Author: Mike

So here we go…the matchup NBA fans wanted to see in the West. The Denver 6 with Jokic vs. an OKC Thunder team which in reality goes at least twelve deep with probable MVP Sahi Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way.

This should prove to be an interesting series. I would say again, the Nuggets with David Adelman and without Michael Malone look the same minus the fact it appears to me Coach Adelman has more faith in DeAndre Jordan’s bench minutes versus those of Peyton Watson.

From my objective eye this is how I rate the Top 8 Nugget players coming into this Western Conference semi-final:

1 Jokic, 2 Jamal, 3 Aaron Gordon, 4 Christian Braun, 5 Michael Porter, 6 Russell, 7 Deandre Jordan, 8 Peyton Watson.

If I were to go four players deeper…. 9 Jalen Pickett, 10 Julian Strawther, 11 Zeke, and 12 Tyson Hunter.

Realisticly speaking…Coach Mark can go twelve deep if he so chooses and have a commanding edge in bench talent. But here’s the thing…most NBA championship coaches usually have pared their rotation to 8 or 9 by the ‘goal acheiving segment’ of the season. This is when it matters and every coach basically has the same 240 total game minutes to manage their rotations.

We still really don’t know about the Thunder because they got a relative bye in the first round. We know they’re very talented for certain, but again this franchise hasn’t won a meaningful playoff series since 2016 when they beat an aged Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the second round. If anyone reads this and thinks I’m wrong, please correct me.

This Thunder team appears to be more like a college team with a similarity to Nolan Richardson’s ‘Forty Minutes of Hell’ approach. Or more recently somewhat akin to what Florida Coach Todd Golden did with his bench on the Gators’ run to their recent national championship.

Can the Denver 6 somewhat temper the torrid pace of the Thunder and bring these games to a slower more manageable pace?

If I’m Coach Addelman with my team today the majority of what I’m talking about is pace, turnovers, offensive rebounding, and LIVE BALL TURNOVERS.

To have success against this Thunder team you need to eliminate live ball turnovers and be a force on the offensive boards so as to keep the horses from running loose at their most comfortable pace.

To further illustrate this point I would write the Thunder are very much hoping the Houston Rockets do not advance this evening because they take care of the ball and in my mind are the best offensive rebounding team in the NBA when Steven Adams plays like he did in Game 6.

BTW…I’m happy for Steven. It’s good to see him finally healthy again. I loved his book and all the good things he does for people back in New Zealand.

Tonight’s game?

I would be shocked if the Warriors win this game because they’ve been absolutely brutal these past two games. Draymond Green in Game 6 took a Flagrant 1 less than two minutes into the game which resulted in a four point possession for the Rockets.

There is a profound difference between playing tough and playing like an unchained idiot. We’ll see which Draymond Green shows up in Houston this evening, and Steph Curry needs to bring his game as well.

We’ll see if they have anything left.

Mike J

This was a great game to watch on Thursday night in what easily turned out to be the best first round series in the Eastern Conference. Unlike the West, which has already had its No. 3 seed the LA Lakers ousted, and No. 2 seed Houston on the ropes versus the Warriors…this series was the only one in the East with any competitive drama.

Now we get Boston vs the NY Knicks and Cleveland vs. the Indiana Pacers. The four best teams in the East without dispute. Detroit has nothing to be ashamed of as they showed the NBA world they should be a team on the rise with valuable experience gained for a young guy like Cade Cunningham. Cade had multiple chances down the stretch in Game 6, but just wasn’t able to deliever as did Mr. Clutch Jalen Brunson.

This is what Jalen Brunson does better than anyone else in the league currenty…including Steph Curry. But what we’ve never seen from Jalen with the Knicks is if his late game magic can get the Knicks past the Celtics and into the Eastern Conference Finals…and possibly beyond to the NBA Finals.

We’re going to find out if Karl Anthony-Towns in place of Julius Randle is the piece which has been missing from the Knicks’ puzzle of reaching a NBA Finals.

I was wrong. We get Game 6 of the Warriors and Rockets tonight. I do not envision this Warriors’ team being able to win a Game 7 on the road against these young, physical Rockets. Saturday night on the Bay…Steph, Jimmy, and their mates need to end this series if they want to play the Timberwolves in the conference semi-finals.

Personally…I’ll take the TWolves over either the Warriors or the Rockets in the next round. I like what I’m seeing from the TWolves. They play both ends of the court with a great deal of intensity and physicality, and unlike the Thunder or the Rockets… they played in the Western Conference Finals last spring. Plus…Julius Randle seems to be finding his way with these guys somewhat.

Then on this week-end.. we get the Denver Nuggets hosting the LA Clippers in a Game 7 for the right to face the OKC Thunder.

Gregg Popovich’s retirement from the San Antonio Spurs was announced today. I love Gregg Popovich and what he has brought to the NBA during his 29 seasons as the Spurs’ head coach.

He’ll still be team president. But still…this is a moment all NBA fans should take the time to reflect upon given how rare it is in the era of collective bargaining for any coach in the four major U.S. professional sports leagues to last with the same franchise….for 29 years.

Have a nice week-end.

MJ

Not a shock.

The Lakers are quite frankl;y not a good defensive basketball team and LeBron has gotten older. When the Mark Williams trade didn’t go through for the Lakers that made the Luka trade not really feasible for a team hoping to make a deep run in the West as the No. 3 seed.

Compound that by the fact JJ Reddick kept all five of his starters on the floor in the second half of Game 4 and Jaxson Hays was a DNP in Game 5. None of that makes pragmatic sense in the least.

As this series wore on…LeBron’s second half stats were markedly weaker than his first half stats. The young, tall, athletic Wolves basically ran LeBron down every game and this is what we have seen the past two seasons from LeBron in April and May.

As far as Luka…he’s a pylon defensively as I stated earlier on this blog. For this to work for the Lakers they have to have a strong rim protector inside the paint to cover for Luka’s lack of effort on the defensive end of the court. So this to me even makes Jaxon Hays’ diminshed role even more puzzling.

I’m not a big Lakers fan with the the exception of Austin Reaves so this is not a big deal for me. Life goes on. Que sera, whatever.

From the Minnesota perspective they only played eight players in this game and the Lakers’ complete interior defensive ineptitude made Rudy Gobert look like an offensive basketball player of some sort. I know I called Rudy Gobert a slug earlier this season on this very blog…so let’s wait and see what Rudy Gobert does offensively in the second round before I say I’m sorry for calling him an offensive slug on okcthunderground.com.

Julius Randle?

It would appear to me Julius Randle and his teammates are starting to figure out how to better integrate his outdated, slow, dribble dominated style of offensive basketball. Julius Randle was actually pretty good in this series. So let’s also keep a close eye on his game in Round 2. On how the next team team and coach address Julius Randle.

I think the No. 7 seed for the TWolves is misleading. We all seem to forget they advanced to the Western Conference Finals last season. Unlike the OKC Thunder, this core group in Minnesota has shown its post season chops and has beaten some good teams in post season. Shai’s group going back to the Chris Paul bubble season has yet to beat a good team in the NBA Playoffs.

Who have they beaten who has beaten won a second round game?

Think that’s hyberbole on my part…google it and check me out. Mike J isn’t Little Nick Gallo, Royce Young, or Michael Cage. I tell it like it is on my blog. That’s why I have this Thunder blog. I became weary of the Robert-Allen Pistols Firing type of Thunder coverage in this market.

So for this reason…I actually think at this point these TWolves are more mentally tougher than the Thunder and probably exude a ton of confidence per their leader Anthony Edwards.

But here’s the big but for me…this group of Thunder players have Alex Caruso and Hartenstein to help them be a tougher, smarter team with a chip on their shoulder and some genuine basketball hubris. MJ loves smart hubris. So Alex Caruso and Hartenstein don’t let me down for writing all these nice things about you on my blog.

As far as the Houston-Golden State series goes…from my take its all or nothing for the Warriors in Game 6 at home.

So we’ll see how that game turns out.

The rain has stopped in Oklahoma and hope all of you enjoy the sunshine today.

Mike J

Several key NBA playoff games last night as we whittle the overall field to eight teams. Both TNT games very much held my interest, while sadly Giannis’s season for the second straight year ended in the first round as the Bucks choked a five point lead in the final minute to be eliminated in Game 5 by the not to be overlooked Indiana Pacers.

Milwaukee’s situation in the coming years could prove to be tragic as they don’t hold the rights to their own first round picks for the next six seasons. I wouldn’t excactly want to be Doc Rivers right now. If you know what I mean?

Conversely, the upstart Detroit Pistons seemingly have a great future in front of them as they upset the NY Knicks in a road Game 5 thriller to take their season to a home Game 6 versus the Knicks.

Bernie Bickerstaffstaff was my Coach of the Year and nothing I’ve seen from the Pistons in post season would tell me I should have instead picked Kenny Atkinson of the Cavs who was second on my list. Great coaching jobs by both, but I think the way the needle moved as massively upward as it did in Detroit is too much to ignore for me.

So…in the East we have Cleveland, Boston, Indiana, and the eventual winner between Detroit and New York. Personally…I’m tired of seeing the Knicks on television and would love to see the Cinderella Pistons advance.

In the West, of course we have the Thunder waiting for the bracket to be filled. For me, I clearly want to see a Thunder vs. Denver matchup on one side and given the Lakers issues with rim protection and their overall defense…I think the best series would be Minnesota vs. Golden State.

Last night at Ball Arena in Denver, the top six guys on the Nuggets answered the clutch game call and defeated the Clippers by a score of 130-114. I watched every minute of this one. In reality, only eight guys played for the Nuggets when the game was still in doubt. The top six with Russell coming off the bench, and then Peyton Watson and DeAndre Jordan. A solid 23 point game by Russell. Nice job, buddy.

I thought DeAndre played some very nice minutes to spell Jokic and that might be the way Coach David Adelman plays it going forward. Kind of like DeAndre playing the Jeff Green role off the championship squad from two years ago.

Adelman seems to have a very comfortable feel with these guys and personally I’ve seen nothing in these last nine or so games from Denver which would indicate to me they’re missing Michael Malone all that much

Never, ever, ever, forget the First Axiom of Coaching: Player Makes the Coach. Always. Steph Curry made Steve Kerr. Michael Jordan made Phil Jackson. Timmy Duncan made Pop.

Player Makes the Coach.

Jokic, and Jamal Murray playing like he’s played of lated with healthy legs won Michal Malone a ring…not the other way around. And anybody who tells you diffrently is bullshitting you.

However, I might suggest this, if SGA and the Thunder win it all this season…I would have to somewhat amend this and give Sam Presgi and Coach Mark a nod. Because what they have carefully put togther and with great thought is craft the perfect set of guys around Shai which make him possibly the second best player in the league only behind Jokic.

But, of course, Shai is still my regular season MVP.

Obviously, I’ll be hanging with every minute tonight as we see if Golden State can close out the still learning Houston Rockets in five games. I would think Minnesota at home will close out the Lakers in Game 5.

In closing, a shout out to my 5.5 year old grandson, Robert. Mimi told me she reveived a text yesterday from Elaine explaining you fell out of your bed on Monday night and had to be rushed to the doctor to get four stitches. I know you’ll handle this with calm and if any of your classmates ask…just tell them you’re a hockey player and four stitches aren’t that big a deal. You’ll heal quickly and the scar might not be a bad thing to flaunt in mini-mite hockey in Denver. Just sayin’. Love, Mike

Enjoy the NBA games tonight.

MJ

As a radical left Antifa-socialist Yankee who voted for Gerald Ford, John Anderson, Bush 41, and Bob Dole this Paul Theroux-like Deep South trip for me was completely fascinating. Putting aside Redneck Rivera decadence there at the merging points of Orange Beach and Florabama…I pretty much loved every minute of the thirteen day journey.

I couldn’t quit thinking about Anthony Bourdain because there were Waffle Houses literally everywhere in the Deep South. I mean…everywhere. Everytime I saw that beautiful yellow Waffle House golden glow… I thought of Bourdain’s epic episode from that South Carolina Waffle House with super chef Sean Beck.

With the exception of the fact I think Trump is a vandal, a con artist, a trust fund brat, a rogue, and a hustler who really doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself…..there’s quite a bit about the South I actually love.

The overall beauty of the South is majestic from east Texas or Arkansas all the way to Florida. The trees are simply amazing. For a person like me who loves trees and shrubs the South has no equal. That’s why I wanted to drive…to make sure we didn’t miss a thing.

In Alabama I have never seen so many pecan trees, live oaks, and magnolias. The sheer beauty of the flora blew me away every single day. Plus, the simple goodness of the people.

But beyond that…it was the Easter service which will never leave me for the rest of my life. Especially considering it was held in the same Seaside church Chris and Elaine were married in ten years ago. And on this Easter service there were Robert (5) and Aubrey (4) in the church with us. Yeah…I cried.

Truly a miracle.

I know how much the odds were stacked against me in the beginning for me even lasting to this point in my journey.

But faith is an amazing concept. Unfortunately, for so many of us…. we don’t even seriously attempt to harness our faith until we’re faced with a dire situation of some sort.

To say I’m in a very secure special place right now would be an understatement.

I feel blessed and the steps forward for me are the same. Wake up every morning and be kind while trying to be the best version of myself in dealing with others.

Be kind to others…that’s all. It’s not that tough of a thing to do on a daily basis.

‘He does not fear the sword. He is afraid of nothing. His soul is secure and at peace with the heavens and the universe.’

Eternal peace. Mike J

This is what MJ wants to see more of in our NBA Playoffs in 2025. This is the passion, the urgency, and the physicality the pussiest league in pro sports sorely needs more of so as the TV ratings keep the league relevant.

This is why MJ in no way fretted missing OKC’s predictable first round sweep over the the docile Memphis Grizzlies. This is why we spent time on the beaches in Seaside, Water Color, Perdido, Florabama, Orange Beach, and Alabama Point. Plus, of course, we got to spend the most meaningful Easter of my life with our family in the very Seaside church Chris and Elaine were married in almost ten years ago.

This is why an experinced NBA blogger like myself…so much different than the sissy fairies who allegedly cover the NBA for the Daily Thunder….could never understand or even want to understand.

This kind of violence and gamesmenship is what Adam Silver sorely needs in the NBA game to evolve back to in the regular season. Nobody really gives a shit about the now two year old regular season tournament.

Nobody.

This is what real NBA fans want to see… more CARING from their players and the oppossition players during the too long 82-game regular season.

I wonder if the Thunder can be mentally tough and salty enough when they start playing real NBA Top 8 level talent in this year’s playoffs?

The truth of the matter is…in the SGA era the Thunder have still yet to win a playoff series over what I would consider a legitimate NBA playoff caliber team. This isn’t in any way a knock at the Thunder’s extremely talented roster, just a truthful observation from an objective NBA blogger on in reality the only OKC Thunder blog which in fact writes the objective truth in its Thunder content pieces.

Michael Dunleavy Jr. right now is possibly looking like the GM who won the trade deadline if he can keep Steph and Jimmy Butler healthy…and keep Draymond Green within the Zone of Reason.

BTW…that was a picture pefect screen Draymond set on the play which for some reason got under the skin of the youngish Rockets. That was an NBA Playoffs screen. Good job, Draymond.

To me…the Denver-LA Clippers and the Warriors-Rockets are so far the two series which have captivated my interest.

Be careful in Stillwater and eastern Oklahoma today and don’t be that dumbass who drives into standing water. Seriously…be smarter than the water.

This is for the crazies at Orange Beach and Florabama Beach. I’ll say this…thank god I never went to either of those beaches during my college days because I never would have lived through it to become an old man. I love their spirit there on the Alabama-Florida line. Truly.

Peace, MJ.

We’re back from the beaches of Alabama and Florida. I feel rested and serene. I did not watch ONE NBA Playoff game during our 13-day journey. Nor did I watch One Word come out of Donald Trump’s mouth as well.

And I will say this, due to the above latter…I think this is the best I’ve felt in the past two-three years during my cancer journey.

I did watch five minutes of the Thunder’s Game 1 route over the Memphis Grizzlies and henceforth did not watch anymore of that series because that was the one series I was bullish on from the start of this year’s bracket which I thought would be a four game sweep.

It was a mismatch, much like OKC’s first round stroll past the Pelicans last season.. There’s no point to analyze those four games. The Thunder will next face either Denver or the LA Clippers, and that for me will be a good way to start ebbing back into the flow of covering the NBA Playoffs.

Both Denver and Golden State are hanging in there as their first round series…so I think I’ll follow both of those series leading into the winner’s conference semi-final against the much ballyhooecd and daunted OKC Thunder.

I can’t wait. I’m reset from the long 82-game regular season and the tough chemo regimen and this is when it should matter most for players, fans, and bloggers as we hit our stride entering the goal acheiving portion of the NBA Playoff Championship Playoffs.

It’s time for the OKC Thunder and their fandom to prove the talk and walk the proverbial walk.

I need to go mow the mini-ranch before it starts raining again tomorrow.

Enjoy the dry Monday, Oklahoma.

Peace, MJ.

I had my fifth PetScan yesterday since the beginning of the Stage 4 cancer journey and later this morning Dr. Showalter and I will talk about things. I expect it to be relatively clean just as the last three have been. I’ve come along way since the first scan which corresponded with my off the charts 1,212 PSA count.

These past two and a half years have been more than a journey, I’d say a reckoning, reset, and a redemption of sorts would be more accurate.

I feel blessed to just be here and have had the opportunity to grow spiritually while getting to know and love my two grandchildren…Robert and Aubrey.

I feel especially gratified God has given me this extra time and these opportunities to expand on being kinder, gentler, and more understanding of others.

We’re fortunate enough to get the opportunity to spend this Easter week in Seaside as a celebration of sorts.

I feel God allowed me to see the light when I was at my darkest moment and have faith in his omnipresent wisdom. And for that I am extremely thankful.

Have a beautiful Easter week.

2 Corinthians, 5.7

‘We live by faith, not by sight.’

Eternal peace, Mike J

It was a beautiful day for me. I got up early and drove down to the family Alex land and fished for the first time this spring season. The pond looked perfect. Absolutely perfect. My Walden’s Pond.

The land has been my refuge since my teenage years whenever I needed to get away and clear my mind from my parents’ seemingly always tumultous marriage. It’s where I learned solititude sometimes is the best medicine for a weary, wore-down soul. A place to block out the bullshit from the mind and reset.

I caught five black bass, four bluegill, and about a seven pound channel cat all on light tackle. The channel cat was a huge surprise given I was using a shad-like spinner. That was a rush for certain. I never keep fish at this juncture in my life. It’s all catch and release. So I said good-bye to the big cat and wished him well on his way.

Then I drove home taking in all the country-side in a very relaxed state of being. I was the most casual driver on the two-lane highways going through Blanchard, then Lindsey, then tiny Cole, then to the thriving metroplex of Alex. I always stay to the right though so as not to impede the speed of others. I just wasn’t in a hurry on this day. MJ was smelling the roses.

My Denver Nuggets won their third straight game to finish the regular season on an uptick with a record of 50-32. Jokic’s team now is the No. 4 seed in the West and will have homecourt versus the surging LA Clippers who btw now have a Kawhi Leonard who looks the best I’ve seen from him in quite some time. Pray for Steve Ballmer…god bless his basketball heart.

Then…the final round of this unbelievable Masters golf tournament which in my golf soul ranks somewhere in my top four golf tournaments of all-time in my lifetime. Maybe second only behind Jack’s late in life win at National Augusta.

I will write this to Justin Rose…dude, this was one of those times in life you didn’t lose. You in my mind won a green jacket just like Rory did late on Sunday afternoon. Your fight and grit was remarkable. It’s one of those Thomas Vincent Lombardi moments when you emptied your tank, but the stars and planets were aligned for Rory to finally get his career Grand Slam.

So… of course I cried. This was better than Robert Redford’s The Legend of Booger Vance.

My father’s favorite golfer is Rory…so you know what I did? I called my cousin-brother Mark’s cell number on Saturday just to see by chance if it was still a working number…and it is. I was so taken back about this fact…I had to make a second call just to leave a voicemail message to Mark. I basically just said how much I miss him and how much he’s loved…and then told him to make sure Bobby sees the rest of this golf tournament.

So when Rory was crying after the ending so was I. And I’m pretty certain Mark and Bobby were as well.

My beautiful Sunday.

Have a miraculous Easter Week. I know I’m going to.

Mike J

We have one game left in this NBA regular season and I’m ready to cast my MVP vote regardless of what happens tomorrow afternoon in Houston between the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets.

Please keep this in mind, I’m not even really an OKC Thunder fan all that much anymore. I don’t hate the Thunder, but they fall in a group of five or six teams I watch with regularity. Those being Denver, Golden State, OKC, LA Lakers (Austin Reaves), and the Boston Celtics. And maybe to a slightly lesser degree the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the West…the No. 4 thru No. 7 seeds are still in flux heading into this final week-end of the season. The Thunder however are going to finish 68-14 unless an earthquake or some other Black Swan event occurs between now and their scheduled final game against the feeble New Orleans Pelicans.

The Thunder are also going to have homecourt advantage all the way thru the NBA Finals if they emerge as the Western Conference Champion.

So… How would my ballot look for this NBA regular season MVP award?

With great thought and deliberation …I would go 1 Shai, 2 Jokic, 3 Anthony Edwards, and 4 Cade Cunningham. I would add I think all this angst over what the NBA will look like following LeBron, KD, and Steph’s collective exits are in a way overrated. All four of my finalists still have a great deal of NBA basketball in front of them.

What Adam Silver and the NBA in general needs to be focused on is how tanking and load management have weakened their game day product for the person either attending or watching NBA regular season games on television. You know…the television rankings have dipped even with LeBron, Steph, and KD still playing in their golden years. And in reality…only LeBron is on a team which made my Top Six NBA Teams This Season with a chance to win the O’Brien Trophy. Golden State with Steph and Jimmy Butler is No. 7 on my list and Jokic by himself is No. 8.

I still don’t know what I think about the Houson Rockets. I’ll put them No. 9 with the thought the way they offensive rebound the ball could be of a potential concern to the Thunder. No. 10 would be the Clippers or Indiana Pacers.

I will write this about Joikic before I love on Shai, statistically…Jokic should be winning his 4th MVP this season for what he just accomplished. At this point he is only the third player in NBA history to record a season average triple double. His numbers are daunting…29.8-12.8 rebs-10.3 ast. Plus, he had career bests in 3-point shots made and 3-point percentage. And for good measure he had his second best career year in rebounds.

BTW…the other two players are Oscar Robertson who in ’61-’62 did the triple double average. Of course, our own mecurial Russell Westbrook accomplished this feat four times in his never boring NBA career. Russ did it three times with OKC and once with Scott Brooks in Washington.

One last thing in regards to Jokic’s season. He did all this with Jamal Murray and Aaron Godon because of injury issues not even remotely pulling their chains on their team link. Jokic, in effect was playing without his second and third best players on the court with him at their peak level much of the season.

Shai’s numbers this regular season are 33ppg, 5rbs- and 6.2 asts, plus he usually adds a couple of steals and deflections every game. I have to give it up to Sam Presti on Shai and JDub in that the Thunder GM went yard and beyond with the trade acquisition of Shai from the Clippers and the drafting of JDub from Santa Clara.

Shai’s team never flinched when Chet H went down for the second regular season in his three year NBA career. Plus, Caruso missed a lot of games as well. Yeah, Hartenstein was a great addition, but it was Shai who carried this team to within two games of a historic 70-12 season.

But for me, as a discerning NBA fan…Shai means so much more. This young man exemplifies total class in both representing his franchise, the NBA in general, and Oklahoma City. Here is a young black man from Canada playing in a city which in all honesty is by far the most radical right city in the entire NBA. Shai showed everyone who watches the NBA there might be hope for Oklahoma to grow up at some point. The collective NBA fandom thought of OKC will now be of Shai’s dignity, grace, and class…. and not of angry white people still booing Kevin Durant for leaving Oklahoma.

Could the state of Oklahoma have a better ambassador of good faith?

What parent or grandparent out there wouldn’t want their son or grandson to show the total class Shai exudes every game in which he plays wearing an OKC Thunder jersey?

Shai Gligeous-Alexander, buddy…you’re my NBA Regular Season MVP and it wouldn’t upset me a bit if you win a ring to go along with your MVP season. Maybe…if you guys did win it all you could go to the White House and pull Commander Fuckwit aside and explain some things to him about life in general.

Best wishes, Mike J