I really don’t want to write this, but this is okcthunderground.com and this is in part why I have the blog. Namely, I absolutely hate it when homer writers/bloggers or whatevers can’t write the truth.
Trust me, the truth hurts in a very bad way having to write this, but here goes.
OKC’s Thunder lost by a count of 118-87 tonight in the first game of the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. OKC was beaten 59-33 in the second half after trailing 59-54 at the half. I’m not even going to look at the boxscore, it was that bad. Other than Andre Roberson, who was superb, and perhaps Jerami Grant, who was solid, I thought every other Thunder player was atrocious–including Russell Westbrook. And I thought Billy Donovan graded out at a D- for bench management in this game.
This isn’t the regular season where you get to play a litany of bad basketball teams during a season of 82 games. As a team, you better come to the arena with your lunchpail, your f–king heart, and some semblance of a plan. OKC as a team, brought none of the three to the Toyota Center on Sunday evening.
Note to Billy Donovan, if Steven Adams, Taj Gibson, and Enes Kanter are collectively going to play some of the softest basketball in Thunder history—there’s no reason whatsoever for them to be on the floor together at any point in a game in this series. None. OKC was outrebounded by 15 boards in this game and outscored 31-4 on second chance points. Little Patrick Beverly by himself showed more heart than OKC’s bigs just by himself on this abysmal night in Oklahoma City Thunder history. I was embarrassed for the Thunder players. Literally…embarrassed by the effort.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize Houston plays some very unconventional lineups when they go small with three point guards together at times during the course of the game. Trading twos for threes isn’t going to work. I cannot fathom how OKC as a team or coaching staff came with the plan they came with tonight in Houston. Just so we’re clear, Golden State scored 121 points against the Trailblazers today, Houston scored 118 points tonight. This is who they are, what they do. Trying to play big boy ball against these two teams defies the premise of math.
So…maybe the thought might be to go small with Jerami Grant getting big minutes to go in tandem with Andre Roberson, maybe trying some lineups with Doug McDermott here and there, hoping Russell Westbrook doesn’t turn it over nine times, and praying Victor Oladipo doesn’t go 1-12 shooting the ball.
It was just awful is what it was, but one game only counts as one of four, but it just feels so much worse because OKC didn’t look prepared and didn’t play with much heart in the first game of post season when you expect guys to bring something extra to the arena with them.
Game 2 in Houston on Wednesday night. I would hope there’s going to be a ton of film being watched tonight and tomorrow–and some major adjustments made by the Thunder staff.