Serge Ibaka: Our NBA World Champion

My four favorite Thunder players of all-time are in this order….1 Nick Collison, 2 Serge Ibaka, 3 Steven Adams and 4 Perk. It must be something with bigs having a broader picture of the big picture of life.

Nick never got his ring. Serge just got his first ring after a decade in the league. Steven hasn’t won one yet. And of course—Perk got his ring with the Boston Celtics before he was traded to the Thunder.

Kevin Durant won his two rings with the Splash Brothers. Russell Westbrook and James Harden have both won regular season MVP trophies, but probably will never win a ring unless they change their games and bring down their ungodly usage rates.

Even back in 2012 with the Thunder…Serge fancied himself as a master chef of sorts.

Toronto is the perfect place for Serge. He is a fit in the city. I’ve told you on here many times if Trump ever drives me to become a Canadian….Toronto is where I would go. Denver is the safe play given the impending grandson play in four months and the kids just buying a place in Washington Park. A part of me wishes they would name the young man Klay, but it’s not my call in the end.

I’m so happy for Serge. He had a great Finals and was a key piece for Nick Nurse when it mattered.

Here’s master chef Serge Ibaka with some of his young Raptor teammates in 2018. If you listen to the conversation you’ll hear all of them talking about sharing the ball and all of them talking about being able to make a shot in a big situation. Maybe…I should send this to Sam Presti.

Serge Ibaka….you are a NBA World Champion. Congrats.

Toronto Raptors Win Championship to Close Out Warrior Dynasty, 114-110

Up until Klay Thompson went down late in the third period this Game 6 had the feel of a Warrior win. But with an awkward landing coming from contact with Danny Green this Warrior season came to an end as the Raptors won their first ever NBA championship with a 114-110 win inside of Oracle Arena.

Stunning is the only word which can be used to describe these last two games as the Warriors lost both Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and the Finals—but in all probability their dynasty as well.

Simply stunning. Whether Durant opts in with the Warriors or not he won’t be playing basketball next season and when he does come back he won’t be the same player. Klay Thompson has a torn ACL and it will be a tough rehab for him as well.

Who knows what the Warriors will be next season? I know this though…GM Bob Myer has some gut wrenching decisions in front of him as the season ends and free agency decisions loom.

Jeff van Gundy’s prescient Game 3 comment about what the Warriors are without both Durant and Klay Thompson just became a reality not only for the Warriors, but for every team in the NBA.

The Western Conference for the first time in over half a decade is wide open and we don’t know at this time if NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard will himself be in the West.

We have no idea at this juncture if a new Super Team in the West is about to be formed. But we know this—the Warriors next season will be something different on the court for at the minimum at least one season. This is where we find out what Bob Myers is genuinely made of as a GM and Steve Kerr as a head coach.

For the second time this decade Kawhi Leonard won a Finals MVP and closed down a Super Team run. The first MVP came in 2014 when his Spurs took care of the LeBron/Dwanye Wade run in Miami.

Kawhi Leonard becomes only the third player in NBA history to win an NBA Finals MVP with two different teams. Kareem did it with the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Lakers while LeBron did it with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.

But in this era of stars aligning their own teams who in Canada really knows what the Raptors will be next season and if Kawhi Leonard will still be in town to defend the Raptors title?

This is the NBA in the present.

But we know this one thing the Splash Brothers and the Warriors will both be very different next October when the NBA season gets underway.

Is Someone to Blame for Durant’s Achilles Tear?

I’m listening to all of these talking heads trying to assign blame for Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury and it’s driving me insane.

This is easy and I’ve written this on my blog many times:

The NBA is an agent/superstar driven league.

Period.

It is not a coach driven league. It is not a team’s medical staff driven league. It is not a role players league. It is not a fan driven league.

It is an agent/superstar driven league… and that’s who should hold the blame if there really is any for what happened with Kevin Durant on Monday night in Toronto.

If there is any blame it’s on Rich Kleiman, Kevin Durant and perhaps his pitbull Little League mother. Trust me, I know that look. I witnessed some of the greatest all-time hockey pitbull Little League mothers in a previous life. They’re streetfighters.

My guess is they all got tired of Kevin being referred to as a pussy on blogs and on social media and collectively said, “Let’s go for it. Nike doesn’t pay to sponsor pussies.”

Should I as a blogger feel responsible that the very day before this occurred I strongly suggested Kevin should never visit Donald Trump’s White House in fear of a NBA star pussy grab?

Of course not. I have no sway with Durant and Kleiman.

Money, image and Nike have the sway with Durant and Kleiman. Sometimes shit just happens in life and there really isn’t any blame.

But on this one…I don’t think Bob Myer should be crying. He didn’t hold the sway on this decision.

Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman held the sway. And therein—if there is any blame it’s on those two guys.

And for you Daily Thunder readers on here…tell me with a straight face your two little boys Little Nick Gallo or Low Energy Royce Young would ever write anything like this.

Kevin Durant’s Partnership With Rich Kleiman

I was going to wait till the season was over to originally post this segment, but since Kevin Durant may not play another basketball game for quite a period of time this may be relevant in the present tense as he faces the greatest challenge of his basketball life to date this off season and beyond.

I’m at peace with Durant for leaving Oklahoma City. He made the right choice. He never would have won a championship with Russell Westbrook. I’m not sure if LeBron could have won a championship with Russell. I just hope as Kevin Durant moves along we see more maturity and inner stability from him as to how he deals with others in relation to his basketball life.

I could care less where he plays. I enjoyed watching him at Texas—so it’s not like I have a problem where he plays. A national commentator said something interesting today in relation to how the Toronto fans reacted to his injury. He said in every NBA city minus Oakland the fans would have reacted like the Raptor fans did towards Durant. Fans not just in Oklahoma City think the move to Golden State was in two words… very weak. I think this is what eats at Durant in his own perception of himself even with two rings and two Finals MVP trophies.

I’m not sure if or how many NBA players have recovered from a serious Achilles injury to win a NBA championship. It’s sad…in a way I hope this doesn’t turn out for Durant like the foot problems did for Bill Walton after his championship in Portland.

Bob Myer’s Odd Press Conference

I thought this was a very odd press conference given the circumstances. I like emotion, but in this instance I’m wondering is the primary emotion driving Myer’s to tears is guilt.

Did Bob Myer’s and his medical staff blow it by clearing Durant to play?

I have no idea, but if they missed the original injury as Achilles related then I would guess Durant’s agent Richie Kleiman and the KD entourage will not be a pleasant faction to deal with moving forward.

I’m actually amazed Kleiman gave the okay to Durant playing at all. He’s not a stupid agent. All of this is very odd. Very strange.

I’m emotionally indifferent towards Durant. This does not affect me one way or the other, but I do hope as a fan of the game in general this doesn’t affect his pursuit of Kareem as the greatest scorer the league has ever seen.

The fallout this summer as to where Durant ends up will be fascinating to observe.

Can Steph and Klay win two more games? Odds would say no. Looney for sure will need to play. DeMarcus Cousins has to smarten up and realize he isn’t playing for the Sacramento Kings right now. He’s two frigging wins away from a ring as a contributor. Quinn Cook has to score the ball. Same with Draymond Green to an extent. Looney needs to do all the Nick Collison things he does. I love Looney. I wish the Thunder could add him some way to their roster.

But at least I’m finally interested in these NBA Finals.

Steph and Klay Show Championship DNA in Game 5, 106-105

Quite a bit to blog about on this one. I ‘almost’ feel bad in retrospect having referred to Kevin Durant as a pussy who Trump would have grabbed if the Warriors had ever visited his White House after one of their championships. I maybe crossed a line there even for a rogue blog, but if I had to do it again ….I’d do it again.

I’m weary of the Kevin Durant drama. I really am. I’m sorry he went out there with the blessing of his slimy agent Rich Kleiman and his GM Bob Myer and perhaps suffered a career altering Achilles injury of some sort. I’ve never booed Kevin and I would never call him Cupcake in Chesapeake Energy Arena.

I would never hope for him to be injured, but it is what it is. Here’s the thing—this deal with Kevin playing could have even been a stunt Kleiman promoted to hype Kevin’s relationship with Nike and his resigning with the Warriors this summer.Fairly cynical for me to write such a thing, but I put Rich Kleiman right there along with Trump’s boy Wilbur Ross at Commerce or the departed Jeff Sessions at the Justice Department.

I hope he’s not hurt permanently and the Raptor fans should not have cheered his injury. I can’t believe the Canadians behaved like a bunch of Trump deplorables. I’ve been to Toronto and I know this isn’t their true nature. Maybe like me, they’re just tired of all the Durant hype.

But wow…Steph and Klay are two real ballers. This is precisely why Klay Thompson is my favorite NBA player. It’s not just his shooting…it’s his defense and his toughness and his championship DNA. When the game was hanging in the balance in the last two minutes did you see who Steve Kerr made sure was defending Kawhi Leonard?

If only Russell Westbrook and Paul George had what Klay Thompson has then the truckloads of money might be justified which Sam Presti approved.

And enough with the Nick Nurse love as well. Tramel was referring to Nurse as the second coming of Greg Popovich on the radio before the game as if he’d done some great coaching in this series.

Bullshit.

The only reason the series isn’t 3-2 in favor of the Warriors heading back to Oakland is that Klay didn’t play in Game 3 in Oakland. It had absolutely nothing to do with Nick Nurse’s coaching and everything to do with Klay, Durant, and Kevon Looney not playing in Game 3.

If Nick Nurse is such a great coach then why is Kyle Lowery jacking a three when his team only needs a two at home to win the world championship? This last play by the Raptors was of classic Russell Westbrook late game shot selection. Jim Traber needs to get back on the air and keep Tramel honest.

I love Kevon Looney as well. Did you see that kid trying to play through the shoulder pain? If I’m Bob Myer I’d make sure to resign that kid. He is of the right stuff as well.

Now they go back to Oakland for Game 6 and all the sudden I’m interested in these Finals. I’m primarily interested because of the Splash Brothers.

  • I edited and removed my initial final two paragraphs of this story. It was too much. It’s not the fact he left OKC for Golden State which annoys me. It’s more to the point all the hype he and his handlers are always creating and how he never seems content. But still—as a person I should show some compassion.

Bruins Win Game 6 in St. Louis, 5-1

Me wondering if Kevin Durant will or won’t play hasn’t been on my mind much as I’ve had this great Stanley Cup Finals at hand to keep me occupied and interested in team sports at the highest level. If Cupcake plays tonight in Toronto…he plays. If he doesn’t his agent Richie K will have a spin. It affects me in no way whatsoever.

In the NHL your stars play thru the pain and don’t go invisible when they make it this far in a season. They play thru the bumps. Same in the NFL. In the diva superstar world of the NBA….not as much since the days of Willis Reed or even Michael Jordan. Maybe this is why the Warriors never visit Trump’s White House. They must be afraid Trump might touch Kevin Durant’s pussy and cause a national furor.

On Sunday night in St. Louis the Boston Bruins finally won Game 6 by a 5-1 count in a game which was very tough until early in the third period when Bruin replacement defenseman Carlo threw a puck at the net from the right point and it somehow bounced into the net behind Blues netminder Jordan Binnington.

Until that goal this was anybody’s game as the Bruins were clinging to a 1-0 lead on a first period five on three powerplay goal by Brad Marchand. Otherwise–it was a war with both Binnington and Tuukka Rask playing superbly in net.

Kuhlman, Pastrnak and Chara ‘playing hurt with a sore jaw” then recorded subsequent third period goals for the final margin.

My three stars were in this order….1 Rask, 2 Marchand and 3 Pastrnak. Rask is my leader for the Conn Smythe heading into Wednesday’s Game 7 in Boston.

But it’s more than just about Rask for the Bruins. They need something from their first line and the powerplay if they want to hoist the Cup. On Sunday night in St. Louis they got all that from Marchand and Pastrnak. Interesting stat…when Marchand scores the first goal the Bruins are 8-0 in post season play in his days as a Bruin. Just like in basketball…stars leading and role players following.

You’d never get that from the college writers in OKC like Little Nick Gallo and Low Energy Royce Young because Clay Bennett doesn’t allow them to write in such a manner. Stars lead, the others follow that lead. And that’s precisely why Russell Westbrook has led the Thunder into relative NBA obscurity these past three seasons.

Boston has never won a Cup in Boston in a Game 7. I’m guessing Bill Belichick will be waving the Bruins flag in the pregame. I’m guessing Tommy Brady and Alex Cora will be watching on television if they’re able as the Bruins try to become the third team from Boston this sports year to claim the ultimate prize of their sport.

St. Louis won’t go away without a fight. They’re street fighters and this should be a compelling watch for hockey fans all over the world. Too bad the NBA has had none of this in their Finals this season to date.

Smerconish Mailbox

I’m way behind on the mailbox with all the NHL and NBA games. I need to get back on track with the Democratic debates getting ready to begin. I haven’t played the Chappelle video in six weeks… so I need to play it as well for the white trash who voted for Donald Trump our pussy grabber commander in chief who the evangelicals just love.

Q: Lauren from Philadelphia asks…”Mike, I like the site. It’s different. It doesn’t have the predictable feel of most blogs today run by wimpy white millennials. Keep up the good work. Who are you picking to emerge as the Dem’s candidate in 2020?

A: This may surprise you, but I don’t think it will be Joe Biden and I certainly don’t think it will be Bernie Sanders. Who saw Barrack Obama winning Iowa in 2008? I’d like for it to be Michael Bennett, but he doesn’t have a chance. He’s too qualified and he’s boring. I think it will be either Pete B or Elizabeth Warren when all the dust settles.

Both are smart and both are relatively new to the presidential election process in our country. I would vote for either of them over Trump. The question will be is if they can muster appeal in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Q: Thomas from Melbourne, Australia asks, ” Your country has turned into a cultural cesspool. Does it embarrass you to be an American?

A: No. It saddens me. It saddens me the greatest country in the history of the world with the most innovative constitution has allowed itself to take the easy path and be conned by a rogue like Donald Trump instead of addressing its problems in an adult pragmatic manner.

But no, I’m not embarrassed—just sad and somewhat angry. But that’s why we have a democracy. This is on all of us. Trump and Bannon felt it back in the latter stages leading up to the Election of 2016 and parlayed it into four years of running the White House. We’re all culpable to varying degrees.

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Thanks for the excellent questions. I hope to get more into the presidential race once the Finals are completed this week in both leagues. Don’t give up. All politics begin at the local level. Do your best to help your local communities. Be leaders.

Deer Creek Weather Station Hits 26″ Mark in Last Nine Weeks

Being the official Deer Creek weather station reporter it’s time for a precip update. We received two inches this morning in slightly less than an hour. I thought it was over for a few minutes as Pauli and I were about to enter the safe closet. My wife is in Dallas after attending a Jimmy Buffett concert last night so it’s somewhat good she wasn’t here for the typical overreaction.

The gust front came through and it had the look of a biblical epic storm about to hit but Pauli gave me this ‘no prob’ look and we decided not to get in the closet. We’re on the back porch now as I smoke the post storm ‘still alive’ cigar and Pauli peers into the forest looking for raccoons to assault.

It just keeps storming in Oklahoma. You at this point have to wonder if it’s God punishing all these faux Christians in Oklahoma for voting for the pagan Donald Trump. Stillwater seems to be getting hit especially hard. I wonder if my three nephews who all voted for the grifter Trump are at this point understanding the ramifications of their three severely misguided votes.

David Payne at KWTV has emerged as my go to weather guy since Gary England retired. I won’t even watch Mike Morgan. Daman Lane is okay, but I prefer David Payne in this market.

I’d love to be a storm chaser. I think it would be a cool way to make a living. Gary England was a pioneer and David Payne emerged in his wake. Some of the best parts of Sam Anderson’s ‘Boom Town’ bestseller are the weather segments with Gary England.

Here’s a video of David Payne back in 2013 chasing storms before he became Gary England’s successor.

Serge Ibaka’s Big Oakland Road Trip

With the Raptor’s two game road sweep in Oakland against the injury riddled Warriors the series is now firmly in the grasp of the Toronto Raptors as they are back home with a 3-1 series lead.

No Klay Thompson or Kevon Looney in Game 3 was too much. We’ll never know if the absence of Kevin Durant alone would have doomed the Warriors in a six or seven game series, but in the pivotal Game 3 at home the Warriors at home without the three looked like the Thunder did the year after Durant’s departure. Basically–it was Steph Curry playing hero ball while the other players watched.

I thought Jeff van Gundy was right on when he said the Warriors team on the floor for Game 3 would have probably finished the season as the No. 8 seed in the West.

Meanwhile—the Raptor’s support cast around Kawhi Leonard came alive in Game 3 and then in Game 4 Serge Ibaka played one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play in post season.

It’s been a big off season for bigs Sam Presti has discarded this spring. First…Enes Kanter played a solid role for Portland as they easily eliminated the Thunder on their way to run to the Western Conference Finals. And now Serge Ibaka is one win away from having a ring which ironically hasn’t been sniffed by Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

Maybe Steven Adams should be hoping he’ll be traded as well to a legit contender this summer. Thunder big man coach Mark Bryant has left the Thunder and you have to wonder if Adams will be back as Sam Presti tries to put more shooters around Russell Westbrook next season.

Anyway…kudos to Serge for the two games in Oakland–especially Game 4. It’s nice to see former Thunder players competing for rings even if it isn’t for the Thunder.