I’ll say this about Shai, JDub, and Coach Mark’s comments in the postgame presser:
‘Honest, direct, spot on, and what I knew I would hear from these three guys. It’s why I respect them.’
All of the questions asked were what I would describe as good questions minus the obligatory Pre-K nonsense Little Nick Gallo is paid to ask by Sam Presti and Clay Bennett.
Why the Thunder organization after sixteen years still suscribe to this mode of self fluffery is beyond me? It’s even worse than the fathead Robert Allen roaming Mike Gundy’s sideline. These are actually two of the things Jim Traber and I would agree upon.
You know, basketball is like life, man. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way. It can knock your ass down…sometimes hard. But this is where you as a group find out about yourselves. Discover as a collective group how to get better each time you take the floor.
But from an objective, extremely knowledgeable, confidant NBA blogger like myself who can take the step back unlike the Little Nick Gallos of the NBA landscape please consider the following.
If I were coaching this team…these are the things I would emphasis to my team moving forward:
1 Chet didn’t play.
2 Despite the fact we were horrid our defense still held the Bucks to 97 points.
3 I as your coach have to do a better job implementing an offensive scheme on nights when we’re not creating live ball turnovers and shooting the three very well. What I’m saying here is that on these rare nights… we need to learn how to beat the other five best teams in the league playing at a slower pace and not jacking threes when they’re not falling.
4 Run back faster. Play harder. Nah, man. That was just for Little Nick Gallo and Royce Young. I’m just shitting with you there.
Keep your head up, Thunder. Just learn from this and GET BETTER!
It’s late at night for old an timer like me…so indulge me with the Billy Mack video.
The rumor that the OKC Thunder might show up for their NBA Cup final was a false one and that’s on me for trying to be so nice to these guys on Tuesday morning.
First off to the champion Milwaukee Bucks. You owned the Thunder for pretty much the final forty minutes of play. You never once trailed in the second half. You came together as a team in this tournament. In these last four weeks or so you’ve been the best team in the NBA…East or West. For the first time since you made the Damian Lillard acquisition…you made it look like it should have looked like last season.
Giannis made Hartenstein and JDub look like little girly bitch ragdogs out there on a night he trip-dubbed for 29/19/10 and five blocks… and easily claimed the tournament MVP hardware. I have no idea whatsoever what Giannis actually said during his MVP acceptance speech…hence the Bill Mack video. It’s late.
These aren’t last season’s Milwaukee Bucks. Khris Middleton didn’t even play and no one noticed because Gary Trent Jr, JD Green, and that spunky Jackson kid from UConn were all more than able to absorb the minutes.
Doc Rivers even tried helping the Thunder by playing Connaughton some minutes in both the first and second halves—and yet the no show under the bright lights Thunder couldn’t take advantage of this Buck defensive lineup liability.
Bobby Portis sucked as well, but again it didn’t matter because basically Giannis, Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr., and Dame could have beaten this Thunder team 4 on 5 on this night given they could not throw a basketball into the Pacific Ocean standing five feet from the tide-line.
I will not suggest a Thunder player of the game because they all collectively sucked. And yet this question nags at me…on a night like this why is it Aaron Wiggins still struggles to find a consistent role on this team?
Why…what am I missing?
Sam Presti, Coach Mark… put away your Mike Gundy Sippy Cups and do this for me, my Denver Nuggets need some more players. Not star players, but three two-way role players. Nicola is having a historic NBA season as he and Giannis now clearly stand atop the MVP race moving forward. It would be a shame for Denver to waste this historic season Nicola is having.
Since Denver GM Calvin Booth seems to be sitting on his ass..let’s do this trade. Denver gives you Michael Porter Jr. to alleviate your 19th in the NBA three point shooting woes…and in return the Nuggets get Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams, and Isaiah Joe.. Think about it. Please.
This was not a good night fo the Thunder. They’re a great group of guys. I’d love to live next door to any of these dudes. But they basically wilted under the bright lights with the entire NBA world watching.
Beyond the Bucks claiming this championship–this thought accompanies me as we move back to NBA regular season play… the Eastern Conference 1-5…Boston, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Atlanta, and a healthy Orlando team is currently better than the top five teams in the West.
To me…Atlanta and Orlando are very interesting teams moving towards the trade deadline.
Anyway…Shai, Lu, and Kenrich–I still love you guys. Kenrich–hope to see you on my next stroll wearing my crimson OU hoops shirt in Washington Park. Thank god you hit that last three to get the team off that 78 spot at the end.
As a passionate NBA fan who lives just inside the northern border of Oklahoma County… I care who wins tonight’s NBA Cup Finals between OKC and Milwaukee. I want the Thunder to win and the following is why.
The primary reason is that despite my angst over the Thunder’s kindegarten level of local media coverage, despite their pathetic OPM 5% investment in the new arena, and despite their completely over the top third year of tanking…. I have three reasons I want this Thunder team to succeed even though my ardor for Thunder Nation has never really returned from the tanking.
My three reasons are Shai, Lu Dort, and Kenrich Williams. I love and respect these three young men and how they’ve each individually taken a stake in their team. They never wavered their inner core principles to rebuild the Thunder franchise and bridge the Durant-Westbrook era into this next generation of NBA ball in Oklahoma City.
Does winning tonight really matter?
Of course it does.
If you’re a competitor who competes at a high internal level…winning matters if you do it the right way.
And these three dudes have all done it the right way since they became core building blocks of Sam Presti’s rebuild in Oklahoma City.
I can’t wait to watch the human factor in tonight’s game because I can assure you Giannis, Damian, and the rest of the Bucks want to win this game just as much as Oklahoma City.
Love Actually is probably my favorite Christmas movie with White Christmas and Christmas Vacation folowing behind. We watched it tonight eating spaghetti and crying at the same scenes… which you know, tug at your heart.
The Colin Firth proposal scene is my favorite scene.
I was hoping Santa might drop Johnny Mateer in our Sooner Xmas stockings today, but still keeping my fingers crossed.
Happy to see Jackson Arnold land on his feet at Auburn. I would have taken Georgia, but Auburn usually has quite a bit of NFL talent on its roster. Hope he does well.
The Thunder were my No. 1 seed after the round of eight was set in place, so I in no way was surprised the Thunder beat the Houston Rockets to advance to Tuesday night’s NBA Cup opposite the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee is playing some very nice basketball of late. I like how they’ve fortified their depth in their backcourt with Jackson (UConn) and JD Green. Khris Middleton still appears to working himself back into everyday playing shape, but once the old Khris Middleton returns I would say look out for the Bucks in the East along with Boston and Cleveland.
Giannis and Brook Lopez give the Bucks a divergent one-two scoring punch at the center position and of late Damian Lillard has the clutch back in his game.
This historically elite Thunder defense will be shown another challenge with Giannis. I love defense. I’m a defensive oriented sports fan. It’s not cliche to write defense wins championships in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. This Thunder defense will be presented a different challenge from Giannis in this game.
I will be locked in watching how the Thunder utilize Hartenstein versus Giannis. My current MVP list reads…1 Shai, 2 Jokic, and 3 Giannis. This game could possibly be a harbinger of a potential NBA Finals in June.
I don’t believe we’ve seen Hartenstein opposite Jokic just yet if my memory serves me correct, but this is a game serious NBA fans will be locked into on Tuesday night in Vegas.
I can’t wait. As far as the ‘big’ mens basketball Bedlam game which was played at Paycom Arena on Saturday night…I’ll just say this…I’m going to email Dr. Showalter tomorrow and thank him for putting me on chemo quarantine so as I didn’t completely piss away two hours of my life.
The state of O State basketball, like the football program…is a disgrace. As someone who knew and loved Eddie Sutton… the current state of the mens basketball program is an embarrassment to Coach Sutton’s Hall of Fame legacy.
That was me being kinder and gentler…just so you know.
The Sooners improved to 10-0 and I would guess will be ranked No. 11 on Monday. Porter Moser’s club travels to play Michigan on Wednesday night in the Jumpman Classic.
I’m ready for Christmas music. I can start to feel it in the cold evenings and mornings.
I’ve got our lights up in the front and back just like Clark Griswald. I have a stuffed Santa who sings Willie Nelson Xmas song, I have both a traditional red Santa stocking hat and a green Grinch stocking cap as well. Depends on my mood.
I watched both games last night in the Emirates NBA Cup. Of course I loved what I saw from Trey Young and his Atlanta Hawks, while I was not at all pleased with the last minute of the Warriors’ one point lost at Houston when NBA official Bill Kennedy made one of the weakest game deciding calls I can remember with 3.5 seconds left in the game.
Bill Kennedy you are my No. 1 Star of the Game in Houston. That was brutal, buddy.
But we move on now with Houston vs. OKC and Atlanta vs. Milwaukee. Clearly…OKC is the Vegas pick to win the Cup two days removed from the semi-final round on Saturday.
It’s supposed to be wet and cool at the mini-ranch in Deer Creek on Saturday so I look forward to watching both games and enjoying all these great young players from Atlanta, OKC, and Houston along with the veteran Milwaukee group.
It would appear we are witnessing a change of the generational guard in the NBA.
This is going to be not only a great season in the West, but in the East as well with what we’re witnessing from Cleveland, Atlanta, and Orlando on the youth front.
Have a beautiful, peaceful, serene December 12th. It’s less than two weeks to Christmas.
I watched both games last night after spending two hours at the Integris Cancer Center receiving my first of six chemo treatmentss which will come in three week intervals going through the month of March. I thought it went well. I’m familiar with the place and the wonderful people who work the infusion room.
My wife and I got to hang out with Rizzo the large poodle cancer dog.. and then we watched a Christmas movie as I was infused. The one where Santa Claus is put on trial in NYC. It was a wonderful afternoon all things considered.
So about last night in the Round of 8 in Emirates NBA Cup play.
In the first game Milwaukee outlasted the injury plagued Orlando Magic in what was a fairly entertaining game. Watching these two as they are structured per today…neither is a candidate to win the NBA championship right now.
I enjoyed watching the Bucks’ AJ Green for my first close look this season at this point in his NBA evolution. He’s a much better fit for the Bucks over the defenseless Pat Connaughton. I would trade Connaughton after we reach the Dec. 15th deadline to resume NBA trades. If I were the Bucks—I’d look for a more reliable two way wing player for more depth or a defensive minded big who can give the Bucks more depth there as well.
It was nice seeing Khris Middelton back on the floor. He and Bobby Portis are two of my favorite non-All-Stars in the league.
Orlando is clearly a team to watch, but not just yet as far as a potential threat to win a championship. I like their core when healthy. I think they’re pretty much at the same level as the Houston Rockets at this juncture.
The Thunder easily beat a Dallas team without who I think is their third most important piece on their team. That being PJ Washington. With the aging of Klay Thompson it appears PJ is the newly designated Thunder killer in the Western Conference. So what I’m saying is the Thunder played a very nice game aginst a team without their best two way role player.
I think at some point for the betterment of the team… Klay will need to start coming off the bench… like a Kyle Korver type of three point assassin. I still think he plays a significant role for the Mavs, but not as a starter. The Mavs are deep and they need to better use that depth once we get to late February.
Now for the Thunder. They’re an elite NBA defensive team and they are even better with Isaiah Hartensteing manning the lane than Chet Holmgren. He is proving to be the perfect fit for the Thunder. The Thunder’s defensive rebounding woes are now a thing of the past with Isaiah on the floor. Sam Presti…you nailed that one.
When Chet returns he should be the four so as he doesn’t get broken in half defending the lower paint area. I love his hubris, but he’s too damn skinny for that role.
If you look at current NBA team stats you know what you see? The Thunder pretty much first in every meaningful defensive stat as a team. First in points allowed, first in defensive rating per one-hundred possesions, first in steals, first in points created off turnovers.
This Thunder defense coupled with my MVP co-leader Shai GA is built to play either the Boston Celtics or ‘perhaps’ the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
Nicola Jokic, who is having an even more incredible season than Shai… is the guy I have tied at the top of my current NBA MVP Ladder.
Lu Dort last night on Luka was fabulous. If you watched that closely at all what you saw was more physicality than Mike Gundy’s putrid defense showed in twelve football games this season. Mike Gundy, dude, maybe you should call Lu and have him address your defense next summer and explain the basics of taking away space and time and the art of tackling in space.
I don’t think Lu will get away with that leevel of physicality in playoff games in Dallas, but man oh man I love watching Lu Dort shut down elite star NBA scorers.
So the Thunder advance to play the winner of tonight’s other Western Conference advancement game between the Rockets at the Warriors.
I can’t wait.
I’m all NBA basketball from this point this week through next week’s Emirates NBA Cup Final. I love that the NBA created this event. I do wish though they’d tweak it for next season. Cleveand and Boston have the first and third best overall records and both are sitting at home watching the Great 8. The format needs to be tweaked.
I start what I would describe as the third leg of my Stage 4 cancer journey tomorrow. These two and a half years seem like a separate lifetime in itself.
I’ve learned more about myself and life in this time frame than the other sixty-five years combined. This may sound incredibly stupid, but in a sense looking back… I’m grateful this happened to me.
With the exception of me occaisionally trolling and ‘demonizing’ some of the Trump fake Christians on the internet…I feel as if my heart has softened and maybe even widened. I’ve been touched by so many wonderful people both at the Integris Cancer Center and the OKC Wellness Center that the list would easily fill a page. It seems as if every person has a journey story of their own.
My family has been wonderful. My inner core of friends are still with me, but I don’t ever talk the Trump fake Christian talk with them out of my love and respect for their loyal friendship.
With Stage 4 bone cancer there’s never this moment where you beat your chest and declare all out victory. You get up every morning and do things in a holistic manner and take little incremental victories as they come along.
When there’s a red light, you pause, work thru it and ease thru the green lights. Matthew McConaughey taught me that his book Green Lights. Even though Matthew is a Texas Longhorn…I’ve always loved him since his epic trial scene in a Time to Kill. I feel the Jake Brigance in me from time to time.
But most of all you ‘slowly’ learn to accept, trust, and have faith in God that at the end it will all be okay. Maybe even glorious.
But I will add there has to be the competitive part in your soul as well. You have to be a fighter and a believer in yourself. There are some times you have to draw a line in the sand.
Monday is December 9th. A big week for me on the cancer journey. I’ll just leave it at that for the time being. I really need to clear my mind these next 48 hours and start to put myself in a different mindset…a different place.
I watched way too much football and basketball this week. Way too much…even for me. I’ve pretty much stopped watching politics since the Matt Gaetz attorney general fiasco. I’m done chasing anymore Trump rabbit holes.
Except for the Thunder-Maverick game on Tuesday night…I’m sports fasting the rest of this week.
It’s too early for me to be absorbed in Christmas music even though it was cold in Deer Creek today. I sat for a couple of hours and lost myself watching the turkeys and deer come up to feed this morning. It was beautiful. Surreal wouldn’t be hyperbole.
I was in a different place today. Tons of reflection and thanks for all the blessings I’ve experience these past two years on the journey.
I was goofing around on the internet looking for the perfect song for my mood today.
This seemed a fit. A cover version of Landslide by Alice Kristiansen.
Minus the beatdown of Iowa State by Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship Game…I very much enjoyed watching the other three power conference championship games. Man, Cam Scattebo made Iowa State literally look like a high school team out there at Jerry’s World. I’ll be interested to see how he does in the playoff against a team from a conference where tackling is a thing. He’s fun to watch for certain though.
Georgia beat Texas in overtime with their backup QB having to sub for Carson Beck in the second half.
To me, Dillion Gabrial should be the Heisman winner with Travis Hunter coming in second place, but I’m guessing that might not be the case because of the unique resume Travis Hunter brings to the table playing both sides of the ball. But again, Travis plays in a conference lacking physicality and not much tackling in space at a high level.
But anyway, Oregon outlasted Penn State by a touchdown to win the Big 10 title with a perfect 13-0 season. I do question though how that Oregon defense will hold up in the CFPs.
Clemson stunned SMU with a walk-off 55 yard field goal to win the ACC title game 34-31 and gain the automatic bid.
And on Friday night…I made it to halftime of the Boise State-UNLV game before I became bored and switched to a west coast NBA game. I’m sorry, but that was not an exciting game as the Broncos beat UNLV 21-7 in what I would describe as a sleepfest yawner. I hate the blue grass–it makes me feeel sleepy.
Okay…so what I’m going to do to here is simply list my Top 12 teams without any regard for the four byes of which three should go to Oregon, Georgia, and Notre Dame.
1 Oregon
2 Georgia
3 Notre Dame
4 Texas
5 Tennessee
6 Penn State
7 Ohio State
8 Indiana
9 Arizona State
10 SMU
11 Clemson
12 Boise State
If the field was sixteen teams as it should be so as to do away with the four byes and just basically have a Sweet Sixteen for the CFP….I would have gone–13 Alabama, 14 South Carolina, 15 Ole Miss, and 16 the dog walk pissing Colorado Golden Buffaloes with Travis Hunter and Shadeur Sanders.
So, in essence..I would have had No. 1 Oregon going against Colorado in the round of sixteen. Ya think that would have drawn some big time television numbers?
I definitely think they should tweak this 12-team format next year, stop dicking around, and give college football fans what they want with a Sweet 16 for college football.
That’s it for me today. My Packers have to play the Detroit Lions this go round. This is where I find out about my Packers.