Thunder playoff bound posted by john howard

If the Thunder win the next 12 out of 18 games, they will assure themselves of a playoff spot.  That's assuming Memphis wins every game here on out.  Memphis is in 9th place and has 16 games remaining. Should they win all 16, they would have 51 wins.  OKC may very well win 12 games.  But, either way it looks like they are going to make the playoffs.  Just where will they be is the question.  Right now they are in 5th place.  But, they are 1 1/2 games behind Utah for 4th!! They are also 2 games ahead of 8th.  So, they could finish anywhere.

No one is playing as good as Durant.  Jeff Green had 27 last night.  Westbrook is amazing and continues to impress.  Sefaloosha can hand cuff the best and Krstic is almost a double double level.  The bench has become solid.  Nick Collison is a blue collar veteran that knows how to play.  Ibaka is turning into a weapon offesnisvely and can rebound.  He is a high energy guy.  Eric Maynor's turnover to assist ratio is incredible for a rookie.  The only down fall is that Harden is out and may miss a month with a hamstring injury.  He should be back for the playoffs.  If he returns at the level he was playing at, the Thunder have a scorer off the bench.  Unitl then, Kyle Weaver will be picking up the slack. 

Go Thunder

Thunder win 7 straight!!! posted by john howard

The Thunder won their 7th straight win over the newly assembled Dallas Mavericks.  Durant lead the way with 25 points and 14 rebounds.  He was followed by 3 who scored 17 each in Westbrook, Green, and Harden.

 Westbrook had 8 assist to one turnover. Collison added 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.  Harden also had 6 assists.  Rookie Maynor had 4 assists to one turnover.  

They are now in the 5th seed spot.

Go Thunder!!!

Thunder 30 wins posted by john howard

The Oklahoma CityThunder outscored the Portland Trailblazers 30 to 16 in the 4qtr last night to win it's 6th game in a row.  The win also moved OKC a half a game ahead of San Antonio for the 6th spot.  The Thunder is also 3 games ahead of the 9th place Houston Rockets.  Things are looking good.

Durant had 33 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way.   Jeff Green lead the team in 43 minutes and had 17 points. James Harden was 2 for 5 from down town and added 13 points.  Another impressive stat was Erik Maynor's 5 assists and 1 turn over.  I'm saving my money for playoff tickets.

Go Thunder

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

Durant sets club mark for 30-point games (AP)

Kevin Durant pulled up just inside the 3-point line, crossed over and scored his 30th point. Just as he has so many times this season -- and now most in franchise history. Durant scored 32 points, surpassing 30 for a franchise-best 36th time this season, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Friday night. [read full article]

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Thunder cruise past short-handed Hornets (AP)

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Westbrook gets Thunder another road win (AP)

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Thunder beat Clippers behind Durant's 32 (AP)

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Anthony outshines Durant in Nuggets' win (AP)

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