Sam Presti and Coach Mark must be reading the Underground because the Thunder pretty much checked every box on my list in a 116-104 beatdown of the defending Western Conference champs.
This was not a mere twelve point loss by the Spurs. The Thunder led by as many as 26 points in the first half and led by 21 points at the intermission. The only thing Spurs’ fans can cling to to in this defeat was the slightly amusing hamburger skit at halftime which was featured on First Take this morning. If you were with youngsters under the age of ten…that was a mini-win for you Spurs’ fans.
I hate to write cliche things on my seriously under-read eclectic blog, BUT THIS WAS A STATEMENT THE THUNDER JUST MADE TO THE REST OF THE NBA. The statement being…when we’re healthy we’re the real defending champs regardless of what the Spurs and the NY Knicks might want to think.
Shai was easily my No. 1 Star of the Game with his 32 point performance. But please notice how many times Cason and Ajay brought the ball up court and in essence allowed Shai to not have to work so hard. Please notice all the tough guy, high basketball IQ things Dub does for Shai. Please be intelligent NBA fans. Become students of the game beyond those pitiful Thunder Network telecasts. MJ implores this of you. Don’t be like some of those stupid OU fans who call into the Jim Traber Show.
I loved the little mini-confrontation in the third period when Coach Mark pulled Shai early on a rotation because he, like MJ, thought Shai was gliding with that big lead for awhile. Shai barked a few words at Coach Mark while taking a seat. Coach Mark didn’t respond. Shai took a seat, BUT Coach Mark after thinkig about this for a very brief pause got Shai back in the game and Shai didn’t glide any more in this basketball game.
That was coaching brilliance. That was a coach not allowing his ego to undermine his team by realizing MJ’s First Axiom of Being a Great Coach, that being….PLAYER MAKES THE COACH. Period. But a really smart coach knows how to work that singular truth.
Jared MCain was my No. 2 Star with a 20 point night going 6-8 from beyond the arc coming off the bench. I love his basketball hubris. He has no fear of failure. You can’t coach that.
The three Williams ‘brothers’… Dub, Will, and Kenny collectively are my No. 3 star. That’s the physicality and the toughness I want to see from this group. I want this team to play like a hockey team with a chip on their shoulder. When a punk like De’Arron Fox throws down Chet like it’s a WNBA game with Angel Reese and Wembyama starts running his mouth—that’s the reaction I want to see. Five *****s from MJ for that reaction. I love you guys. You could be hockey players and that’s an ultimate compliment on this blog.
Other than being thrown down to the floor by a man a foot shorter who should be playing in the WNBA….I thought Chet was better than he was in the Western Conference Finals. He competed except for that embarrassing moment with Fox.
But again take notice how every Thunder player on defense was in essence ‘spying’ Wembyama. Every single Thunder player had Wembyama on their mind with a head on a swivel. Every single Thunder player wanted to shame him with a 1-12 shooting night and humiliate him. Wemby’s only field goal came as the final second of the third period expired. No mas, baby. No wonder Wemby sounded like Roberto Duran in the postgame presser.
Ajay Mara…my thoughts? His minutes were perfect. With Coach Mark throwing Isaiah, Chet, and ‘El Grande’ at Wemby all night long it was in this one game…perfect. That’s the precise role ‘El Grande’ needs to fill this season for the Thunder to win their second NBA championship.
Philly with Tyrese Maxey, another brilliant Coach Cal guard from Kentucky, and LeBron looked very comfortable together in the Sixers win over the Knicks. If Embiid can stay healthy enough to play in 54-56 or so regular season games I could see Philly being a serious thing in the East.
Denver in OKC on Thursday night. I’m excited and ready to see how both teams respond in this marquee national game of the night.
Moderation, patience, and wisdom always, MJ.