Paul George, Thunder Bench Topple Hapless Magic, 112-105

There is a good thing about this Thunder season if you’re the glass half full type. That being, no matter how bad the Thunder opponent is on any given night, you’re probably going to get a competitive game from a standpoint of the score.

Enter the worthless forty something loss Orlando Magic. Putting the game aside for a bit…you know what I kept thinking about as I watched this game…Billy Donovan. I kept thinking back to 2007 when Donovan made a verbal agreement to coach the Magic on a five year deal which would have paid him $27.5 million.

I kept thinking to myself, “Where would Orlando be if Billy Donovan hadn’t changed his mind?”

And the answer I came up with was pretty much they would be the same team we watched tonight. Because like in OKC, his Orlando deal did not include any GM responsibilities. And as we should know at this point…player makes the coach and the NBA is a star/agent driven league, which is what the top tier of college basketball is per what the recent FBI probe of college basketball is revealing right now.

To Billy Donovan’s credit though, he could have taken the Kentucky job and he said no to that mess—and like I’ve said on here multiple times…I respect Billy Donovan as a man. I respect the heck out of Billy Donovan as a good man. I think he’s a great dude. I do. But maybe not the coach to handle this team.

In Billy Donovan’s defense, when he came here, it appeared the template would be for the Thunder to build a team of rookie scale players and low cost, low ego vets, around Durant and Westbrook. With that template, yeah, I get it—Billy Donovan could be a really effective NBA coach.

But then Durant left and this past summer Presti changed the Thunder template, and for the first time in Billy Donovan’s coaching career he finds himself babysitting to a certain extent.

Anyway, that’s my way of saying I really don’t think Billy Donovan is stupid. I just think he’s not the right coach for this team. But we’ll see. Lots of games left in this season. Twenty meaningful games are an eternity.

In this game, both Westbrook and Carmelo struggled. But fortunately, Paul George scored 26 points and finally lit a fire under the Thunder with a sequence of plays late in the third period which propelled OKC to a hard fought 112-105 Orlando Magic.

In all, six Thunder players scored in double figures, but with only Steven Adams joining George as a Thunder starter in double figures. BTW, Steven Adams, has written a book. I’m sure it will be good and I can’t wait. Only so many authors can write what a douchebag Donald Trump truly is.

That Thunder bench was good on this night, but again it was at home and against a really bad team. So…where was that shit on Saturday night in Oakland against a good team when it mattered?

Ray Felton, Jerami Grant, Pat Patterson, and cuddly Alex Abrines all had double digit nights. Heck, you might even say Abrines created the spark in that third period run when he found another white European in the league in Mario Hezonja who has less game than him and stuffed Super Mario at the rim. It’s my play of the game. Go fucking figure. Note to Sam Presti…don’t acquire Mario Hezonja.

Anyway, it was a win. At this point, you just hope this team has enough in them to not miss the playoffs completely. That’s the focus right now. Just don’t miss the playoffs. One day at a time. Pray for loving kindness from the basketball gods above.

Another forty something loss team on the horizon Wednesday night in Dallas against Mark Cuban’s beleaguered Dallas Mav organization. Only thing is—OKC has already lost to these chumps twice this season. So.. I’m thinking probably take the Mavs, homecourt, and the points if it’s a six point spread or more.

Vegas must hate this Thunder team. What a nightmare for the pros.

Thunder in Dallas on Wednesday night.

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