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I saw the OU-A&M game in person. I was a little disppointed in the crowd, but there’s OU-Texas coming up for both the women and men this week-end, plus, A&M was 8-8 coming into this game and they’re not very good. OU basically controlled the game and at intervals had a thirty point lead.

Jennie’s Sooners play Texas in Austin on Sunday with College Game Day being there given it will be a rivalry game featuring two teams who are both on nice little runs currently with both teams in the Top 10 poll this week.

I think OU’s young players off their bench are getting better every game….especially Brooklyn Stewart and Caya Smith from PC West. From my view it was the best game I’ve seen Caya play as a Sooner. If Caya continues to improve in this manner it would be huge for OU.

So that’s that.

As far as the Thunder…I’m debating whether to read them the riot act or just move onto the next game. Other than Shai…it’s a shame no one else from OKC showed up to play against a good team like the Minnesota Timberwolves.

I guess they’re all just worn out from playing all those shitty teams in the first half of the season and they haven’t got much left. That injured reserved list can be a bitch.

This was a rout. 123-111 does not represent what this game was in reality. Just a very quick, cursory look at the stat sheet tells anyone who knows basketball the Thunder didn’t show up to play minus Shai.

OKC’s lackluster perimeter defense allowed 22 three point makes for the TWolves. The Thunder loafed in that regard.

Minnesota out-rebounded the sleepy Thunder by ten boards despite the return of Isaiah Hartenstein.

But the most telling stat for me was the TWolves turned 16 Thunder turnovers into 30 points. That used to be what the Thunder did when they were playing Forty Minutes of Hell before all the people around them told them they were the best team in NBA history.

The above three stats are hustle and want to stats. MJ didn’t see much of any ‘want to’ from the Thunder.

In case you’re not following all this…MJ is doing precisely what Coach Mark should be doing…namely calling his team out a little bit.

Denver won a game tonight without Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson.

What else should I write?

You either take pride in your craft and your own work ethic or you don’t. I think it’s pretty much as simple as that.

Next game up, and btw this was the eleventh Thunder loss of the season. So all the bullshit about going 72-10 or better and surpassing what the Warriors did no longer needs to be talked about.

Next game up.

Mike J

This is a great pre-workout song. Trust me on this matter. It really gets a guy in the right state of mind. So…I’m off for my workout today before the Sooners’ game tonight versus Texas A&M.

I’ve decided not to post a photo of the ending of Tuesday nights’ Thunder-Pels game where Jeremiah Fears and Lu Dort attempted to strangle each other as the game concluded.

Jeremy is young, uber young for the NBA. He’s obviously gold with me considering he along with Jalon Moore carried the Sooners on their backs to the NCAA Tournament last spring. He’s a tremendous talent, though too young still to use better judgement than taking on Lu Dort.

Jeremiah…don’t do that again. Be smarter. If you feel the need to punch a Thunder player… I would suggest you go in this order, Chet, Isaiah Joe, and Ajay. Do not take on Lu Dort.

There is an art to winning a fight, namely don’t ever fight someone like Lu Dort and get yourself beaten up.

Lu is gold on my blog as well as you…even moreso than you because he was one of the foundational pieces which allowed OKC to have that wonderful parade last summer. Plus…I think he’s a solid human being you should emulate rather than choke or fake fight.

I hate fake fighting. Fake tough NBA players who pretend they want to fight, but never actually fight reinforces my doctrine on the pussification of NBA players overall. If you’re going to punch someone…then just cock it back and let it fly. But again, I’d be smarter than to engage with Lu again in that manner.

I know it sucks playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, but it is what it is.

Take care.

Mike J

I’ll start with this…I was very impressed with the manner in which Roger Denny handled this introductory presser. He’s very straightforward. Very much to the point. Doesn’t hem and haw and waste time letting you know what he did as Illinois as deputy athletic director and how he was involved in both football and basketball.

As we just witnessed with Indiana winning the national championship in football, not basketball, the landscape of college sports is somewhat upside down a bit. From the inception of NIL coupled with the transfer portal I would suggest the qualifications for an athletic director at any major school has been upped several notches.

Being an honorary recipient of a Juris Docorate from the Bob Jackson School of Law…I think the fact Roger has a law degree and has created a special niche for himself in this area of sports law with his keen insights on how collective bargainning will evolve in the major college sports arena…is a big thing.

Plus, I love what he said about leaving his law firm after four very successful years there because his passion, his ultimate goal, was to use his skill sets to become involved in collegiate athletics. I loved what he said about college campuses in general kind of fulilling an emotional feeling of passion, hope, and energy as something which he needs to be happy.

I love Joe C. In my lifetime as a passionate OU fan…he’s by far my favorite OU atheletic director of all-time. I’m glad he’ll still be involved at OU in an emeritus role, but I can fully understand how he’s worn out from these past four years. It’s worn me out…just as a knowledgeable, passionate fan, and award winning underground blogger.

I think this is an interesting hire. I wouldn’t feel very good right now if I were Porter Moser with his abysmal overall conference record in both the Big 12 and SEC. I’ll speak to that more specifically after I attend the Saturday game in Norman versus Texas.

I’m genuinely trying to be fair with Porter on my blog. I like him. I want him to succeed. But my feeling is with ten games left in the SEC regular season with the Sooners currently at 11-10 overall, 1-7 in SEC play… my feeling is that in these last ten games OU needs to significantly begin winning games and go something like 7-3 to close out at 17-13, 8-10 heading into the SEC post season tournament for there to be made an argument for Year 6 for Porter.

This certainly is not a great OU team with their challenge at the center position, but the SEC is down in basketball this season and the manner in which OU cannot close games at the end of games is concerning in relation to the coaching.

Mo Wague, buddy…MJ will be there again on Saturday near the floor. You’ll see me there again. You guys do Porter a favor and start this winning streak with a win over the hated Longhorns so I can at least present some defense of his case for a Year 6.

I’m actually going to the women’s game tonight with Jennies’ back in the Top 10 team taking on Texas A&M. I won’t be near the floor though, but back in my regular section, four rows lower near the pep band and in the throng of the student section. My OU ticket accountant always takes care of me and my quirky ticket needs. Maybe I’ll run into Roger Denny over there.

Eternal love and patience,

Mike J

I just kind of sent this to my niece who’s getting married in March. It made me cry thinking about all my wife and I have experienced in our forty-six years together.

I mean, wow. It’s been a journey.

Mike J

I was there last night, mid-court, first row off the floor. I have this same seat for Texas on Saturday thanks to my excellent ticket agent at OU. My other OU games I’ll be sitting near the pep band, and touching-distance near the crazy students as I did as a young man. But for these two games by me being closer to the floor I’m hoping to be able to transmitt the strongest Al Pacino wave-lengths possible to the players when they were and will be on Saturday… looking me pretty much eye to eye.

If you watched the game you would have noticed…Mo Wague had one of his strongest games in SEC play yet. Mo and I were visually locked-in as I repeatedly was pleading for that intangible which separates winning from losing, from living and f–king dying. That’s the Mo I want to see these remaing ten SEC regular season games.

Porter looks like coaching death right now. I love Porter, but right now I would say his position is not an enviable one. If I thought this team was a piece of shit…I wouldn’t still be on here pleading from them what I think they’re capable.

This team should be 4-3 in SEC play right now. But instead they’re 1-7 in the darkness, in basketball hell. And judging by Coach Cal’s opening statements in his postgame presser he pretty much agrees with MJ. These guys just need confidence in one another. They need an injection of collective mojo. They need to make plays down the stretch.

Its what Michael Jordan and I call make winning plays in the last four minutes of both halves. Especially the ability to make defensive stops when you have to make defensive stops.

Last night Arkansas’s freshman razor-quick starting guards were the catalyst for 56 points in the paint. Both of those dudes were every bit as quick as Jeremiah Fears. And btw…maybe tomorrow or maybe right now I’ll comment on Jeremiah’s misguided notion of fighting Lu Dort after last night’s Thunder game.

Jeremiah…don’t ever do that again. If you want to fight Ajay Mitchell or Isaiah Joe or Chet or maybe even Aaron Wiggins…Mike J would say let it fly. But not with Lu. Lu is gold on this MJ’s blog. He would destroy you. I love the piss and passion, but I wouldn’t do that again.

Now back to OU. Porter and his team are in hell right now…especially Porter. So the only real advice I can give is take one day at a time, don’t give up, and beat Texas on Saturday.

One play, one game, at a time. It may sound cliche, but that’s where this OU basketball team is right now and the crowd last night was unbelievable. Like me, they’re still with you. I didn’t hear one negative or one boo around me. We all feel your pain right now and respect the fact you haven’t quit. This isn’t an effort or dogging it issue.

It’s an issue as a team in beleiving in yourself and collectively making plays at WINNING TIME. Find a way to the light.

Damn, I love being Al Pacino on here from time to time. I genuinely do. Like Coach Calipari…it’s the Italian in both of us. Good luck with the rest of your season, Coach Cal. I’m doing my best in Norman to try to keep this afloat.

Mike J

Okay…I’ll just come out and write this on my blog. The very last thing I want my blog to be is something akin to the work LNG*, Michael Cage, and the other Thunder sycophants on Sam Presti’s payroll churn out on a 24/7 basis.

This MJ doesn’t need a Sam Presti’s Thunder subsidy.. This MJ worked his tail off for fifty years or so and completely undertstands the Darwinian aspects of the American free enterprise economy…which btw has had a sense of socialism attached to it since the days of FDR thru Eisenhower thru LBJ thru thru Richard Nixon* thru Bush 41 thru President Obama thru Sleepy Joe Biden thru Trump to date.

I don’t want or need that money. I keep this blog going because I obviously have a burning passion for sport and have had that burning passion since I was probably five years of age.

The other MJ, the one who like me who doesn’t wear socks when he’s wearing dress clothes, pretty much has been very vocal on what he thinks of the pussification of the modern day NBA player. I just love the fact MJ doesn’t wear socks like me. I can’t get over how happy that makes me feel.

On my mission here with okcthunderground.com…I want to make it perfectly clear I do not include Shai, Lu, and Kenrich in that category. I love those guys because they, like Nick Collison and Russell, stuck with this Thunder organization through all the tanking shit Sam Presti made them crawl during the rebuild.

Those three crawled on their hands and knees through that tunnel from Shawshank into the daylight. Those three are royalty on my blog because for normal Americans it takes that type of drive and mental toughness to make it in America.

Sometimes…we play f–king hurt or when we don’t feel completely wonderful.

Like MJ who played in an entirely different generation, I’m getting a little weary of what I’m seeing agents in the NBA doing to the sport. When a fan buys a ticket to see Tony Bennett or Taylor Swift or whomever there is a reciprocal duty for that performer to give the fans an honest night of entertainment.

Again…if I were Sam Presti I’d sit Shai tonight as we’re near the All-Star break. The Pelicans are awful. Let’s see who wants to crawl through the Shawshank shit with Shai, Lu, and Kenrich and repeat as NBA champions.

It you lose the game…so what.

Mike J

• From this point forward how I’ll note Little Nick Gallo on the blog.
• Eisenhower and Nixon both advanced Social Security with their full presidential endorsements. Nixon even created the EPA while in office. You Trump do-do heads…fact check me if you need to.

What a downer of a Tuesday night schedule of Thunder basketball on tap. The injury excuse Thunder who now have Little Nick Gallo and Michael Cage citing the injury lost game stat of the very soft Thunder at somewhere around 300- 400 games lost to injury makes me smile.

I think what they must be doing in their paternal effort to be the best Little League mothers in Oklahoma is this…they’re obviously counting the games lost by rookie Thomas Sorber and Nicola Topic as games lost.

On my injury metric of games lost to injury…I only count games lost to injury of players in the top ten of their roster entering the regular season. Unlike LNG and Michael Cage…. I don’t count players in the G-League, players from the Durant-Westbrook years, and games lost to injury when the team was still playing in Seattle.

The Thunder have now lost back to back games at home to the tanking Indiana Pacers and the pretty good Toronto Raptors. Shai had 47 points against a tanking, injury decimated Indiana team and yet his soft teammates still found a way to lose this game. Then the Thunder lost at home to a decent Toronto team on Sunday evening.

I’m taking back my endorsement of Chet being named to the All-Star team. For a dude who has missed as many games in his young NBA career and was just given a max contract—I find his on court indifference on various nights vexing. For such a group of young guys excluding Shai, Lu, and Kenrich to be this hurt and this unable to go so often…I have to write this on my blog even though I’ve been trying my best not to be this way with the defending champs on my blog this season.

Are the other guys excluding these three just the biggest collection of FILL IN THE BLANK —-ies ever assembled on an NBA roster? Again…I’m glad these guys aren’t playing in the NFL or NHL. This is what happens when you baby players to this extent like the Thunder baby and shield their players.

I mean…this is the youngest roster in the league. Injuries generally happen to old players like LeBron, Steph, Jimmy Butler, and Kevin Durant. Westbrook and Durant never missed games like this in the early portion of their careers. Even out of shape James Harden never missed this many games.

If I were Coach Mark tonight, I’d sit Shai and then see if there’s any hubris or accountability on this roster minus Shai, Lu, and Kenrich. Sit Shai and let’s if these guys are the worldbeaters the Thunder media group makes them out to be. The Pelicans are horrible. Let’s see what we’ve got here.

I think it would be interesting. Let’s see what Chet has and these greats have working for them tonight versus the mighty Pelicans. OKC is still 5.5 games up for the No. 1 overall seed. Give Shai the night off and let’s see what happens.

On the Kate Hudson question above, her nomination for an Oscar made me think of her Oscar nominated role in Almost Famous which made her famous until she made too many bad chick flicks. Nice to see Kate Hudson back in a good role with an Oscar nomination to boot. Good for her.

Mike J

I feel as if a Scott van Pelt type of post is needed this Monday evening following those two epic games yesterday which now set up our Super Bowl matchup of New England vs. Seattle in northern California. I can’t just merge into the Super Bowl without commenting on two very stupid plays yesterday though.

One gaffe almost cost Seattle a trip to their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history. And the other…an eggregious error by Bronco coach Sean Payton, in not kicking that second period field goal from the fifteen yardline which would have staked Denver to a 10-0 lead in a game we all saw as a grind it out defensive knife fight.

10-7 in the blowing snow is a knife fight. The only Patriot touchdown came as a result of a panic lateral pass by Jarrett Stidham which wouldn’t have even been called if Denver was leading 10-0 at that point.

With Riq Woolen it was sheer stupidity which crossed the line of obsessive selfishness. I mean…this wasn’t Crazy Riq’s first brush with taunting misconduct. He was just recently fined by the NFL at the tailend of the regular season for a taunting episode against the Redskins.

This is bullshit at the highest level in team sports. If you want to act like a spoiled brat go get a tennis racket and do your John McEnroe act on the ATP Tour. But why is it at this same time I could envision Riq Woolen at some point down the road being named Donald Trump’s head of Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, or the CIA. Why doesn’t that seem ludicrous to Mike J?

Add to the fact…after taking that penalty, Woolen got burned on a flag route for a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Pacua which closed the score to 31-27 in favor of Seattle.

Matthew Stafford is my NFL-MVP for the season, but on this night it was Sam Darnold who was just about perfect in steering his team to a turnover free game and close to 350 passing yards with 3 TD passes.

I would hope the elephant has now been removed from Sam Darnold’s back. Minnesota didn’t go 14-3 this season. Seattle with Darnold is now 16-3 with Sam and heading to Super Bowl 60 as a three point favorite by my evaluation.

So which was the dumber play?

This is a actually a tough decision for me even though I really like Sean Payton as a coach. Yeah…I would go for it with Bo Nix maybe. But no way with Jarrett Stidham at that point. Coach Payton’s job was to nuture Stidham’s confidence and put the game in the hands of the Denver defense.

But…I mean—Crazy Riq Woolen was over on that Seattle sideline for what seemed like an eternity.

So my Scott van Pelt Most Stupid Things I Saw on Conference Championship Weekend list goes in this order:

1 Crazy Riq Woolen’s taunting penalty which almost cost Seattle a Super Bowl bid.

2 Coach Sean Payton eschewing the second period chipshot field-goal before the blizzrd arrived at Empower Stadium.

3 The Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach.

That’s it for MJ being Scott van Pelt for an evening as the sun sets to the west at the mini-ranch in Deer Creek, Oklahoma.

Be well and safe, SVP.

Mike J

I would have to say…yes. Why not? He has a great team supporting him on both sides of the ball. His offensive line is excellent and the Hawks can run the ball. The Seattle defense is one of the most physical in the NFL.

Plus…everyone in the franchise is hungry, as is the fanbase in Seattle.

Sam Darnold’s one left obstacle of getting to the Super Bowl is Matthew Stafford of the LA Rams. Darnold became one of only a select few NFL quarterbacks to win 14 games in a regular season this year. He did the same last year with Minnesota.

This team isn’t Minnesota though. This team is built to advance to the Super Bowl in northern California opposite the winner of the AFC Championship Game in Denver. I’ll be wearing my Denver Bronco’s stocking cap and rooting for my second city today. Green Bay is obviously my team…but the Bronco’s are now my AFC team since the ‘Fam’ lives there.

If Nick Foles as a backup could lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl championship…then I would say to Sam Darnold…’Don’t throw picks and play a turnover free game.’ Pretty much what I said when Peyton Manning in the sendoff to his magnificent NFL career won his second Super Bowl because of that iconic/stellar Denver defense.

The Chicago Bears did not avance beyond the Rams because of three turnovers. The Buffalo Bills did not advance beyond the Denver Broncos because of five turnovers. The LA Rams advanced over the Carolina Panthers on the road because they played a clean turnover game.

‘Turnover clean’ will be the double mantra in both games today played in Seattle and Denver.

So do I feel good about Jarrett Stidham today in the Bronco’s first game verus Drake Maye and the New England Pats? At best…I feel if Coach Payton and the defense can get the lead early and never put Jarret Stidham in horrible 3rd and long situations…it could be a ‘possibility’ for Denver to advance.

Jarrett Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game in two years. Just saying. Riding a bike and avoiding the New England Mike Vrabel pass rush aren’t exactly the same thing…if you know what I mean.

But for Sam Darnold…this has to be his time to define his NFL quarterback legacy. This needs to be a rock solid game by Sam Darnold. Nothing historic statwise…just a solid game for sixty minutes managing the game.

Ten inches of snow here at the Deer Creek mini-ranch. I have been feeding the deer, turkeys, birds and other wildlife, but otherwise I’m not leaving the mini-ranch until Tuesday.

A perfect day to drink hot coffee and watch both NFL championship games.

Mike J

Not much to get excited about with Porter Moser’s spiraling mens’ team as they are dead last in the SEC currently at 1-5 with a game today at Missouri. We’ll see how that goes. But I know this… if Nijel Pack continues on his recent trend of poor shooting the Sooners are soon to be 1-6 in conference play.

Mike J would say Porter Moser needs to have one of those eye to eye Al Pacino moments with Nijel in the lockeroom today if there is to be a Porter Moser Year 6 in Norman in the offing.

On a brighter note, the Sooners coached by Jennie B stunned No. 2 South Carolina 94-72 in OT at Lloyd Noble on Thursday evening before an appreciative and raccous crowd.

Winning is fun. There is no mystery in that axiom. That is why the Norman crowds are sparse and meek currently with Porter’s team.

Freshman point guard Aaliyah Chavez was beyond superlative in the overtime in the extra period swishing five threes in leading the Sooners to a MUCH needed win after their poor performance on the previous Sunday versus Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers.

Kim Mulkey has always been a trip as far I’ve been concerned dating back to her days at Baylor where her teams racked up three national championships before she took the money and ran to LSU where she has since won an additional natty.

I kind of like Kim Mulkey though. She doesn’t take any shit from anybody anytime. I’d love to see her debate Trump. That might be an engrossing evening of American civics.

OU was worse than horrid in the LSU game. I would imagine those sensitive to F-bombs would have been shocked at the things Jennie HAD to say to her team after that pathetic effort in the second half.

I’m not like the puritan Jim Traber…I fully undertsnad there are times in sports when a coach needs to emit an F-bomb or two to grab their team’s attention when their effort is not acceptable.

Good for Jenni…she obviously knows what she can and can’t say to her players to get them back on track. THEY RESPONDED.

It was a great team win for OU as all five starters scored in double figures. Plus, Brooklyn Stewart, Caya Smith, and Keziah Lofton all contributed off the bench.

This was a crossroads win for the Sooners if they are to be serious about hosting another NCAA sub-regional and challenging for an Elite 8 berth come March.

This is the version of Aaliyah Chavez that needs to emerge. She’s a true freshman, but she’s also the best player on the team. This was the first game I witnessed where it appeared everyone on the floor for the Sooners understood what I just wrote in the previous sentence.

OU plays at Auburn tomorrow. The Sooners need to win the game. Period.

Mike J