For the fifth time this young basketball season, OKC’s Thunder blew a double digit lead in losing to the San Antonio Spurs by a 104-101 count. At one point in the second period the Thunder led 43-20, but you could see Gregg Popovich getting on both his players and the zebras and you knew in your heart the 23 point lead was Fool’s Gold.
As in previous blown lead losses, it was evident this lead wouldn’t hold and slowly but surely the Spurs even led by as many as six in the fourth period before OKC made a couple of late attempts to pull out a road win, but when Carmelo’s made basket with 5.6 seconds left was ruled a two instead of a three the loss was sealed.
Let’s be clear, OKC is in the midst of a tough stretch of basketball on the immediate horizon. It goes at New Orleans, then Golden State and Detroit at home the next week of play. This OKC team needs to start winning some games against teams other than bottom feeders. Fifteen games in and OKC’s best win to date was back on Halloween when they beat Milwaukee.
7-8 isn’t what most thought this Thunder team would be fifteen games in. I was thinking 9-6ish or maybe 10-5, but I didn’t think it would still be this awkward 15 games in. The role players seem okay, the stars not as much.
To me, the main problem in this game was Russell Westbrook and Paul George were a collective 11-38 shooting from the field. Westbrook was 5-22, Paul was 6-16. I don’t think you have to be John Wooden to realize that when your top two players go 11-38 from the field it’s going to be tough winning on the road against a playoff caliber team.
So for me…that’s the storyline here…Westbrook and Paul George stunk shooting the basketball.
Carmelo, Steven Adams, Jerami Grant, Abrines, Felton, and Patterson all had decent shooting nights, but when your two Biggest Dogs can’t get off the porch and don’t have any bite it’s hard to win.
To me, the game changed when Popovich went ape shit crazy and read his team the riot act for the way they were playing early. To date, I’ve never seen Billy Donovan do that once in public view as the Thunder coach. You can only argue with the refs so much at some point, at the other point you have too look your stars in the eye and tell them to step up.
The Thunder drop to 7-8 and are now 0-6 in close games, 2-6 on the road—and still the biggest disappointment in the league fifteen games in.
OKC hits the road Monday night to face a team familiar with underachievement as they visit the sometimes dysfunctional New Orleans Pelicans. With Golden State and Detroit sandwiched around Thanksgiving it would be wise for the Thunder to win in New Orleans.
Kevin Durant and Reggie Jackson both in a three day span. This could be interesting.
How much more would Popovich get out of Westbrook? Could they co-exist? I know this, they both agree on Caligula Trump. Wouldn’t it be interesting.