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Can you believe MJ is still torturing himself with this shit even while going through maintenance chemo as well?

Why do I hate myself in this manner?

In retrospect my Game 5 pre-game analysis turned out to be brilliant and spot on. 4 vs. 10 basketball on 10’s court very seldom if ever bodes well for 4.

Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther…you dudes are still young—so I’m not including you in this. The other two men between them have a regular season MVP trophy and an NBA championship ring…so consequently, I feel I have the right to say these things to them on my blog.

Russell Westbrook and I go back a long way…back when I was the King of the Daily Thunder internet and ruled the Thunder narratives with a noble benevolence which I had hoped would elevate the millennial rabble from their minimalist ignorance.

Russell’s brother, Ray Jr., and I became friends and he followed me around as if I were Al Pacino or Jack Nicholson. So this is a very akward moment for me right now. A painful moment…like when Michael realized he had to kill Fredo for the good of the family. That kind of moment.

But you know what, I’m in a much different space right now as a Stage 4 cancer survivor. The world has slowed down for me. Things which used to bother me…don’t seem quite that big of a deal any longer. My two grandchildren are my two biggest deals. Being loyal to my main core family and friends are more important than a basketball game.

So–for the time being…I’m going to pause on my Game 5 recap and take out my competitive anger by literally riding the terrain bike at the OKC Wellness Center on Sam Bradford Blvd. through the wall. If this incident makes its way on local news…you’ll know you read about it first on okcthunderground.com. It was an act of premeditated anger.

And while I’m on the bike…I’m going to pray for Russell Westbrook’s basketball soul. Russ… I’ve pleaded with you for well over a decade not to hit the 3-wood over the water up onto an uphill green and make the safe play. I’ve pleaded with you to hit the 7-iron, layup, and make par.

Yet…you continue to mock my sagacious advice.

So…I’m praying for you today, Russ. Follow your heart, but ask Aaron Gordon what he thinks. He seems like a good dude. I’m seriously praying for you. Pretend, I’m your caddie, like Speck in Dead Solid Perfect. Last two holes of the U.S. Open. You and Donnie Smithern dueling for the Cup with two holes to go.

If you pull that f–king fairway wood out of your bag again…I’m going to climb through my flat screen and choke you to death. Hit the iron. Make the smart play. You can’t bogey the 71st hole if you want to play the 72nd hole with something to play for besides second and third. Trust me this one time, buddy.

Ask Ray Jr. if El Prez is right. Hit the iron just like so.

Have a nice day, Oklahoma. Your team is one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

MJ

I mean last night was an NBA night we should all remember for quite some time.

Nico Harrison, the beleagured Dallas Mav GM, with a 1.8% chance of landing Cooper Flagg in the NBA lottery…went yard. And I would have to say if there was ever a sign that the Peter Principle is still very much in play in current America…this was that time.

Through his complete incompetence in handling the Luka Doncic trade which he mangled…he now has the new next best thing as the face of his franchise through sheer blind luck.

If only the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors had had such luck on Monday night in their respective games.

It was a sad night for the NBA. Jayson Tatum seriously injured his lower right leg and is now apparently done for this season as it appears the Celtics might be as well as they now trail their series with the NY Knicks by a 3-1 count.

What we now have in the East is the probable look of an Indiana Pacer-NY Knick Eastern Conference Final. Who would thought four weeks ago? It shows you nothing in life is certain. It shows that in basketball…like life, you better be able to flow with the unexpected and show some dignity, grace, and thoughness.

In the West…what I saw last night was a very dangerous Minnesota Timberwolf team destroy the Steph-less Golden State Warriors and in effect end that series.

So from MJ’s prism…this is what we now have in play with one last piece of the NBA’s Final Four puzzle still to be decided. We have Indiana, the NY Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the survivor of the OKC-Denver war still left in play.

What we really have though, in my humble mind, is the end of a basketball generation where neither LeBron, Steph, Giannis or Kevin Durant made it out of the conference semi-finals.

Giannis is thill in play though. And I’ll get ti him in about a week or so.

Denver is the oldest of the five teams left standing, but not what I would consider an old team. What we see is the future of the NBA and the stars who should dominate the game in the coming years.

Jokic, Shai, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Mychal Bridges* and perhaps Tyrese Haliburton. Yes, for certain, MJ has Mychal Bridges slated for stardom. I love that kid and what his game is about.

So who am I pulling for tonight in Game 5 between OKC and Denver?

I’m for Denver. My son, my daughter-in-law, and my two grandchildren live just south of the University of Denver. They recently moved from Bonnie Brae to Gatewood, which is pretty cool itself. I’ve come to love the city of Denver through these years and it is my refuge to escape the fake Christian radical right redneck culture of Oklahoma City. Call me Pau Gasol if you want. We’re both Italian so that’s fine with me as well.

I would also add…being in Denver as much as possible has definitely been a substantial part of my Stage 4 cancer survival journey. A part which often makes me pause… give thanks, and do one of my private mini-cries of joy.

What can I say…I’ve become a Denverite.

I will add this though…I genuinely respect the current Thunder players and what Sam Presti has done. I also respect what the people involved in the MAPS Program have done with Oklahoma City. My suggestion to these people is take the next step and create an Oklahoma MAPS Education Program in which the state seriously addresses the issues with its abysmal educational system…which now ranks dead last even behind Mississippi, Alabama, Lousiana, and West Virginia.

I would also think if OKC advances, I’ll be pulling for them in the next round opposite Minnesota even though I love Anthony Edwards.

So…good luck to both my Denver Nuggets and the OKC Thunder tonight in Game 5.

A song to meditate with today would be nice.

Maybe two songs would be even better on this gameday. I almost forgot how great these guys were.

Mike J

I like Coach Adelman’s pressers. He’s very much to the point and basically calls it like it is in regards to his team’s performance. Very much looks the part of the son of a coach.

I agree…both teams were leg weary from the overtime late ending game on Friday night.

The difference in the game was Michael Porter Jr, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson were not good on Sunday. In fact they were really bad. Consequently, Coach Adelman had to ride his top four guys even harder. Problem with that is Coach Mark was then able to bring in three relatively fresh guys in Caruso, Wallace, and Wiggins for several second half pushes which decided the game.

The last six minutes of the game the Nuggets not only looked leg weary, but brain weary as well with an inbounds ‘cannot happen five second violation’ and the missed free throws by Jokic and Aaron Gordon.

If I’m Coach Adelman right now on late Monday afternoon…I have three of my players alone with me off the court to have a discussion. Those three guys would be Michael Porter, Russell, and Peyton Watson. At this point I no way trust Julian Strawther.

What I would say, “Guys…it’s hard enough to win games in this series playing 7 on 10. Winning a clutch semi-final game 4 on 10 against a good team is virtually impossible. This is about you three guys doing your job. This is not complex.”

Game 5 tomorrow night at the PayCom. We’re now down to best out of three. The only possible avenue I saw to Denver winning this series was by winning Game 6 in Denver. That’s still a possible sceanrio givn how tight several of the Thunder starters have looked at time in this series.

So this basically means Coach Adelman’s guys need to find a way to win Game 5.

This is why I love NBA playoff basketball.

Mike J

This Game 4 was about as big as it gets in NBA post season play, and in this one it was about as ugly as any playoff game I can remember. But in the fourth quarter coming down the stretch it was in my view OKC’s bench led by the threesome of Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins who nudged the Thunder over their previous clutch-game mishaps and put the Thunder in possession of home court heading into Game 5 back in Oklahoma City.

Alex Caruso was my No. 1 Star, Cason Wallace was my No. 2 Star, and Aaron Wiggins was my No. 3 Star. Shai was much better this game and was what I call functionally efficient, but he/’s the regular season MVP this season and he should be this way every game. No star for Shai from Mike J. MJ is a perfectionist with his Three Stars.

Caruso, Wallace, and Wiggins scored a collective 35 points while Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson could only manage 8 points for this very thin Nugget bench.

As I witnessed this 48 minute pit bull fight–it seemed to me Caruso more than any other player on the floor wanted it more…and you know what…his teammates followed his mentally tough lead.

The only player on the Nuggets who appeared to have much left in the tank this afternoon was Christian Braun. Michael Porter Jr, for the third time in this series was missing in action. MPJ did nothing of any consequence in this game for the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon was a bulldog, but he was limited to 15 points. When Aaron has scored 20 or more in these 2025 Playoffs the Nuggets have won every game..

Denver certainly had their chances in the fourter quarter, but missed four clutch free throws down the stretch and just basically got mentally out-toughed by the youngest team in the league.

Caruso has now been my MVP in Game 2 and Game 4. He brings something this team was sorely missing..a combination of energy, confidence, hubris, intelligent physicality, and some gravitas.

My son just called me after the game from Denver and told me just after the game a dark Thunder storm came out of nowhere at the conclusion of the game as the skies darkened.

That might be some NBA gods stuff right there. That and Alex Caruso on the same day were too much for the leg weary Nuggets in Game 4.

Game 5 in OKC on Tuesday night.

Mike J

Just a great NBA Playoff game to watch last night as the gritty Denver Nuggets found a way to win Game 3 in Denver and in essence keep the home court advantage they gained in Game 1 in Oklahoma City.

Coach Mark, as at the end of Game 1, was not stellar in his moves during the final 5:30 of this game as the Nuggets routed the Thunder 13-2 during the game’s final minutes.

Two moves glaringly stood out to me as far Coach Mark moves down the stretch ..

1 Why did he go away from JDub’s coal-hot hand late in the game?

2 Why did the Thunder go small bringing in Caruso in the OT and remove Holmgren from the floor? Why in the world would you at that juncture of the game open up the paint to Jokic when he was 0-11 shooting from the outside entering the OT?

Why would you open up the rim to Jokic when he couldn’t hit anything else on one of the worst shooting nights of his career? It makes no sense whatsoever. I doubt the puppydog OKC sports media will take him to task for any of this…but this isn’t the OKC puppydog sports media—this is okcthunderground.com where it’s told like it is.

But I have to give the Nuggets credit…they fought hard the entire night playing uphill and never surrendered. Michael Porter Jr. was my No.1 Star of the Game. He completely sucked it up with his injured shoulder and from my view was the difference in the game.

Jamal was my No. 2 Star with his dogged 27 point performance on a night when Jokic was brutal the first 48 minutes of play with 10 turnovers to go along with the bad shooting night.

Aaron was my No. 3 star for the way this guy’s big game and big moment gravitas has been one of the big stories so far in the Western Conference Playoffs. Aaron cooly hit the shot which sent this game to overtime. Enough said.

Christian Braun deserves a word for his dogged defense on Shai. Shai has now had two tough shooting nights so far this series with C-Braun guarding him.

And Peyton Watson gets a ‘graph from MJ as well. Peyton was excellent in this game as the 7th man in the rotation with some much needed scoring, defense, and rebounding.

Russell was solid, but not the factor he’d been in both Game 1 and Game 2. But you know what…Coach David Adelman will take solid from Russell every game if that’s way the game shakes out and what Coach Adelman needs to fill in the gaps.

So here’s my ultimate take heading into Sunday’s piviotal Game 4 in Denver….Denver with a win in Game 4 can ensure itself they will have OKC back in Denver for Game 6 for a Thunder elimination game if they win on Sunday. I cannot imagine anyone inside the Denver locker room wants to play an elimination game of their own in OKC where the officials will allow them to play their college bump and grind game of Forty Minutes of Hell.

Biggest game of the season for both teams tomorrow afternoon inside of Ball Arena.

Mike J

I did not watch the predictable Golden State loss at Minnesota last night. I figured without Steph…the Warriors would struggle and apparently that’s exactly what happened according to nba.com.

Instead… I did some reading, followed the breaking news of the first Amercian pope, and almost watched the movie The Conclave….which I’ll watch today instead. It’s been on my must watch list for some time…so I figure what better day than today.

An American pope from Chicago who evidently feels pretty much the same way I do about Trump, Vance, and the other MAGA ‘humans’.

I’m not Catholic, but during my cancer journey at Integris I’ve become friends with a Father Ron and it’s been a nice thing for me to have somewhere there in the Infusion Center of whom I can honestly talk about the things of a spiritual nature.

The God thing in Oklahoma never ends to puzzle me. This is a place which claims and somewhat brags about being one of the most faith-based places in the country, yet from my view it at times seems to be one of the most hateful and intolerant places in America.

Such an overwhelming number of people who simply cannot allow the doctrine of ‘Live and let others live,” or the Golden Rule or the Beatitudes. Why is there all this anger in Oklahoma towards others who might be different than them.

Is that what God and Jesus are all about? Out of over 8 billion humans on this earth…God only ranks at the top white male Americans with a cretain level of net worth? That’s makes no sense whatsoever.

I don’t think that’s what God or Jesus intended.

I’ll close with what’s been a genuine anchor for me during my cancer journey. Words I could and will continue to lean against.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

Blessed are those kind of heart, for they shall see the light of God

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall become the sons of God

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for their rightousness,

for there’s will be the Kingdom of Heaven forever.”

Be kinder, Oklahoma. You can do it.

Mike J

Good interview by Coach Adelman after seeing his team get demolished in Game 2 by 43 points inside of an emotional PayCom Arena on Wednesday night.

No excuses, no blaming of the refs…no bullshit. He called his players out and he saw it pretty much like I saw the game.

The Nuggets led one time in this game and that was at 2-0. Not long after the Thunder were ahead 34-14 and for all practical intent this game was over because in my mind the Nuggets did not react quickly enough to the physicality applied by the Thunder. This is playoff basketball. This isn’t the time you shrink away from physicality. This is the time you turn it up.

The only Denver player who answered the physicality call was Russell Westbrook and I thought he by far was Denver’s best player last night…if there was one.

As players…you have to be smart enough to feel the tone the refs are setting early in the game and adjust to it. By the time Denver seemingly ‘somewhat’ adjusted to this physicality the Thunder had scored an NBA record 87 first half points in a playoff game to lead 87-56..

The previous record of 86 points in a half was set by Cleveland when they laid the wood down on Golden State in the 2017 NBA Finals.

It was Jokic’s worst game in his NBA career. He was limited to 17 points and had a career worst -36 rating.

I don’t sugarcoat things on this blog. Denver just basically got their asses kicked by a hungry-angry Thunder team which knows they gave away Game 1 on Monday night.

I also like the way Coach Adelman didn’t play the ‘1-1 series is tied we did what we set out to do’ nonsense. Denver got beat in every facet of the game.

Denver got outrebounded, they turned the ball over 21 times, they got bullied in the paint on both ends of the floor, and they gave up more fast break points. The only Nugget who engaged was 37 year-old Russell Westbrook, and MJ has to tell you—that is still one reason I love Russell.

This is not complex. The guys in that Denver locker room know it. They’re proud men. They know or will know by Friday morning after they’ve dissected the film how they have to address this on Friday night inside of what should be a raccous Ball Arena.

This is what NBA Playoff basketball and NHL hockey are all about. They adjust, you adjust, they adjust, you adjust.

After Game 1, Shai in his always gentle way challenged his team by saying, “We’re going to find out about ourselves in Game 2.”

I would imagine that train of thought has already been shared in the Nugget locker room by Jokic and maybe even perhaps Russell Westbrook.

Game threes in series tied at 1-1 are usually a pretty big deal. I would think the opening five minutes on Friday night should be revealing as to what type of game we’re going to see.

Mike J

You three guys…thank you for giving this old guy who’s now a officially a Stage 4 cancer survivor the opportunity to share a thought or two with you this gameday morning.

Life goes by in flash. You three young dudes have the most glorious opportunities of any humans on the face of this earth. You do. Only a very special few have what you already have, and trust me…I understand how hard each one of you and your families have worked for these opportunities.

But now having seen what transpired in that last minute at home on Monday night in a game in which Vegas had you tabbed as a 10.5 favorite…I feel even though the three of you are now the face brand image of the world’s largest cellular carrier…it wouldn’t hurt for an old guy who actually likes all three of you to say…

“Tonight isn’t about fame, ego, or money. It’s about what’s in your collective hearts as teammates and leaders of your basketball team. It’s about making sure all three of you go out there tonight and leave nothing in the tank. It’s about playing up to your unique individual skillsets and doing the little things the right way for 48 minutes.

Granted, Coach Mark certainly didn’t help you guys with a stupid late challenge which took your last timout away and his late game-time management was horrific in that last minute. But the thing is…it never should have come down to that. Know what I mean?

One last thing, my favorite hockey team, the Colorado Avalanche, blew a 2-0 Game 7 lead with 13 minutes left this past week-end. Their season is now over because as a team the Avalanche forgot to take care of the little things for 60 minutes. Two of the world’s greatest current hockey players, Nate McKinnon and Cale Makar are now done for the season…as in done. If you three guys do all the little things right along with Alex Caruso and I’m sure the other guys will follow because the teams which ultimately win championships are coached from WITHIN. Have nice game tonight.”

Mike J

So…did the Nuggets elevate their play to a level where they should have won Game 1 at home as a Vegas 10.5 dog— or did Shai’s Thunder group choke under the bright lights as they did against Dallas last post season and as they did against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup Finals in December?

You tell me Thunder Nation.

You tell, El Prez.

There’s no way you should lose this game with a 13 point lead with six minutes remaining and 18 Nugget turnovers on the scorecard which led to somewhere around 26 Thunder points or so.

NO WAY.

Just so we’re clear–theThunder on a game by game basis score around 20% of their points off live ball turnovers. So in that regard the Nuggets at best get a D- on their report card. The Nuggets in no way were stellar in this game. Not even close. Their heart was great and admirable, but Coach David Adelman knows they need to be better the rest of this series. Much better.

I would also add the Nuggets played even more short-handed than they did in Game 7 versus the Cippers because Michael Porter Jr. was basically so bad in this game he was unplayable and Coach David Adelman had no choice but to pull him.

MJ also can’t believe anyone in Oklahoma City thought this was going to be a cakewalk 4-0 sweep. Jokic, Jamal, Aaron, C-Braun, and Russell are five dudes who have a great deal of pride at stake and have something to prove as four of these guys were instrumental in the Nuggets’ championship run two years ago and the fifth is a certain Hall of Famer.

Coach Mark, JDub, Chet and to a lesser degree Shai….this is when you guys show us you’re post season contenders and not just regular season posers who get by with this because the sports media press in Oklahoma City honestly isn’t equipped with the type of basketball insiders who should be covering the team like teams are covered in other markets in the league.

So as we stand right now if the Nuggets hold home serve in home games in Denver… they win the series in Game 6 inside of Ball Arena. If the Nuggets somehow pull off another miracle road win at PayCom Arena tomorrow night as a current 11.5 road underdog…I would think this series is over.

Shai said it best last night in his post game presser, “This is when we find out who we really are.”

I would add your best player last night was Alex Caruso and in my view if he can handle 32-34 minutes a game this would be the time.

This would be the time for Coach Mark to go from being the Developmental Coach at the Girl’s U8 Rec Soccer League over there on Danforth Rd. in Edmond and you know, maybe put the foot on the pedal just a wee bit and coach to win. BE RUTHLESS. DENVER DOESN’T HAVE A BENCH. I would assume Sam Presti trading Josh Giddy for Alex Caruso was carried out with the idea in mind to win championship relevant games in post season [play WHEN THE GAMES ACTUALLY MATTER.

In closing out my little mini-rant before I get myself in the proper frame of mind to watch TNT’s Tuesday Night Doubleheader….I would suggest AT&T pull their Thunder add off the air until at the least these guys win the Western Conference and actually do something which merits an add of this nature.

Rant over.

MJ

Let me be clear…Aaron Gordon’s game winning three with 2.5 seconds left wasn’t his best play of the night. His best play of the night was when he postered Chet Holmgren for the best dunk of this post season so far.

Aaron’s game winner came with 2.5 seconds left in regulation as the Nuggets came off of two missed throws by the same Chet Holmgren with 9.5 seconds left. The Nuggets trailed by one, but had no timeouts remaining. This is the kind of stuff which keeps MJ blogging on the underground in radical right Trumpy Oklahoma.

So after Chet bricked both critical free throws, Christian Braun moved the ball to midcourt to a waiting Russell Westbrook.

Russell calmly moved the ball up court on the right side of the floor to about the top of the key area then executed a picture perfect cross-court pass into the arms of a streaking Aaron Gordon on the left wing. Aaron gathered himself, locked, loaded…and then went nothing but net over the flailing arms of the same Chet Holmgren who bricked the two most important free throws in his pro career.

Aaron gets the game winner. Russell gets the primary assist, and the Nuggets get an improbable Game 1 win in a game in which they trailed pretty much all the way going back to a 24-22 first quarter lead.

Despite what the big NBA thinkers on the Sports Animal in Oklahoma think…the only sweep in play right now is if the Nuggets win the next three games to sweep the Thunder with the best player in the league leading the way.

Shai will win the Kia regular season MVP and he deserves the award. But I can pretty much assure you every GM in the NBA knows who the best player in the league is. Jokic was superb. He never surrendered in this game even when the Nuggets were live ball turn-overing the ball and a blowout in Game 1 seemed plausible.

But Jokic never surrendered. He went for 42 points, 22 rebounds, and 6 assists. Plus, he did what all great players do…he coached his team from within and carried his mates on his broad shoulders to a point where Aaron, Christian, Jamal, and Russell could help him steal Game 1 in Oklahoma City.

Michael Porter was brutal. He did not see the floor in the final four minutes. Nice job there by Coach Adelman. Coach Adelman only went with seven players on the night and DeAndre Jordan was not one of them. Peyton Watson got minutes and Julian Strawther got a splash of minutes in the first half and made one layup.

This wasn’t even the Denver 6 we witnessed in Game 7 versus the LA Clippers. Instead it was the Denver 5 slaying the ‘unbeatable’ OKC Thunder on their home court as a Vegas 10.5 road underdog.

Michael Porter, buddy. I would have traded you at the deadline. But then GM Calvin Booth didn’t pull that trigger. Pull your link on the chain, buddy. Your teammates need something from you in the remaining games in this series if the Nuggets are to advance.

From the Thunder side. I thought they actually played pretty well in the second and third periods. They created plenty of points off live ball turnovers and I thought Alex Caruso was excellent. I thought Caruso was the Thunder’s best player in the game.

Now to Shai. He played fine. But here’s the thing…to be that guy being the best player on the best team…sometimes you have to be a bit of a prick. You have to possess that Kobe-Michael-Steph-Timmy-LeBron edgy side of your personna. You can’t always be the sweetest nice guy in the league.

So…Game 2 on Wednesday night in OKC. The Nuggets are operating on house money is the way I see it. They already have what they desperately wanted in this first two games in OKC…that being a split. Which now brings into play the possibility of Denver ending this series in Game 6 in Ball Arena.

And, hey….you Sports Animal listners and Daily Thunder readers…if you want to learn something about the NBA now and again–MJ is here for you.

Have a nice Tuesday, Oklahoma.

Mike J