled out against his former teammates and finished with only 10 points.
Only downside in an 18 point win would probably be Paul George fouling out.
Indiana is picked by most to finish in the bottom third in the East so the Thunder are still looking for their first win this season over a team which will make the playoffs in either conference.
Victor Oladipo scored 35 points on his former mates and looked more at ease than he did last season playing in OKC.
The Thunder even out at 2-2 and hit the road to play in Minnesota on Friday night. The Timberwolves haven’t won a game since Wiggins’ half court heave against the Thunder. I look at it this way, if that lucky shot doesn’t fall the Thunder are 3-1. Take away the bad performance in Utah and the Thunder so far have been decent figuring themselves out four games in.
Patrick Patterson should start playing better. Felton has been excellent. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of the things Josh Huestis has shown so far. And as we all know–Andre is going to start being the ball so that will take care of itself.
Jeff Flake isn’t a liberal. He’s an ultra conservative senator who came to office embracing the Tea Party ideology. He’s from one of the reddest states in the union coming from Arizona. He’s done. Actually, he was done several months ago when he openly challenged Caligula’s behavior. Politically, he’s done. This isn’t a Dem vs. the GOP deal. This is basically a fight for ownership of the Republican Party. I doubt anything Flake said will resonant with the Trump core. Because as we all have seen he could rape Ivanka on pay per view then kill the cameramen and they’d still be behind him. In fact–Kellyanne Conway and Horse Huckabee-Sanders would claim hero status. Anyway, here’s the speech where he quotes my favorite president of all-time (TR) on multiple occasions. Unlike Mike Pence, it appears Jeff Flake has actually studied history.
There’s several Hall of Famers on here, just saying. Be the ball, Andre…be the ball, buddy. Dennis Rodman couldn’t shoot free throws to save his, yet he won multiple rings and eventually slept with Madonna. Be the ball.
I’ve been asking myself should I put this on here? I did a deal on Andre’s free throw shooting before this season started. I prayed this trend would correct itself as I’m sure Sam Presti did as well.
Andre attempted his first two free throws of the season in the Minnesota game. Neither came close to touching the rim. You felt for him watching this ordeal. I just don’t know how you start someone who can’t shoot and is getting worse. He’s such a good kid and a good defender, but how do you put him on the court and sit Jerami Grant and Raymond Felton or even the sometimes frilly Alex Abines? How do you do this as a coach?
In the West, you need Andre defending Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, James Harden and others. But how do play a player who can’t shoot?
I’m assuming the Thunder brass thought this would get better since they extended Andre for $30 million over the next three years.
Be the ball, Andre…be the ball, buddy. Just be the ball.
An excellent game between two teams who bolstered their rosters this past off season to compete for the Western crown. It would not be a shock at all if these two teams finish No. 4 and No. 5 in the regular season and find themselves battling each other in the first round.
OKC fought back from a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter behind Russell Westbrook hitting five threes and even took a 113-112 lead with 5.9 seconds left when Westbrook beautifully facilitated Carmelo Anthony on a made three from the left wing, but with no timeouts left Minnesota inbounded to Andrew Wiggins who lost Paul George on a moving screen set by Karl Anthony-Townes and banked in the game winner just past half court.
Tough loss for the Thunder who now drop to 1-2 on this young season. But this is a loss where you feel OKC did take a step forward as Westbrook asserted himself yet made the beautiful play to Carmelo with the game on the line. Good game for Steven Adams with a 17 point, 13 rebound night. A game by Carmelo which seems more in line with what his role should be on this team. An excellent game by Raymond Felton who is giving the Thunder what they never had last season… namely, an effective backup point guard. The usual array of contribution plays by Jerami Grant who at some point might need to supplant Andre Roberson.
A tough shooting night for Paul George who went 6-20 and a very tough night for Andre Roberson. But there were positives in this game which gives hope the team is starting to feel more comfortable playing together.
OKC’s record doesn’t worry me because the West is a beast. The Thunder could very well be hard pressed to win 52 games in the regular season when all is said and done, but the important thing is for this team to get better every time out and be playing their best ball coming down the stretch. The West is just so tough, so very tough this season. The Thunder better be ready to play every night out because there’s not many games on the schedule which are gimme wins. If OKC could be 5-5 after the first ten games and having the look of a team which is figuring things out I’d be okay with it.
Indiana Pacers in town on Wednesday night with Oladipo and Sabonis.
The Utah Jazz aren’t going to make the Western Conference Finals, but they are the defending Northwest Division champions and on Saturday night in Utah they pretty much coasted to an easy 96-87 win over what appeared to be a confused Thunder team.
It was an ugly game to witness from a Thunder viewpoint. The Thunder are an athletic team which should thrive on transition baskets and the pure energy of Russell Westbrook. Instead, on Saturday night what we saw was too much of Melo and Paul George hoisting a combined 46 shots. OKC was passive offensively, never seemed interested in getting Westbrook to the rim and looked more like a bad Eastern Conference also ran than a team some have picked to win the NBA championship this summer.
On the night, Westbrook had six points on 2-11 shooting. Granted, Westbrook did have 13 rebounds and 9 assists, but the staple of his game is getting to the rim. Utah is one of the better defensive teams in the West with Rudy Gobert protecting the rim, but OKC just didn’t seem interested in doing more than chucking thirty-three three point attempts of which they hit eleven. Overall, OKC shot 41% from the field and give Utah some credit, but the OKC plan for this game was bad. This is a Utah team which lost Gordon Hayward and George Hill, this is a Thunder team which added Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Give me somewhat of a break here.
I expect more from Billy Donovan as a coach. I’m all in with the concept of Westbrook being more of a Mo Cheeks type of point guard who facilitates George and Anthony, but I’m not on board with the thought of Donovan neutering his best player and the league’s reigning MVP. Some middle ground would be nice. I’m not a shot counter, but I don’t see Carmelo Anthony as the guy who needs to have 26 shots flowing through his game on most nights this season.
I wrote about this before the season in relation to Mo Cheeks and the championship he won in ’83 with the Sixers when he facilitated Dr. J and Moses Malone. Mo Cheeks in my mind was that team’s MVP as he weaved a game in which he scored, yet facilitated Julius Irving without draining the energy from his team.
If I’m coaching this team my mantra is transition, penetration, and then kick outs if the rim isn’t there. Plus, get Adams more involved on pick and roll.
I hated what I saw from the Thunder last night. This shouldn’t be a day care deal for Carmelo. He should be the second or third option. He should earn his touches based on based on his feel on a particular night. If it’s there, it’s there. Know what I mean.
I know it’s early in the season and this is a process…blah, blah, blah. Tell me if I’m wrong here– but if centering a team around Carmelo’s touches is the template then why were the Knicks the biggest underachievers in the NBA the past six seasons?
I want to see the ball move. I want to see transition created from our defensive length. I want to less chucking from Carmelo. But most of all I want to see Russell Westbrook play like Russell Westbrook.
Having written all that, Golden State is 1-2 this season and it’s early in the season.
Minnesota Timberwolves in town tonight to take on the Thunder.
I haven’t been to my favorite Waffle House since after the Mayweather-MacGregor fight. That night was a life changer for me. I got there after the fight at about one in the morning. It was the same night I went to see Clayton Kershaw pitch for the OKC Dodgers on a rehab assignment. What a night. First Kershaw, then watching the fight with a group of millennials ( an experience in itself) at my son’s house. Then, of course—the Waffle House in Edmond.
I literally was the only white dude there and the place was packed because of the fight. Everyone was wired. I sat at the counter…right in the middle. I have no idea how I landed such a prime seat, but I did. Right there in the hub of the fray. You really don’t get the Waffle House ambience unless you sit at the counter…truth. You wanna get the blue collar pulse feel of a Waffle House you sit at the fucking counter. You want a frilly experience then go to IHOP and sit at a booth.
Two white male cooks who looked like they just came from a Trump rally in Alabama and all black female waitresses. So—all these orders start piling up on the counter and the two male cooks get pissed and scream at the black waitresses, ” If you can’t get this fucking food out we’re walking.”
The waitresses didn’t take kindly to that obviously and one of them flipped the two cooks off. So this older black guy to my left deftly gets up, goes behind the counter and starts handing out plates throughout the jam packed restaurant. Unbelievably, he got my order right.
Pecan waffle with a side of bacon, then the All-Star Platter of two eggs over medium, double order of hash browns crisp straight up with Hunt’s ketchup, toast, breakfast steak, ice water, orange juice, and a black coffee. I don’t do the whole Sean Brock production with a salad, a patty melt, and a breakfast pork chop. That’s too much for me.
Anyway, tomorrow is like an epic sports day looming and I’m thinking Waffle House at the end of it. O State at Texas, OU at K State, Michigan vs. Penn State, Game 7 Astros vs. Yankees, and Thunder at Utah. It doesn’t get much better. If only I could take my black lab Pauli with me at sit her at the counter with me it would be nirvana. Why not? It’s worth a try.