Thunder beat Pacers posted by john howard

Last night, the Thunder beat the Pacers, keeping the 8th spot in the playoffs.  

OKC only trailed once 37-36. But, that lasted for less than a minute.  They built an 18 point lead in the third quarter.  Then, Troy Murphy went on a little run and cut it to 10 at quarter's end. Then, they managed to tie it in the 4th.  But, Durant couldn't be stopped and there were no second chances for the Pacers.

The offense never seemed to get going.  When Durant was in the game, the offense scored of course.  But, there still wasnt a flow at times.   The Thunder would be a lead and then substitute and the lead would start to erase.  Brooks is doing a good job of getting his players experience when he can.  Maynor played quite a bit at times.  He looks like a rookie. He went 0 for 3 from the floor.  All three shots were really turn overs.  He would penetrate and have no where to go or pass it so he shot it.  He is going to be a good player, but he just isnt there yet.  He needs playing time and experience which is what Brooks is giving him.  I don't know if he will be ready when playoff time comes. 

A pleasant surprise off the bench last night was Byron Mueller.  He hit two 20 footers off of pick and rolls.  He looks like a younger Nick Collison, which is a very good thing. 

The gem off the bench is Harden.   He can flat out shoot it.  He also has a good awareness.  Late in the game, he stole a pass and lead a break.  He lured the lone defender and dished the ball to Westbrook, who Thunder dunked it and the brought the house down.  It was sealed the game.

Huge win for the Thunder posted by john howard

Winning on the road is tough.  Winning on the road in the second night of back to back games is tougher.  Doing that after playing the Lakers to the end the first night and beating the Suns the next is attention getting.  OKC did just that.  They beat a very very good Phoenix Suns team.

The stats were solid, but two stood out:  only 11 turnovers and 16 offensive rebounds.

Westbrook had 5 of the turnovers but countered that by having 8 assist.  So, the team moved the ball well last night.  Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka both had 4 offensive rebounds.  Ibaka is proving to be a very valuable commodity off the bench.  Serge also went 6 of 8 shooting for 12 points.  Nick Collison did his usual blue collar work with 3 offensive rebounds.

Durant had a huge night with 38 points followed by Westbrook's 19 and Jeff Green's 17.  Durant gets to the foul line over 10 times a game quite often.  This is a key trait that all top calliber teams have. They have a guy that gets to the line.  This puts the opposing team in foul trouble.  Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, they all get to the line.  Grant Hill fouled out last night and only played 25 minutes.  That forced Jared Dudley to play extended minutes and he had to go against the Thunder's first unit.  Here is the bonus for OKC:  James Harden is consistently getting to the foul line as well.  He shot 7 free throws in 28 minutes.   Last night he didn't shoot it well, but went 7 for 7 at the line.  This kid is really good in so many ways.

Quick Strikes posted by Amari Harris

Quick Strikes 

-          I had trouble deciding whether I should start Beanie Wells (vs. Lions) or Cedric Benson (vs. Chargers) in one of my fantasy leagues.  It was a tough choice but I decided to go with Wells.  He rewarded me with 110 yards and a touchdown.  Benson was a must start earlier in the season, but the injury has definitely slowed him down.  Hopefully he bounces back this week against the lowly Chiefs.

-          I also benched Marion Barber this week for poor performance.  He responded with 2 TDs.  I would be upset, but I won all of my games, and he is still a fluky play.  Barber remains on the bench for championship week.

-          Free Safety Louis Delmas of the Detroit Lions is the truth.  Although no one really knew who he was until he made that big play last week, I’ve been high on this guy since his days at Western Michigan.  I’ve had a chance to watch him in the NFL a couple of times and he definitely stands out.  Although his awareness could use some work, this guy definitely has range and he is a fierce hitter.  I saw him almost decapitate a couple of players this season.  But he does more than just make the big hit.  He is second among rookies with 82 tackes and he has two touchdowns in his rookie campaign.  He probably won’t get Defensive rookie of the year but he is definitely a playmaker in the mold of an Ed Reed.

Fantasy Land Update posted by Amari Harris

Fantasy Update:

So for the last few months I have been pretty busy and I never updated you guys on my fantasy status.  Well I am happy to report that I am doing pretty well and am in the championship game in all of my leagues except one. 

If you read my previous fantasy post ( Welcome to Fantasy Land), you know that in the “Bush League” where “Bush Team 2” was trying to get Chris Johnson and Andre Johnson in a trade for Mike Jenkins and Joseph Addai from “Bush Team 2”.  This was certainly the most ridiculous trade I had ever seen and I assumed that it would get vetoed pretty quickly. I even wrote a league wide e-mail for everyone to be on the lookout for “Bush League” tactics. Unfortunately, no one in that league pays attention to what’s going on (either that or the guy owns every team in the league which is entirely possible when I consider the fact that Bush Team 2  messaged me back saying that he “owned this league”).  When the trade went through after a couple of days I was pretty despondent, but I didn’t let it bother me too much.  I was still confident in my roster and I just knew that I would make the playoffs and beat the crap out of this punk.

Fast forward to the end of the season and there is just one game left.  I am facing the “Bush Team 2” and this will literally determine who gets into the playoffs.  Although we both have better records than most of the league, the format of the league is funky so teams that are worse than both of us will make the playoffs while we have to play each other for a shot at the post-season.  The good news is I scored a 120 points!  The bad news is, the other guy scored 123.  To make a long story short, I only missed the playoffs in one league and that took a “Bush League” trade and some fluky games along the way for that to happen.  To put it in better perspective of how much I got robbed, I scored the second most points for the entire season, but I did not make the playoffs.  Oh well…

Thunder next 3 are big. posted by john howard

There is good news and bad news in last nights loss to the Lakers.  The bad news is that is put them at 13 and 14 and 2 1/2 games out of the playoffs.  And, with a back to back tonight at Phoenix, it's unlikely that will improve tonight.  

The good news is that they were up on the Lakers and battled them to teh end at the Staples center.   They competed on the road against the best.  If they play like that, they will win there share of road games.

OKC only played 3 bench players.  Which, may be there best bet this year.  Krstic wasn't effective last night.  However, Ibaka played well with 14 rebounds. The big 3 are going to have to play big in big games.  Durant, Green, and Westbrook.  But the 2 that have to contribute night in and night are Thabo Sefolosha and James Harden.  They are getting better all the time.  I can't wait to see the season progress.  The question is, if the Thunder keep it close, will they take a future pick and trade for inside help now, or stay with the picks and keep building?    Time will tell.  Hopefully, they will be in the position to make that decision.

My Entry Into the Game posted by ARo23

This is my first time trying to blog, so here we go. I have been a life long Thunder fan (well as long as they have been around). I was a season ticket holder for the first season, and renewed for this season. While the first season was rough, I love the direction this team is headed in. The general manager, Sam Presti, has this team positioned to do great things now, and well into the future.

Durant scores big against Heat posted by john howard

In their 4th preseason game, the Thunder played the big 3 more like a regular season game and came up with a win.  Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook all had over 30 minutes.  Etan Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha also started and had over 20 minutes of play.  This will probably be the look to start the season with. 

Durant went 10 for 16 and had 30 points while Green went 10 for 19 and had 25.  Green is shooting more 3's and went 3/3 last night.  Westbrook had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 12 points with only 4 turnovers.  This trio is looking really good.

The bench players were different last night.  We will see a lot of DJ White and James Harden along with Nick Collison this year.  None of those 3 played last night.  Instead, the stars off the bench last night were Saun Livingston and BJ Mullens.  Neither are going to light it up offensively.  What the team is looking for from these two is a defensive pickup.  Livingston could be a diamond in the rough and Mullens provides size.  Each player had a +14 point difference while on the floor last night.

Michael Ruffin didn't do much last night off the bench.  He could be a Malik Rose type of impact if he sticks with the team.  He is a local favorite since he played is college ball at Tulsa University when they made some elite 8 runs.

GO THUNDER

Thunder wins??? posted by john howard

Last year the OKC Thunder won 23 games.  I'm curious to hear from all you fans on how many wins you think they will win this year.  I am guessing 32.    9 games in one year is a big jump.  The key addition is draft pick Harden, whom I think is a very solid addition and keeps the team moving in the right direction.  Another key addition is last year's first round pick DJWhite.  He missed most of last yaer and looked good late in the season when he saw his first action.  He provides some inside hustle and scoring.  This team really lacks inside presence on both ends of the floor.  Let's see how much progress can be made this year.  Reply to this post with how many wins you think they will get.

Go THUNDER

Thunder continue to make small moves in the right direction. posted by john howard

The Thunder traded away Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins for Etan Thomas and two second round picks.  The move was an even swap money wise.  Wilkins and Atkins make nearly 7mil together and that is what Thomas will make this year.  The Thunder are well under the cap and Thomas' contract expires this year.  So, not only will they have freed up money next year, they will also have 5 draft picks.  2 in the first round and 3 in the second round. 

So, financially and on paper it makes a lot of sense.  Also, the Thunder were heavily loaded with guards.  Sefaloosha and newly drafted James Harden have the 2 guard covered.  And Russell Westbrook is the starting point guard.  Shaun Livingston has played well enough this summer to be the back up.  Second year player Kyle Weaver can play both and is ever improving.  So, there just wasn't any room for those other 2 guys. 

Etan Thomas will likely take the role that Malik Rose played last year.  A veteran with leadership and tough inside defensive play.  This was yet another brilliant move by the front office.

For Minnesota, Atkins gives them some insurance at point should Ricky Rubio not show.  Also, Wilkins is in his last year and this is a make or break  year.  He has shown sings of being a contributor in this league.  If he breaks through this year, then the management looks like a genius.  If he flops, they clear up 3mil in cap space and it's no big loss.  It's a risk worthy of a second round pick.  And, Atkins is worth the insurance of a late second round pick.  So, this was a good move for them as well.

Thunder summer league. posted by john howard

The Thunder learned a few things in Las Vegas this summer.  One was the James Harden was a good pick.  Not only does he fit with the team image and chemistry they have established, but he can score, shoot, rebound, and handle the ball.  He averaged 14 points 3 rebounds 3 assist and 1 steal and 3 turn overs.  He also shot the ball well.  He will be starting by year's end if not sooner.  I don't think they will be able to keep him off the floor.

One player I really like for this year is DJ White.  He can score.  He averaged 10 points and 4 rebounds in only 19 minutes a game.  And, shot 55%.  He will be a great option on the second team in games this year. 

Other newcomers did some good things as well.  Robert Vaden shot 46% behind the arc.  BJ Mullens is definately a project with potential.  Serge Ibaka had oaver 5 rebounds in 17 minutes of play per game. Rebounding is such a big factor on the defensive end of the floor.

Two veterans showed that they are going to help this year.  Kyle Weaver does a little bit of everything.  He got 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and a block every game.  And, played the most amount of minutes.  With Sefalosha being acquired and drafting Harden, Weaver is going to struggle to get minutes.  But, he is really developing well and could play a role for this team down the road.  The other veteran is Shawn Livingston.  He didn't do anything flashy, but he takes care of the basketball and can really play defense.  Harden is a great addition to the starting unit.  The second unit is starting to take shape as well.

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