Month: January 2019

This is simple when you really think about it. With LeBron, these Lakers are probably a top five or so seed in the West. Without LeBron, these Lakers are around say somewhere around a No.9 thru No. 12 seed in the West. This isn’t rocket science.

OKC’s Thunder got the Laker version without Lebron on Wednesday night in LA and finally pulled away in the fourth when Russell Westbrook decided to quit shooting the basketball after going 3-18 from the field in the first three quarters of the game.

To Westbrook’s credit somewhat… that flash of genius moment hit him and he only missed twice in the fourth period ending up with a 3-20 night on the same night he tripled doubled, but at the same time registering the fifth worst ever shooting percentage in NBA history on a night he trip dubbed. Truly amazing. Close your eyes and tell me what other current NBA player could do such a thing in 48 minutes of play.

In one game he gave us everything in 48 minutes…Wild Thing for the first 36 minutes and something resembling the best regular season point guard in the game today in a twelve minute final frame.

Jim Traber won’t even know what or how to say it on the air today. It would be best for him at this point if he just followed my lead in observing this human named Russell Westbrook.

But in the end, the Thunder didn’t piss on themselves and did improve to 24-13 with the win. You won’t read another blogger in OKC who still vividly remembers Al Davis as I do so in the end….’it’s just win, baby.” No style points required. Just win because there isn’t a selection committee for the NBA Playoffs.

On the flip side positives abound with Paul George scoring 37 points on a 15-29 shooting night. Steven Adams double doubling. Jerami Grant taking his game up a notch literally every night. Terrance Ferguson looking like he can do this possibly. Dennis Schroeder looking like the Sixth Man of the Year. But what I really like is what I’m seeing from Abdel Nader as he continues to play the Alex Abrines minutes. What I’m seeing is an honest two way basketball player who might actually turn into a player this team desperately needs to solidify the bench. I have no idea what’s up with Abrines…only Thunder insiders like Nick Gallo and Royce Young get those kind of Golden Braille nuggets from the inside. But I’ll be honest… I’m not missing him, no malice intended. He seems like a sweet kid, but OKC needs a player they can depend on moving forward. There’s nothing wrong with being a Spanish folk singer and part time Euro player…I would just do it in Spain and seek inner happiness there an ocean away from Donald Trump.

From a big picture standpoint this was just one win against a team missing not only their best player, but the league’s best player.

The LA fans booing of Paul George was kind of comical, but nothing compared to what OKC fans do with Cupcake every time he re-enters Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Westbrook of course…seems oblivious to it all. Nothing frazzles him . He could go 2-50 and still be snug in his own little universe of Bad Little Dude. Don’t we all wish we could be that secure about ourselves and find the humor in it all? I’ve come to terms with Russell. He helps kids read with his foundation. He does good things for the community. He gives away his shoes to a new kid after every game. He may not ever win shit NBA wise, but in the big picture from a human standpoint….how can you stay mad at him for more than 48 hours?

His place in Oklahoma City history is secure…NBA championship or not. You would think there will at some point be a Russell Westbrook Drive close to Mickey Mantle Boulevard in Bricktown. And Westbrook should feel good about it and he should rest assured there won’t be a Cupcake Circle or a James Harden Crosstown Highway.

This is Russell Westbrook’s town and his team.

The Thunder visit Portland on Friday.

It was a great ending to bowl season for the Big 12 with Texas thumping the Georgia Bulldogs in the All-State Sugar Bowl by a 28-21 count. This game was really wasn’t that close. Long story short…Texas physically handled the overrated Georgia Bulldogs. All told…the Big 12 went 3-1 versus the SEC this bowl season with the only loss coming with OU’s 45-34 loss to top ranked Alabama. O State beat Missouri while Baylor beat Vanderbilt in the other Big 12-SEC head to heads. I still firmly believe if Marquis Brown had been healthy OU would have come down to a last possession game with Alabama once they weathered that horrific first quarter. It was not a good week-end for either Marquis Brown or Antonio Brown for that matter.

I’m sure Jim Traber will have plenty to say this week about the meltdown in Pittsburgh as the Cleveland Browns along with the Baltimore Ravens appear to be poised to assume the crown in the AFC North as the fall of the once mighty Steelers in Pittsburgh has unraveled. Mike Tomlin has lost control of his football team. At some point…I’ll have to write about that Ravens-Browns game on Sunday.

But back to the Big 12…Iowa State lost in a close game to the PAC 12’s second best team in Washington State and West Virginia got handled by Syracuse as their QB Will Grier didn’t play.

All told the Big 12 went 4-3 in bowl season. After watching the bowls this is the way I rank the conferences right now… 1 SEC, 2 Big 12, 3 ACC, 4 Big Ten, 5 PAC 12. If you subtract Clemson from the ACC—it is a nothing football conference. A one team conference. The Big 12 will be tough next year. Kansas, K State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia will all have new head coaches. Texas will in my view be the conference favorite with Oklahoma being picked to finish second unless they get a graduate transfer at the QB position in say Jalen Hurts from Alabama. Why not? Iowa State will have Brock Purdy. And one would hope Spencer Sanders will show his potential at O State with great playmakers around him in wait.

I do wonder where Jalen Hurts will end up though. He was a Texas high school kid. He has a year left as a graduate transfer if he wants to do it. I don’t see him staying in the SEC if he does play another year. Spencer Rattler as a true freshman at OU… I’m not sure about. And I don’t know if Austin Kendall gives the Sooners what they need as far as a dual threat QB which will be needed to compete with Mini Tebow, Brock Purdy, Spencer Sanders, and the Brewer kid at Baylor.

Holgorson is headed to Houston so it will be interesting to see who lands the West Virginia job.

I loved the Bevo thing with UGA. It set the tone for the game. Pauli was sitting next to me watching when this unfolded. She went berserk growling at Bevo. Pauli is a warrior…old UGA not so much. Pauli would have gone after Bevo no doubt and maybe set a different tone for the overrated Georgia Bulldogs with all those five star recruits.

After blowing a six point lead with 1:51 left in Sunday’s game in Dallas, the mercurial Russell Westbrook regained his senses and led the Thunder to a wire to wire 122-102 blowout of the Dallas Mavs.

If ever two games in two nights highlighted why Russell Westbrook doesn’t have a ring this might be a primer of sorts. It was vintage Wild Thing in the blown game in Dallas, then vintage Russell Westbrook as an iconic generational point guard who should at least have two rings already as we hit Day 1 of 2019. These two games highlight what Westbrook brings to the table at his worst and at his best.

At his best, Westbrook is the best point guard in the NBA. At his worst I’m not sure I’d have him in my top seven points guards in the game today. The gap is that significant, especially when you get to the post season and each game is magnified by bad decisions being made by teams’ point guards. The NBA is no different than the NFL in that you’re not going to win the big trophy if your quarterback habitually makes bad decisions at just the wrong time.

I don’t write this as a fan of the Thunder per se, but more of just a fan of the NBA. As a witness who’s passionately watched the league for around fifty-five years now both in the pre three point era and the current era of basketball.

One thing hasn’t changed during either era, that being your point guard can’t play like an out of control youth level rec player when all the marbles are on the table. That can’t happen. I’m not exactly sure what or how Jerry West phrased his closing argument to Kevin Durant on that fateful phone call to the Hamptons, but I’m guessing I have it fairly close.

Clay Bennett and Sam Presti have put all their chips in the middle of the pot betting at some point Russell Westbrook’s light switch will go on. That he’ll have that flash of genius moment when he realizes he has five seasons or so left where he could become an NBA championship winner.

Watching Westbrook somewhat reminds me of the hockey player Alex Ovechkin. Until last spring, Ovechkin, like Westbrook, was a perennial flameout in post seasons for the Washington Capitals. Great individual stats. Regular season MVP’s. A scoring title or two or three. A perennial all-star. A secured place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto (another reason I’d like to live there).

Ovechkin’s teams could never get past the opening rounds and if they did they always came up short when it mattered. They always found a way to lose. Always. They were viewed as the league’s premier underachiever. A franchise which had wasted the storied career of Ovechkin.

Same thing last season as they lost their first two home games in the first round to the Columbus Blue Jays. Then something magical happened, Ovechkin changed his game. He pulled back on offense and focused on his defense and on his checking game. He took his immensive set of offensive skills and used them at just the right clutch moments when his team needed them most. He gave up some points for hits, for rubs, for screens, for backchecks, for assists, for all the little things which transform a perennial choker into a flowering world champion. And it worked.

The Washington Capitals shocked the hockey world by winning their first ever world championship. Ovechkin finally had his ring. His city had their moment. It was glorious and the Caps are still riding that crest this season as one of the NHL’s best teams even after the coach left the team after their Stanley Cup moment.

As I watch Westbrook–I know winning matters to him. I know it does. I just can’t figure out why he’s taking this long to come to terms with what it will take from him if he wants to become a champion like Ovechkin.

And again, I don’t think it means all that much if Billy Donovan is the coach or someone else is the coach. It doesn’t matter. This is Westbrook’s deal. This is how he decides if he wants to be grouped with Cousy, Magic, and Isiah Thomas or along with Steve Nash and John Stockton.

When I watch the Thunder now I don’t look at wins nearly as much as I observe what Westbrook does to facilitate this team becoming a legit championship contender with all this payroll.

This is or at least should be Russell Westbrook’s season of awakening.

No more excuses. This isn’t on ownership or Sam Presti. This isn’t on Billy Donovan. This isn’t on Cupcake. This isn’t on Oklahoma City.

This is on Russell Westbrook.