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What an interesting night in Toronto from an NBA standpoint. The Raptors are a decent team to the extent I had them at No. 11 on my All-Star break Power Poll. They’re not horrible. They’re not winning the NBA championship either, but they’re not horrible.

No Shai. No JDub. No Ajay. Not much from allleged ‘max’ player Chet Holmgren in one of his ‘passive-submissive mode’ nights as well. But it just didn’t matter.

You know why it didn’t matter?

Because Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, and Alex Caruso evidently are big-time Team USA hockey fans like me and were still glowing from the double gold medal swagger mojo from both of our hockey teams beating Team Canada twice while at the same time trying to help our sissified dysfuntional country ‘somewhat’ come to terms with itself.

I didn’t watch much of the State of the Union. I didn’t need to. I knew what Trump was going to do. But I did see the part where Team USA entered the building to raccous applause from both sides of the aisle. From what I undertsand it was the only time all night both parties stood united for our country. That’s what I meant when I wrote, “Sport is always a thread which bonds our country despite our differences.”

Before I get back to the NBA game…I would also add Cason, Alex, and even Isaiah played in Toronto with the gusto and toughness of hockey players versus the current soft prima donna sterotype of today’s NBA players. Cason and Alex have always been tough, but until this season not so much Isaiah.

But let me highlight this thought with a single paragraph on Isaiah Joe’s transformation as a hockey player this season…he’s worked his tail off and become a real two-zone player who can do more than just shoot the ball. He’s no longer a pylon liability on defense. He’s turned himself into a basketball player I believe who now has the toughness of a hockey player. That would be the highest compliment a Thunder player could get from me here on the blog.

My Three Stars of the Game went in this order…1 Cason, 2 Isaiah, and 3 Alex.

Cason’s line went… 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists. Isaiah had a 19 point third period as his recent heater shooting the basketball continued when he wasn’t playing defense and bringing the ball upcourt. Caruso went a team best +22 with 16 points.

Big game tonight in Detroit which used to be called Hockey Town USA back when the Red Wings were King of the Hockey Mountain. Both Cade Cunningham’s Pistons and the Thunder stand atop the NBA standings with 14 losses apiece in the loss column.

But it’s not just Cade, the Pistons have a big named Jalen Duran who will eat Chet Holmgren for lunch if Chet plays with the same softness he displayed in Toronto last night. Jalen will order a side of fries and literally eat Chet for lunch if he doesn’t bring his game inside the building tonight in Detroit.

Yeah, that’s me doing what Coach Mark should be doing. Sam Presti…you can thank me when all this repeat season is over, buddy. Somebody has to do it, right?

Enjoy the game tonight, Thunder fans.

Mike J

My feelings on Donald Trump have always been crystal clear on this blog. Nothing in that regard has changed minus the fact I just ignore him as I should have done before-hand.

But I have to note this on the blog…if you were still paying close attention to the television after the medal ceremony and after the national anthem…you would have discerned Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Free Bird’ rocking the arena in Milan.

Holy shit!!!!!

Free Bird along with Stairway to Heaven are the two rock songs which defined my youth. I mean….Holy f—king Shit!!!

So if there was any doubt…if this Team USA or the 1980 Team USA is my favorite team at this point it is…. 2026 Team USA, baby!!!!

F–k yeah and God Bless America and don’t take yourselves so seriously tonight during the State of the Union which I won’t be watching.

God bless, America.

Mike J

Let me tell you people something…you have no idea the journey it took these young women, these young men, and their families to have these moments in Milan.

The path to becoming a hockey player at this level is an amazing journey not only for the players, but for their families.

The cold mornings in the rinks at early hours.

The missed events other kids are participating in during school years.

The travel.

The hurt and setbacks.

The amazing dedication it takes for kids in America to get to this level in this sport is truly beyond challenging.

When I was watching Robert this weekend in Denver as a six year-old the thoughts of my son Chris at that age overtook me. The evolution of the hockey player is both physically and mentally amazing.

It is a journey which requires a passion beyond description.

Every young person on both of these Team USAs’ grew up watching Miracle. Every one of them I can assure you has this scene screared into their hockey souls. I’m a sixty-nine year-old man with Stage 4 cancer and it still gives me a rush watching this scene. It’s a scene about being an American. It’s a scene about dreaming big and then going out with a group around you… you’ve come to love as teammates and getting it done.

It’s what we should be as Americans instead of all the bullshit petty cultural nonsense which seems to obsess us as a nation daily.

Jack Hughes and Megan Keller and to all of your teammates…thank you and God Bless America for it is one of the truly great things about sport in that it reminds us we are all Americans and despite the issues we face as a country today this is still the best country in the world in which to live.

Mike J

We are back from Colorado where we had a great time with the ‘Fam’ where hockey ruled supreme during the Winter Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament. Denver is truly one of the hottest hockey cities in our country and it was the place to be while I fervently watched both the men and women win gold medals over the Canadians with matching 2-1 overtime thrillers.

Both of these games were as good as it gets. I mean…just iconic finishes ranking right there with me as aspirational as the 1980 USA mens’ gold medal team at Lake Placcid.

I’ll write more about these games tomorrow, but right now I want to somewhat get back on track with the NBA because I watched nary a basketball game at any level during our stay in Colorado. Between the Olympics and attending ice hockey practices and a scrimmage for my six-year old grandson mini-mite Robert Jackson…I had no appetite for NBA regular season games.

Both Nathan McKinnon and Brock Nelson’s boys are usually in this group of mini-mites at the Denver U ice facility , but both Colorado Avalanche players were facing off in the championship game on Sunday morning from Milan. Brock with Team USA and Nathan with Team Canada. Brock’s son six year-old son Collum is a flash on the ice according to my grandson. Collum actually made it on TV in the post game celebration with his dad holding him. Pretty cool I would say for father and son.

I also found the ultimate place in Denver to watch hockey games at the ultimate sports bar setting. This being the University Campus Sports Bar located on University Street just a bit north of the University of Denver campus. I mean…wow. This place was founded by a former University of Denver player and is absolutely iconic hockey-wise given Denver University has won ten DI national championships in mens ice hockey.

For a hockey fan…this place is heaven and the food was good as well. The Campus Sports Bar will become one of my haunts for ice hockey games in the future. Plus, they have a Mrs. Pac-Man game in the rear of the bar.

As far as the basketball game above…I didn’t see this Spurs at Detroit Pistons game. We were driving back and I missed it. But given the fact the Thunder, the Spurs, and the Pistons are in the hunt for the overall No. 1 seed in the NBA…I felt I should put it on here as MJ works himself back into basketball shape now that both Team USA’s are atop the world as far as ice hockey goes.

Tough break for the Canadians given the fact Trump has been trolling them about becoming our 51st state, but they very well could have won both of these games. But you know, that’s the breaks of the game and that’s just the way it goes. Team USA made the clutch plays and that’s the way it goes. I am so thrilled God allowed me to live this long to see the men finally win another gold medal at the Winter Olympics. I truly feel blessed.

So I think I’ll cover the OKC Thunder at Toronto Raptor game tonight for my first game back in the saddle at the premier OKC Thunder underground blog in this hemisphere.

USA! USA! USA!

Have a lovely Tuesday.

Mike J

It’s hard to believe the Thunder only have twenty-six regular season games left in the regular season. The whole season to me feels somewhat disjointed with the injuries to both the Thunder and Denver Nuggets. It feels as if the season has really never gotten going when you figure out Boston and Indiana are boh playing without their two No. 1 stars in Tatum and Haliburton as well.

Just a very odd feeling season for me. The upside is two young teams in San Antonio and Detroit have shown tremendous advancement in becoming serious challengers this post season.

Throw in the NY Knicks and Minnesota Timbervolves and that would be my Top 6 here at the break.

I would then include Houston, Boston, and Cleveland as my No. 7, No. 8., and No. 9. The question we all ask ourselves is who exactly is going to be healthy and playing for both Oklahoma City and Denver when the playoffs begin. If this were March Madness the Toronto Raptors might be someone I’d pick as a Cinderella to make some noise.

I watched very little of the All-Star Game festivities. It’s too much, and coming so close on the heels of the Super Bowl…I’ve taken a break and have been watching the Winter Olympics.

Hopefully, next Monday when we’re back from Colorado… I’ll be back on here and the players will be healthier and rested from the break.

Adam Silver hopes so.

Good luck to both of Team USA’s ice hockey teams.

Mike J

It was an excellent week for OU mens basketball. Two quality wins over two quality SEC opponents, plus the passsage of the Norman bond issue which will include a new facility for OU basketball in the Norman Entertainment District.

I tell you what, Porter had a twinkle back in his eyes after OU’s 94-78 win over Georgia. What a day. A popcorn machine caught on fire during the game causing a halt in play, plus it was Joe C’s last official game as the OU athletic director.

When your popcorn machine catches on fire and halts the game—it’s time for a compact, modern arena which will create a pit atmosphere with a genuine homecourt advantage. Like Gallagher-Iba used to be in the days before they did the misguided expansion. I loved that place. That’s the feel you want at a college basketball game.

A smart marketer in this market could point to the fact college game day tickets cost less, there’s no tanking, there’s no fake load management, and there is a pep band, a rabid student section, and pom girls. An intuitive marketer would point out all those factors and lure in the disposable sports entertainment dollar to this new arena.

Is there a way forward for OU to somehow recover from the nine game losing streak? I don’t know. But I do know OU’s current rank in the NCAA Net rankings is No. 68. The Sooners had dropped as low as No. 85 after the loss at Kentucky. But here the Sooners sit on the doorstep of Joe Lunardi relevance if they can win more games coming down the stretch.

But the computer and human eyes will need to see more games won… to at least get to 18 or 19 wins come Selection Sunday.

One game at a time has to be the mantra for this OU team. There has to be a sense of urgency with every game, but OU’s very tough non-conference schedule, plus playing in the SEC will give them an opportunity to be in Joe Lunardi’s discussions if they keep winning games.

You have to win games. You can’t look back at the Missouri, Alabama, and Arkansas losses which should have been wins if the Sooners had taken care of business late.

Instead…you just lock in and take one ten minute stretch at a time and play with complete and total desperation.

OU getting back a healthy Dayton Forsythe has been huge for the simple reason Nijel Pack and Xsayvier Brown aren’t wornout for the final six minutes of the game. It gives Porter Moser three guards who can be paired seamlessly.

Ten days ago it appeared Porter Moser’s and his team were dead in the water together. But maybe not. Next up at Tennessee. After that tough assignment the Sooners have five games which they should have a chance of winning.

I know this sounds crazy for the 13-12, 3-9 Sooners, but there is a pathway here for the Sooners to save Porter Moser’s job. The Committee pays close attention to the NCAA Net rankings. OU played at Gonzaga, at Arizona State, at Nebraska, at Wake Forest, at Marqutee, and at a neutral site in their nine point win over O State.

This path to the Tournament might be improbable, but not impossible. But again, Big Mo (OU’s starting center)…please stop it with the bad fouls early in games. If Big Mo can just stay in the games the rest of the team seems to be coming together in a sense with the return of a healthy Dayton Forsythe coming off the bench.

I have no idea what new OU athletic director Roger Denny thinks in regards to what I just wrote. No idea at all. But regardless of all that…I’m happy for Porter Moser that he and his team have not surrendered.

Next game up…Tennessee.

Mike J

Damn. That’s one angry woman with a very big chip on her shoulder. Granted…I agree with her in that pretty much every member of the United States Senate is a group of weaklings.

But I mean MJ says… damn.

This is the woman Sam Presti should hire to coach some snarl and nasty into Chet Holmgren. You put that face and attitude on top of Chet’s frame and you’ll see a 20/20 double double guy every night who never misses a game.

My second impulse would be to say something too sexually implicit for me to print on my blog.

So…again…damn, girl. Go get a guy and kick back a little if you know what I mean.

Being an honors graduate of the Bob Jackson School of Street Law…I was curious where one goes to get a law degree for a person with the skill set of Pam Bondi. So I googled it and it came up Stetson School of Law JD, University of Florida BA.

So right now if you’re on my blog and a person considering law school and you need a direction of sort, this is how I see it as far as law school choices… 1 Bob Jackson School of Street Law, 2 Tulsa University Law School, 3 OU Law School, and then 4 OCU School of Law. I was lucky in that I knew the dean of BJSSL. But I would prolly shy away from Stetson from what we witnessed this week from Pam Bondi.

Granted…that wasn’t a courtroom and she wasn’t obligated to conduct herself as an Officer of the Court per se. But I mean, when one sees the the top official/lawyer of the U.S. Department of Justice behave in that manner it makes this ‘law school graduate’ actually wish Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions were still around.

Not a good look for Pam Bondi, Stetson, and the United States of America.

And this in the same week Donald Trump and Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt had a Twitter war. But I guess…good for Kevin Stitt for not getting rolled as he usually does by POTUS 47. He finally stood up for himself a little bit. It must have been that 86% number he saw David Holt ring upearlier this week.

Have a nice weekend in purple Oklahoma County. Enjoy the All-Star break.

Mike J

I cannot and will not rant about the players in this current NBA. As a Stage 4 cancer survivor I feel it would be somewhat unseemly of me to do that given all the blessings God has given me these past three years, and for my entire life for that matter.

But after last night watching the OKC Thunder’s shameful performance versus the Milwaukee Bucks in a home game rout loss to a bad team missing both Giannis and Myles Turner…as a responsible, award winning NBA blogger, I can’t duck this on my blog.

Maybe when we get back from Colorado after the All-Star week has concluded, I can conceive a manner to address the culture in OKC in relation to the eggregious tanking and wanton sitting of players under the ‘guise’ of load management.

At some point…NBA fans are going to look you people running teams in the NBA– and say, “F–k this nonsense.”

But for right now…that’s not where I want to be both emotionally and spiritually.

So Steven A, please do this for me so as my PSA count doesn’t allow me a relapse or sorts. It’s all about spiritual harmony on the cancer journey. Trust MJ on that one. It’s not just the drugs.

Eternal love and peace,

Mike J.

Milwaukee Bucks 110 – OKC Thunder 93

It was supposed to be Nikola Topic’s night culminating his inspirational fight back from cancer, but evidently someone forgot to tell recently traded Ousmane Deng.

Deng evidently didn’t show Sam Presti enough for regular rotation time during his stay in Oklahoma. So what Mr. Deng just basically did on Thursday evening was a nice little thing for the Detroit Pistons as they now have possesion of the overall No. 1 seed heading into the All-Star break..as Mr. Deng and the Bucks without Giannis and Myles Turner blew out the Thunder by a score of 110 – 93.

The line for Deng is impressive…36:28 time on the floor, 19 pts, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocked shots, +16.

No. 1 Star of the Game and not even close.

All-Star Chet Holmgren played, as did Jaylin Williams. But both paled to what Deng brought to the table on Thursday night.

In the Milwaukee offense…Ousmane Deng wasn’t relegated to standing still on the wings and pretty much doing nothing. Quite the contrary…it seemed or felt as if every Buck posession went through Deng he at the least got a touch.

How could this be? I mean…Ousmane looked beautiful. fluid, and smooth. Plus, he got it done on the boards and defensively as well.

This performance by Deng folllowed a 17 point performance the previous night in a win for the Bucks over Orlando Magic. Jared McCain is a nice pick up for the Thunder, but in getting him do we now ask ourselves…’Did the Milwaukee Bucks win the trade deadline?’

Two games isn’t enough time to answer my question above in the previous ‘graph’, but lest we forget Deng was the 11th player taken in his draft class.

So all things considered it was a good night for Ousmane Deng, the Detroit Pistons, and Ousmane’s agent.

In closing, my heartfelt admiration goes out to Nikola Topic for his comeback on his cancer journey. While we don’t have the same type of cancer, I know firsthand what it takes to hang in their during the toughest days of chemo.

Nikola Topic, my prayers are with you. You didn’t surrender. God bless you. Stay with the fight.

Mike J

Republican David Holt easily won his third term as mayor of Oklahoma City on Tuesday amassing an 86% majority despite becoming a cult favorite nationally because of appearances on MSNBC.

“Damn…MSNBC, that dude must be a communist or something.” That’s how stupid some of you Trump people sound at times.

86% in the capitol city of Oklahoma in the reddest, roguest state in the union. How does this happen I think aloud to the Democratic National Party? How does this happen?

It happens because when you do your job well, display basic pragmatic common sense, and steer clear of the bullshit rhetoric of both the Trump MAGA crazies and far left wing of the Democratic Party… adult, educated, hard working, reasonable people take notice.

Could David Holt win the state of Oklahoma in a gubernatorial election? Not a chance would be my response because the dynamics in Oklahoma City are in my mind only shared in two other Oklahoma cities…Norman and Tulsa. Ask former OKC mayor Mick Cornett if you doubt me.

You travel and fish the other 74 counties in this state as I have in my life and it’s a different world. Not a horrible world. A beautiful world in some aspects. A slower world. There’s many nice people in these other counties…there’s just not the same educational, economic, and societal factors melded into the mix.

Keep this in mind…Kamala Harris the most liberal Democratic nominee in my voting lifetime won 48.5% of the vote in Oklahoma City. While Donald Trump won just under 75% of the vote statewide.

And do you know why I ultimately voted for Kamala Harris? Because I was raised by a lawyer and the Rule of Law should be something every American holds dearly to their heart. You should also help underdogs like my Dad did as well.

So, again, my unsolicited advice as a former Republican turned Independent to the National Democratic Party would be to nominate a common sense, pragmatic candidate in 2028 who would appeal to a wider swath of Americans beyond the far left wing of their party.

I think I might cover the OKC Thunder at Phoenix Suns tonight on the underground blog. I love the flexibilty of my various beats. Berry Tramel should try something like this instead of what he opted to do. BT always has a part-time gig here if it wants to break free of the rabble with no consequences attached to your honest words.

God bless America.

Be kind to one another.

Mike J