Welcome to OKCThunderGround!

Perfect timing for me in that coming off the 15th chemo treatment of the year…this incredible week-end of both college and pro football is the perfect restorative calm for MJ to take it easy and work off the effects of the treatment.

I watched all the college games yesterday and based on those games and the massive volume of college football I’ve watched this season…this is how I would set up the bracket.

1 Indiana

2 Georgia

3 Ohio State

4 AA Eagle Oil & Gas aka Texas Tech

5 Ole Miss

6 Oregon

7 Texas A&M

8 Oklahoma

9 Notre Dame

10 Miami

11 Tulane

12 James Madison

As far as OU goes…if the OU offensive line and John Mateer bring the games they had versus Michigan and Auburn before the hand injury…I feel as if OU can beat anyone in this field on any given day.

Ohio State has two incredible receivers,but the kid at QB is pedestrian and in reality The Buckeyes didn’t play anybody of any consequence away from home until last night versus Indiana.

Of the teams in this tournament the team I would least want my Sooners to play… it is Georgia.

On the NFL side this morning…of course my Packers are at home versus the upstart and cocky Chicago Bears who come into this game on a five game winning streak. The Bears lead the NFL in turnovers created and their new head coach, Ben Johnson, is extremely cocky.

We as passionate NFL fans also have two intriguing games in the AFC with Patrick Mahomes and his on the cliff KC Chiefs versus the Houston Texans and CJ Stroud. I ight call this a wildcard elimination game of sorts.

Also… we have the offensiveless Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North. Jim Traber has already called for the fring of Mike Tomlin…so in the event the Steelers win this game…MJ will be giving Jim a call on his Monday afternoon show.

That’s it for me this cold, blustery morning out on the Deer Creek mini-ranch. I need to get in the right mental state of mind for the Selection Sunday Show on ESPN.

MJ

Very entertaining women’s game on Wednesday night in Norman as OU came back to beat NC State 103-98 in the SEC-ACC Challenge. Pretty ragged performance by OU as they trailed much of this game until late in regulation, but in the end of regulation and overtime the Sooners got their defense and rebounding issues in order after two NC State starters fouled out.

No. 9 OU improves to 8-1 and I think their game versus ranked Bedlam rival O State should be an interesting game on December 13th at Paycom where there will be a womens/mens doubleheader. Both games should be good as O State’s mens’ team is much improved from last season. I can’t wait to attend. This should be an annual event taking the place of the old OKC Holiday Classic which was hosted in OKC as well back when I was younger.

I would think the O State fan base should be pretty stoked given the current condition of their football prorgam and the fact they haven’t won a conference football game in the passive /submissive Big 12 the last two football seasons and are a collective 4-20 in Mike Gundy’s last two Brightest Shade of Orange Legacy seasons.

Yeah, it was Boone’s money, no doubt. If you don’t have a sugar daddy or two cash flowing….you really don’t have all that much despite what Mike Gundy tried to project to the end. MJ is still waiting to see what SEC program Mike Gundy ends up with since the Lane Kiffen deal has been done. That was sarcasm in case you’re an O State donor who owns a mobil home, right?

Back to hoops. OU should be pretty good once they get their younger players coming off the bench more in sync with what it will take to play in the always super competitive…and physical SEC.

The starting five should be excellent though with super freshman point guard Aaliyah Chavez leading the team. She is exceptional and was the Gatorade National Player of the Year her senior season in hih school. Alongside her is Raegan Beers, Peyton V, Sahara Williams, and Zya Vann…younger sister of Sklar who both played at Deer Creek High School just two miles from MJ’s mini-ranch.

Off the bench the Sooners return center Beatrice Culleton, and freshmen Brooklyn Stuart, Kezial Lofton, and sophmore Caya Smith. It will in my view be the bench which either does or doesn’t hold this team back from being an Elite 8 type of team.

A very fun team to watch as far as pace goes, but their defense, care of the ball, and rebounding will decide their fate.

I’ve seen them twice in person and both times the crowds were better for the OU women than for the men who are now 6-2 fresh off two big road wins at Marquette and Wake Forest.

Porter has the makings of a sneaky good team now that Jadon Jones is healthy and has given his team a much stronger defensive rotation. This team is 4-0 since Jadon made his OU debut. He’s the West Coast Athletic Dfeneive Player of the Year from two season ago. He’s like JJDub in that he has a very strong lower body coupled with almost freakish reach. Jadon is a big deal for this team moving forward. Kind of what I would call a Kenrich Williams type who shoots left-handed.

The rest of the top ten are all good and seem to be learning how to play together in that only Mo Wague and Dayton Forthyse returned from last year’s squad which won 21 games and made it to the NCAA Tournament.

It should be a very fun year for Porter and Jennie’s teams this season. It will help me from skipping out on so many non-competitive Thunder games here on the leading OKC hoops underground blog for those serious in reading quality hoops content versus so much of the homer-driven nonsensical drivel available on the internet.

A Christmas song seems right on this cold December day.

Love and tranquility.

MJ

It it what it is. From my perspective, moving forward, it’s the defending champ Thunder against the field. The Thunder toyed with the Stephless Warriors after they got ahead by 22 points. Butler didn’t in reality play. Draymond was in foul trouble. And Jonathan Kuminga was so horrific…Steve Kerr couldn’t play him down the stretch.

In fact, I’m going to now release my thirteen player team from the rest of the league combined who I think ‘could possibly’ beat a healthy version of this Thunder squad.

My first two players are Jokic and *Alperin Segun. My third and fourth player are the Thompson Twins. My fifth player is Tyrese Maxey. My sixth player is Castle from the Spurs. My seventh player is his teammate…Wemby.

My eighth player is Mykal Bridges. My ninth player is his teamate Jason Hart.

So I need three more players. You can’t be on my team if you’re not a completely honest two-way basketball player. I feel like a banger who assaults the paint in a physical manner would be nice. With my tenth pick I’m going with Duran from the Pistons.

I don’t want a star point guard. I want a PG with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, hence no Cade Cunningham on my team. Although I love Cade and very much watched every game he played during his one year stay at O State. I even had a Cade Cunnngham Journal on here and am proud of it.

With my eleventh pick…I’m going with Jaylen Brown from the Celtics, again…defense. I want this team to have snarl defensively.

Mark out the twelve player limitation on my roster. I’m hoing with thirteen. With my twelfth slot I’m going with Jaden McDaniel from the Timberwoles.

Since I can’t steal Kenrich from the Thunder in this fantasy team of mine…with my thirteenth slot I’m going with Derek White from the Celtics as well.

If a went a to a fourteenth player it would be Deandre Hunter fom the Atlanta Hawks.

As far as last night’s game…Seth Curry and the lacrosse player Glenn Spencer are to be commended. But when it mattered, Superman said, “I don’t think so, boys.”

My other two Thunder players of the game beyond Superman are Isaiah Joe and JDub.

Shoutout to Isaiah Joe for his improved defensive energy and overall impactful play of late.

Have a beautiful December 3rd.

Love.

MJ

*MJ’s favorite caucasian first name in the NBA.

The Thunder won their 12th straight last night in Portland in a road game in which 69 free throws were attempted by the two teams combined.

Yawn.

What do you even write about in a game like that…other than the Thunder found a way to prevail when the zebras were not allowing 40 Minutes of Hell-like defense.

I think Portland actually attempted 37 free throws and the defending champs with the most prolific free throw shooter in the league… (Shai) had a paltry 32 attempts.

Michael Cage was in vintage form in this one refusing to admit the Thunder actually committed a foul leading to any of those 37 Portland attempts.

My guess is…maybe the league is getting somewhat weary of seeing Shai on the line as much as he is on most Thunder game nights. I’m not going to go the Doris Burke route and claim ‘free throw merchant’. I am going to write though it’s a complete drag seeing Shai go to the line when the contact is minimal at best.

The 20-1 Thunder at the Golden State Warriors, who of course, will be without Steph. Thunder off to the second best ever start to an NBA regular season. These guys are beyond loaded. They don’t need the refs helping them with soft calls. Make it interesting at least.

Thunder 20-1. Indiana Pacers 4-16. So much for that rematch.

Joy. Love. Peace. Faith.

It’s Christmas season. Always faith. Always hope.

MJ

OU’s unprobable Hunt for Red November is in the books with the Sooners going 4-0 in what were four elimination games.

In 2000, when the Sooners won their last national championship, it was the Hunt for Red October as the Sooners took down ranked Texas, Nebraska, and K State all in the same month. This Hunt for Red November is more impressive in my view as OU had to beat ranked Tennessee and ranked Alabama on the road back to back, then deal with ranked Missouri, and an LSU squad which was ranked as high as third in the nation after the first five weeks of this season before their self- imposed implosion.

With OU’s first home game victory ever versus LSU in the books…the Sooners’ all-time record versus the Tigers is now 2-3. This was the first time OU played LSU in a non-southern redneck venue where OU actually had a homefield advantage. So there’s that as well for all you OU haters and doubters.

My game ball goes to OU safety Peyton Bowen for his excellent clutch play in this game. It was Peyton’s endzone oskie in the first period which saved the Sooners from giving up any points following John Mateer’s almost disastrous first interception of the game.

Then it was Peyton’s very smart play on the fourth down stop in OU territory which in essence clinched the game for the Sooners. Both Peyton and younger brother Eli have been clutch for the Sooners in this four game run. Absolutely clutch.

So with relative ease I feel good giving Peyton my lone game ball.

My two helmet stickers go to the other side of the ball to Isaiah Sategna and John Mateer. When it had to be done these two guys for the second week in a row delievered the game winning touchdown play which was absolutely electric for those of us Who Bleed Crimson.

Isaiah had a huge game with nine catches for 120 yards, the game winning TD, and a forty yard punt return as well. Without Isaiah’s stellar play the Sooners would not be advancing. On the season, Isaiah now has 950 receiving yards and has clearly emerged as the Sooners’ most dangerous playmaker.

John Mateer gets my other helmet sticker. Despite John’s three interceptions…he did not fold coming down the stretch and threw a third period TD pass to Deion Burks. John had 319 pssing yards on a very windy day as well. *Of note…this was Dion’s first touchdown since the Michigan game.

To Deion from MJ…nice play,… but we’ll need more of this from you if the Sooners are to keep advancing. You and Javonnie Gibson should both be getting open with the other team’s defenses focusing on Isaiah. Same thing as well to hybrid tight end Jared Kanak…you made some nice plays down the stretch, but more will be needed to get this OU offense where it needs to be. Circle Deion, Javonnie, and Jared moving forward.

That’s it for me on this Sunday. I’m beyond thrilled for these players and what they just accomplished. They lost their best player (R Mason) in the first quarter at Tennessee and never surrendered or made excuses.

They just FOUND A WAY EVERY WEEK FROM DIFFERENT GUYS.

That’s a team, guys. That’s what that is.

MJ

It wasn’t pretty with these Sooners. Same old thing…never surrender, never betray the belief, run the gauntlet against Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. Piss on the odds of this happening.

It looked bleak at best after John Mateer threw his third interception mid-way in the third period.

But these guys don’t quit. They carry Coach BV’s DNA in their football souls.

The mantra is FIND A WAY…ANYWAY. And that’s exactly what happened again this afternoon/evening on a windswept Memorial Stadium Field in front of another standing room only ocean of crimson.

I’m just so happy for these guys and how they’re now going to the College Football Playoff. It doesn’t matter to me where they play their first game because defense and the kicking game travel.

The Sooners will now get three weeks of rest to get healthy and probably play either Notre Dame or Ole Miss in the first round.

It just doesn’t matter.

Xavier Robnson and Tory Blalock get three weeks to get healthy again. Same with the offensive line. And even if R Mason is done this season….that doesn’t matter either.

Just find a way, baby.

MJ is happy and too exhausted right now to hand out game balls and helmet stickers. Maybe tomorrow.

MJ

For me, these two Thunder wins in the Emirates NBA Cup Group A-West were the two most interesting Thunder games of the season minus the double overtime thriller in the season opener versus Houston.

On Wednesday night in OKC, the Thunder finally at the end wore down the turnover prone Minnesota Timberwolves in what I felt like was a playoff game atmosphere. Anthony Edwards and his mates hung around, but when mental toughness, execution, and basketball smarts took over, so did the Thunder as they won their 10th straight game of the season and improved to 18-1.

Minnesota called a timeout in the waning minutes with a chance to win and then promptly turned over the ball on consecutive posessions to in essence hand the Thunder the game. That type of execution will simply not get it done.

Donte DiVincenzo, dude, take care of the basketball. You know they’re coming–take care of the ball.

I wrote it last season here on the blog and I’ll jot it down again…Rudy Gobert is the most annoying ‘player’ in the NBA and I feel almost certain Anthony Edwards will never win a championship with this guy as his center.

The Wolves could very well win a round or two with Rudy Gobert, but I can’t see them winning four rounds and sixteen games with this basketball slug. Isaiah Hartenstein should have just punched him in the face on Wednesday night.

So tonight (Friday), the Thunder played the surprisingly decent Phoenix Suns at PayCom with the winner moving on with a 4-0 record in Cup play and a place in the quarterfinals.

From my view, it was a great regular season Emirates Cup game with the Thunder holding on for dear life with a 123-119 win their 11th straight victory and a league best record of 19-1.

JDub returned and was rusty as one would expect, but not to fret Shai, Chet, and others picked up the slack. Isaiah Hartenstein was a DNP and that hurt the Thunder. With Isaiah and Chet in that double big lineup…I feel the Thunder can in essence become a totally different team with a different basketball personality.

The Thunder can play small, they can play big, or they can play Forty Minutes of Hell… whenever they need to depending on the opponent and the game situation. Denver without Aaron Gordon, and with Jamal not at his peak level… will not beat these guys in a seven game series. The Thunder are too diverse and too deep. WAY TOO DEEP.

Shai was incredible as usual with 37 points and 15 points in the 4th period. But my game ball goes to Collin Gillespie of the Suns. I absolutely loved the way he played and competed in this game…and of course at one point in his basketball journey he was an unknown member of the Denver Nuggets organization.

So the Thunder now advance to the quarterfinal round of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup of which they are a considerable favorite to win in my estimation unless Shai doesn’t show up for one of the Cup games.

That’s it for me this evening. I need my sleep for what I’m certain will be a stressful afternoon of football in Norman versus LSU. Nothing comes easy in the SEC. I hope my Sooners can finish this last step and advance to the College Football Playoff as a reward for their amazing grit and toughness down the stretch.

Peace.

MJ

I’m starting X-Mas music two days early this holiday season. No stress whatsoever with the beleagered O State football fan yesterday at the Wellness Center Gym. He seemed to be in a better mood with the naming of Eric Morris as the next O State football coach. I left it alone and said nothing of the eighteen straight conference losses.

So everything is beautiful.

Hope evryone has peace and serenity this holdiday season.

Mike J

In the very dysfunctional world we now see ourselves in America…and especially in college football–it’s kind of nice to see someone like Brent Venables having this success at OU as a head coach.

But it shouldn’t be a surprise considering his previous coaching tree. Bill Snyder during the amazing turnaround at Kansas State. Then working for Bob Stoops at OU as linebackers coach for the national championship team. Then becoming D-coordinator on so many of those Big 12 championship teams at OU which made it to BCS Championship games as well. Then of course, the two national championships at Clemosn as defensive coordinator for Dabo Sweeny.

Is it really all that big of a surprise the Clemson program has dropped to its current level without Coach BV? I don’t think so.

BV just brings so much mental toughness and positiivity to whatever team he’s involved with. His teams take on his personality and character and just basically find a way.

And that’s what all this is about right now with this OU, that being, finding a way.

It’s a shame the 134th ranked of 134 in FBS… O State Cowboys haven’t been able to find a coach like BV. This award winning blogger, at this juncture in his life, especially as a Stage 4 survivor wonders if in his lifetime he’ll ever witness O State win a single conference football game again in the passive-submissive Big 12 in his lifetime given these past two seasons of complete football futility in Stillwater.

But enough of that.

MJ needs to the hit the terrain bike and see if he can eclipse the 3.5 mile twenty-seven minute time he rang up last workout after exchanging words with the little orange tatted earring dude who so splendidly exemplifies the average O State fan according to recently fired Coach Gundy as far as mobil homes and unpaid utility bills.

I’m 68 and I’m a man.

Have a wonderul Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Beat LSU is the singular mantra for OU Nation. Do not look ahead. Totally focus on a talented LSU team in Norman on Saturday at 2:30pm on ABC with my guys Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy on the call.

Love and kindness. Live the Golden Rule even if the MAGA lost humans play the part of fools 24/7. Always be the best version of yourself if possible.

MJ

• Editor’s note: OU has actually won eight national championships in that they won a coaches poll national championship in 1973 as well when the Sooners went 10-0-1 in Coach Switzer’s first year as head coach in Norman. AP went to another team.

I need to give more print on the blog in relation to Isaiah’s big play role on this OU offense which is quite frankly…still challenged as we head into the LSU game this coming week-end in Game 12.

Basically…Isaiah is the Sooners big play threat both as a receiver and punt returner.

He is the one player who has given this Ben Arbuckle offense the capability to strike at any moment. Without him…the Sooners would not be playing for the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff this Saturday in Norman.

Having written the previous ‘graph’…I think in time Javonnie Gibson will evolve into that type of player as well. A big touchdown catch from Javonnie as well in the Missouri game. It would help OU immensely to beat LSU and advance to the Notre Dame game if a second wideout could evolve into a consistent big play threat as well. I consider Deion Burks as a dunk and dink type of threat. Deion needs to be more assertive in the Sooner offense as well. It can’t just be John Mateer and Xavier Robinson.

Isaiah had a very tough fourth quarter fumble in the close loss to No. 5 Ole Miss, but otherwise he’s been excellent coming down the stretch to help the Sooners amass those ‘hidden yards’ Coach BV always alludes to in his pressers.

Hidden yards are special team return yards, pick six yards, and scoop and score yards. Think about that. R Mason’s scoop and score at Tennessee. Eli Bown’s pick six at Albama, and Isaiah’s punt return versus Alabama. Think of those yards which don’t go to the offensive stat sheet, yet lead to scores as ‘hidden yards’ per Coach BV.

Anyway… a great stretch of games from Isaiah in the last three games and more will be needed if the Sooners hope to keep advancing against LSU and beyond.

BOOMER!