Month: May 2025

First off, thank both teams for giving me such a great series to cover in what otherwise was a very weak NBA conference semi-final round. It’s been a joy for me to have this opportunity on okcthunderground.com. This is why you start your own NBA basketball blog.

I mean, when you really think about it …this is the first serious playoff round the Thunder have participated in as a relevant contender since that fateful conference final series versus Golden State in 2016. Almost a decade ago…think about that as you settle in this afternoon. Maybe last year versus Dallas approached that status for some, but not really when you objectively gauge how weak the Thunder were on physicality and rim protection on their interior defense.

Defense wins championships….don’t ever forget that axiom in team sports.

I’ll be clear…I like and respect both teams, but my basketball heart is with these Denver Nuggets. When I was at my lowest point physically and emotionally in the early stage of my Stage 4 cancer journey…it was this group of guys who made me smile and gave my heart some hope during their championship journey. I’ll never forget the championship parade in Denver on Father’s Day week-end. It still brings a tear to my eye.

These Nuggets have further galvanized that warm feeling of basketball love with their refusal to give up even through the injuries to Jamal, Michael, and now Aaron. Add to the fact their coach and general manager were both fired with three games left in the regular season.

These guys have never surrendered… never quit. And never just said, “Piss on it…let’s go hit the golf course or the lake or whatever.” Instead, they’ve hung in there with interim Coach David Adelman and have given him everything and more they have left in their collective tanks.

Common NBA basketball sense would tell you the Thunder should win the game this afternoon.

But there are those rare occasions when a dogged heart shared by a group of guys can overcome conventional expectations. That in essence..is what makes team sports such a great thing and an inspiration to all us to work harder and stick with it in our own daily lives.

That being said, don’t give up.

I have no idea if this is one of those days. I hope it is.

That’s why we play the game.

Enjoy the game.

MJ

Ya…Oklahoma…MJ here on the road and heading south. Have already passed Newcastle, Blanchard, and Lindsey with Jamal and the Boys still fresh on MJ’s mind from last night.

Oh, wait…there was some Trump Regular Unleaded at $1.35 a gallon just west of Lindsey. Sign says if you buy $20 dollars or more you get free Trump bitcoin. MJ will pass on that one though.

Five miles west of Lindsey now and just passed mobile home park with people in front who looked like they were in Delieverance. Truck better not break down for sure if MJ wants to continue surviving cancer. Oh, wait.

A huge poster of Trump and Markwayne Mullin. Ya…clearly there are some white boy dumbasses west of Lindsey for certain. Seriously…truck better not break down or MJ could be in a bind wearing this Jamal jersey.

Anyway…gotta get my eyes back on the road as I near my Alex turnoff roads in search of lunker bass and spry bluegill with a fly rod today.

MJ wearing Jamal’s powder blue jersey today. Proud of Jamal for playing through the sickness last night showing real Vince Lombardi toughness. My advice to Coach Mark is to tell his guys to stop flopping so much and maybe they’ll have more energy in the second half. Lu Dort should be ashamed of himself.

Take care, Oklahoma.

Love, Mj

As a Denver Nugget fan all I can say at this point is…thank the basketball gods this was the night he broke out and showed an indication he can become the Nuggets sixth man next season and fill the hole which has been there ever since the departure of Kentavius-Caldwell Pope to the Orlando Magic.

This was the kind of break-out game Denver had to have from either Julian, Peyton Watson, or Russell Westbrook. Julian’s 15 second half points were clutch with the Nugget season on the line. But it was more than the 15 points…Julian’s defense was stellar and it has been on the defensive side of the ball where it’s taken him time to gain the trust of either Michael Malone or David Adelman.

Even if Denver loses Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Sunday…I would think this game helped clear the path forward with the team’s construction heading into camp in August.

I’m not going to dwell much on Russell Westbrook’s struggles in this game for this reason…Coach Adelman yanked Russell early in his first rotation because it was apparent he wasn’t the guy on this night to give Denver what they had to have from the bench. Kudos to Coach Adelman for sitting Russell Westbrook.

My thought is the leash will be short on Sunday for ither Russell or Julian depending on the play of each.

I would think on Sunday in Game 7 if everyone else is ready to go and Aaron Gordon’s hamstring isn’t an issue Russell would be the 8th man. We’ll see how it goes. How Julian handles a hostile crowd who don’t want to see a Thunder collapse in the city’s biggest NBA Playoff game since the Game 6 meltdown loss to the Warriors in 2016.

I thought both Jokic and Jamal were excellent in this game. Michael Porter was a little better as well hitting a couple of threes. Peyton Watson’s overall energy was good. Christian Braun was a stud with a clutch 23 point performance.

Christian Braun is a winner..period. He won the MVP for the Kansas Jayhawks when they won their last NCAA championship, and then the next season he filled a valuable role on Michael Malone’s NBA championship team. C-Braun is one of those rare players who brings talent, toughness, smarts, and an absolute hatred of losing. MJ loves C-Braun’s game.

So for me the two things I’m looking at on Sunday are;

1 How much C-Braun and Aaron Gordon bring to the arena for this Game 7…, how will they fill the stat sheet,

and, 2 Is Shai’s Batman going to show up with the 3rd AT&T amigo or play invisible as they both did tonight in inside of Ball Arena.

I did not have this series going to a Game 7… so for me this is a bonus game of sorts. Cool. The PGA doesn’t do it for me in this format this soon after the Masters. A Game 7 will be better. Should the PGA even be a major anymore given the LIV landscape? Wish Dan Jenkins was still around to talk that one through.

Big Perk put the Thunder at around a 60% probability of winning. I want to wait and see how Aaron’s hamstring is before I blog on Game Day. If Aaron is good to go I’d have it around 55% Thunder-45% Nuggets. If Aaron doesn’t play I’d have the Thunder at 85% to win and carry the spread. We’ll see.

I’m still stunned at all these Oklahoma media types who thought this would be an easy series for the Thunder. This is a prime example of why I kept my blog. That being…most of these cats in OKC don’t even know the NBA existed before Hurricane Katrina. Minneota is going to be tough as well.

I’m gone fishin’ tomorrow southwest of Alex, Oklahoma with my Joe Carter Sr. fishing pole.

Y’all in Oklahoma…please don’t start the Civil War while I’m down there….your 401s are only down 22% for the year so far. China, China, China.

A song after a Game 6 win is always nice since I can’t drink or have victory cigars anymore according to Dr. Showalter.

Mike J

So here we are…Game 6 tonight in my newly adopted hometown of Gatewood, just a bit north of Denver proper, University of Denver, Wash Park, Bonnie Brae Park, the iconic B-Brae Ice Cream Parlor, plus the entirety of the Bonnie Brae area where my grandchildren learned to run, ride a bike, skateboard, kick a soccer ball, throw a football, hit a slapshot, and play some Mrs. Pac-Man here and there.

But most of all…the place where I was allowed to be the honored guest reader at Robert’s pre-K class in what I hope will be a prelude to some things I do with the Russell Westbrook Reading Bus in Oklahoma at some juncture moving forward.

Putting aside…Dionne Warwick, I actually did pray for Russell last night and again this morning. What I prayed for was not victory per se for the Nuggets, but for Russell to play well and to help his own legacy take a bump forward for a more positive ending.

Nikola went out on a limb for Russell and gave him this opportunity. From my perspective…I just want Russell to play well and take this to a Game 7. I want Russell to have this moment where he elevates the semmingly always snarky narratives which surround him… some of which are deserved.

That’s it. I just want the Nuggets to play at their highest level possible considering the limitations of their roster and either extend or end this series tonight in Denver.

OKC winning in no way upsets me because I truly respect the manner in which these Thunder players go about their business.

I don’t think this Game 6 is about X’s and O’s at this point…I think it’s about how much gas is left in those four guys’ hearts…Nikola, Jamal, Aaron, and C-Braun.

It is what it is. 4 on 10 basketball needs some help in Denver tonight.

Maybe I should loan Russell my No. 1 pre-game song for tonight as well. Couldn’t hurt…that’s for certain.

Be kind to one another. No shooting each tonight in Bricktown or at the airport if the Thunder advance.

MJ

Can you believe MJ is still torturing himself with this shit even while going through maintenance chemo as well?

Why do I hate myself in this manner?

In retrospect my Game 5 pre-game analysis turned out to be brilliant and spot on. 4 vs. 10 basketball on 10’s court very seldom if ever bodes well for 4.

Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther…you dudes are still young—so I’m not including you in this. The other two men between them have a regular season MVP trophy and an NBA championship ring…so consequently, I feel I have the right to say these things to them on my blog.

Russell Westbrook and I go back a long way…back when I was the King of the Daily Thunder internet and ruled the Thunder narratives with a noble benevolence which I had hoped would elevate the millennial rabble from their minimalist ignorance.

Russell’s brother, Ray Jr., and I became friends and he followed me around as if I were Al Pacino or Jack Nicholson. So this is a very akward moment for me right now. A painful moment…like when Michael realized he had to kill Fredo for the good of the family. That kind of moment.

But you know what, I’m in a much different space right now as a Stage 4 cancer survivor. The world has slowed down for me. Things which used to bother me…don’t seem quite that big of a deal any longer. My two grandchildren are my two biggest deals. Being loyal to my main core family and friends are more important than a basketball game.

So–for the time being…I’m going to pause on my Game 5 recap and take out my competitive anger by literally riding the terrain bike at the OKC Wellness Center on Sam Bradford Blvd. through the wall. If this incident makes its way on local news…you’ll know you read about it first on okcthunderground.com. It was an act of premeditated anger.

And while I’m on the bike…I’m going to pray for Russell Westbrook’s basketball soul. Russ… I’ve pleaded with you for well over a decade not to hit the 3-wood over the water up onto an uphill green and make the safe play. I’ve pleaded with you to hit the 7-iron, layup, and make par.

Yet…you continue to mock my sagacious advice.

So…I’m praying for you today, Russ. Follow your heart, but ask Aaron Gordon what he thinks. He seems like a good dude. I’m seriously praying for you. Pretend, I’m your caddie, like Speck in Dead Solid Perfect. Last two holes of the U.S. Open. You and Donnie Smithern dueling for the Cup with two holes to go.

If you pull that f–king fairway wood out of your bag again…I’m going to climb through my flat screen and choke you to death. Hit the iron. Make the smart play. You can’t bogey the 71st hole if you want to play the 72nd hole with something to play for besides second and third. Trust me this one time, buddy.

Ask Ray Jr. if El Prez is right. Hit the iron just like so.

Have a nice day, Oklahoma. Your team is one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

MJ

I mean last night was an NBA night we should all remember for quite some time.

Nico Harrison, the beleagured Dallas Mav GM, with a 1.8% chance of landing Cooper Flagg in the NBA lottery…went yard. And I would have to say if there was ever a sign that the Peter Principle is still very much in play in current America…this was that time.

Through his complete incompetence in handling the Luka Doncic trade which he mangled…he now has the new next best thing as the face of his franchise through sheer blind luck.

If only the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors had had such luck on Monday night in their respective games.

It was a sad night for the NBA. Jayson Tatum seriously injured his lower right leg and is now apparently done for this season as it appears the Celtics might be as well as they now trail their series with the NY Knicks by a 3-1 count.

What we now have in the East is the probable look of an Indiana Pacer-NY Knick Eastern Conference Final. Who would thought four weeks ago? It shows you nothing in life is certain. It shows that in basketball…like life, you better be able to flow with the unexpected and show some dignity, grace, and thoughness.

In the West…what I saw last night was a very dangerous Minnesota Timberwolf team destroy the Steph-less Golden State Warriors and in effect end that series.

So from MJ’s prism…this is what we now have in play with one last piece of the NBA’s Final Four puzzle still to be decided. We have Indiana, the NY Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the survivor of the OKC-Denver war still left in play.

What we really have though, in my humble mind, is the end of a basketball generation where neither LeBron, Steph, Giannis or Kevin Durant made it out of the conference semi-finals.

Giannis is thill in play though. And I’ll get ti him in about a week or so.

Denver is the oldest of the five teams left standing, but not what I would consider an old team. What we see is the future of the NBA and the stars who should dominate the game in the coming years.

Jokic, Shai, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Mychal Bridges* and perhaps Tyrese Haliburton. Yes, for certain, MJ has Mychal Bridges slated for stardom. I love that kid and what his game is about.

So who am I pulling for tonight in Game 5 between OKC and Denver?

I’m for Denver. My son, my daughter-in-law, and my two grandchildren live just south of the University of Denver. They recently moved from Bonnie Brae to Gatewood, which is pretty cool itself. I’ve come to love the city of Denver through these years and it is my refuge to escape the fake Christian radical right redneck culture of Oklahoma City. Call me Pau Gasol if you want. We’re both Italian so that’s fine with me as well.

I would also add…being in Denver as much as possible has definitely been a substantial part of my Stage 4 cancer survival journey. A part which often makes me pause… give thanks, and do one of my private mini-cries of joy.

What can I say…I’ve become a Denverite.

I will add this though…I genuinely respect the current Thunder players and what Sam Presti has done. I also respect what the people involved in the MAPS Program have done with Oklahoma City. My suggestion to these people is take the next step and create an Oklahoma MAPS Education Program in which the state seriously addresses the issues with its abysmal educational system…which now ranks dead last even behind Mississippi, Alabama, Lousiana, and West Virginia.

I would also think if OKC advances, I’ll be pulling for them in the next round opposite Minnesota even though I love Anthony Edwards.

So…good luck to both my Denver Nuggets and the OKC Thunder tonight in Game 5.

A song to meditate with today would be nice.

Maybe two songs would be even better on this gameday. I almost forgot how great these guys were.

Mike J

I like Coach Adelman’s pressers. He’s very much to the point and basically calls it like it is in regards to his team’s performance. Very much looks the part of the son of a coach.

I agree…both teams were leg weary from the overtime late ending game on Friday night.

The difference in the game was Michael Porter Jr, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson were not good on Sunday. In fact they were really bad. Consequently, Coach Adelman had to ride his top four guys even harder. Problem with that is Coach Mark was then able to bring in three relatively fresh guys in Caruso, Wallace, and Wiggins for several second half pushes which decided the game.

The last six minutes of the game the Nuggets not only looked leg weary, but brain weary as well with an inbounds ‘cannot happen five second violation’ and the missed free throws by Jokic and Aaron Gordon.

If I’m Coach Adelman right now on late Monday afternoon…I have three of my players alone with me off the court to have a discussion. Those three guys would be Michael Porter, Russell, and Peyton Watson. At this point I no way trust Julian Strawther.

What I would say, “Guys…it’s hard enough to win games in this series playing 7 on 10. Winning a clutch semi-final game 4 on 10 against a good team is virtually impossible. This is about you three guys doing your job. This is not complex.”

Game 5 tomorrow night at the PayCom. We’re now down to best out of three. The only possible avenue I saw to Denver winning this series was by winning Game 6 in Denver. That’s still a possible sceanrio givn how tight several of the Thunder starters have looked at time in this series.

So this basically means Coach Adelman’s guys need to find a way to win Game 5.

This is why I love NBA playoff basketball.

Mike J

This Game 4 was about as big as it gets in NBA post season play, and in this one it was about as ugly as any playoff game I can remember. But in the fourth quarter coming down the stretch it was in my view OKC’s bench led by the threesome of Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins who nudged the Thunder over their previous clutch-game mishaps and put the Thunder in possession of home court heading into Game 5 back in Oklahoma City.

Alex Caruso was my No. 1 Star, Cason Wallace was my No. 2 Star, and Aaron Wiggins was my No. 3 Star. Shai was much better this game and was what I call functionally efficient, but he/’s the regular season MVP this season and he should be this way every game. No star for Shai from Mike J. MJ is a perfectionist with his Three Stars.

Caruso, Wallace, and Wiggins scored a collective 35 points while Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson could only manage 8 points for this very thin Nugget bench.

As I witnessed this 48 minute pit bull fight–it seemed to me Caruso more than any other player on the floor wanted it more…and you know what…his teammates followed his mentally tough lead.

The only player on the Nuggets who appeared to have much left in the tank this afternoon was Christian Braun. Michael Porter Jr, for the third time in this series was missing in action. MPJ did nothing of any consequence in this game for the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon was a bulldog, but he was limited to 15 points. When Aaron has scored 20 or more in these 2025 Playoffs the Nuggets have won every game..

Denver certainly had their chances in the fourter quarter, but missed four clutch free throws down the stretch and just basically got mentally out-toughed by the youngest team in the league.

Caruso has now been my MVP in Game 2 and Game 4. He brings something this team was sorely missing..a combination of energy, confidence, hubris, intelligent physicality, and some gravitas.

My son just called me after the game from Denver and told me just after the game a dark Thunder storm came out of nowhere at the conclusion of the game as the skies darkened.

That might be some NBA gods stuff right there. That and Alex Caruso on the same day were too much for the leg weary Nuggets in Game 4.

Game 5 in OKC on Tuesday night.

Mike J

Just a great NBA Playoff game to watch last night as the gritty Denver Nuggets found a way to win Game 3 in Denver and in essence keep the home court advantage they gained in Game 1 in Oklahoma City.

Coach Mark, as at the end of Game 1, was not stellar in his moves during the final 5:30 of this game as the Nuggets routed the Thunder 13-2 during the game’s final minutes.

Two moves glaringly stood out to me as far Coach Mark moves down the stretch ..

1 Why did he go away from JDub’s coal-hot hand late in the game?

2 Why did the Thunder go small bringing in Caruso in the OT and remove Holmgren from the floor? Why in the world would you at that juncture of the game open up the paint to Jokic when he was 0-11 shooting from the outside entering the OT?

Why would you open up the rim to Jokic when he couldn’t hit anything else on one of the worst shooting nights of his career? It makes no sense whatsoever. I doubt the puppydog OKC sports media will take him to task for any of this…but this isn’t the OKC puppydog sports media—this is okcthunderground.com where it’s told like it is.

But I have to give the Nuggets credit…they fought hard the entire night playing uphill and never surrendered. Michael Porter Jr. was my No.1 Star of the Game. He completely sucked it up with his injured shoulder and from my view was the difference in the game.

Jamal was my No. 2 Star with his dogged 27 point performance on a night when Jokic was brutal the first 48 minutes of play with 10 turnovers to go along with the bad shooting night.

Aaron was my No. 3 star for the way this guy’s big game and big moment gravitas has been one of the big stories so far in the Western Conference Playoffs. Aaron cooly hit the shot which sent this game to overtime. Enough said.

Christian Braun deserves a word for his dogged defense on Shai. Shai has now had two tough shooting nights so far this series with C-Braun guarding him.

And Peyton Watson gets a ‘graph from MJ as well. Peyton was excellent in this game as the 7th man in the rotation with some much needed scoring, defense, and rebounding.

Russell was solid, but not the factor he’d been in both Game 1 and Game 2. But you know what…Coach David Adelman will take solid from Russell every game if that’s way the game shakes out and what Coach Adelman needs to fill in the gaps.

So here’s my ultimate take heading into Sunday’s piviotal Game 4 in Denver….Denver with a win in Game 4 can ensure itself they will have OKC back in Denver for Game 6 for a Thunder elimination game if they win on Sunday. I cannot imagine anyone inside the Denver locker room wants to play an elimination game of their own in OKC where the officials will allow them to play their college bump and grind game of Forty Minutes of Hell.

Biggest game of the season for both teams tomorrow afternoon inside of Ball Arena.

Mike J

I did not watch the predictable Golden State loss at Minnesota last night. I figured without Steph…the Warriors would struggle and apparently that’s exactly what happened according to nba.com.

Instead… I did some reading, followed the breaking news of the first Amercian pope, and almost watched the movie The Conclave….which I’ll watch today instead. It’s been on my must watch list for some time…so I figure what better day than today.

An American pope from Chicago who evidently feels pretty much the same way I do about Trump, Vance, and the other MAGA ‘humans’.

I’m not Catholic, but during my cancer journey at Integris I’ve become friends with a Father Ron and it’s been a nice thing for me to have somewhere there in the Infusion Center of whom I can honestly talk about the things of a spiritual nature.

The God thing in Oklahoma never ends to puzzle me. This is a place which claims and somewhat brags about being one of the most faith-based places in the country, yet from my view it at times seems to be one of the most hateful and intolerant places in America.

Such an overwhelming number of people who simply cannot allow the doctrine of ‘Live and let others live,” or the Golden Rule or the Beatitudes. Why is there all this anger in Oklahoma towards others who might be different than them.

Is that what God and Jesus are all about? Out of over 8 billion humans on this earth…God only ranks at the top white male Americans with a cretain level of net worth? That’s makes no sense whatsoever.

I don’t think that’s what God or Jesus intended.

I’ll close with what’s been a genuine anchor for me during my cancer journey. Words I could and will continue to lean against.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

Blessed are those kind of heart, for they shall see the light of God

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall become the sons of God

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for their rightousness,

for there’s will be the Kingdom of Heaven forever.”

Be kinder, Oklahoma. You can do it.

Mike J