Author: Mike

The Last 15 Seconds of Every NCAA National Championship Title Game Since 2010 (2010-2018) NCAAB – YouTube

Great video above with the endings of the NCAA Championship Game from 2010-2018.

We forget how many of these games have come down to the last possession with future NBA stars or eventual role players or NBA busts making the plays.

From an Oklahoma City Thunder perspective three things stood out for me:

1 Jeremy Lamb in 2011 was the U Conn Huskies MVP in the tournament and a player everyone thought was a can’t miss wing player in the NBA. Let’s not kid ourselves Jeremy Lamb historically was supposed to be the most important piece Sam Presti got back in the Harden trade. Instead…I would have to describe Jeremy’s NBA career a bust considering the expectations.

2 Kyle Singler on one of the Duke championship teams seemed to be the kind of wing player who would fit the Thunder’s needs when he was one of the key pieces Presti brought back in the Reggie Jackson to Detroit deal along with DJ Augustin. Instead another bust from a blueblood championship team.

I actually met DJ’s mother that game when I was sitting with Fran and Ron Franklin after the Durant game in Norman. I was wearing an ESPN pullover myself and told her I was doing a piece for ESPN Magazine. We had a great talk. A lovely woman. I see where DJ got his his beautiful skin from.

3 Kevin Ollie the former Thunder journeyman guard who succeeded Jim Calhoun at U Conn and won another national championship team as his squad basically had to win the Big East Tournament to get in the NCAA field with Shabazz Napier as their star guard. I wonder how close if at all Kevin Ollie was to becoming the Thunder head coach?

Anyway… tomorrow the four play in games get going–then we get the tournament itself getting started on Saturday.

OU didn’t do itself any favors by dropping to an 8th seed in the same regional as Gonzaga…but by the other token if the Sooners beat Missouri they have nothing to lose in the second round and can play with no pressure. Just have fun and see if they can pull a Buster Douglas win of sorts. Throw some haymakers and see what happens against the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

Unfortunately…O State plays Liberty which is one of those teams who play like Princeton. On the positive side for Mike Boynton is that both K State and Texas Tech play a deliberate style of play so I hope the Cowboys are ready to play this type of basketball. Can’t turn the ball over too much in this game.

I’m ready for March Madness.

(6) Serge Ibaka – Rugged Rim Protector (OKC) – YouTube

The game wasn’t much as the Thunder got blown out in Chicago by over twenty points.

But it was a spectacular night for Moses Brown as he recorded 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. The only other Thunder player to ever do this before was Serge Ibaka with a 20/15/5 game back when Serge was the stud who made the NBA’s All-Defensive Team three seasons in a row.

I’m not in any way comparing to Moses to Serge because their games are different. I tell you who Moses reminds me of…Jericho Simms of the Texas Longhorns as far as build, mobility, and overall game around the rim on both ends of the court. Or of course his namesake…Moses Malone.

Poku wasn’t pitiful in this one, but he wasn’t much to write home about either. But the kid is making better decisions and that’s a positive.

I really like Ty Jerome as the fourth guard. Presti is building some nice guard depth like the Raptors had on their championship team. Just add Cade and this team of Presti’s would be a legit contender in two years … just about the time LeBron retires.

Kenrich was of course his gritty self as usual and Lu Dort was an injury scratch for the second straight game.

All in all a good night. A loss. Brown and Jerome looked good and we saw some Thunder history on a night when the Thunder were never in the game.

Houston Rockets may not win another game this season… so keep going with the Moses Train is my thought right now.

If could be worse…the Thunder could be the New Orleans Pelicans who choked a 17 point lead to Dame Lillard in the last six minutes tonight in Portland.

As I’ve written on my blog before the Sixers were my favorite NBA team until we stole the Thunder from Latte Boy in Seattle. It started for me with Billy C and Hal Greer as a youngster. My favorite Sixer team of all-time was the 1983 championship team which featured Dr. J, Moses and our own Mo Cheeks. One of my three favorite NBA teams of my life time.

Trivia question…Where did Mo Cheeks play his college ball? West Texas State. I was actually in a beer line one night at the Peake and one of Mo’s college teammates gave me the low down on Mo Cheeks in college.

My other two favorite championship teams would be the 1977 Portland Trailblazers and 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder.

Hope you take the time to watch the video…it contains some genuine NBA history.

With a break until Match Madness begins this weekend it should be a good time to watch Poku, Ty Jerome, and Moses Brown as they continue to show their games after the end of the G League season.

No one at this point really knows what Sam Presti’s plan is in reality, but for filler games between meaningful basketball and hockey games…watching the Thunder this season and evaluating the slew of young players is kind of fun as long as you keep all of this in perspective.

It’s kind of like the G League on steroids with SGA still on the team to give the impression this is a real NBA season in Oklahoma City. This is better than what the Seattle fans got at the end…so no one should really be complaining since we’ve had Cade to watch all season.

At this point… I wish Presti would move Horton and just go with Isiah Roby and Moses Brown the rest of the way and see what happens.

There’s thirty-three games left so why not just see what Poku, Isiah, and Moses can do at the NBA level the next two months without Al Horford round.

The Thunder is at Billy’s Donovan’s sub .500 Chicago Bulls tonight in a game the Bulls need to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot in the East.

EAGLES ‘PEACEFUL EASY FEELING’ BBC 1973 – YouTube

No basketball for me tonight. The Big 12 Tourny wore me out. I might actually watch the Thunder tomorrow night. We got our first vaccine shot today. Life is good. Eating microwave popcorn with Pauli and then sleep.

Get your shots and still be careful. We don’t want to do this again. The Dow and West Texas Crude somehow surging without Trump in place. There’s gonna be alot of liquidity out there to spend in the second and third quarters.

The only game I watched yesterday was Alabama vs. LSU in the SEC Championship Game. But I did listen to the Thunder-Memphis game while working outside with my head phones on. Matt Pinto…nice job, buddy.

This is a major deal for Sam Presti and the Thunder. If Poku can just be a player who hits 36-38% of his three point shots….the Thunder don’t need to fret about tanking and worrying about Cade Cunningham.

I think we know the other parts of Poku’s game are going to be relatively solid, but if this kid develops a consistent comfort zone with his shot selection this is big for the Thunder moving forward. Very big.

Ben Simmons doesn’t shoot like this and he’s considered an All-Star by some in NBA circles.

This is the best I’ve felt about the Thunder all season. Plus, the big kid Moses Brown looks like he’s going to turn himself into a functional big who can rebound and bang on the inside. I might move these guys back up into my top three storyline tiers. This was very encouraging for the Thunder.

I’m always fair at the end of the day. I’m a Libra…that’s the way we are. Keep it up, Poku and Moses and I might start covering your team again on my blog.

I haven’t watched any of the bracketology shows just yet. Plus, I haven’t dissected each region and weighed the possible matchups as the tournament unfolds.

I do know OU was named as an 8th seed which is bullshit…and that Oklahoma State is an even bigger dose of bullshit being named as a 4th seed.

I had OU as my 25th ranked team primarily because they beat West Virginia twice, beat Kansas, beat Texas, and beat SEC champion Alabama in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. OU was my first seed amongst the four No. 5 seeds in the bracket.

To me…of all the teams in this tournament…Oklahoma State with Cade Cunningham got the worst treatment of any team in the field by being named a No. 4 seed as opposed to a three or two seed. The committee ranked West Virginia and Arkansas both ahead of O State which is preposterous given the fact O State was a collective 3-1 against these two teams during the season — and of course have Cade Cunningham.

So what I do on Sunday night before I fill out my bracket is simply rank my Top 16 teams in America and then sleep on it before I tackle the glorius mecca of hoops nirvana…the NCAA Tournament bracket sheet. I might even watch the Anthony Bourdain Waffle House episode multiple times as just to heighten the sensation for me.

This is my Top 16 teams after the completion of Sunday’s games:

1 Gonzaga

2 Illinois

3 Michigan

4 Iowa

5 Baylor

6 Texas

7 Oklahoma State

8 Alabama

9 Houston

10 The Ohio State Buckeyes

11 Kansas (They won’t be much since this is being played in Indiana instead of in or near Lawrence. No sixth man in the last four minutes. No Ed Hightower. Not that I’ve dwelt on this for thirty-three years.)

12 Purdue

13 Florida State

14 Colorado (maybe my dark horse after I see their draw)

15 Texas Tech ( another dark horse I like)

16 Arkansas

Good luck with your brackets and may the Madness begin after a two year wait to play One Shining Moment.

1988 Kemper Arena… The scene of the crime. I’ve never been the same.

Cade Cunningham’s twenty-five second half points kept Oklahoma State within reach of their first Big 12 title since Eddie Sutton, but in the end it was too of much of Matt Coleman and Jericho Simms as the Longhorns won their first ever Big 12 basketball championship.

Coleman had a career night with thirty points, but Simms…. a tough agile big had a career game as well with a 21 point, 14 rebound double double.

From the midway point of the first half the Longhorns controlled the game and led by ten points at half. But never once did Mike Boynton’s Cowboys wrest the lead from the Longhorn despite Cunningham’s second half heroics.

In fairness to Oklahoma State it was the third tough game in three straight days while Texas got a day off due to Kansas pulling its team due to Covid ramifications.. Clearly…an advantage for Texas as they looked the fresher and quicker team the entire game.

The NCAA Tournament people are going to have implement some changes in their tourny in the name of competitive equity as the sixty-eight teams move onto Indiana. I know they will have four extra teams in a reserve pool if teams have to drop out, but you can’t have a situation like the one in Kansas City where the hotter team O State beats Baylor…while Texas literally got a bye. But Texas is a quality team and I would not at all be shocked to see the Longhorns in a regional final.

I’m sure Mike Boynton and his team felt as if an oppportunity to create some history of their own was missed yesterday.

But here’s the real story of the game…O State didn’t have one made three point basket in the first half. That can’t happen again moving forward. Avery Anderson, Rondel Walker, and Bryce Williams have to score the ball and make some three point shots to give Cade some scoring balance punch.

I hope the comiittee takes into the account the scheduling disadvantage yesterday and moves O State no lower than a No. 2 seed.

Depending on the outcome of Illinois-Ohio State Big Ten Title game… I would think two Big Ten teams plus Gonzaga are in the Final Four. If Illinois beats Ohio State…then if I were on the commitee I might bump Baylor to No. 5 and have three Big Ten teams in the Final Four.

I’d have Baylor, O State, and Texas as No. 2 seeds. I’m not sure who I’d give the other No. 2 seed to just right now. But I would go very heavy on seeding with the Big Ten and Big 12.

OU… I would guess–will be either a No. 5 or No. 6 seed.

I can’t wait to see the bracket this evening.

I think Sam Presti just made a smart trade which will help the Thunder down the road at some point.

Diallo is a good kid who won the dunk championship and was a fan favorite of the Thunder fanbase. But he was on an expiring contract and quite frankly the Thunder didn’t need him for two simple reasons. Those being…Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams.

Presti already has two intangible guys in his his top ten players on cheaper deals than it would have cost to resign Diallo. Plus, Diallo struggles shooting the ball at times and his strengths are replications of what Dort and Williams can give the Thunder every night.

I watch a lot of college basketball and I’m sure most who casually follow the Thunder don’t even realize Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk played for the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12. This will be the last time I spell that name out on my blog…hence moving forward this 6’7″ swingman will be referred to as Svi. I like his game. Thumbs up, Sam Presti. Be able to shoot a basketball isn’t a bad thing.

He can shoot the ball and indicates to me Mikey Muscala who is on his option year is probably not going to be a member of the Thunder too much longer. Plus…Presti got Detroit’s second round pick in 2027.

I wish the best for Diallo and one would think maybe he and Jerami Grant will have some fun trying to make the Detroit Pistsons a better team. Hypothetically speaking…if you picture Cade Cunningham alongside Jerami and Diallo—I think the Pistons could have a Renaissance of sorts and would sell plenty of tickets.

Just a feeling, but at this point I’m guessing Cade will either be a Houston Rocket or Detroit Piston or Timberwolf when all this is concluded this summer in the NBA draft.

The interview above is Mike Boynton fourteen months ago after a tough regular season loss to Baylor. It’s vintage Mike Boynton. This was a tough moment after a loss to Baylor. This isn’t one of those feel good moments. This is what coaching is about. You hurt for your team.

No excuses. Just a frank appraisal of his team and their need to keep ‘chopping the tree’ to get where they want to be eventually.

Today is that day to chop that tree down so to speak as his team is not only playing for the Big 12 championship, but in my estimation a No. 1 regional seed in March Madness.

Here’s why. With a win O State would enter the Tournament with ten Top 25 wins which would be the most in the country. They would enter the Tournament as champion of the toughest league, plus the hottest team in the country. O State in the last month has done more than Gonzaga has done the last two years combined. Michigan will be tough. So will a couple of other Big Ten teams plus, Chris Beard’s team isn’t one I’d sleep on either.

If O State can get past Texas, which won’t be easy, they’ll be the team on the cover of USA Today on Monday with their coach Mike Boynton front and center as the lowest paid coach in the Big 12.

If I were the people in Stillwater who run that atheletic department I’d have a new contract waiting for Mike Boynton on Monday with a bonus attached for this season as well. I would put the cheap ass ways of Mike Holder in my rear view mirror and make sure I keep Mike Boynton.

How ironic that today in Kansas City we have two young black coaches in the Big 12 Finals. In fact…the only two black head coaches in the conference in Mike Boynton and Shaka Smart.

This in fact is how Shaka Smart four or so years ago became the head coach at Texas after his then VCU Rams became the Cinderella darlings of March Madness and advanced to a Final Four. Again…if I’m the people in Stillwater… I’d put my Mullet King mentality to the side and pay Mike Boynton.

This will be a war today. If you watched the Texas win over Texas Tech you know this will be a knife fight last guy standing. A showcase of what Texas high school basketball has become to the Big 12 conference. Why in fact—the tournament should be moved back to Oklahoma City and Texas.

I bet Fran is already up like me at 5:00am because he’s jacked about this game. I can’t sleep and I’m an OU fan for godssake.

But here’s the thing…if I’m going to a knife fight on a basketball court…I like my chances with Cade Cunningham holding the knife.

Coach Sutton would be very proud of what he’s seen from Mike Boynton’s team so ‘far’…now finish.

I’m not going to recap the game right now because I’m going to watch the women play Bedlam III.

In no way am I shocked O State won this game. Just read my preview from this morning. But I am surprised to the degree in which the Cowboys went on a 13-2 spurt to end the game.

Cade…dude….You’re better than Danny Manning and these guys around you are much better than the Miracles. Not even close.

I called my O State writer buddy this morning and told him of my thought if that O State beat Baylor and then won the championship game they should be the team from the Big 12 with the No. 1 Regional seed.

He tried to calm me down and bring me off the ledge. But I think we all know know right now Mike Boynton’s team is one win over Texas from having this program in an Eddie Sutton state of mind.

I’m happy for Mike Boynton most of all.

Go beat Texas.