One of the reasons I started my own Thunder blog is that I tired of the predictable genre of Thunder blogs with the predictable message boards of make believe general managers, NBA expert wannabees and multiple alias accounts. Don’t you think if all these people really knew that much–they’d be on some team’s payroll as a scout, coach, or GM? It got old. More to the point, I wanted to have a blog where there would be fairness, objectivity, yet always remembering I’m a fan at the end of the day. The OKC Thunder Photo Album entries on here are just me remembering some of the moments I cherish most as an NBA fan during the time the franchise has been in Oklahoma City. Call it Brian Davisesque if you will, but at the end of the day if you can’t cherish the good moments–then why even follow sports?
Rookie Cameron Payne hit a three pointer at the third period buzzer to give the Thunder an 80-79 lead heading into the fourth period. But right there and then you knew in the bottom of your heart of hearts the Memphis Grizzlies had this Durantless OKC Thunder team exactly where they wanted them.
Unlike last night when OKC went stone cold in the 4th scoring but 11 points on 2-17 shooting. Scoring in the fourth wasn’t a problem against the usually defensive minded Grizz as OKC tallied 34 in the period. Only problem was Memphis behind a 16 point fourth quarter from Mario Chalmers scored 43 of its own en route to an entertaining 122-114 win over the Thunder.
Brian Davis on the Fox telecast in his accustomed pro homer Thunder hyperbole called it a 15 round prizefight of the Thunder-Grizz Ages. I wouldn’t go that far, but it was a fun regular season game as both teams got after it offensively unlike so many of the previous Thunder-Grizzly wars.
Back to Chalmers–he was excellent coming off the bench for Memphis and scored 29 total on the night leading a group of five Memphis players in double figures consisting of himself, Gasol, Zbo, Conley and Jeff Green.
Memphis is now 6-6 for the season and 3-0 since the trade which brought Chalmers to Memphis from the Miami Heat.
So here I go…and I’m not just doing this because I featured Chalmers in my pregame, but Mario Chalmers is my OKCThunderGround Player of the Game.
It’s not that Russell Westbrook wasn’t spectacular offensively scoring 40 pts, assisting 14, and making three steals, but his team lost and Mario Chalmers’ team won. I’m kind of quirky about the award in that regard.
OKC wasn’t horrible like they were last night against Boston at home, they just weren’t good enough without Durant to take that 80-79 lead entering the fourth and put it in the bank as a tough, hard-earned road win. Same deal—without their stud closer, OKC withered coming down the stretch despite Westbrook basically being unwordly spectacular.
Ibaka, Adams, Kanter and Waiters also scored double figures for the Thunder. OKC won the boards 44-33, but hurt themselves with 19 turnovers.
Again…OKC’s overall bench play was a major factor—as in it wasn’t good enough to get a road win against a pretty decent team in Memphis. I’m not on board with Tramel over at newsok claiming the Grizz a serious contender, but they could win a round in the West post season tournament as long as they don’t face Golden State.
Thunder lose for the second night in a row and drop to 6-5 plus several notches down the rung in the early season standings behind the Warriors and Spurs.
Thunder hosts Anthony Davis and the most disappointing team in the league to date this young season when New Orleans visits the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday.
Both teams coming off Sunday night games. OKC a home loser against the Celtics. Memphis a winner against the Timberwolves. Third game in fourth night for the Thunder who are 1-1 in games without Kevin Durant.
Memphis riding a modest two game win streak since the acquisition of Mario Chalmers from the Miami Heat. OKC 6-4, Memphis almost back to .500 at 5-6 after a very slow start to the season. Addition of Chalmers gives the Grizz an interesting compliment of guards in Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Courtney Lee and Chalmers.
Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley have all started slowly for the Grizz this season. Memphis entered last game with the worst field goal percentage in the NBA at 40.4%. Former Thunder forward Jeff Green now a starter for the Grizzlies.
Thunder are 1-1 since Durant’s hamstring injury with a win over the woeful 76’ers and a home loss to the improving Boston Celtics. OKC’s bench was a virtual no show in the loss to Boston. Anthony Morrow, who has attempted to replace Durant in the starting lineup, was good against the 76’ers, but out of his league against the quicker, more talented Boston guards.
Without Durant—this could be an even uglier game for the Thunder as they’ve shot 36.4% their last three meetings against Memphis. For Westbrook the numbers are even worse at 27.5% from the field against the Grizzlies in the last three.
One of the West’s best rivalries in OKC-Memphis, but tonight OKC is without Kevin Durant in uniform which could make it a tough night for the Thunder.
Chalmers has scored 11 and 16 points respectively in his two games to date wearing a Memphis jersey. OKC’s bench of Kanter, Waiters, Augustin, Collison and Singler weren’t very good against the Celtics. OKC’s bench will have to invert that trend of play if they have any hope of getting a road win in Memphis tonight. Serge Ibaka comes off a decent game against the Celtics, while some pick and roll offense from Steven Adams needs to happen tonight to give Westbrook more playmaking options.
Durant rumored to be back a bit earlier than originally expected which is a good thing because OKC has been wildly erratic in the two games since his hamstring strain. Simple pregame talk for OKC, play better, play smarter, move the ball and don’t stand around watching Russell Westbrook try to beat Memphis by himself.
If ever a game illustrated why Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder are not a viable contender without Kevin Durant–this one might be a candidate for the topic file. Every nightmare of Durant’s missed 55 games from last season resurfaced in the fourth quarter on Sunday evening as the Boston Celtics won the fourth period 28-11 and in the process the game by cruising to a 100-85 win over the Thunder inside the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
This isn’t complex to break down. OKC led 52-45 at halftime, but were throttled 55-33 in the second half as every bad fourth quarter from last season without Durant was relived.
OKC still led 74-72 after three periods. But Billy Donovan had to give Russell Westbrook a blow. Westbrook sat till the 7:30 mark of the fourth period. Upon his return the scoreboard read: Celtics 85- Thunder 76 and it didn’t get any better after Westbrook’s return.
Pick your adjective to describe the Thunder in the fourth period on Sunday night. Horrific. I’ll go with horrific.
Boston won the fourth period by a score of 28-11. OKC as a team shot 2-17 from the field in the fourth. Boston cruised. OKC imploded. Boston’s offense was a precise combination of ball movement, flashing to the ball, cutting and finishing as per the Brad Stevens system. OKC looked exactly the same as they did last season under Scott Brooks…stagnant, disjointed and too much ball domination by Westbrook, Waiters and DJ Augustin. Boston played the way their coach wants them to play, OKC did not.
Former O State guard Marcus Smart is my OKCThunderGround Player of the Game. If ever a coach might be the right fit to pull out of Marcus Smart his full potential—it should be Brad Stevens in the long haul in Boston. Smart went for 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists and was the best player on the floor Sunday night.
But it wasn’t just Smart, Boston has a nice trio of guards in Smart, Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. Thomas went for 23 points himself. Bradley went for 16 points and combined the guard trio went for sixty points. They’re fun to watch.
Russell Westbrook struggled on Sunday night going 5-20 from the field, but 15-17 from the free throw line to salvage a 27 point night which rang hollow in the end. Too many missed threes and too many turnovers. OKC had 18 assists to 18 turnovers. Not what Billy Donovan is looking for either with or without Kevin Durant.
Again—if ever a game was a microcosm of why Kevin Durant makes Russell Westbrook better and vice versa this would be the template. Westbrook can triple double like no other player in the NBA, but when it comes to those last eight minutes in a tight game against a quality opponent he needs his finisher and closer.
Kevin Durant—get the hamstring well, buddy.
OKC drops to 6-4 and is in Memphis tonight on the second night of a road back to back.
Both teams coming off Friday night wins. Both teams rested. Boston comes in off a 106-93 win over the Atlanta Hawks. OKC enters with a 102-85 win over the Philadelphia 76’ers in their first game played without Kevin Durant since the strained hamstring injury. Boston is 4-4 after eight games played, OKC is 6-3 and just behind the Spurs for the right to be the team from the West closest to the streaking 11-0 Golden State Warriors in the standings.
Boston is now in Year 3 of the Brad Stevens era in Boston. Year 1 was a 25 win season or so just like it was supposed to be. Year 2 showed some promise as the Celtics improved to 40-42, captured the No. 7 seed in the East and lost in the first round. But still, marked improvement with a young team on the rebuild with a former college coach in Brad Stevens making the transition from Butler to the Boston Celtics.
I’m a Brad Stevens fan and a believer if you can coach–you can coach whatever level. Stevens led Butler to a mark of 166-49 in his six years at Butler, plus two appearances in the NCAA National Championship Game. Brad Stevens can coach and a nice choice to steer a young team on the rebuild like the Celtics. What I particularly like about Stevens is his blending of an analytical approach to the old school approach where his human side in dealing with his players seems to never be hidden in his coaching personality.
I think if Brad Stevens hadn’t been in Year 2 of a six year deal with the Celtics–he would have been near the top on Sam Presti’s wish list to replace Scott Brooks last summer. In retrospect though—I think Presti would have been fine hiring any from a list of Brad Stevens, Billy Donovan, Fred Hoiberg or Kevin Ollie. All good coaching choices to lead a young team.
Boston’s roster is an interesting blend. Would guess the starters tonight will be Amir Johnson, Jae Crowder, Jared Sullinger, former O State guard Marcus Smart, and Isaiah Thomas. Plenty of choices off the bench in Evan Turner, Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko, R.J. Hunter, Tyler Zeller and David Lee. Not sure what the health status is for guard Avery Bradley tonight. Wait and see situation. Fun team to watch if they’re on their game.
Game 2 for OKC without Durant this season due to the hamstring strain. Game 1 was a mixed bag of good and bad, but enough was there to beat a now 0-10 Sixer team which lost again last night in San Antonio. Westbrook and Ibaka both had off shooting nights, but the team rode Westbrook’s second consecutive triple double, a shutdown of rookie Jahlil Okafor, nice ball movement for the most part, solid rebounding–and the fact the Sixers are just an abysmal basketball team. This game should be much more revealing as to where OKC is right now in the present without Durant.
Anthony Morrow did a good job with the starters so I would expect him to start again. Otherwise–OKC needs Westbrook to be Westbrook, needs Serge Ibaka to hit those open looks he missed on Friday night, and again needs Waiters, Kanter, Collison, Augustin and Singler to score. Some makes by Singler in this one would be nice. Kyle Singler–relax and stroke the ball. With all these former college coaches on the floor tonight–just pretend it’s Duke versus Butler and Billy Donovan is filling in for Coach K.
I expect a good game tonight. Entertaining and much more revealing than the one played on Friday night. Westbrook going for his third consecutive triple double, but more importantly, another step towards Westbrook winning the NBA assist title a year after winning the NBA scoring championship.
There are several ways I can approach this recap. I can take the Christian approach and neglect to write these Sixers lost their 19th consecutive game dating back to the end of last season. Or, I can go completely berserk going all Howard Beale from Network and call this Sixer group the latest in Sam Hinkie’s dumpster fire team building projects which in Year 8 might actually lead to some watchable NBA basketball. Or, I can take the high ground and just gently move to the recap and move on as quickly as possible. Let’s go to Option 3, no drama required on this one.
OKC’s Thunder won Game 9 on their schedule by a 102-85 count over a Philly Sixer team which had six undrafted players in uniform tonight. Take away No. 4 Nerlens Noel and what I basically saw was a D League team. Nerlen Noels is going to be a nice player. Sam Hinkie got that one right–I think. Okafor…I might get to that later, or I might not.
Philly actually led 24-18 after the first period of play, but OKC behind the play of Nick Collison, Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters off the bench… ‘kind’ of got things back on track in the second period and went to the half leading 48-43.
Before I go any further I want to give Nick Collison the OKCThunderGround No. 1 Star of the Game. In nineteen minutes–6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and one block. I had his backdoor pass to Westbrook as my play of the game as well. Collison to Westbrook was a beautiful basketball play. Period.
Back to the game. I’ll give the Sixers this—even though their roster isn’t much, they did hang around and make it somewhat uncomfortable for OKC until the last several minutes.
OKC improves to 6-3, Philly drops to a league worse 0-9 and remains the only winless team in the NBA almost three weeks in on the schedule. Two things are certain this far into the season….Golden State is the best team in the West and its a very bad loss for any team which loses to Philadelphia maybe save the Lakers.
Some other things:
Anthony Morrow started in place of Durant and was functional going 5-8 for 12 points in 21 minutes. He was my No. 2 Star of the Game.
OKC, the league’s best rebounding team, pounded the Sixers on the boards 55-43.
Jahlil Okafor, the No. 3 pick in the 2015, draft went 3-18 on the night and was blocked on numerous occasions.
Steven Adams continues to do little things the right way which don’t always show up on a stat sheet.
Five different Thunder players scored in double figures…Westbrook, Ibaka, Waiters, Kanter and Morrow.
Thunder had 20 assists to 13 turnovers. Not bad. Didn’t reach the 25 assist plateau mark, but only because some very makeable shots didn’t drop.
And, by the way, Russell Westbrook had his second consecutive triple double going 21 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists. And, almost forgot, Russell Westbrook tied one Kobe Bryant with his 21st career triple double in this one.
So–on the night, OKC takes care of business without Durant, gets the win, and stays just behind San Antonio for second place in the West behind the 10-0 Golden State Warriors.
Brad Stevens and his Boston Celtics at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday evening.
One last Sam Hinkie video in the pregame presentation because I think what he’s doing is very interesting, albeit it sucks in the present tense if you’re a Sixer fan. I want to be fair and make sure all sides of the Hinkie argument are at least explored. Plus, he’s an Oklahoma guy who grew up in Marlow and earned his undergrad in business at OU before earning his MBA at Stanford. Even though I hate the complete lack of competiveness to date, I find it compelling because it has a Michael Lewis ‘Moneyball’ element to what he’s doing for such a sustained period of time. I love Michael Lewis–so maybe there’s a Michael Lewis book in the works when all this is completed in Philadelphia