Author: Mike

Even if OKC never had a team and these guys were still wearing Sonics jerseys, this is a series I’d be highly excited about watching. (A) It would give me an escape from thinking about my Philadelphia 76’ers and the departed Sam Hinkie’s dysfunction, (B) it’s a series pitting some of the most talented players in the game against one another for the right to play LeBron for the O’Brien Trophy. Can you tell how exited I am about Eastern Conference basketball? I’ve watched two Detroit-Cleveland games and that’s pretty much been it.

So let’s pretend Durant and Westbrook are Sonics, not Thunderers, who would my objective mind tell me to pick?

My Del Mar Okie (born in San Diego) heart would hope for OKC in six games, my objective mind says Golden State in Game 7.

IF OKC can get a split in the first two games in Oakland though, my heart may have more than a chance. The Thunder would want no part of a Game 7 in Oracle with a Warrior repeat on the line, so it’s a must OKC either win one of the first two games, then win Games 3 & 4, then close out the Warriors at home in Game 6. That seems like the roadmap the Thunder have to travel to advance to LeBron.

Is OKC good enough to do this?

Sure they are, but they have to continue playing smarter basketball, especially Russell Westbrook. Durant always scores well against the Warriors—I see no reason for that change. Steven Adams needs to continue his torrid play of late. Dion Waiters can’t turn back into a bad shot taker at just the wrong moment. Serge Ibaka needs to roar like a lion instead of meowing like a house cat. Billy Donovan needs to feel the times in the game to go with Kanter and see if the Thunder can punish the Warriors on the offensive boards for using their small ball lineups. Randy Foye needs to continue being functional. And, maybe just here and there, Anthony Morrow needs to hit some big threes at important moments in the series.

That’s nine guys. Unless injury or something crazy happens I don’t really see Cam Payne playing. He was brutal against the Spurs. Go with the vet Foye. Not sure how much if any Nick Collison or Kyle Singler will see the floor, if at all. But as Donovan has shown, he can surprise at times with his bench decisions. But basically–it should be eight players for OKC with Durant and Westbrook logging heavy minutes.

We know about Steph Curry, the two-time MVP coming off a regular season where he obliterated his own record for made three point shots. His old record was 286, this year he made 402 threes. Obviously, when you pair Curry with Klay Thompson you have a lethal perimeter shooting attack, actually historic.

So OKC’s perimeter defense has to be able hang with these guys and make them work for their space. Make them work for their space and time, just don’t give it to them in truckloads. I would think Donovan will rotate different guys on Curry going with Roberson, Waiters, Westbrook, and maybe even Foye.

Harrison Barnes–he’s been in a three point shooting slump of late (25%), it would be nice if this continues for the Thunder’s sake. To me, Barnes is like Danny Green in that when he’s on his team bumps to an even higher level.

Andrew Bogut is hurt and is a game time decision. This would be a big deal if he can’t go because he’s their best rim protector and Festus Ezeli has had his own injury issues this season. If Westbrook has an open lane to the rim I can’t see that being a good thing for the Warriors.

Iguodala, Livingston, Mo-Buckets, Barbosa, and Rush give the Warriors quality depth. But since Donovan is going to be doubling down on Durant and Westbrook’s playing time–it’s unlikely OKC should get burned by these guys without Payne and Singler on the floor.

Bogut’s health is definitely a consideration. Will OKC pound the glass and make the Warriors pay for playing small? That’s a question we’ll be talking about throughout the series.

Both teams have something to prove. Durant and Westbrook want a ring. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green want a repeat.

It all makes for a compelling series if both teams bring their A games.

I can’t wait.

With all due respect to Steph Curry, this was the better speech. Not even close. Maybe the best speech I’ve heard from a sports figure in this jaded era we live thru together. I remember driving home from work listening to it on the Sports Animal with tears rolling down my cheeks. It was just so refreshing to see someone like Durant reveal himself in this manner.

Even though these two teams have never met in a playoff series there’s so much history of these two clubs intertwined and where they stand heading into these Western Conference Finals. The Warriors with a championship and the best ever single NBA regular season. The Thunder with their fourth Western Conference Finals appearance in the past six seasons. Keep in mind, the only two times OKC didn’t advance were when either Durant or Westbrook were hurt.

Most of us thought the Thunder would have a ring by now. They don’t and they come into this series as underdogs. There’s layers of irony and life wrapped into this series without these teams ever having played each other in one single playoff game to date.

I wish it were Monday morning  already.

The two most important rules to coaching. 1 Players make the coach. 2 You coach thru your personality.

Steve Kerr knows this well and it’s probably why he’s such an effective coach. Not to mention the fact Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green  play for him.

Billy Donovan is now 8-3 in post season in his NBA rookie coaching season against the likes of Rick Carlisle and Gregg Popovich. NBA Coach of the Year Steve Kerr looms on the horizon as his next coaching matchup.

Donovan has done a good job. He got Serge Ibaka off the floor in Games 4 & 5 and went with the Adams/Kanter combo. Not sure Scott Brooks would have pulled that trigger, but it was the right thing to do. Donovan has apparently settled in on Randy Foye versus rookie Cam Payne as his post season backup point guard as Foye has made a big three in each of the last three games of the Spurs series.

I like what Donovan has done with Dion Waiters as well with him manning some point responsibilities. After the Game 1 blowout loss, you’d have to say Donovan won the battle between the coaches. His team’s defense buckled down, Westbrook responded with three solid games after the Game 3 debaucle, and the Thunder’s bench made some tangible contributions.

Anotherwords, Donovan didn’t seem in awe of Gregg Popovich.

The matchup with Golden State should be fascinating from a coaching standpoint. Various intriguing matchups. Golden State’s small ball combos versus the Thunder’s bruising rebounding lineup. But OKC can go small as well if it needs to. Should be a great series.

Oklahoma City Thunder 113 – San Antonio Spurs 99

Thunder wins series 4-2

It would have been a crime for the Thunder not to win this series after the Game 5 win at San Antonio. It felt like an emotional bridge was crossed in that game for both teams with the Thunder growing up a little and the Spurs finally starting to show their age.

The Thunder put the self-doubt, the demons, and the Spurs away in Game 6 with a closeout 113-99 win to advance to the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

This marks the fourth time in the last six seasons the Thunder have advanced to the Western Conference Finals. This marks the first time since 2012 the Thunder will begin the Western Conference Finals with a healthy ball club.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as usual led the Thunder to victory as they combined for 65 points in Game 6. Durant scored what has to be the quietest 37 points I’ve ever seen on a 12-24 night. For good measure he pulled in 9 rebounds as well. Durant didn’t have what would be described as a blockbuster series, yet in Game 4 and Game 6 he scored 41 and 37 points respectively as the Thunder won the last three games of this series and four of the last five after being humiliated in Game 1.

Westbrook was Westbrook as usual scoring 28 points and dishing out 12 assists. Consider this–if the Thunder hadn’t melted down at the end of the Game 3 home loss–it’s conceivable they would have rolled an inside straight against the Spurs winning four games in a row and ending the series in five games. Think about that as you start weighing the Thunder’s chances against the Golden State Warriors.

Steven Adams is my series MVP despite the heroics of Durant and Westbrook. To me, the series changed in Game 2 and Steven Adams was a huge part of that game and the others which followed. He was a beast and his competitiveness, toughness, and will to win was contagious.

Bill Simmons will have to come up with something other than the Harden trade from this point forward. Harden may indeed be a top ten player in the league, but Steven Adams gives this team something they’ve never had before in a center who can defend, rebound, and finish on the pick and roll with Russell Westbrook.

Andre Roberson scored 14 points in this game going 3-5 from behind the arc. Go figure.  You have to believe at this point the basketball gods are firmly in favor of the Thunder this postseason with Roberson hitting three threes in a game. Don’t discount destiny, karma, and good luck–the Thunder are finally getting some coming their way after a season of grief and despair of things going wrong beyond the pale of losing some basketball games in the fourth quarter.

OKC’s bench was quiet in this game, but the Thunder starting five scored a combined 102 points so it wasn’t a huge detriment as the Thunder led 55-31 at the half in this one.

Actually, what transpired tonight could have happened in 2013 if Patrick Beverly hadn’t taken out Russell Westbrook’s knee, or in 2014 when Serge Ibaka got hurt before the Western Conference Finals, or last season before Kevin Durant missed 55 games due to a Jones’ fracture.

But for historians, the bridge was crossed tonight–the Spurs look old even with Kawhi Leonard playing for them.

One bridge crossed. Another awaits named the Golden State Warriors of 73 regular season wins and in defense of their NBA championship.

This is the series everybody has been waiting to see, wanting to see, and hoping to see.

Throw out the regular season. It means nothing at this point. This is a new season for the Thunder. The season they’ve been waiting for almost to the point of four years.

Consider this in closing, Billy Donovan is no longer a rookie NBA coach. He’s now 8-3 against the likes of Rick Carlisle and Gregg Popovich in post season. Granted, players always make the coach, but Donovan has shown he can roll and change on the fly.

These Western Conference Finals hold the possibility of being epic. We can only  hope the play matches the expectations when all is said and done.

Mike Jackson