Welcome to OKCThunderGround!

I very much remember Chris Paul winning Rookie of the Year in Oklahoma City when Katrina sent the New Orleans team here. As an NBA fan having both Chris Paul and David West on those teams was special.

His brother almost rented the house across the street from us after a somewhat bizarre divorce took place. But in the end Chris and his brother rented somewhere else in Edmond.

Glad to hear Chris loves Charleston’s. It’s one of my three favorite restaurants in the city area as well.

I wish Chris would stay in Oklahoma not so much to finish his basketball career, but to maybe become our governor or a United States Senator. He would be such a substantial upgrade over the current Trump dimbulbs…I think he would be a great leader.

I hope he doesn’t just limit his future to basketball. Listen to Chris Paul and then listen to the petulant fourth grader currently living in the White House. It’s not even close. Not even.

We can only hope Mullet King Mike Gundy isn’t the next governor of Oklahoma. Don’t laugh…I could very much see Mullet King with his MAGA deluxe mullet cap and his Breitbart t-shirt as the next GOP offering in Oklahoma. Tommy Tuberville West. I’m telling you, don’t laugh. This is Oklahoma.

It was a great NBA basketball season in Oklahoma City. A complete joy to watch the team.

Good luck in whatever you do in the future, Chris Paul.

This is what Houston wanted to look like when they unloaded center Clint Capela and replaced him in the lineup with Robert Covington in mid-season.

I thought Covington was the difference in the Oklahoma City series ultimately. When Harden and Westbrook play like they did in this game against the Lakers they all the sudden look like a very dangerous team.

Great game by the Rockets. Kyle Kuzma -21 for the Lakers. Yikes. I would guess we see the Rockets isolate and attack Kuzma every time he sets a foot on the floor.

Only one game, but a very effective start for the Rockets.

Only one piece of the Final Four is in place with the Tampa Lightening waiting to see who joins them in the Eastern Conference Finals.

That team will be either the Philadelphia Flyers or New York Islanders who will be playing a Game 7 tomorrow I think if I’m reading the bracket correctly.

In the West the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars square off in a Game 7 later today. Also in the West there’s another Game 7 today with the Cinderella Vancouver Canucks pushing the favored Las Vegas Golden Kinghts to a Game 7 as well.

If you love hockey this is as good as it gets.

I’m going to pass on the NBA for a couple of days to enjoy the fastest, toughest, most skill requiring sport on the earth to take center stage.

With Boston’s elimination….I’m rooting for the NY Islanders and Colorado Avalanche.

This was a very strange basketball game. Surreal is how I might put it. The Vegas over/under for this game was 217 points and it comes in at 206 points. Very interesting.

For the first time since he was abandoned by Kevin Durant…Russell Westbrook has advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs. For the fourth straight season since he was abandoned by Kevin Durant….Billy Donovan doesn’t get out of the first round.

Let me be clear, I’m neither a Billy D hater or lover. Even when he was at Florida he’s not a coach who I was all that interested in listening to in pressers. Even if he was still coaching the Gators in the SEC… he’s not a guy like Bruce Pearl or John Calipari who I’d really want to spend a basketball season with for eight months or so. I don’t care about NCAA violations. I just enjoy listening to interesting, funny coaches if possible.

So…the Thunder don’t advance again without Kevin Durant. And …oh, boy it was there to be had on a night James Harden only scored 17 points on a 4-15 shooting night. It was there to be had… boys.

Russell scored 20 points in 33 minutes and for the most part didn’t turn into a werewolf at just the wrong time for the Rockets. He only went 0-2 from beyond the arc and limited himself to two turnovers. Both wins for the Rockets on the stat sheet. Jim Traber would be okay with this.

Eric Gordon and Robert Covington were in my mind the Rockets’ best two players on the night. What a great pickup for Houston adding Covington to their squad at mid-season.

As far as OKC… you have to call it like you see it. Big Gallo scored only 6 points and was -16. Chris Paul, SGA, and Dennis Schroder were not stellar when it mattered. Some wide open shots didn’t fall at clutch time.

CP3, SGA, and Big Gallo combined only took 28 shots while Lu Dort on a career night took 21 shots and scored 30 points.

I love Dort, but this isn’t quite the role I envisoned for him. But I love his heart and toughness. I can’t believe he isn’t a hockey player for the Montreal Canadians. I wonder if Lu Dort has a crisp back crossover?

Looking back on this series maybe Steven Adams’ role and minutes should have been tweaked a bit. He shouldn’t have even been in the game on the last inbounds play with 1.1 seconds. Only catch and shoot guys should have been on the floor. You know…maybe someone like Muscala or Bazely..

I thought Bazely was good in the first half. Kid has something about him I’m really starting to like. I love when he grabbed the rebound away from PJ Tucker and growled at him. That was a TSN five star moment for me.. I now officially love Darius Bazely.

So..it’s the Rockets vs. the Lakers and the Nuggets vs. the Clippers in the West. Exactly what Vegas thought it would be. The Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics in the East have turned the East upside down. There will be plenty of hoops to watch along with the Stanley Cup games.

I’m not sure who I’m rooting for just yet. Maybe the Miami Heat or the Rockets. I need to reflect on this a little more.

Me personally…I love coaches who wear their hearts on their sleeve. It’s just me. I’m Italian.

As a Thunder fan and blogger I’m at peace within myself this morning. It’s been a long season since that depressing day Sam Presti traded Jerami Grant to Denver signaling what we all thought would be a tortuous season of tanking.

The big tank never happened. Instead if the Thunder beat Houston in Game 7 tonight inside of a bubble the franchise for the first time without Kevin Durant will advance to the Western Conference Semi-Finals for the right to play LeBron and AD.

For me it was perhaps the most gratifying season of OKC basketball since the Thunder’s first season in Oklahoma City when they went 23-59. I loved that season. Watching those kids work there tails off every game to get better is what sports is about for me. It’s the journey and the climb as a team together to reap the rewards.

Then the next season they pushed Kobe and the Lakers to a Game 6 inside the then Ford Center. One of the things I truly treasure as a Thunder fan was being in that building that game as our crowd gave that team a standing ovation. It was something you don’t forget.

I’ve come to love Chris Paul and this team even though I cursed them for the Game 6 performance in what was their worst game of the year. They’ve given us what they’ve got inside of them. As a fan you can’t ask anymore.

But Chris Paul answered the questions perfectly after the game. He said, “We’re human. We’re just like you.”

So here I sit getting ready to go to work in anticipation of Game 7. I’m no longer conflicted. I want Oklahoma City to win the game. Russell plays for Houston. I don’t live in Houston. I don’t have emotional ties to the Rockets.

I’ve come to love the rookies…Dort and Baze. Gallo is Italian just like me.Dennis played the best ball of his basketball life. SGA has a grace to his game which makes me exited about the future. Steven is an author.

And there’s Chris Paul. He never bitched about playing in Oklahoma City this season after the trade. He handled himself as the quintessential pro he truly is.

How can I not be rooting for these guys tonight and completely respect the fact they gave our city a basketball season no one saw coming.

I’m thinking chicken marsala tonight with a nice red wine. I’m going to enjoy the game win or lose. It’s been a journey.

The girls from Italy sent this to me after Gallo’s big Game 6.

Good luck tonight, Thunder.

It’s painful to watch. I was wrong on my recap. It wasn’t a no look behind the back pass. He kind of glanced and turned his body a little bit then threw it away. It try to be accurate on here.

I wonder if Russell has a close friend who can speak to him honestly about his basketball game. I like Russell because there’s a lot of good about him which should override the bad.

I’m sure he would never read a little blog like this one, but I wish I could talk to him.

I’d start with the reading bus to break the ice. How I’d love to be a volunteer at some point and help Oklahomans become better readers. I’d suggest he include adult books as well as children books. Then we’d talk about his son and his parents. I’d tell him he was my favorite defensive guard in the non-John Wooden Era at UCLA. I’d tell him how much I appreciate what he did for Oklahoma City.

We’ve both read Michelle Obama’s book. We could talk about the book. I’d also give him a book I cherish as a gift. Like Phil Jackson…I love giving books away to people I know.

What book would I give Russell Westbrook if I were his friend?

I’d give him White Fang by Jack London because if I remember correctly Russell has a Siberian Huskie or at least did.

Reading White Fang changed my life. Maybe Russell would love it as well.

Maybe I’d suggest Second Wind by Bill Russell as a second book or Kereem’s most recent book. Or maybe the book by Gary Pomerantz…The Last Pass.

There is a lot of good about Russell Westbrook.

Then I would gently shift gears and suggest he allow James Harden to be the primary ball handler in the last four minutes if for no other reason James shoots better from the field and from the line than Russell does.

I’m not Jim Traber. I like Russell. I want him to realize his potential as a player.

In 2012… when the Thunder won the West…it was James Harden with the ball closing those games as OKC beat Dallas, the Lakers, and San Antonio as they made it to the NBA Finals.

Russell, let James have the ball down the stretch and you can be a Bad Little Dude in other facets of the game.

Why not?

Your friend,

Mike Jackson

In a must win game after their worst game of the season the Oklahoma City Thunder found their brains and heart in Game 6 inside the Orlando Bubble with a clutch 104-100 win over the Houston Rockets.

What a game with so many different little twists and turns.

Evidently Billy Donovan talked to his team or maybe it was Chris Paul just taking the reins as he did so many times this Thunder season and elevating the Thunder to another big win.

There were no Mike Gundy sightings with his back to the playing field in this classic Game 6. There was nothing Mullet King about the Thunder’s gritty win which moves the series to a Game 7 on Wednesday night inside of a neutral bubble.

Chris Paul was the best basketball on the court. Period. He scored 28 points with 15 points coming in the fourth period when the season was on the line. He was a game best +20 amd made every play the Thunder needed coming down the stretch. Chris Paul was clutch.

Russell Westbrook was not clutch. With the game on the line in the final seconds with the Rockets down by two with a chance to either tie or win with a three he turned over the ball with a behind the back no look pass to Robert Covington which wasn’t even close to being caught.

Gallanari closed the deal with some free throws and it was another tragic playoff game ending for Russell Westbrook. It was so much like one of those plays in the historic meltdown in the Game 6 loss to Golden State you can’t not mention and circle it in red.

It was so bad there’s no way I could play the Wild Thing video in fear of being scolded for internet bullying by Melania Trump. ‘Donalt…don’t be cruel to Russell. Come ride the Peletons with me and you maybe can touch me for $50,000 prenup bonus. But there will be no peeing in the shower with Russians. If you behave you can touch me where Slovenian kitty really purrs. Ask former client President Bill Clinton if you doubt.’

Note to Johnny Thunder at the Daily Thunder…please Bolt this one for me.

For all you people who boo Kevin Durant…get over it. He did the right thing. He may act like a child on social media at times with his multiple insecurities, but from a basketball standpoint he did the right thing. Wanda… you did the right thing.

Gallanari was really good in this game as well with 25 points. Hard to believe this was the same player with one of the best shooting strokes in the NBA who only scored one point in Game 5. Coach Chris Paul must have said some things in private.

In all… five Thunder players scored in double figures. SGA and Dennis were just okay, but the Thunder didn’t need huge nights from them with the two Thunder vets Paul and Gallo combining for 53 points. Fortunately for Dennis Schroder…PJ Tucker never found him along the glass in the corner of the rink with the refs not looking. That would not be a good situation for Dennis…just saying.

A nice bounce back game for Lu Dort who hit two huge threes late in the third period and made a beautiful assist to fellow rookie Darius Bazely in the fourth period when instead of just chucking a three he penetrated and then kicked the ball back out to Baze who drained a three. What a play by two rookies in an elimination game. Bravo.

Bazely is going to be a nice player. He played around twenty minutes and very much didn’t seem overcome by the importance of this game.

Tough night for the Boston Bruins as their season came to an end with a double overtime 3-2 loss to the Tampa Lightning in Game 5. But there’s still the Colorado Avalanche and the NY Islanders alive so I’m okay.

Denver and Utah play the first ever Game 7 inside of a bubble tonight. So there will be a precedent for this happening heading into Wednesday night.

As far as Russell Westbrook.I don’t know what to write. I mean, to be that uber competitive and to still be making dumbshit plays at critical junctures is not acceptable. I find it stunning.

Maybe Coach Chris Paul should talk to him in private.

Some karaoke would be good after the Thunder performance in Game 5. I mean…if Sam Presti and Clay Bennett are cool with what Billy Donovan gave them on the bench in Game 6 why should it matter to me.

I’m just a little blogger having some fun. So if they don’t care then why should I.

My glass half full take is the season was fun considering the Thunder was supposed to be tanking. We were all playing with house money and amazingly Golden State finished as the 15th seed in the West.

For me…not being able to watch Klay play this season was devastating.

I wouldn’t even look at film or have practice today. In hindsight Vegas had the Rockets as a five point favorite in a neutral bubble on Saturday with Westbrook coming back. That should have told us something.

I wonder if Dennis is a little nervous as Game 6 approaches. Of all the guys in the NBA… I wouldn’t want to fight and piss off PJ Tucker would be at the top of the list. Good thing for Dennis this isn’t hockey.

Does coaching matter? It appears so because Barry Trotz has the New York Islanders one game away from making the Eastern Conference Finals. I know Barry Trotz is a hockey coach, but if I were Clay Bennett I’d hire Barry Trotz and not in any way allow Sam Presti to select another Thunder coach.

Can you imagine a hockey coach putting at the point Lu Dort on the power play and sitting SGA and Danillo Gallanari? What sober sane person amongst us would do that?

The only thing I can figure is Billy Donovan reads the Daily Thunder and doesn’t know any better.

Anyway…I’m going to enjoy the game tonight. I’m thinking some chicken parm and some Italian beer. Maybe talk to the girls back in Italy who are following the Thunder on the blog.

If ever one basketball game completely validated Kevin Durant’s decision to escape from Oklahoma in free agency this was the game.

As I sit here about to write this on my little blog I realize we all owe Kevin Durant an apology. He did the right thing. He should have just openly said why he made the decision at the time and put it behind him.

Let’s start with Russell Westbrook. Russell played 26 minutes and behaved himself. He only took 13 shots of which 3 were made. He went 0-3 shooting threes, but at least didn’t play like a chucker. He played within himself and was the Rockets fourth best player behind James Harden, Eric Gordon, and Robert Covington.

In essence, Russell was a non factor in the game. He didn’t need to be a factor because the coaching mismatch between Mike D’Antoni and Billy Donovan was so off the charts it was like watching Bill Belichick coach against Mike Gundy.

I’ve watched a lot of basketball in Oklahoma at the college and pro level. This was perhaps one of the worst coached games I’ve ever seen in my life.

It was stunning to observe how out of touch Billy Donovan was as a coach in perhaps the Thunder’s biggest game since the Game 6 collapse to the Warriors.

Maybe he thinks Lu Dort is more like Ray Allen than Tony Allen. Maybe he got Lu Dort and Shai Alexander-Gilgeous confused in the game plan.

I wonder if Billy Donovan realizes Clint Capela was traded to the Atlanta Hawks and the Rockets play without a center or a rim protector.

OKC was 7-46 shooting threes in the game.

7-46.

For reasons I cannot understand…Lu Dort shot the ball sixteen times and went 0-9 shooting threes. Combined SGA and Danillo Gallanari shot the ball thirteen times…combined in 56 minutes of floor time.

I worry Jim Traber might have harmed himself during this spectacle of coaching malpractice. What do you as a Thunder blogger/fan even say to this?

It isn’t even rant worthy. It was embarrassing. It was like watching Mary Fallin coach the Thunder.

Lu Dort has as much business shooting the ball this much as I do in becoming a Chippendale dancer. Even Mike Gundy in his darkest Mullet King moments wouldn’t have allowed Lu Dort to shoot 16 times while SGA and Gallo got 13 shots.

There’s no reason to break the game down beyond this. You could mention Dennis Schroder got ejected for going Draymond Green on PJ Tucker in the third period, but that didn’t decide this game.

The lack of a coach on the Thunder bench decided this game or at the least made the game a total mismatch.

In NBA post season play the team which wins Game 5 goes on to win the series 82% of the time.

This was a huge game. Too bad Billy Donovan and his team didn’t show up to participate.

Game 6 on Monday evening in the Bubble.

It’s a big game for Russell Westbrook today in the Bubble. He hasn’t been on a team which has won a playoff series since the Thunder beat the Spurs in the 2016 Western Conference semis. Since the Thunder went up 3-1 to the Warriors in the next round Westbrook has been a collective 3-15 in post season games coming into today.

In Russell’s NBA career he has never been on a team to date which has won a playoff series which didn’t have Kevin Durant on the same team.

Chris Paul has had his playoff demons as well through the years with both the Clippers and the Rockets. There’s a lot to take in coming into Saturday’s Game 5 in the Bubble.

It’s tough to win in post season. It’s a whole different animal than the NBA regular season. You can’t piss away posessions. You have to value the ball like it’s your life.

To date…I think most who seriously follow the NBA have dropped Russell out of their top ten players list because of his post season problems the last several years.

No one thought Oklahoma City would even make the playoffs this season after they unloaded Paul George, Westbrook, and Jerami Grant. It’s a game today with a great deal of irony attached to it from various angles.

I wouldn’t be crushed if Russell and the Rockets won today. There’s a lot about Westbrook which is good. His relationship with his parents. The manner in which he has helped his little brother. His family with his wife and children. The reading bus in Oklahoma City which was made possible by his foundation. He hates Donald Trump like I do. His loyalty to Oklahoma City when the city desperately needed it to stay NBA relevant was essential.

There’s a bunch of good about Russell Westbrook. There is for certain. I have very mixed feelings about today’s game.

Can Russell Westbrook morph his game at this stage in his career in the post season when it matters?

I assume the reading bus is still going in Oklahoma City. When I retire I’d love to be one of the volunteers on the bus from time to time. If ever a place needed more reading it’s Oklahoma. Maybe we could take the bus to Karsten sometime and pull Mike Gundy away from the Breitbart newsletter and help him with his reading skills and comprehension so as he could more resemble a polished adult.

Good luck, Russell Westbrook.