Thunder a Four Point Vegas Road Dog at Portland Tonight

As stunning as this is to write I find myself writing it. If the Thunder win at Portland tonight they will be in third place in the West heading back to Oklahoma City after tonight’s game at Portland.

The basketball gods are smiling upon the Thunder. Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs is done for the season. Jimmy Butler of the T Wolves is on the shelf with a knee injury. DeMarcus Cousins of the New Orleans Pelicans is done for the season. The basketball gods have parted the waters for the Thunder to get the No. 3 seed in the West if only the Thunder can muster enough grit to walk through the parted waters.

Is this game at Portland tonight the biggest game of the season so far? Bigger than any of the three games against Golden State and the Christmas night game against Houston?

Well…I think it is for an obvious reason. That reason being the Thunder would be in third place in the West and suddenly showing some semblance of a reason why they could possibly get home court in the first round of the playoffs.

Portland is a four point favorite tonight and riding high with Lillard, McCollum, and Shabazz Napier. The Blazers bring into tonight’s game a three headed monster of guard play and electric three point shooting which doesn’t bode well for the Thunder on paper. This is a game where Andre Roberson would be more than handy. I have no idea if Corey Brewer is playing tonight, but this is a game where if he could go 10-12 minutes it wouldn’t hurt.

Both Westbrook and Paul George played heavy minutes last night. They had to and you know what I applaud Billy Donovan for putting away his Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood philosophy of minutes. Sometimes you just gotta go win a game and last night was one of those times. But if you look at the rest of the Thunder minutes—the rest of the team should be okay. Nobody off the bench played heavy minutes. In fact, Ray Felton played only nine minutes and he’s going to have to play some minutes tonight to help get Russell Westbrook through this game. And if you look at last night’s box you’ll notice Abrines didn’t play his customary 20 minutes of Billy D love. Only ten minutes. Thank you, Billy Donovan. It’s a lovely day in the neighborhood. Carmelo played 31 minutes though, Billy D might want to circle that though.

I love Shabazz Napier from that UConn national championship team and he’s one of my keys tonight. It’s hard to shut down Lillard and McCollum, but if you can limit offensive damage from the rest of the Blazers the Thunder could win this game.

A lot of small lineups tonight. Billy Donovan is going to have roll some shit and coach on the fly like a hockey coach tonight. The Thunder can’t stand around on defense or they’ll get torched from beyond the arc, but by the same token if OKC bears down they should be able to get to the rim against these Blazers.

The Thunder to win this game have to show us some toughness which at times hasn’t been there this season. This is a game where if the Thunder want to change the perceived culture of their season on the second night of a road back to back this is the time to do it. This would be that time. A time to make up for the softness in Oakland last Saturday evening.

On Nov. 5th these two teams played in Portland with the Blazers winning 103-99. Suffice it to say–OKC is going to need to score the ball tonight.

Your first thought is to take the Blazers and give the four. But I’m going too take the Thunder and the four points and hope for a special performance from Paul George, Carmelo, or Steven Adams tonight. One of these three guys needs to be special tonight.

I’m taking the Thunder and the four.

Thunder Win by ‘Eight’ in Phoenix, 124-116

If you point yard then go yard, that’s the just way it fucking is. Granted, in gambling parlance this was a push and you pay your bookie or the house the juice, but for me this was a monumental moral victory for the Thunder to win by eight over the hapless Suns on the road.

When Carmelo hit those two free throws with 1.2 seconds left to get the spread to ‘eight’ it was like when Perk rammed home that dunk against the Spurs in Game 6 to propel the Thunder into the NBA Finals.

It was just so emotional for me to have this one shining moment of godliness from the heavens shine down and allow me this moment of redemption amid all the dysfunction of this basketball season.

Russell Westbrook was the star, but that OKC bench was fabulous late in the third period when in reality they set the stage for Westbrook and the starters to close the deal. Westbrook had 43 points and hit a huge three point dagger when it mattered most, but it was that Thunder bench which gave the Thunder some hope.

Ray Felton, Jerami Grant, Josh Huestis, Pat Patterson, Terrance Ferguson, and even little furry frilly Alex Abrines were all instrumental in the win…especially Abrines, who came up with a flurry of defensive plays which brought me off my couch screaming…”Is that really Alex Abrines?” And, the basketball heavens screamed back, “Yes, Mike…it is!”

It is not an exaggeration for me to say this was a religious experience for me tonight.

I can’t go really much further with this recap. I’m emotionally spent.

The Thunder are now 37-27 and play a red hot Portland team tomorrow night in Portland. But for now, I’m just savoring this, the thought anything is possible on any given night with this vexing Thunder team.

I need a drink and a song.

LET’S GO THUNDER!

Thunder an Eight Point Road Favorite in Phoenix Tonight

This is too obvious. This is a Vegas sucker trap. Common sense would tell you this Thunder piece of junk couldn’t beat the Bad News Bears on the road by eight points. But lest we forget that OKC blowout win by twenty points at Golden State on Feb. 6th. Reason, intelligence, and common sense cannot in any way steer you on how to bet Thunder games this season. So, like George, what could it possibly hurt to do the exact polar opposite when it comes to this Thunder team?

So then, how simple could it be? Take the Thunder as a road eight point favorite over the feeble Phoenix Suns.

Another Great Week for Our Country

When you think it can’t get worse it does and so unravels the continual chaotic presidency of reality television star Donald Trump. Hey, you Trump supporters, I do give you this…at least you didn’t elect a Kardashian or Larry Flynt from Hustler magazine. I’ll give you that.

Just another ordinary week for America. Hope Hicks resigns. Dipshit son-in-law Jerod has his high level security revoked. Gary Cohn on the verge of resigning. Same with generals McMaster and Kelly. Jeff Sessions has an interesting dinner date with his Justice Department heads. Trump makes no coherent sense with any of his statements concerning gun control, trade tariffs, and Russian interference in our election. The stock market doesn’t know what to do or think.

Just another week in the never ending saga of Donald Trump’s reality television make believe presidency.

Who would have thought America could devolve to this in thirteen months?

Thunder Sign Corey Brewer

OKC signed former Florida Gator small forward Corey Brewer. I’ve liked Brewer from his days at Florida with Billy Donovan and thru his numerous NBA stops. He’s a nice two way swing player who if Donovan actually uses could help the Thunder this season and perhaps next season when you consider no one knows exactly knows when Andre Roberson will return next season.

Gosh, not ever knowing what Billy Donovan will do, I think or hope or pray this means Billy Donovan and Sam Presti are going to reduce the Alex Abrines and Terrance Ferguson minutes as we head down the stretch run.

A couple of years ago, Presti signed Ronnie Brewer and Scott Brooks really never used him. So we’ll see if Corey Brewer gets some real rotational minutes.

Brewer played sparingly for the Lakers this season, so he should be very well rested. Not a huge signing, but one which could actually help the team if Billy Donovan can move beyond the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood rotation philosophy he embraces as we hit the most important part of the season. I very much understand you need to develop young guys like Abrines and Ferguson, but there is that time you put the hammer down and you do put winning ahead of youth development. This would kinda be that time.

Thunder Hang On to Beat Mavs in OT, 111-110

Here’s the thing, I expected a close game and it was one. There’s such an enormous difference in the coaching department when these two teams play each other… unless your head has been buried in the sand this is what you should have expected.

Plus, I think Dallas has some nice young pieces moving forward beyond the Dirk era. I like Harrison Barnes, I like Dennis Smith Jr., I’ve always liked Dwight Powell, Yogi Ferrell is decent, and I think as time moves along Nerlen Noels will be a nice role player, plus that hair. I’m a fan of Nerlen’s hair.

You have to be a realist, the Thunder is an undisciplined team which is its own worst enemy for periods of time in almost every game. It is what is. I mean, if I were Clay Bennett, I’m not even sure why I would pay the six million to have a head coach. Maybe just pay Nick Collison another million to call timeouts, talk to players in a coachly (word?) way, and placate the local college media in post game pressers. Save yourself five million and basically be what you are now… which is a team which doesn’t listen to its coach all that much.

Actually, this was a very entertaining game..so you know, I’m good. Dysfunction begats dysfunction.

Westbrook hit the game winner. Paul George had a nice game. Steven Adams was my player of the game. Carmelo was awful..again. Josh Huestis was decent. Ray Felton was good. Jerami was so-so–I expect more of him. Terrance Ferguson played what I thought were ten good minutes. Pat Patterson was okay. And once again Billy Donovan showered Alex Abrines with 20 minutes of love. Of course, Abrines only made one shot, but he wasn’t horrific.

You know what a good coach would have done tonight, he would have pounded the rim with Westbrook and Adams assaulting the Mav’s interior. Adams made all four of his shots, but instead—there’s OKC jacking 36 threes even though they only made ten of them. A good coach would not have allowed his team to play this stupidly. I honestly think Billy Donovan is intimidated by the three stars. Wouldn’t you be if you made six million and all three of these cats are making much, much more. Why else would Carmelo even be on the floor for that last defensive situational possession of the game following two timeouts? See what I mean? Things which Mike Boynton would be going ape shit berserk over. But Mike Boynton doesn’t have multiple star millionaires on his team. His players have to listen.

But always remember… it’ a superstar/agent driven league. Always.

OKC improves to 36-27 on the season and now heads to Phoenix to see if it can beat Devin Booker on the road. This will be an interesting Vegas spread in that OKC is in Portland the next night in what is looming as a fairly important game on Saturday. I can already hear the Michael Cage excuses bouncing off my ear drums. ‘Um.. the last game of a three game road swing is actually like playing the sixth game in six nights.” He actually says shit like this and it drive me crazy. What the fuck ever.

I worry about Antonio Davis a little bit. He’s not coming to terms with things like I am. He’s resisting the obvious. But I like him and wish him well. Seems like a nice man.

Dirk became the sixth player in NBA history to score 31,000 points. Good for him. I’ve always loved Dirk. I completely respect the way he stayed in Dallas and won his ring in 2011 on a team which didn’t have nearly as much talent as this Oklahoma City team. The other five players on the list? Michael, Kobe, Kareem, Wilt, and Karl Malone. I actually saw Malone in person in ’83 when his Louisiana Tech team came to OKC to play Wayman Tisdale’s Sooners in what was an epic NCAA Tournament game.

The Thunder in the Valley of Sun on Friday. Devin Booker seldom disappoints. It should be a fun game to watch.