OU has been to three Elite Eights and one Final Four since 1988, but it was that Monday night at Kemper Arena which will forever be remembered. OU beat Villanova in the Elite 8 in ’88 to advance, hoping the same can happen this evening with the Sooners advancing to the championship game on Monday night.
There’s some team shuffling for the final spot in the West between Dallas, Utah, and Houston, plus there’s the possibility Portland jumps injury decimated Memphis for the 5th seed, but otherwise the West is set in stone with Golden State, San Antonio, OKC, and the Clippers at 1 thru 4.
The only real drama remaining is to see if the Warriors can get to 73-9 and break the Bulls’ record. At 68-7 with seven games remaining, five of which are home games it would appear doable. Their remaining slate goes– Boston, Portland, Minnesota, San Antonio (April 7th), @ Memphis, @ Spurs (April 10th), and Memphis.
Hope they do it. They’ve been a fun team to watch and shown mental toughness in overcoming injuries to Ezeli, Bogut, and Iguodala. If they win tonight against Boston they’ll be sixteen games up on what has been for the most part a healthy Oklahoma City team.
Can’t wait to see the Warrior vs. Spurs games. Hopefully, Popovich plays his players.
Oklahoma City Thunder 119 — LA Clippers 117
I have a suggestion for NBA commish Adam Silver, since none of the teams in your league seem to have any interest in playing an 82 game regular season then why not shorten the season to 72 games and give the players some rest and save the fans from watching this bullshit.
For the second straight home game, Oklahoma City fans wasted their time and money on a game which ended up being another version of junior varsity basketball at NBA ticket prices. No Blake Griffin, who’s still serving a suspension for bitch slapping one of his own trainers. No Chris Paul, no DeAndre Jordan, no JJ Redick, no Paul Pierce. But plenty of Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers who had their way pretty much all night against a Thunder defense which gave up 69 first half points against these guys.
I must confess, I fell asleep at least four times and changed to Lawrence O’Donnell at least another six times in hopes of seeing something interesting on television…so I have no idea who purported OKC lockdown defender Andre Roberson was guarding, but evidently Roberson wasn’t in prime Bruce Bowen form tonight.
Please read this Adam Silver—this game had less appeal than a Texas Tech vs. TCU girls softball game. Less interest than watching to see if Donald Trump even knows what he supposed to say about abortion as a Republican. And certainly less appeal than Lyin’ Ted Cruz dicking with Trump about his wife. This was completely gongable.
Kevin Durant played 40 minutes after sitting out the contest against former teammate Reggie Jackson on Tuesday night. But I guess if you calibrate the fact no one wearing a Thunder jersey played any defense whatsoever, I’m to assume that calibrates into Durant actually playing 24 real game minutes tonight.
By the grace of God and a Steven Adams tip with 29.6 seconds left, this one ended in regulation.
In theory this could have been Kevin Durant’s last regular season game in Oklahoma City since only one more home game on the regular season slate remains with the dumpster fire and in turmoil LA Lakers coming to town on April 11th. I refuse to even go into the Russell-Nick Young sexual wiring fiasco in as I’ve seen enough of that from Trump and Cruz of late.
Adam Silver, again I write this… if you’ve got a gong, please gong the rest of this NBA regular season away except for the Warrior vs. Spurs games.
Mike Jackson
It will be interesting to see the Thunder’s approach on this. The team as a whole basically had rest the entirety of last season because of the injuries while other teams were still playing into June. Then there was the rest period from the All-Star break thru around March 12th when the team collectively woke up.
Plus, as we’ve all seen with our own two eyes, there’s been quite a bit of resting on the defensive end of the floor for much of this season. So what I’m wondering to myself is what exactly do they need resting from when you consider they’ll be an underdog to get out of the second round and their run into post season could be relatively short.
I think I’d just play my team right now, be smart about it, don’t run the two stars into the ground with heavy minutes in these last games, but please no repeat of the strategy we saw in Detroit on Tuesday night.
If only Michael Lewis had known this circus was coming he could have planned to do his second book on presidential politics. It’s to the point it’s not even worth paying attention to what Cruz and Trump are saying. Nothing more from me this week on the GOP race until the Wisconsin primary next Tuesday.
But first this.
And there was this.
But then there was this.
But way back when there was this.
And just before Iowa there was this…and if you can figure out what any of these people are actually trying to say you should be the Chairman of the National Republican Committee.
That’s it for now till next Tuesday. Keep up the good work, Losers.
Well, I just got through reading both Royce Young and Anthony Slater’s take on the game last night, and in all candor all I can I write is I wasn’t surprised. I’m not at all a big Bill Simmons fan, but his tagging of OKC’s local media as the Prestettes is totally on the mark. Instead of any narrative on the game, the team, and the season, there’s all this fascination with Reggie Jackson and his antics and the effect it had on Thunder players like Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams, Kevin Durant, and Nick Collison at the end of the game.
And you know what…I’m going to come to Reggie Jackson’s defense even though he played as poorly as his former Thunder mates last night. Truth be known, the Pistons didn’t win last night because of Reggie Jackson, they won in spite of Reggie Jackson, but the Thunder are so stupid they allowed this to happen coming off one of their best nights in almost two full seasons of play.
Think about what I just wrote, in almost two full years of play with two of the league’s four best players, a road win at Toronto with a slumping Kyle Lowery qualifies as a signature win. Think about that. To me, this says a great deal about the Thunder.
And exactly what were Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka resting from? Kevin Durant played in 27 games last season. He’d already sat seven games this season and sleepwalked for about three weeks after the All-Star break. What rest was needed? The only people more well rested than Kevin Durant are in the United States Senate.
I’m just reading all this and blown away on multiple fronts. The world has changed, my friends. There is no way I could fathom prime Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson allowing themselves to be sat in this game.
So why are Thunder players or Thunder beat writers even rehashing this aspect of last night’s game?
Leave it alone. If OKC as an organization isn’t smart enough to stagger their players in a well thought manner–then just leave it alone.
In Reggie Jackson’s world it was his One Shining Moment and if the OKC Thunder are dumb enough to allow it to happen then accept it for what it is and don’t say a word about it.
Detroit Pistons 88 — Oklahoma City Thunder 82
Okay, let’s start it this way.
After last night’s game in Toronto, for the first time in nearly two full marathon NBA seasons–I had the feeling the Oklahoma City Thunder were on the cusp of becoming relevant as a contender again. Color me wrong, and I write this not because the Thunder lost a meaningless game as far as Western Conference seedings, but rather write it because the Thunder without Kevin Durant were breathtakingly horrific for 48 minutes against the Pistons tonight.
Maybe I’m just too old school. Maybe I’m reading something in Russell Westbrook, who didn’t buy into sitting tonight, which isn’t there. Maybe I’m just imagining something. But I have to tell you as I sat there watching Reggie Jackson talking shit at the end of this game after he played like a bigger pile of dog crap than the Thunder players, it made me angry.
For the first time in nearly two full basketball seasons, OKC had some mojo, some confidence, some positive feel about themselves, and I guess I’m to assume Billy Donovan decided to sit Kevin Durant rather than to play him light minutes and keep the confidence flowing in his team. You know, this isn’t a team with an abundance of swagger. This is a team right there with the abysmal Philly Sixers as far as choking fourth period leads this season. This has been a fragile team. BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY TWO YEARS THEY APPEARED TO BE MOVING FORWARD AS A TEAM, then this.
This wasn’t the night to sit your alpha stud. This was the night to play your alpha stud, get a lead, put your foot on Reggie Jackson’s pathetic throat, and extend the streak to nine games. Rest could have come later in Denver, later in Sacramento against the piece of shit dumpster fire Kings, or even later against the Lakers at home. This was not the night for rest. This was a perfect night to build upon team confidence, swagger, mojo, but instead the Thunder looked worse than the Bad News Bears and lost to a Detroit team who played almost as horrible as the Thunder.
I’m not going through individual stats or critiquing any players. It was a disgraceful performance by almost all, but not because of a lack of effort, more to the point they were just absolutely horrific twenty-four hours removed from playing one their best games in nearly two years–and I put this squarely on Billy Donovan. If you’re going to rest stars—then why not rest them in the fourth period against the Spur’s Junior Varsity at home?
I don’t what to say. I really don’t. The Oklahoma Thunder have two of the world’s four best basketball players, but I’m not sure if they have the equivalent of RC Buford, Greg Popovich, Bob Myers, or Steve Kerr in the GM and head coaching positions to get this done in Oklahoma City.
I mean I’m sitting here thinking about Donovan saying last night’s win would mean nothing if the Thunder didn’t come out tonight and take the next incremental step forward as a team, then he does this.
Really?
Mike Jackson
There have been some great endings in the national championship game, but this one ranks at the top of my list. Such a wonderful story which was later made into the ESPN 30/30 movie Survive and Advance. I try to watch it the week of the Final Four every season. It renews my feelings for the event and how special it is. If you’ve never seen the movie you should take the time.
Oklahoma City Thunder 119 — Toronto Raptors 100
THIS is the Oklahoma City Thunder team I’ve been wanting to see. I would rank tonight as one of OKC’s best overall games of the year as they basically toyed with the second best team in the East on their floor in a game the Raptors needed if they wanted to stay in touch with the Cavs for the No. 1 seed in the East.
Where do I start?
Let’s start with guard play. OKC’s triplets of Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson, and Dion Waiters had what I thought was their ‘collective’ best game of the season on both ends of the floor against a Raptors guard tandem which is highly thought of around the league.
Westbrook was superb in collecting his 16th triple double of the season — 26 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists. The ball moved and was taken care of with 29 assists versus 10 turnovers. Plus, I liked his overall court energy on the defensive end. Russell Westbrook is my No. 1 Star of the Game. This is what gives me hope OKC can steal a road game in the Spurs series in that there’s no reason Tony Parker can guard Westbrook. Physics. Not complex.
Roberson was really good tonight. His defense was key as Lowery and DeRozan went a combined 12-36 from the field and only managed 33 points on the 36 shots. Plus, in 25 minutes he scored 9 points. I call those bonus points with Roberson. Anything beyond four points with Roberson are a bonus. Roberson was my No. 2 Star of the Game tonight.
My No. 3 Star of the Game was Dion Waiters. For the third time in the last four games he was good. Three steals, good quickness and energy on defense, plus 15 points on a 6-10 night in 28 minutes.
If Billy Donovan could bottle the 53 combined minutes Roberson and Waiters gave him tonight and bring it to the arena every night OKC would have a puncher’s chance against the Spurs and Warriors. Roberson and Waiters were excellent.
Kevin Durant scored 34 points with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, but you know what, this is what I expect from a generational player in a big game setting and unlike Nickie Gallo on the post game ‘interview’ (sigh) — I’m not gonna get down on all fours and his lick his feet. This is what you expect from your superstar. Good game from Durant, but I expect the same thing in Detroit tomorrow night because I really don’t want to see that goofy grin on Reggie Jackson’s face after 48 minutes of play.
Interesting stat. OKC improved to 10-4 tonight on the first night of a back to back. On the second night of back to backs OKC is 7-9 if I heard Matt Pinto right. I’m too tired to look it up—so I’m going with it. BTW…I enjoy Matt Pinto’s work. He doesn’t just lap dance the two super stars. He says it like it is. Nickie Gallo and Royce Young would be well served to follow Matt Pinto’s lead a little more and leave the blatant homering to Brian Davis and Michael Cage.
Enough of the Thunder media critique.
The Thunder played great tonight.
Eighth straight win and I liked what I saw tonight in the eyes of Billy Donovan and his team. They played with a chip on their shoulder and a competitive anger which has been missing from this team at times.
I’m not one of these types who moans about Reggie Jackson, but I’d love for Durant, Westbrook, and the Thunder as a whole to run the streak to nine with a win in Detroit tomorrow night.
Good win, build on it tomorrow night in Detroit..
Mike Jackson