Welcome to OKCThunderGround!

Originally…I was going to cover the Thunder vs. Dallas Mavs game last night, but in all honesty the Thunder without Chet and the Mavs without Luka was a game pretty easily decided by what in reality was a double digit win for Dallas. Add to the fact, I thought Klay was about as bad as I’ve ever seen him play in OKC. Usually, he’s the Thunder slayer, but on this night it was PJ Washington and Kyrie.

So the Thunder by my count without Chet are showing Vegas why they will not be a serious contender if he doesn’t rejoin the team this season. Whenever the Mavs needed to get to the rim… they pretty much got there without too much resistance. If the Hartenstein kid from the Knicks ever actually plays a meaningful number of games, then we’ll all reset our take on the Thunder. But remember…his career stats are based on playing in the East. Kind of like OU playing in the putrid Big 12 vs. the brutally tough SEC West.

These Thunder kids are a great group of guys though who always battle hard and do their best. I know….run back faster, play harder…sigh. I still think the Thunder will win 50+ games in the regular season, but in the NBA nobody beyond home court seeding gives a shit about regular season games.

AARON,..the above video is for you…the one I was referring to in our exchange yesterday. This is Pulitzer Prize winning author Daniel Yuerin. Let me give you and your Trump base a few hints in figuring out the American free enterprise system… generally, unless you inherit wealth…stupid, lazy people don’t do well. There is a Darwinian element to our economy that Bernie Sanders and AOC don’t really understand.

Please watch the video. It’s about an hour in length. Mr. Yuerin will be much more benficial to your knowledge base than wasting anymore of your valuable time defending Donald Trump. Then please read the book. If you need me to buy the book for you and have Amazon send it to you..please send me your address. Then please send the book to Scott and Nancy so as they don’t come across as completely clueless idiots on my blog. I have other books I think you should read as well which might strengthen your writing.

In closing…I feel as if all of us as Americans need to work together to make our country cohesive and better in every way imagineable. We need to work together. The election is over…let’s get it done.

Best wishes, Mike J

I think it was inflation more than anything which doomed the Dems in this election. That plus the fact normal ordinary working people in this country don’t give a flying f–k about lit and wok. If you’re a single mom who can’t pay the bills….do you really care about lit and wok?

I will be totally candid on this…Kamala Harris did not hold great sway for me. If her GOP opponent had been anybody other than the most lawless president in American presidential history she would not have gotten my vote.

But you know what… the election is over and its time to see if Trump can govern at the level he claims he can. American politics are very simple in this jaded age we live in. If he can’t deliver then the people on the economic edge will make a change in the House leadership two years from now.

It is what it is.

God Bless America and I hope each of you are able to pursue the American Dream.

Mike J

My goodness. Tough day on the blog answering some comments in regards to my spot on observations about Markwayne Mullin and the Trump fake Christians. Tough day….and so far I’ve only approved the more printable comments.

But I don’t ban or delete posts or comments. I welcome opinions which differ from mine. That’s what used to make our country great.

I’ll get to some of those other comments down the line.

But tonight….I’m going to pray for you people and play a song for you.

This song rminds me of you Trump fake Christians in a way.

At some point your hatred and your more fascist non-Christian attitudes will give way to the light and hopefully…like a storm, will dissipate and move far, far away….and there will be light.

Have a peaceful Sunday, Oklahoma. One day at a time let’s rid ourselves of the self-destructive hate.

Mike J

Is there any doubt whatsover if these three were still living they’d be Trump cabinet nominees?

I think not.

My excellent Vegas source gave me his odds on hypothetical confirmations if these three were all nominees at this dubious juncture in American presidential history.

He gave it to me like this….

1 If just one of the three were confirmed comes in at 90%.

2 If two of the three were confirmed comes in at 60%.

3 If all three were confirmed by the passive-submissive GOP Senate comes in at 40%.

I wonder how Trump Top Dog sychophant Markwayne Mullin would ease the concerns over Bin Laden? I guess the planes were just a misunderstanding, right? Not that big of a deal.

That’s it for me today. I’m watching SEC football and doing country music karaoke all day in Week 13 of the college football seaso

Mike J

Nuanced lying is one thing. This newest deal with Oklahoma’s own Markwayne Mullin is something quite different.

Maybe Markwayne isn’t lying. Maybe his head is awash with the captivating delusion he could be Donald Trump’s No. 1 bitch in the U.S. Senate and move Lindsey Graham down a notch. Maybe Trump promised him he could be JD Vance’s deputy Vice-President.

As Charles Barkley said last night on the NBA Network…. it is indeed stunning to see our country sink to the depths where a human like Matt Gaetz could be considered for the attorney general job at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Yikes…have you people no shame whatsoever at any level any longer? WTF are you people reading at your Trump fake Christian churches every Sunday?

Are you people serious?

I kept posting the Frank Galvin summation from The Verdict in the hope you people at some point would ‘somewhat’ locate a moral compass of some sort…..any sort. But that apparently is not going to happen.

You fake Trump Christians in all of these rural counties in Oklahoma should stop attending church. It’s not doing any of you any good. You’re getting worse if anything.

You won the election. People like me aren’t denying the results. Why can’t you people just grow up a little and put your hate away and get down to the serious business of correcting some of our real problems in our country.

It is so embarrassing to see a U.S Senator from the state of Oklahoma representing our state in this manner.

I’m going to play the Frank Galvin summation just for me. I’ve given up on you people. Your souls are evidently not capable of being salvaged at this point.

Piss on the fire, halt the hunt, and call in the dogs….Oklahoma is burning alongside Mississippi.

Mike J

My goodness…what a great NBA regular season basketball game!!!! Steph in the final three minutes was almost as pure gold as he was in the Gold Medal game in Paris this summer.

Am I out of line here saying Steph is currently the most impactful player in the game presently?

I don’t think I am. Jokic has only won one ring. Shai has done virtually nothing in post season play in his career, and quite franly I think Joel Imbiid is a bit of a lazy punk.

So it has to be Steph as far as I’m concerned.

This press conference is what it’s all about. Steph and Draymond respect the fact Klay helped them win four rings, but none of that mattered in this instant classic game. This game had it all.

I’m still amped and its Thursday evening. Draymond Green…dude, even with some of your emotional baggage at times you’re the dude I want in the the foxhole next to me if Trump ever turns Matt Gaetz and the Proud Boys loose on me. Draymond is one of the most competitive athletes I’ve ever witnessed in football, hockey, or basketball.

Matt Gaetz as the top lawyer in America, yeah…that’s difficult to absorb. But it is what it is.

Yeah, sure…Draymond slapped Lu Dort in the head the other night in the Oke City game, but you youngsters out there take note Draymond didn’t get a flagrant foul and hurt his team.

OU football needs someone like Draymond. Someone who’s just about winning and nothing else. Could you imagine Draymond as the Sooners’ Cheetah- back? It gives me chills just thinking about it. Yes…there could be a few targeting reviews, but the Sooners need more physicality in a big, big way.

I’m loving the Tournament so far and it would be very cool if it’s ‘my Warriors’ and the Thunder in the semis. That would be a ratings bonanza.

Anyway….I’m outta here. I think ‘my Nuggets play tonight if I’m not mistaken.

Klay…I still love you, but on this night I think it was clear who the Big Dog Alpha was in Golden State and still is.

Draymond playing hockey, eh? The thought of it makes me numb.

Be cool, Oklahoma.

Mike J

I was fishing and hiking yesterday at our family refuge southwest of Alex, Oklahoma so I didn’t post anything on Golden State’s road win Sunday versus the Thunder.

First off, like all real NBA fans I hope this latest injury to Chet doesn’t rob him out of a second complete NBA season just in his third year in the league. A very tough break for this kid whose body has always concerned me. But as far as his playing ability… he’s proven to be a gritty, smart, tenacious two zone complete basketball player.

But there’s always been that concern with me Chet could be the next Sam Bowie, the next Greg Oden, or the next Bill Walton.

I hope the best for Chet for certain. I tell you one thing…you add a healthy Chet to the Warriors and Klay and Draymond would be putting a fifth ring on their hands. Word. Send him a get well text and invite him to be on your podcast, Draymond. Just saying.

As far as the game on Sunday…I wouldn’t read too much into it either way. Right now from my view…the Suns without Kevin Durant are obviously not a Top 4 team in the brutal Western Conference. So…I’d wait and see there with KD’s health as well.

As a Denver Nugget and Golden State Warriors fan I’m very much liking what I’ve seen from both of ‘my’ teams so far this young season.

I think Golden State did a very nice job rebuilding their roster this off season after the departure of Klay. Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, and even Lindy Waters all make this Warrior roster deeper and more fluid to adjust to the rigors of a long 82 game haul in the West.

The Nuggets have gently pulled it together after their 0-2 start. The roles on their bench are starting to somewhat fall in place. That what good coaches do…they drive their teams to get better every week and so far it appears Michael Malone’s team won’t be irrelevant in the West.

My mantra with Denver is simple…Russ play under control..and Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Watson, and Julian Strawther pull your collective links on the chain every shift you’re on the court. GET BETTER.

As far as the Thunder without Chet for ten weeks or beyond…I would still say they’ll win more than their share of regular season games as long as Shai and JDub can remain healthy. As far as the NBA Playoffs go…I would not view the Thunder as a serious contender to win a championship without a healthy, vibrant Chet. I think he’s a difference maker for certain.

In the regular season with Shai and JDub healthy…. just based on the Thunder’s overall athleticism in my mind they could still win fifty games just off their pace and the ability to create easy points off of live turnovers.

I’m excited…I believe we’re right on the cusp of our second In Season NBA Tournament and I loved the tournament last season when LeBron, AD, and Austin led the Lakers to the championship.

I’d love to se the Thunder even without Chet make some noise in the tournament this season.

Enjoy this spectacular Oklahoma fall weather.

Mike J

Great question this Saturday on the Smerconish show. It goes something like this:

‘Did Donald Trump reveal the character of America or change it?’

I think its both actually. In 2016, he revealed the more basic private racist and sexist thoughts of many white Americans….especially males. Then I would say as we’ve moved along to what just happened in this election…. he has changed the narrative culture in America from aspirational to self-economic transactional.

Anotherwords…the polar opposite of JFK, Clinton and Obama when their melded philosophies were somewhat, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do to make your country a better place to live for all?

Duh….it was the economy, stupid. Especially the doctrine of self-economy.

And I think basically if you observe how many males in this country watch Joe Rogan podcasts its pretty simple to connect the demographic dots and realize that there are now three election generations who think Donald Trump’s gutter level act is the way forward as young men.

Hey…I’m not going to change that narrative plugging away here on okcthunderground.com.

It is what is…and that’s why I’ve never been a registered member of the Democratic Party. I’m not thinking I’m changing the world or anything on here. I’m just a dude working on trying to be the best version of myself every day. I’m not that complex. Never claimed to be.

So…I’m going to go work out and keep the good feeling going with my Stage 4 cancer little baby miracle.

Let’s go Sooners.

Mike J

I was born in 1957 in San Diego. My father was an officer in the U.S. Navy at Balboa. Dwight D. Eisenhower, America’s hero in WWII, was in his second term as president. America was the inspiration of the free world. It was a time when ‘American Exceptionalism’ was beginning to take hold throughout the world.

Then fifty-one years later… Barack Obama won back to back terms as the president of the greatest nation in the world after rescuing the country from the eight years of Bush 43 after the world economies failed.

From a historian’s standpoint…I would say this election was somewhat similar to Obama’s win in 2008 and Reagan’s win in 1980. That being, both of those elections had the same dynamics with domestic economic turmoil with the Iran hostage situation and the two wars in the Middle East we went into with Jimmy Carter first and then 43 in his quest to kill Hussein.

And BTW…that’s something Donald Trump and and I agree on…that being…43’s decision to invade Iraq was the singular dumbest decision in American foreign policy history. I’m over Trump…it’s not even him with me anymore…it’s you 72 million people who voted for him who bother me. Your lack of history acumen, or civics, or just basic integrity is beyond my realm.

I wonder if a black man like Barack Obama hadn’t been elected to those two terms if America as a nation would today have just selected a convicted felon and overall liar and cheat as it’s next president in its effort to take ‘the country back’?

You people who voted for Trump are the ones at this point who bother me. Your complete lack of any respect for the people in our country’s history who served our nation for your freedoms appall me. You voted for the man who said all of those who serve, or who served previously were/are losers, suckers, and chumps.

Yeah…I get it, Kamala Harris is way too far left. I agree. But why didn’t you GOP primary voters just make Nikki Haley, Chris Christy, or Ron Desantis your nominee if Kamala Harris is so bad and out of touch with the center?

If she was that bad…then clearly she would have been beaten by any of those three GOP candidates– one would surely assume.

But I guess they’re Deep State fake as well. Sigh.

So I must conclude at this point…. you people just love Trump’s anti woke/lit standup routine and couldn’t you people give a shit about the actual goverance of our country at what is a very critical time in not only America’s history, but the world history as well.

Where was your courage? If Kamala Harris is as bad as you people make her out to be you’d think my neighbor’s dog could have beten Trump.

25% OF PRO CHOICE WOMEN VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP!

Really???? You gave up your right to choice because a Big Mac and order of fries cost 35% more since Trump’s Pandemic?

I GIVE THE F–K UP!!!!!

I was supposed to be in Arkansas tonight in preparation for another trip down the White River with Captain Dave on Saturday. Captain Dave now treats me better than royalty since I informed him I’m the closest living descendant of Jesse James….which I actually am, no bullshit. He loves guiding ‘famous people’. First Clinton, now MJ. But its going to rain all day tomorrow in NW Arkansas….so that will have to be rescheduled.

Cozumel is calling me. I’m in desperate need of some head clearing.

OU is a road favorite tomorrow on the road at Missouri. Maybe with Deion Burks and Farooq back… my Sooners will give me some emotional solace by becoming bowl eligible for the 26th straight season. Maybe the football gods will show me some pity with a Sooner win.

From Eisenhower to President Obama to Donald Trump…if that chart of cultural descent doesn’t illustrate the deep cultural decline in America …then I don’t know what would.

It’s not about Donald Trump with me anymore. It was a fair election. I won’t break into the Oklahoma state capital and shit all over the walls and piss in Ryan Walters’ office. I’m not you people. That’s not El Prez.

What you people did was stunning. We have learned nothing from the Athenians and Romans. Virtually nothing.

Stunning.

Mexico calls me.

Mike J

Two very nice games for me last night in the NBA as the Warriors won on the road against the defending champion Boston Celtics while ‘my’ Denver Nuggets scrapped and clawed their way to an improbable two point win at home without Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.

What a great win for the Nuggets as they won against the West’s alleged best team without their second (Jamal) and third (Aaron) best players.

There was some big-time stepping up last night as Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther all in my mind pulled the collective link on the chain coach Michael Malone needs from these guys this season if his team aspires to make a run in the playoffs.

As far as the Thunder…they were okay last night at best. It was their first loss of the season and at times to me they looked like they were not exactly locked in. And I think that will be a problem here and there for Coach Mark because everyone in the NBA world is telling these guys they walk on water despite the fact they really didn’t do all that much in last year’s brief playoff run.

But having written the previous paragraph I will quickly add … I as well have the precocious Thunder at #1 on my current Western Conference poll. Time will tell with these young guys. We’ve yet to see Hartenstein and in my mind Alex Caruso is a defensive upgrade over departed Josh Giddey, but not exactly a game changer in my mind who will do anything Kenrich Williams hasn’t done for the Thunder in previous seasons.

The Thunder host the surging and surprising Warriors on Sunday, and I may actually see if I can attend that game in person. That should be a very cool game as Buddy Hield and Lindy Waters come back to Oklahoma.

The Warriors’ are so far the surprise in the West and it looks to me as if they can keep Steph healthy this very deep team could make some noise as this NBA season moves along.

The above video of John McCain’s concession speech is for Trump Nation. This is what it looks like when an adult losses an election and then shows the appropriate class, integrity, dignity, and just basic good manners. Just saying.

Be kind Oklahoma. Show me some of those ‘deep’ running Christian values as we move forward with your boy.

Mike J