Month: April 2019

It doesn’t shock me at all that Texas Tech is in the national championship game. This Chris Beard team defends like no other team in the country with perhaps the exception of Virginia. Talk about old school basketball where a coach demands complete dedication on the defensive end and smart decisions on the floor and you have our two national championship finalists.

Obviously, I thought Auburn got a tough break when the double dribble wasn’t called with 1.5 seconds left…but unfortunately that’s the way it goes and I feel for Coach Pearle and his kids who were a tremendous story in this NCAA basketball tournament.

What a great tournament. In a year in which there’s still an FBI probe investigating mens’ college basketball and the interest has dwindled with the college game—for me…this has turned out to be one of the more entertaining Sweet 16 grouping of teams I can recall in quite some time.

It’s nice not seeing Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, Gonzaga and Kentucky dominating the narrative in the national championship tournament.

I would guess Virginia will be a slight Vegas favorite, but I’m taking Texas Tech in the final for the championship. There’s something about Chris Beard and his team’s toughness which is so unique in the era of one and dones that I can’t get off the Red Raider train. It’s not me thinking just because they’re a Big 12 team I need to cheer for them, but more of my admiration at how smart and tough they play the game

Eddie Sutton would absolutely love this Texas Tech team. This is Eddie Sutton basketball. Defense, smarts and toughness.

It would be such a magical ending for Red Raider assistant coach Sean Sutton to be a part of a national championship team in which his father could enjoy with him.

The storybook is there to be had in Minneapolis on Monday for Texas Tech. I’m going to say as Jarrett Culver goes on Monday night—the Red Raiders will go.

He’s the star and his role players know it. There is an implicit understanding of roles. Note to Russell Westbrook—this is called bilateral trust.

I’ll go Texas Tech 58 – Virginia 56.

So…the family assembled in Tulsa today and we all filled in a piece of paper with our prediction on whether it’s a girl or a boy. Out of the twelve people there the vote was 10-2 that it’s going to be a boy. I was one of the two votes thinking it was a girl.

They had this huge floating balloon and burst it open and light blue confetti starting falling everywhere. I have to admit…the moment got me. The kids then announced they’re going to name their son after my father…Robert Allen Jackson and he’ll probably go by Bobby like my father.

Of course… I cried.

When I saw this Google ad the other day it reminded of the time I was six and without permission painted my brand new red sting ray bike black trying to make the bike look tougher for my friends. I got paint all over myself and all over the garage floor. This ad reminded me of that moment and how my dad handled me.

You gotta learn how to flow with the tough moments and make them a positive learning moment for your son when possible.

I can’t even write about possibly the most interesting Final Four Saturday I’ve ever witnessed. I’m just happy.

How ‘Bout Chris Beard and those Texas Tech Red Raiders!

You know, it was about time I saw something resembling leadership from Russell Westbrook. To the untrained frilly fan boy eyes over there at Little Nick Gallo’s Daily Thunder blog — this may have gone unnoticed, but to those of us who’ve played and coached sports–it didn’t go unnoticed.

Russell Westbrook put Pachulia’s worseless ass down on the floor hard midway through the second period and finally sent a wakeup call to his teammates. Finally.

I don’t go to the coach’s illustrator board all that much on here because quite frankly I find Kenny Smith a bore on TNT. Charles Barkley , an Auburn guy of course, is the captain of that ship. So…let’s go to the ‘underground’ illustrator and highlight the biggest play in the Thunder’s win over the abysmal Detroit Pistons—the former bad boys of hoops themselves.

Now ask yourself…all during this Thunder slump since the All-Star break…had you seen anything like this until tonight inside the Peake? Of course not…all we’ve seen is Billy Donovan’s pretty boy ball which eventually had him leaving the SEC because Calipari had all the players because they knew Florida wasn’t the ticket to being a first round NBA pick anymore.

I’m guessing Westbrook and his father had a very long and personal talk the other night after the Laker game and this team’s obvious lack of passion since the All-Star break. I’m not saying Westbrook Sr. told Russell to do this before the game, but I’m guessing in a broad sense Westbrook Sr. reminded his son good teams are generally coached internally by the team’s two stars… as in Russell and Paul George.

How many times in an NFL game have you seen a hard hit change the flow of a game? How many times in the NHL does an open ice check change the feel of the game? How many times in a MLB game does a pitcher have to get the batter off the plate? Yet…in OKC—up until tonight…the Thunder not one singular time have Billy Donovan get ejected or have a star do what Westbrook FINALLY did tonight.

The little prissy fan boys over at Nick Gallo’s Daily Thunder blog never played sports so this prolly went right over his/their heads.. and quite frankly–it’s why I want Little Nick Gallo to serve at the minimum a six month internship with me over here.

But enough of that. This was a nice win for the Thunder, but it doesn’t mean anything long term if the attitude we saw from Westbrook doesn’t manifest itself into an edge on an every night basis as in playing some defense with some friggin’ physicality.

Here’s Isiah back in the day sending his future mate Rick Mahorn and his Piston teammates a little message. I’m not saying Karl Anthony-Townes should be clotheslined in the first period in Minneapolis during the ABC matinee game on Sunday, but I’m not saying he shouldn’t be either. Depends on the flow of the game. It is what it is, but at least in this game Russell Westbrook sent his teammates a little reminder their star point guard hasn’t checked it in with three games still remaining in the regular season.

In closing…we all know the Thunder have two chances of beating the Warriors in a seven game series…as in slim and none. Yet, to me at least, if you’re going down…then at least go down in flames leaving nothing in the gas tank.

If it turns out the Thunder have to play Golden State, I’d insert Morris, Burton, and some enforcer from the G League into the starting lineup and set the tone right there in the game’s opening minute. The Thunder have nothing to lose. Get physical and see what happens. Maybe Durant or Steph will break a hand in the brawl. See Westbrook Sr. smiling as I finish up here.

That’s it for me until Sunday … I have a Baby Reveal Party to attend and a Final Four to cover.

For Billy Donovan

I’m sitting here thinking of my hero Dan Jenkins and how he would tie his first reveal party and the Auburn Tigers first ever trip to the Final Four into the same story. I’m not sure how Dan would have done this, but know this for certain I’ll be giving it my best effort as tomorrow surely will be one of the more meaningful days in my life.

I’ve been told I’m going to be a grandfather somewhere around October 1-which is great because I’m a Libra and this way I’ll never forget my grandchild’s birthday.

I have to admit I’m fairly jacked about the thought of being a grandparent and I think I’ll be pretty good at it having observed my father and mother do it at a very high level for many years. I don’t really care if it’s boy or a girl. Obviously, if it’s boy I’d like for him to be the next Nolan Arenado and go on to become the best third baseman in major league history. If it’s a girl I’d like her to be able to play the piano and sing like Lady Gaga.

But most of all I want my grandchild to be a good person who has empathy and compassion for others. A person who understands the Golden Rule and lives it 24/7 during the course of his/her life. That’s it pretty much.

If it’s a boy they’re naming him Robert after my father and my mother will tell all of us this is like the ending in The Art of Driving in the Rain by Garth Stein where my father is coming back as my grandson. I’ll smile, not dismiss it, and think maybe she’s right.

If it’s a girl it will soften me. My major regret in life is that I never had a daughter. Although my daughter-in-law is exactly the woman I would have raised. I have an awesome daughter-in-law–I do.

As far as Auburn…sometimes it’s just destiny in these NCAA Tournaments. Destiny takes hold and makes sure the right thing happens. And even if Auburn doesn’t do it the Texas Tech story is right there in my heart as well with Sean Sutton trying to help Chris Beard to win the school’s first ever national championship in hoops or football.

As far as the Thunder with four games remaining…Dan Jenkins would eviscerate them. He’d have his readers doubled over in laughter at the thought a team with the league’s second highest payroll sweating out the thought of ending up as the No. 8 seed and being blown away by the team who ended their championship aspirations back in the Hamptons on July 4th, 2016. Sometimes there is humor in horror—it just depends on your sense of humor.

My gut tells me it’s going to be a girl. I think I’ll run a Lady Gaga video.

Well…he was gone today from the Bolts. Little Nick Gallo was missing in action. I hope he’s okay, but I’ve been worried about him ever since Leslie McCaslin tossed him to the side to take his place next to Russell in the press room after the abysmal home loss to Dallas.

I had to say something. Surely.. he knows he was dooming himself forever being a chump homer fan boy on the track he was traveling. And, yet, there was something about him I kind of liked.

He should get in touch with me and see if we can work something out. The Daily Thunder was a lateral move for him. He has to ask himself…is that where he wants to be five years from now? Writing that drivel as a stringer for Royce Young.

He just needs a little edge…I suspect. Maybe he could use the okcthunderground as a springboard to The Athletic or maybe the NY Times Magazine.

This whole story is sad on so many different levels. The fact Russell Westbrook did a 20-20-20 to honor his slain friend in LA is touching, but by the same token…Russell could dedicate himself to doing this for his coach Billy Donovan or maybe doing it to show how much he appreciates the faith Sam Presti and Clay Bennett have had in him or to do it for Paul George for deciding to stay here in Oklahoma City. Or he could dedicate it to a special area in inner city Oklahoma City. Or he could do it for the kids in the Children’s Hospital fighting for their lives.

The fact Nipsey Hussle was shot in front of his own store is just sad. Because here was a young man who at the least was giving people in his community the hope they could aspire for something in their daily lives. As I’ve stated on here, I’m not a huge fan of rap primarily because the lyrics are in essence so demeaning.

I mean…it would be like me on here writing…..’Fuck, nigga, fuck, fuck, cold stone nigga, eat me bitch, fuck, fuck, be done with ya nigga.’

Really? Did I just write the lyrics for the next hip hop best seller? Cardi B…call me, bitch.

If you really want to elevate the discussion on racism in America and why we still to a certain degree struggle with this so much in our country then I would suggest elevating the manner in which the discussion takes place.

I agree…we still have racism in America and unfortunately when I leave this earth we probably will still have racism in this country.

But at the least, I’ve spent some time getting to know the Nipsey Hussle story and why Russell Westbrook looked up to him.

But to me, if I’m Russell Westbrook, I would be more inclined to embrace Barack and Michelle Obama. Or say…Bill Russell. Or say…Denzel Washington. Or say…Oprah Winfrey. Or maybe…how about this…at your next presser with Berry Tramel ask him what he thinks of the presidency of Donald Trump to date. I’ve never once to date heard Russell Westbrook in far, far rogue red Oklahoma discuss this with the local press in Oklahoma.

And you know what, Russell…Berry Tramel would look you right in the right in the eye and give you his honest thoughts on what he thinks of Donald Trump be it positive or negative. My guess is …Tramel is a moderate Republican who feels Trump acts like a buffoon most of the time.

Here’s what I’m saying, Russell…if you want to elevate the discussion the world awaits a serious adultlike response.

Let’s go. I’d love to talk to you some time about the world we live in.

Mike Jackson

I can’t believe the people in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame did not include Eddie Sutton once again into the Hall of Fame. It is absolutely ludicrous. I have no idea what criterion was given. Eddie Sutton garnered 804 division one career wins at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, O State and finally at San Francisco on an interim basis. Only Kentucky was a blueblood. Most of those wins came at places like Omaha, Fayetville and Stillwater. Not exactly the prime choice locations to cobble an iconic basketball coaching career.

Coach Sutton took Arkansas to the 1978 Final Four with the historic Tripletts of Ronnie Brewer, Sidney Moncrief and Marvin Delph.

He led Kentucky to an Elite 8 once during his four year reign at Lexington before being let go after being implicated in an NCAA investigation which landed the Wildcats on NCAA probation and one step away from the death penalty.

But with the assistance of former O State coaching legend Henry Iba—Sutton returned to his alma mater in Stillwater and restored a dormant program to glory and elite national recognition from 1990-2006.

Twice…Sutton led the Cowboys to the Final Four. Once in 1994 with the Big Country/Randy Rutherford team and then a decade later with the Graham Twins, Tony Allen, Ivan McFarland and John Lucas. Tell what that says when an OU fan remembers the starting five of an Oklahoma State team?

His teams played hard on both ends of the floor. If you couldn’t defend, you didn’t play for Eddie Sutton. Yet his style morphed as the game changed with the advent of the three point shot and a faster paced game. Coach Sutton could adapt his style of coaching to the talent he had available on a given roster any year.

Coach Sutton is one of only eight division one coaches in the history of college ball who have garnered 800 or more wins.

Former Oklahoma City University iconic coach Abe Lemons once told me during a chance conversation that Eddie Sutton was the meanest son of a bitch he ever coached against. Coach Lemons then told me with a warm smile that… “If he had a son and wanted him to learn the game the right way–he’d send him to that son of a bitch Eddie Sutton.”

Years later at a Thunder game, my son and I found ourselves sitting next to Eddie, his wife Patsy, and several of his grandchildren. I told Coach Sutton what Abe Lemons said about sending his son to play for him and the grin it put on Eddie Sutton’s face was priceless. I’ll never forget the experience of getting to talk to Coach Sutton. He was a great guy to talk hoops with and he never once acted like he was a big deal. He was very down to earth.

I’m sad Eddie Sutton wasn’t inducted in the Hall of Fame this week even though Jerry Tarkanian and John Calipari are already in the Hall with some marks on their resume which didn’t count them out. But evidently Coach Sutton can’t be forgiven by the committee as far as his transgressions at Kentucky. It would have been nice for the Sutton family to share this experience with their father given son Sean is an assistant coach for Chris Beard at Texas Tech and Final Four bound.

I think it’s s a disgrace is what I think. How is it forgiveness is allowed to some, but not to all? How is it our souls have become this hardened to not look for the best in others with an allowance for redemption and a second chance to right a bad choice earlier in life?

Eddie Sutton is in my Hall of Fame on the first ballot and I know for a fact my opinion is the majority one in the world of college hoops.

So…I watched the TNT doubleheader tonight and the Thunder did indeed pull out a win against the worst Laker team I’ve ever seen step foot on a basketball court in my lifetime. Russell Westbrook did a 20-20-21 against in essence a G League team with Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo added to the mix… which is nice, but has no bearing whatsoever on what lies ahead.

I’m not trying to be negative here, but after watching Golden State starting to wake up a little of late and dismantle Charlotte and Denver their last two games-I think it would behoove Russell Westbrook and Paul George to somehow get the No. 7 seed and avoid the acute embarrassment of playing the Golden State Warriors in the first round as the No. 8 seed.

Now…I know…Little Nick Gallo, Matt Pinto and Michael Cage have told you at 45-33 you’re world beaters–and in that alternate universe feel free to believe that if you want. But as a compassionate adult it would be my serious heartfelt advice to tell you to win the No. 7 seed in these last four games and not in any way put you yourself in the position of playing Golden State. Denver is the ticket you want even though you went 0-4 against them this season. It is the more humane path at this juncture. Take your shot there and see if you can land a punch or two and not be eviscerated in the first round.

This is my advice at this point. This is what happens when you screw around for the first twenty-one games out of the All-Star break.

Feel free to comment on my blog…Russ and PG if this doesn’t make any sense.

Best wishes, mike

When I first started this modest blog back in October of the 2015-16 season it was put in place to chronicle and archive Kevin Durant’s free agency season in Oklahoma City. I thought the possibilities for an interesting sports book were very much in place. I still believe this to be true. I had no idea my father would be diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer six weeks later and be given around three months to live.

Little did the doctors know the fight my father had in him and as a family we made it until August 23rd, 2016 before my father passed and left this earth. The last sporting event we attended together in person was of course Game 6 in Oklahoma City versus the Golden State Warriors. My son gave us mid-court tickets near the floor as a Father’s Day present for both of us. It took everything I had to not cry during the game. Our mutual devastation at how the Thunder lost that game is still fresh in my memory and always will be.

But life goes on and you work thru the tough spots and become a better person in the long run.

I still believe there’s a great book to be written about what has happened in Oklahoma City from an NBA standpoint these past eleven years. I read Sam Anderson’s Boom Town and enjoyed it immensely, but it’s not a basketball book. It’s a written history of Oklahoma City and its continual struggles since the land run to come to terms with itself as a city. I would strongly recommend every serious Thunder fan read this book for background information and for the pure entertainment of the storytelling.

In preparation for this season I also read Mick Cornett’s The Next Great American City and Steven Adams’ My Life: My Fight. Again… two books I would suggest for every serious Thunder fan who aspires to go beyond Little Nick Gallo Sippy Cup status as a serious NBA fan.

My three favorite basketball books of all-time are 1 Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam, 2 Season on the Brink by John Feinstein, and 3 The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons. I don’t think any reader would be disappointed with any of these three iconic basketball books.

But because I live in a small market town like Oklahoma City.. clearly Breaks of the Game is my favorite of the three books. It brilliantly chronicles the Portland Trailblazers in the Bill Walton championship era and how quickly it all came apart when everyone was expecting a dynasty.

To me…this is the most compelling sports book I’ve ever read and I would think Oklahoma City Thunder fans would get some solace from reading the book.

There’s still five games and at least a first round playoff series left for the Oklahoma City Thunder in this season which was supposed to tell us if the championship window closed behind Kevin Durant when he bolted the Thunder to join Steph and Klay and create a dynasty in Oakland.

My mindset has changed dramatically since Durant’s Players Tribune exit on July 4th, 2016. My anger has morphed into an implicit understanding of the situation given he wanted to win a championship. But I do think he should move on after this season and see if he can win a ring in a different setting without the Splash Brothers.

Here we are three years later and the chances are somewhat reasonable the Thunder and Warriors could meet in the first round of the playoffs with the Warriors trying to Three Peat and the Thunder trying to prove Russell Westbrook can win a playoff series…period, let alone a championship.

Could this possibly be a fitting ending chapter to someone’s book on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s flirtation with becoming a championship city?

I’ve hated this Thunder season. Nothing about it has been enjoyable except the stretch of eleven or so games heading into New Orleans before the All-Star break. This teams stands for nothing, but that’s not completely fair to the entire team because they go as their point guard goes.

My Russell Westbrook – NFL analogy is simple. You can’t win games in the NFL if your QB is throwing four picks at just the wrong moments in close games. Russell Westbrook is a four pick NBA point guard. Nothing has changed and he’s now thirty-one years of age. The face of your franchise can’t behave like a child.

It’s that simple. You don’t need a metric for this. The truth is simple…Russell Westbrook’s teammates and his coaches cannot trust him to make the right plays when a safe play needs to be made.

I was thinking of this today and this song kept coming into my head thinking of the way Russell Westbrook plays basketball.

To me…this is the Thunder season in a nutshell. Billy Donovan and his team can’t trust Russell Westbrook when it matters. I wish he would prove me wrong.