Hard to tell what the Thunder are doing right now in what should be an obvious season of not winning too many games.
It was a magnificent setup for this game as Billy Donovan who never won a playoff series in Oklahoma City without Kevin Durant brought his underacheiving Bulls into Chesapeake Energy Arena with the chance of doing something first year Coach D had failed to do so far in his first season at the helm. That being…win a game inside of Chesapeake Energy Arena.
But leave it to Billy Donovan to find a way to have his current team choke on what was a 22 point lead and allow the youthful yet gritty Thunder their first home win of the season. The final score read 127-125 as it marked an inspiring win for the Thunder even though they should be losing.
Big Al Horford didn’t play and George Hill who doesn’t much believe Covid is a deal didn’t do all that much, but you have to tip your hat to the rest of the Thunder players for their heart and grit.
These kids and Mikey Muscala play their hearts out and stand 6-6 twelve games into a 72 game schedule. It’s frustrating to see them fall this far behind the streaking Minnesota Timberwolves who currently stand at 3-8. But in Oklahoma City where they at one time volunteered to be the narional guinea pig to test the effects of sonic booms in Operation Bongo…maybe there’s a geographical disconnect we on the outside aren’t of aware of just yet unless you are in the inner circle of the Oklahoma shakers and movers.
This year is supposed to be Operation Tank, but instead it appears so far Sam Presti and Coach D haven’t come to terms with what Oklahoma City needs to achieve in this coming summer’s NBA draft.
It’s just so Oklahoma is what it is. It’s everything and more which Sam Anderson wrote about in his epic book Boom Town.
In a state which needs federal aid from the hated blue states on an annual basis to keep afloat they boast of being an example of Milton Freidman free market creative thinkers. Trickle down they think they call it. Never mind its welfare from the blue states who create 68% of GDP and about the same rate in federal contributions to our U.S. Treasury.
Just so Oklahoma like Mike Gundy wearing a racist T-shirt when his very economic being has been created by young black athletes along the way.
Like becoming the self-induced earthquake capitol of the world at one time.
Like Joe Exotic being able to actually garner significant votes as a GOP presidential candidate in the 2016 Oklahoma presidential primary.
Sigh.
But in the end… I love sports and I admire athletes and coaches who compete their asses off. But this is the one singular time in my life I wish Coach D and these improving youngsters would start losing with more frequency.
Give these kids credit though…guys like Diallo, Kenrich Williams, Isiah Roby, Theo Maledon and maybe even Poku at times are inspiring. Veteran Mike Muscala has been an inspiration as well.
So if youre’ gonna do this then I would suggest trading George Hill right now since he doesn’t believe in Covid and start exploring what you can get for Big Al Horford… and just go with that.
OU at Cade Cunningham’s O State Cowboys tonight. I’m actually going to a modest little watch party of six where unlike George Hill…everyone there will be Covid aware. We think Covid is a deal.
- Well, no I guess I’m not watching the game as it was just postponed due to Covid protocol.
So here we are in the third week in January with Cade Cunnigham as the primary storyline hoopswise in Oklahoma…at least for me.
Next up for the Thunder…the Sixers on a Sunday while the Cleveland Browns play the Kansas City Chiefs and Drew Brees hosts Tom Brady in a matchup of Hall of Famers.
Operation Bongo footnotes in case you didn’t read Sam Anderson’s book.