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It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out in the coming year(s) for certain. Fernando most likely will be drafted by the putrid Las Vegas Raiders where tight end Brock Bowers awits with the potential of being the next Gronk.

NFL rebuilds don’t happen overnight so we’ll see how that goes. But we know this young man is tough and can take a shot and is razor smart. Plus, this kid has that Aaron Rogers chip on his shoulder. He was a 2 star from Miami who wasn’t even allowed to walk-on at MIAMI.

Miami at the least should have been flagged three times for personal fouls on Fernando last night. There is evidently still a bit of thuggery in these Miami Hurricanes left over from the Jimmy Johnson days for certain.

Coach Cignetti will now be the hunted with his Indiana Hoosiers and his model template in these days of NIL and the transfer portal. Coach C did what Nick Saban didn’t or couldn’t. That being, in all of this Wild West outlaw dysfunction which is our current state of college football and basketball…he figured out how to make the system work for Indiana despite their complete lack of any history or tradition of previous success in the sport of football.

BTW…from my view this is precisely the template I see O State’s new coach Eric Morris trying to emulate in Stillwater as he tries to take O State from being the worst in college football two years running to a team which at some point hopes to challenge Cody Campbell’s hydrocarbon fund in Lubbock for the Big 12 bid to the College Football Playoff.

Coach Morris is even being more audacious in bringing his North Texas State roster to Stillwater than what Coach C did with the James Madison players in Year 1 at Indiana. You would think those who run the NCAA would have limitations on this sort of thing. But alas…sigh–they’re more concerned with punishing Owen Heineke for playing three games of lacrosse at his previous school.

Was this a fluke what Coach C just did in Bloomington?

No…I don’t think so at all. Coach C and Indiana just figured out the template, that being Indiana had 47 of its top sixty rostered players somewhere between the age of 22-24 versus 18-21 years of age. Coach C used the actuary tables to his benefit. plus, most of his guys were 2 star and 3 star guys coming out of high school like Fernando… who as long as they play football will have that proverbial chip on their shoulder with something to prove. Just like Aaron Rodgers still does at the age of forty or Tom Brady had at Tampa Bay.

You see…the exacct opposite of what Chet Holmgren came from in his pampered basketball previous life. That being, a much ballyhooed player with all the AAU luggage attached which quite frankly sometimes is an impediment at the next level which requires a grind mentality every day.

So..in essence what Mike J is writing here is that I’m doing Sam Presti and Coach Mark an enormous favor by continually pushing Chet’s on my blog to place that chip on his shoulder and keep it there if he wants to be anything close to a generational player like Shai.

Not to pat myself too much on the back…but I really like the way I interwined Chet with Coach C and Fernado here on okcthunderground.com….the No. 1 OKC underground bllog in existence anywhere on the planet.

Michael Lewis needs to write a book about what Indiana just did. He’s the perfect writer given his melding of finance and sport with previous works such as Moneyball and The Blind Side. The book could then be adapted into a screenplay which Kevin Costner could then purchase and turn into the movie I want to see.

Surely…these dots can be connected since I’ve laid it out for all parties involved.

Eternal love, Mike J

Indiana 27 – Miami 21

That was one of the most classic second halves I can remember in a national championship football game. Both teams should be proud. I know Carson Beck and the ‘Canes are hurting right now, but what they’ll be remembered for is not surrendering in that second half. They never quit. They just came up one play short.

Since Gene Hackman is no longer with us…I’ve given this a little thought. Maybe Kevin Costner could play Coach Cignetti in the movie which surely will be made in honor of this Indiana football team and what they just accomplished.

In my lifetime of sports…I would rank this right up there with what the U.S. ice hockey team did in 1980 at Lake Placcid in the Olympics.

Think about what Indiana did to close out this season at 16-0. They beat Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship Game. They then routed Alabama in the Rose Bowl. They then routed Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. And then tonight they beat Miami on the ‘Canes home field. Think about that.

Then Coach Cignetti calls that timeout. Pulls the field goal team back off the field and calls that quarterback draw.

That was beautiful. No one could have written a better script.

I do owe the 1984 Yale football team an apology. I wrote on here earlier no one had ever gone 16-0 before.

What a football game for the ages. I’m grateful I was still around to witness it.

It just shows you anything is possible in this current landscape of college sports.

So dream big would be my take and be willing to do the work with a group of guys you respect.

Mike J

Chet was outstanding in the Thunder’s 136-104 rout in Cleveland today on MLK Day. He’s been very impressive of late and I would now agree he should be selcted as an All-Star reserve when the remainder of the rosters are named on February. I loved the manner in which he ran the court from baseline to baseline and showed genuine passion in the defensive zone on a day when the Thunder were missing four rotational players in the second half.

This will be brief and to the point since we’re not long from kick-off in Miami at Hard Rock. Chet’s line was 28 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots and a stellar +34.

Lu Dort was my No. 2 Star making six of seven shots and going a +34 himself. I also liked the fact Lu threw the ball back at Cleveland Cav prima donna Donovan Mitchell after the before mentioned intiated this incident. Double technical…so in no way did Lu hurt his team by his action. You cannot allow guys like Donovan Mitchell to challenge your sovereignty on the floor when you’re one of the league’s defensive aces. Nice job there, Lu. I’m marking that down on my TSNBS metric sheet for my end of year awards in this regard.

Since this is MLK Day… I thought I would feature the above video. The First Eight is a current best seller on the NY Times bestseller list. I know this is Oklahoma and most of you don’t read and have much intellectual curiosity whatsoever, but you know…learning something about American history not suggested by Ryan Walters won’t at this time get you arrested in Oklahoma. What could it hurt? Seriously.

Enjoy the national championship game and maybe the book.

Mike J

Whoa…that was a rollercoaster week-end of sports for me. I did attend the OU-Alabama game at noon and while I’m disappointed the Sooners couldn’t parlay a 44-33 halftime lead into a much needed SEC home win…there were some things which make me think at the least there’s some hope this team can figure it out and play better as a team with thirteen SEC games left.

The Russian…Kirrell, is ceratinly not a star or a game changer, but he will help quite a bit with the center minutes rotation and I think keep Mo Wague out of chronic foul trouble. He has a very nice shooting touch from behind the arc as well.

I mean…even after blowing the thirteen point lead OU had a chance to win it at the buzzer with a Nigel Pac open three which missed just a little right. Breaks of the game, man. Al Pacino in my favorite video very well described the breaks of the game in life with those inches which separate winning from losing–and living from dying. Trust me..MJ fully understands those inches.

Our NFL conference games are set. Denver hosting New England without Bo Nix. I’ll get to that later in the week. With Seattle hosting the team I’m picking to win it all at this point…the LA Rams. Seattle is on a roll, the Rams have the best quarterback left standing. The only one of the four with a Super Bowl ring on his legacy rack.

Trust me…I know Seattle is uber physical on both sides of the ball and on a tear, but at the end of the day in a clutch game like this…’Can I really trust Sam Darnold vs. Matthew Stafford who was turnover free in Chicago last night in frigid conditions?’

I can’t do that in good conscious. I just can’t. If I’m the Rams defense…I’m already in a mental frenzied trance seeing myself taking down Sam Darnold every time the ‘Hawks attempt to throw a pass.

This should be a great game though. Turnovers, you know. Last night in frigid Chicago…turnovers: Chicago Bears three- LA Rams who were practicing in 80 degree weather all week…nada. You can’t turn the ball over like that.

In the AFC we have ‘my’ Denver Broncos at home versus the sneaky good New England Patriots. Due to Bo Nix’s fractured ankle—the Pats have come out as a 5.5 road favorite. Jarrett Stidham, the Baylor transfer to Auburn, who has not played meaningful NFL football in 795 days will try to get this done for Sean Payton. Although Jarrett Stidham has been on the Bronco roster these past two seasons…. I don’t believe he’s thrown a pass this season in a regular season game.

Since three former OU players, Marvins Mims and Nic Bonito on Denver, and Rhamondre Stevenson, for New England will be playing in this game—I’ll probably be okay either way the game goes. I loved Rhamondre when he was at OU during the passive -submissive days of the Lincoln Riley regime in Norman.

In fact—Rhamondre along with Baker and Jalen Hurts were my three favorite OU players during Lincoln’s time at OU. Even on a Lincoln Riley coached team…you could see back then Rhamondre had the physicality and mental toughness to take his game to this level.

Would Caleb Williams have been one of my four favorite OU players during this time span in Norman if he had stayed for his second season? Yes…he would. Caleb, to his credit, actually stayed in Norman and attended Brent’s first and second meetings with the team before deciding to follow his ‘position’ coach to So Cal.

So …I give Caleb credit for that as in the end it all turned out okay. Coach BV has now had two ten win seaons in Norman, gotten the team to the expanded CFP, and has a good team coming back next season. My Sooners are once again physical on the defensive side of the ball while I can now keep my eyes open without cursing when the other team has the ball.

Josh Allen, oh, boy. I was emotionally conflicted in this game. Obviously, I wanted ‘my hometown’ Broncos to advance, but if you had told me before the game Bo would not be available for the next game–I would have preferred to see Josh and his hard-luck Bills advance to the AFC Championship.

Josh is one of my five favorite current NFL players and I hurt for him given how the game played out. But how can you not love the guy for going out there at his presser when he was literally dying inside and take the responsibility for the loss even thhough his team got a couple of tough calls down the stretch.

You think those guys in Buffalo love playing with Josh? I would think yes would be the resounding answer.

Tonight..of course, we have our national championship game in Miami with Carson Beck’s ‘Canes hosting the 15-0 Indiana Hoosiers who are attempting to do what Nick Sabana never did.

That being, go 16-0 and win the national championship at a basketball school where Bear Bryant never coached.

Carson Beck, dude, same thing with you as Sam Darmond—be ready for the pass rush you’ve yet to see so far this college football season. Good luck with that, buddy.

Enjoy the game.

Mike J

Obviously… I’m an OU basketball homer. My heart to OU basketball is probably the size of Little Nick Gallo’s basketball heart as to the Thunder. I’ve lived thru Johnny Mac, Dave Bliss, Joe Ramsey, Billy Tubbs, Kelvin Sampson, Jeff Capel, Lon Kruger, and now Porter Moser in Year 5 in Mike J’s Year 68.

I love Porter. I want him to succeed and continue to be the Sooner head coach continuing the standard which these previous coaches established in Norman minus one during my time. That one was Jeff Capel, Coach K’s right hand man at Duke before he took the Sooner helm.

I loved Jeff Capel as well. His wife was a Duke educated lawyer and you know how I love lawyers given my honorary law degree. He took two of his Sooner teams to the NCAA Tournament. His best OU team with Blake Griffin made it to the Elite 8 before losing to the eventual NCAA champion North Carolina Tar Heels. That Carolina team Roy Williams had was loaded and OU just didn’t have the depth or overall size to hang with them in the second half. Reality can be tough in that regard.

Two years later…after a couple of highly sought recruits in Willie Warren and Tiny Gallon didn’t work out –Coach Capel was fired. Joe C at the time called it the toughest thing he had to do as the OU athletic director.

Why did Joe C have to make this decision? Because the Sooner fanbase stopped coming to the games. Sooner fans are generally spoiled is my unfortunate honest take. They don’t like the for better or for worse part of the relationship. Plus, basketball will always play second fiddle to football. Ask Kelvin Sampson about that dynamic.

Tuesday night while the Thunder were beating the Spurs in Bricktown, the Sooners were getting physically dominated in a near empty Lloyd Noble Arena which should have been sitting around 10,000 fans for an SEC conference game against the defending National champion Florida Gators.

The arena was empty pretty much. Florida is a horrible matchup for OU with their four athletic centers. This was the game more than any I dreaded as an OU fan given how small the Sooners have to play to get their five best players on the floor this season.

The Sooners… as they did versus the big Gonzaga team, the big Arizona State team, and now the Gators as well could not match up with them in the first half. This game was over at halftime. As OU did in the previous losses at Gonzaga and Arizona State—won the second half against Florida.

But you know what? Nobody gives a shit about moral victories when you’re blown out of the arena in the first half at home. You get blown out at home in a pivotal SEC game and Porter Moser’s tenure at OU would seem to me to be in a Capelesque position heading into this Alabama game today.

I’ll be at the game before noon in my seat near the students and the pep band. You know how I love being being near the students and the pep band. MJ is not one of those OU teasippers who bails on his coach. I didn’t bail on Coach BV and I’m not bailing on Porter either. I just hope his players feel as strongly about this as I do.

My advice to Porter is this…you can’t play this small in the SEC. Mo Wague cannot handle the paint just by himself because he’s getting in four trouble every game. Put the Russian and freshman Kai Rogers in there with Mo some and see what happens. You know–a high-low post with Mo low and the Russian high.. Play some junk zone here and there. Muck it up in the paint defensively and keep Mo out of four trouble.

Because what you’re doing is not working against teams with talented bigs in the SEC.

Good luck, Porter. I hope there’s some other people in the stands with me today given the OU women are sold out in Norman for tomorrow’s game versus LSU.

You need to win this game. This is a big one if your’re gonna make Year 6 in my Year 69. Know what I mean? This is doable today. Let’s find a way.

Mike J

I’ll start with this because I always try to be fair on my blog…I thought Chet was excellent last night. I might even go as far to write I thought it may have been his best game of the season.

I no have idea if he will make the All-Star game, I could care less. Maybe it would be better if he didn’t so as to cause him to play with a chip on his shoulder every night. It’s that Lombardi in me trying to find the mode in which to motivate Chet to be the best version of himself as a player.*

And let me add this as well…Mike J is weary of the two Thunder sychophants, Little Nick Gallo and Michael Cage pimping the notion Chet should be an easy pick to make the All-Star Game. Enough of the pimping from those two…it’s an embarrassment to OKC as a city. It undoes every pragmatic PR thing David Holt has tried to accomplish in representing the city as a big-time town on the way up.

But I know this—if Chet plays with that type of emotional engagement for four periods… the Thunder most likely will be having another parade in downtown Oklahoma City this June.

I don’t think that’s hyperbole or overstatement. If Chet brings last night’s game with him to the second half of this season, the Thunder will be extremely difficult for any of the other NBA teams to beat in a seven game series.

This Thunder win in Houston last night was about Thunder ‘signature’ defense and hitting some key threes to open the fourth period, but as was the case in the San Antonio win—it wasn’t about massive turnovers and Forty Minutes of Hell.

I’m not going to list who scored what for the Thunder last night. That’s not what this game was about. This was about the Thunder’s defense on their end of the court basically shutting down the Rockets the first ten minutes of the fourth period.

Here’s my stat of the game…the Houston Rockets scored eight points in the first ten minutes in the fourth period.

Ball game.

The Thunder shut down Kevin Durant as he went 7-23 on the night. The Thunder shut down Amen Thompson for a 4-16 night from the field. The Thunder shut down Jabari Smith as well minus a couple of early threes.

But most of all… the Thunder contained Alperin Segun enough when they turned this game into a rout in the second half of the fourth period.

The Rockets actually had more possesions and more shots from the field than the Thunder. This was about the Thunder collectively staying in front of their man defensively and shutting down the Houston Rockets because they can WHEN THEY COLLECTIVELY SET THEIR MINDS TO DO IT AS A TEAM.

Lu Dort was my No. 2 Star of the Game and Cason Wallace was my No. 3 Star of that Game.

The Thunder have now won five games in a row and stand 37-5 one game into the second half of the arduous 82-game NBA regular season. Why would I use the adjective ‘arduous’ all of the sudden? Because I feel I to need to in a manner a speaking to repair the damage Little Nick Gallo and Michael Cage are inflicting upon the national perception of Oklahoma City.

I thought for a second there we had Yassir Afarat Jr. now doing the Thunder post gamers over there at FanDuel. But…alas it was Little Nick Gallo going viral with the brand. I have to admit….I thought it was cute and branding genius. Lest we forget it was this kind of stuff which propelled Craig Sager to the top tier of NBA sideline reporting. It’s all about the brand, baby.

OKC Thunder at Miami tomorrow in a game in which I hope we see Bam, Tyler Herro, and Norman Powell all on the floor.

Have a meaningful NFL Divisional Round week-end. This is my favorite week-end of the entire NFL season.

Love and mercy.

• MJ footnore from above:Lombardi oncdce said you can find any coach to draw up a play or run a practice. But it’s that coach who can motivate his players who win the ultimate prize when it matters most who’s the guy you want coaching your team. That’s why the trophy is named after Vince Lombardi.

Mike J

Very cold this morning at the mini-ranch in Deer Creek at 22 degrees. But the sun is shining and remarkably we’re supposed to top 60 degrees later this afternoon.

I need to go ride the terrain bike and do my basketball drills on the court. I’m not sure about any weights today.

Hence…one of my favorite pre-workout songs above.

When I get back later I want to write about the Denver Nuggets, Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, Aaron Gordon, and head coach David Adelman. Amazingly, the Nuggets without Nikola have gone 6-3 so far and climbed into sole possession of second place last night with a wire to wire road win in Dallas versus the Mavericks.

I am so proud of Peyton Watson and how much he’s improved his game. The offensive transformation is incredible. Almost what I would describe as game changing for the Nuggets if Peyton can continue at this level of offensive confidence.

I’ll be back later today to write aboit the OKC Thunder-Denver Nugget rivalry. And, yeah, it’s the Nuggets who are the Thunder’s primary rival, not the Spurs. The Nuggets, like the Thunder, recently won an NBA chaampionship, and took the Thunder to seven games last season with an injury depleted lineup.

There is no rivalry as of yet with Wembyama’s Spurs for one simple reason…THEY AS A GROUP HAVE YET TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IN REGARDS TO POST SEASON GOAL ACHIEVMENT.

Enjoy the sunshine in Oklahoma later today.

Mike J

You won’t get this type of content from the blogs of the OKC Thunder sycophants who get paid from the Thunder which litter the internet.

I don’t want to go overboard with Kenrich given I had a Kenny Hustle Appreciation Day last week.

But given the fact I left Kenrich off my Four Stars of the Game last night…I feel at the least I should use this as a teaching moment for the misguided Thunder fans who get their Thunder news from the likes of Little Nick Gallo and other homers on the Thunder payroll.

I want all of you to look at this short video of Kenrich guarding Wembyama last night. This is how you defend Wembyama as a shorter defender. This is how you leverage a tall, somewhat soft player like Wembyama. This is how you as a Thunder key rotational role player like Kenrich make it tolerable for Chet Holmgren getting paid all that money for being a finesse player who can’t do the dirty work himself when it needs to be done.

This is defensive basketball. Look at the stance, the lower body strength, the in the chest and space position of Kenrich. It is as if Kenrich has been studying my blog and taking copious notes on how one should defend the overhyped Wembyama.

Wembyama has no clue as to how to react to this from either Kenrich, JayWill, or my six year-old grandson’s favorite hockey player…Alex Caruso.

Kenrich played just under 15 minutes last night scoring only one or two baskets, yet because of his TSNBS metric rank on my blog…he had a major impact on the outcome of the game played last night inside of PayCom Arena.

This video and the Thunder’s defense on Wembyama makes Mike J proud to be the Thunder beat writer of okcthunderground.com.

No…granted the Thunders players probably won’t be allowed to play Wembyama this physical for the next Thunder-Spur game which will be played in San Antonio. And as we all know who read this blog…you as a player have to rapidly adapt to how the game will be called by the zebras in San Antonio. Anotherwords…don’t tackle Wembyama the first time he catches the ball in or near the paint.

Any of you youngsters who might occaisionally by sheer accident end up on this blog… you and your parents need to know this is the way you play defense. This is how you go about it. But again, if it’s road game …just don’t take Wembyama’s shirt completely off of him. That might be too much.

I’m thrilled to be covering the Thunder-Houston game tomorrow night from the Toyota Center. Literally thrilled the strength of the Thunder schedule is finally upon us in mid January

Mike J

It was compelling, must see NBA basketball for a half as the San Antonio Spurs attempted to take a 4-0 regular season head to head lead with the defending champion OKC Thunder.

The first half went back and forth with excellent pace, multiple lead changes, and the Spurs not seeming to give too much credence to the fact a month ago people were referring to this Thunder team as perhaps the greatest in NBA history.

But in the second half at PayCom… the Thunder gradually found their mojo again and methodically wore down San Antonio for a much needed 119-98 win over the now seemingly mortal Spurs who as a group have yet to win a playoff series or even participate in one as a group under head coach Mitch Johnson.

Let’s keep a few things in mind as we think about this game. Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein didn’t play. Coach Mark consequently went with a ten man rotation which came through for him in a beautiful manner as the game moved along.

This was a game for a grinder like Mike J. If you watched the game and have studied the box sheet it emanates blue collar get it done work by three or four guys who didn’t start this game for the Thunder. What I also liked was this victory had nothing to do with OKC turning over the Spurs with the Forty Minutes of Hell routine.

OKC only turned the Spurs over 11 times. Both teams had eleven turnovers. Nolan Richardson was nowhere to be seen at Paycom on Tuesday night.

Forty Minutes of Hell was instead replaced by the Thunder getting in front of their opponent defensively and taking the body and commanding space on the floor. This was more like Coach Eddie Sutton basketball with more physicality in the defensive zone.

As the Thunder continue to get older and evolve and aren’t able to play the frenetic Forty Minutes of Hell style this is what I would hope Coach Mark and Sam Presti see as a significant part of their defensive template moving forward.

Yeah, for certain, Shai was my No. 1 Star of the Game with a stellar 34 point, 5 rebound, 5 assist, 4 block, +29 night. I mean..Shai led and the team followed, but what I saw from that second unit was in my mind special. So special in fact…JayWill-Ark, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell were my No. 2, my No. 3, and my No. 4 stars of the game.

This MJ is a grinder. I created the Touughness, Smarts, Nasty, BasketballSoul metric (TSNBS). Yes, every team needs those three stars at the top of the payroll, but to win championships you need guys like my other Stars of the Game from last night stepping up when the lights get the brightest and the games really mean something.

This in no way is me suggesting Isaiah Hartenstein or Lu Dort are now expendable for the rest of this season. It’s just me making sure on my blog we never forget the importance of role players in the quest or the journey.

Caruso was Caruso and he doesn’t need me to hype him on my blog at this point. My grandon lives just south of Denver and proudly wears a Caruso jersey. I do feel though I should hype what I saw last night from JWill-Ark and Ajay Mitchell. I thought both of them were superb in what they gave Coach Mark. Simply superb. Hopefully, this game doesn’t get forgotten once we reach the NBA Playoffs when it truly matters.

JWill-Ark…11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, +30 (team best), and 22:56 of game minutes. If JWill-Ark were next to me right now…I would push Little Nick Gallo away and give JWill a hug. This is the dude I saw when he played at Arkansas.

Ajay Mitchell…I got on Coach Mark’s last year on my blog in the Denver series when he let Ajay see the floor in Game 1 and it was a part of the Thunder losing that game. That will not will a consideration in these coming NBA Playoffs. Ajay is on the cusp of becoming a stud.

Again…Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort didn’t play last night. But maybe in retrospect that made this game easier for Coach Mark to navigate as far as minutes, roles, and rotations. Maybe it took away the need for Coach Mark to overthink the nuance of the rotations.

He’ll always be Coach Mark to me…even if the Thunder repeat and go on to win a third NBA championship down the road as well. I love the Coach thing. I have five and six year-old grandchildren.

The Rockets on Thursday night in Houston, then the Heat in Miami on Saturday. This could turn out to be the most interesting week of the regular season when we’re looking back on things in late April.

Have an aspiring Wednesday in Oklahoma.

Love, Mike J

This one was pretty much what I thought it would be over the Miami Heat at PayCom. This Heat team to me looks like a borderline Eastern Conference play-in team which was missing Norman Powell.

The Heat does very little for me with the way their team construction is at the top. On my poll …I have them somewhere between 16-20 on my current overall NBA ranking poll. They’re kind of fun to watch here and there with Bam, Tyler Herro, and Davion Mitchell blurring around the court. But I can’t imagine Coach Spoelstra feels strongly about this group at the present.

The Thunder minus Isaiah Hartenstein were back at full strength and ‘somewhat’ flashed Forty Minutes of Hell in the second half as the Heat ended up turning the ball over 23 times. You do that as a team against the Thunder and you’re begging for a double-digit loss.

Like 124-112, voila. This is not complex. If you allow the Thunder to create pace and tempo thru easy transition baskets…you as a basketball team are done.

So now we have a Thunder week I’ve had scheduled for a bit. The Thunder host the Spurs on Tuesday. I am not sure of Wembyama’s status at this point. If he doesn’t play…the game will be irrelevant to me. If he plays and Hartenstein plays it will be must watch NBA for me on Tuesday night inside of PayCom.

Then on Thursday the Thunder travel to Houston to play the point-guardless Rockets. Again…this is one I want to see. This is one I want to observe and take in for Mike J’s data-bank reference for April.

And then the Thunder travel to Miami on the week-end for a road game to close out this set of three games I’ve had circled. Of course, in this NBA—we never know who is going to be on the court and who is going to be on a DNP list with a scratch, bump, or bruise. Let me tell you NBA dudes this….y’all made a wise decision choosing the NBA over the NFL or NHL as the place to become generationally rich. Just saying.

So while I’m excited for this week, but MJ is still guarded keeping myself in a state of cautionary reality before we see who actually plays in these games.

The Thunder sit at 33-7 which gives them not only a 5-6 game cushion for the No. 1 seed in the West, but also a comfortable cushion over the East as we all saw last season HOW VALUABLE that No. 1 seed can be given the way the Denver and Indiana series extended to seven games.

If I were a Thunder ‘fanatic’…which I’m not. I like the Thunder, but I’m not at this point obsessed with the Thunder. I wouldn’t be concerned with doing the Warrior thing and trying to go 73-9. I would not in any way be obsessed with that. The Warriors lost that year in the Finals anyway.

I would think the mantra inside of the Thunder Bunker where Coach Mark and Sam Presti make these kind of decisions is just get healthy and make sure that when the time comes to shrink the rotation from twelve players to ten players that adjustment is made before losing a Game 1 to the likes of Denver or whoever emerges in the West as that other team to beat.

If that team turns out to be San Antonio or Houston or even Minnesota, what Mike J is saying here is…learn from last season. Don’t screw around in a home Game 1 and take care of business so as to possibly avoid playing a Game 7 against a healthy, capable team. That’s the very reason you want the overall No. 1 seed.

As far as football goes…I would say at this point Coach Cignetti should after winning this national championship game versus the ‘Canes at Hard Rock Stadium, decide to take the Green Bay Packer job and restore the required mental toughness to my Packers who at 9-3-1 never won another game this season after Micah Parsons went down.

Have a peaceful Monday.

Mike J