Team USA defeats Tunisia 110-63 Improves to 2-0

Team USA defeated Tunisia today 110-63 Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love leading the way with 16 each followed up by Thunder SF Kevin Durant who had 13 points. Russell Westbrook had 11 and Harden had 10 so all Thunder stars played very well. Even though the US blew away Tunisia I was impressed with Tunisias fight and effort. My MVP of the game was Anthony Davis who had 12 points which most came from alley oops. He looked amazing when he was out there both defensively and offensively. The team had a bit of a scare when Kevin Love got shaken up on a play after he layed the ball in he grabbed his knee in pain. Luckily he was ok and came in the game a couple minutes later. Team USA plays next against Nigeria on August 2.

Thunder beat Heat in Game 1 Game 2 Preview

The Thunder took a 1-0 lead on the Heat in the Finals with a 105-94 win over Lebron and the Heat. Durant led the way with 36 points and 8 rebounds. Westbrook continues to impress with a amazing 27 PTS but the most impressive thing was the 11 Assists he racked up. The man that impressed me most not named Durant who by the way played so comb and clutch it was an amazing thing to watch but the 2 players that impressed me most was Thabo Sefelosha and Nick Collison who both played outstanding defensive and some pretty clutch offensive plays in the 4th quarter. Sefelosha was all over Wade for 3 quarters and then gave Lebron a hard time in the fourth. Collison racked up 8 points and 10 rebounds. Pretty much everyone contributed except for Harden who only had 5 points but the one shot was an amazing buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter. I dont expect Harden to have that bad of a game again. For Game 2 which is tonight at 9 on ABC I expect another win but a much closer one down to the wire because of the heroics of Durant and Wade (Lebron isnt very clutch in the 4th quarter shown detailed in most of these playoff games.) My prediction is a 97-93 win.

Thunder vs Heat Finals Preview

Its finally here the NBA Finals starts tonight at 9:00 ET in OKC. This atmosphere is going to be crazy loud in the arena maybe even a little too crazy. The Thunder surprisingly are the 5 point favorite to win this match up and take a 1-0 lead but some people think other wise. I have been watching ESPN First Take and Skip Bayless has the Heat sneaking this game on the Thunder. He thinks that this will be too overwhelming for the "Young" Thunder but I think other wise. OK so we all wanna see Durant vs Lebron as the one on one key match-up that will decide the game but I don't think it is. My key match up in order for the Thunder to win is James Harden vs ??? really who is going to cover this guy in my opinion Wade will cover Westbrook so then who does that leave for Harden. Harden is going to need to have a huge spark off the bench for the Thunder because he doesn't just score, he does what Westbrook should do pass the ball and make plays for other players on the court. In my own prediction I will give the Thunder the 101-99 win I believe it is going to come down to the wire in this one but the frozen one ( Lebron James) will not be clutch and Durant will be with a game winning shot with hmm how bout 20 seconds then a stop by Sefelosha on Wade. Sefelosha by the way will be one of the MVPs if the Thunder win the title because he is going to have to deal with Lebron at times, and Wade too so he since hes the best defensive player in my opinion on the floor will be crucial in the Thunder winning tonight. This game is going to be just absolutely crazy good I cant wait!

Thunder have biggest night in history move to the NBA Finals.

Last nigh did not start off great going down 15 at halftime it seemed like we were going back to San Antoinio but in the 3rd some things went the Thunders way Ginnobli and Parker were struggling and shots were going down for Westbrook, Durant, and Harden. Then Westbrook knocks down a jumper and brings it down to 1! The crowd was the loudest I have seen of any crowd in any sports. Durant was being covered heavily so he makes a huge pass to the veteran leader Derek Fisher who drains the 3 which in my opinion was the solidification of the win. Durant finds Perkins wide open for the slam! Its over! The Thunder are going to the NBA Finals the crowd was absolutely ecstatic  Durant is hugging his mom and bros on the side lines and the bench is cheering. Once Kenny Smith awarded that Western Conference Championship I knew that we will be a dynasty of the future, but its not over the Thunder will play either the Celtics who are up 3-2 on the Heat. I hope the Celtics win so that it can be the veterans hoping for one more title vs the younglings looking for their first. OKC Thunder fans lets get ready for the NBA Championship!

Thunder monstrous energy leads to monstrous win!

The Thunder returned to OKC with the season on the line down 2-0 Durant said he wanted to play the whole game and he pretty much did. His energy early rubbed off on the crowd which was crazy lowed then Harden came off the bench and had a really good game but the guy that stood out to me the most was Russell Westbrook who had 10 points but 9 Assists and played out of his mind defense. This is the way I wanna see Westbrook play just with a little more scoring but if he could keep the Assists at 7 or higher and average 18 points this guy WILL be the best PG in the league and make Durant a whole lot better. Sefelosha played very well in the first quarter with 4 steals and finished the game with a playoff career high 19 Points. So pretty much every Thunder player played great last night (Sorry Lazar Hayward and Aldrich) and if the Thunder can find that passion and belief that they can beat these Spurs in Game 4 it would put this series right back in the air but they need to win this next game which is just as crucial as Game 3 was. Game 4 is tomorrow at 8:30 ET at Chesapeake arena.

Thunder 4th quarter melt down results in Game 1 Loss.

The Thunder looked pretty good going into the fourth quarter yesterday as they led by 9. The defense was playing amazing but suddenly the Spurs closed the gap to 6 then 4 then 2 then they starting running away with the game. The Thunder had no answer for Ginnobli who had 26 points including the 1st quarter buzzer beater. Westbrook looked pretty awful in my opinion with 17 points but only 5 assists which isnt enough for a "Point Guard". Heres my real problem though Durant the so called "Super Star of this team" only took 2 SHOTS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER now how are you supposed to close out a game when he doesnt shoot at least 6-7 shots. This could not saying it was could have been the result of Russell Westbrook who took 21 shots compared to Durant's 19! My theory is back on until Westbrook starts acting like a PG and finding Durant good looked shots which he never does he just passes it to him when hes like right next to him and until he limits his shots this series will be a long one! Harden also looked dazzled as he couldn't find an answer for Ginnobli. I wasn't very pleased with the big men either who let Duncan get 16 Points and 11 Rebounds but thats a whole different story. The Thunder need to split the difference in Game 2 because you cannot go down 2-0 or you will have to win both in OKC.

Thunder win series 4-1 Conference Finals Thunder vs Spurs

The Thunder were handed the torch yesterday vs the Lakers as they pounced them with a 106-90 win in game 5. The crowd was going crazy, Westbrook and Durant again had huge games with Westbrook having 28 Pts and Durant 25. My earlier theory (Courtesy of Skip Bayless) that Westbrook shooting more than Durant will lead to disaster is obliviously wrong, Westbrook has had more points than Durant in most of the games but Durant still had 3 Game winning shots and over 20 points in every game so its not like Durant was sloutching. Westbrook just had a huge mismatch with Sessions and Blake covering him. Now off to the Thunder-Spurs Series I think even with the Thunder problems with the Spurs they have beaten the past 2 champs and know now from both series how to win close down the the wire games. The big matchups are Westbrook vs Parker which is just the showdown everyone wants to see then a huge off the bench battle begins with Harden vs Ginnobli that is going to be fun but with Hardens ability to serge (Ibaka) to the hoop I think this will be the NBA Champ whoever wins this series mainly because of how much the Heat are struggling with the Pacers. My prediction is the Thunder win in 7 which will be a nail biter kind of like the Thunder-Grizzlies Game 7 of last years second round. Game 1 kicks off on Sunday at 8:00 ET lets THUNDERUP!


                             

Thunder win a thriller to go up 3-1

The Thunder the whole game just could not seem to get the Laker lead down they would score and make it a 6 pt game but then the Lakers would come right back down and Kobe would make a 3 or something. Instead of the Thunder regrouping for Game 5 the Thunder stayed and decided to fight and w/ Westbrook and Durant leading the charge they pulled it out. With about 11 seconds left Durant pulled up for a 3 and drained it over Metta World Peace to go up 101-98 this put the Thunder in great position but then here comes Kobe with 5 seconds left being covered hard by Harden who did a great job all night defending Bryant so Kobe pulls up a fade away 3 ...it hits the rim bounces again and Perkins made an amazing one handed catch to snag the rebound and that did it. Westbrook showed a lot of maturity keeping his teammates up and not giving up he had 37 Points and was dominating in the second half. Durant and Westbrook combined for 21 points in the 4th quarter which outscored the hole Laker team who had a total of 20 points. The Thunder go back to OKC looking to move forward to the Western Conference Finals against probably the Spurs who are up 3-0 on the LA Clippers. Look to see the Thunder come out with huge energy and I think they get the job done.

Thunder lead Lakers 2-0 after 76-75 win

The Thunder won a close low scoring game last night in game 2 and this game really showed me they can win in playoff games by blow out or close games. Just look at the first round for example the Thunder won the first 2 games by very close margins and then blew out the Mavs both times in Dallas. Now the Thunder are going up against a better Laker team and Durant, Westbrook and the hole team is doing exactly what they did in Round 1. Executing on offense by limiting turnovers and actually passing the ball. Also Westbrook cannot be stopped in this series due to the Lakers lack of talent at the point guard position. I have also been very impressed by how Sefelosha and Harden have handled Bryant holding him to 20 and 22 Points in the first 2 games. The big men for the Lakers have been pretty good but as shown if the Thunder can hold them to a certain amount then it will be alright. The Thunder face the Lakers Friday at 10:30 ET at Staples Center.

Thunder vs Lakers Round 2 Preview.

The Lakers defeated the Nuggets yesterday in Game 7 96-87 so they will now face the Thunder in round 2. Game 1 is Monday at 9:30 ET and this series is going to be a good one. Metta WorldPeace will return after his elbow to Harden's head that gave him a 7 game suspension. Kobe came off an amazing performance last time he faced the Thunder. The Key to this matchup is Perkins and Ibaka vs Bynum and Gasol. The Nuggets with Faried and Mcgee showed that its not hard to shut down the two Laker big men and I think Perkins and Ibaka are better than both those Nuggets so if they can do what the Nuggets do and Durant,Westbrook, and Harden keep up their offensive ways (And Westbrook's great defensive play) the Thunder should win this series but Sefelosha/Harden have to shut down Kobe maybe even putting Durant on him because last time these 2 teams faced they went to Double-OT and Kobe was unstoppable. I will predict that the Thunder win this one in 6 games. 

Who would you rather face Nuggets or Lakers

The Nuggets and Lakers game 7 is tonight and winner takes on OKC Monday for Game 1 the Lakers big men are struggling and Kobe cant do it all alone so maybe Denver defies the odds but to be honest I would rather play the Lakers and here is why. Perkins and Ibaka can stop Bynum and Gasol if Mcgee and Faried can. Lack of talent at PG for Lakers to stop Westbrook who had a amazing defensive and offensive 1st round. Kobe cant keep doing what he did last time he played the Thunder they wont allow him to make that many shots on a consistant bases Harden and Sefelosha will do enough to contain him enough thats a winnable situation. Denver is just too fast and scary to what they can do plus we always struggle against them just look at that OT game....Just a thought. 

Thunder sweep reigning champs.

The Thunder last night beat the Mavericks and swept the series with a 103-97 win. The Thunder overcame a 13 point deficit in the fourth quarter which showed me how much the Thunder have matured with being able to stick in the game. James Harden had a playoff career high 29 points and 13 of them came in the 4th quarter. He thrived so much off the pick and roll and Durant played great d and o with 24 Points and 11 Rebounds. Westbrook shut down Terry to only 11 Points and had 6 Assists and had 12 Points. This was a great series and shown they can play with the best and I respect the former champs a lot this made a huge statement. Next up in the second round the Thunder will face winner of the Denver/LA series dont care who wins that one we can beat both but im scared of Kobe but we can take them. 

Thunder Get off to 2-0 Lead on Mavs

So Game 1 was a nail biter with Durant making another game winning shot with 1.5 seconds left. Then another down to the wire game in Game 2 My take on the first two games was Game 1: Turned over the ball way too much and the Mavs scored almost on every single one. Durant though played great defense and put up 26 points. Westbrook was lights out as usual with 28 points. The guy I was most impressed with was Serge Ibaka who did great covering Dirk Nowitzki and put up 22 points. Game 2: Durant again plays great defense getting 10 rebounds and still gets 25 points but his inconsistency shooting the ball the first two games worry's me a little but hey Westbrook isn't missing a shot. I am loving the smack talk between Perkins and Dirk last night after Durant nailed a 3 and Perkins let Dirk know that the new champs have arrived! Game 3 is Thursday at 9:30 ET another late one for us Eastern Timers. Lets see if the Thunder can go up 3-0 against the reigning champs.

Playoff Predictions

East" 1. Bulls vs 8. 76ers Bulls win 4-1 This is a no brainer though the 76ers could give the Bulls a run for their money not enough to beat the Bulls.

2.Heat vs 7.Knicks A good series but the Heat are just to powerful they win 4-1

3.Pacers vs Magic A boring series in my opinion without D Howard Pacers win 4-1

4. Celtics vs 5. Hawks Celtics win 4-3 Great series gonna come down to the last game.

West: 1. Spurs vs 8. Jazz Spurs win 4-0

2. Thunder vs 7. Mavericks Thunder win 4-2 Gonna be a great series but too much speed on the mavs hand to handle the Thunder.

3. Lakers vs 6. Nuggets Lakers win 4-2 Lakers gonna have a hard time but they will get through to the next round.

4. Clippers vs 5. Grizzlies Clippers win 4-3 Gonna be a big game 7 but Lob City and CP3 will pull through.

What to think of Thunder's late Struggles.

Ok so the Thunder dropped annother huge close game at Staples yesterday and Westbrook was 2-32 and Durant was Cold in OT as well. The Thunder at one time had a 18 PT lead and at that point it looked over than Kobe Bryant happened. Now in the month of April the Thunder are 7-6 and most wins are against teams like the Kings and Raptors so now Thunder are in second and would now play Mavericks in first round. That is not who you whant to have to face in the first round even if you get out of that series the Thunder will be tired because it will most likely be a Game 6 or even 7 series. Westbrook needs to get his act together and for me the strategy for success in the playoffs is start Harden at PG and move Westbrook to 2 Guard Thunder still have great promise and optimisum going into the Playoffs we have the right tools just need to utilize them a little better and like all year LIMIT THE TURNOVERS!!!!....Just a though.

If Thunders meet Grizzlies in second round.

I have been watching a lot of NBA Shows and one in particular is Inside the NBA with Charles Barkley,Shaq,Kenny Smith and some other guy. Charles Barkley was going over the last games of the Thunder season and he said Thunder wont get out of second round and they will lose to Memphis here is why I highly disagree with him. First off the Thunder are 3-1 vs the Grizzlies this year so if this was a seven game series the Thunder would only need to win one more game so thats no problem. Also when things do start to get tough which just like last years seven game series with Memphis it did Durant will take over the game and show why he is the MVP. Westbrook will know when to take shots and when to pass which he has been improving at lately. My prediction for Thunder this year is the Thunder will lose in Finals I just think they need one more year to develop and get more mature they will lose to the Heat in 6 games but the whole Memphis thing I think they will be fine and get out of the west my only concern is the Spurs but the Thunder can handle them in 7 if the Spurs even get to the Conference finals they got trumped by the Lakers so maybe they dont get out of the second.....just a thought.

Ibaka or Harden?

Ok so the Thunder are a top of the West with 9 games left and everyone is jelling with each other but eventually down the road is a problem. Ibaka and Harden are UFA in the summer of 2013 and the Thunder might have to choose one to sign. In my opinion it should be Harden because of his ability to score off the bench and his versatilitie. He just to me has more to offer although Ibaka's amazing ability to block shots and his offensive skill is improving within each game. The thing is though Harden should in my opinion be our starting PG because of his ability to pass it greatly and Westbrook  needs to be put on the wing it would just be a great strategy for the Playoffs. Anyway Ibaka is a greaet player but if you let Harden walk away you will regret it. Hopefully the Thunder can find a way to keep both and keep this great core of players so we can win not one not two or three not four or five but six or seven titles in years to come....Just a thought.

Thunder Playoff situation.

The Thunder lost to the Heat last game by 5 points so they have now split the series 1-1 in regular season. The thunder have now dropped their last 2 for only the second time this year but I think when it comes to a seven game series and Thunder play Heat they win but that is why the home court advantage is so important and the Thunder need to stay ahead of Spurs who are two wins behind. I dont think though they get out of West if Westbrook keeps shooting more than Durant which I say every time I post something but its true. The Thunder need to prove they can beat the Spurts to win the West because both times the Thunder played the Spurs this year they lost both times by double digits....Just a thought.

Thunder vs Bulls

The Thunder take on the Bulls tomorrow at 1 on ABC which if we win will be a huge statement in the past 3 games we beat 2 great title contending teams in the Heat and Lakers we also beat the Blazers who are no sludge. Now we go on a run of Bulls,Heat if we run the table and Durant outplays Lebron again he most certainly wins MVP in my opinion, But like me and Skip Bayless have been saying I dont see us gettting out of the west unless Westbrook accepts his role as Robin and PG he needs to make right descions on when to pass and when to shoot he needs to get the ball in the hands of Durant and Harden and then Shoot let Shooting be your secondary option...Just a thought.

Potential Finals preview

The Thunder take on the Miami Heat tonight and a lot of people are saying how it could be the Finals preview and as good as that sounds there is a few more things I need to see from the Thunder first. First is they need to beat the Spurs both times they have played this year the Thunder have been trumped they never look themselves and if they wanna get to the finals they need to get past that team starting with Russell Westbrook which is where the second thing I need to see begins. Espn First Take's Skip Bayless is a OKC fan but he says that if the Thunder wanna win the Finals Westbrook needs to take less shots and give the ball to the Superstar Kevin Durant which I totally agree with Westbrook thinks he has the same right as Durant taking the big shots and as good as he is at it he needs to accept the Robin roll because if one guy is gonna win the Finals for OKC it is going to be Durant not Westbrook.

Thunder mid season report.

The thunder at the half way point are 29-8 falling to the hawks tonight still puts them 4 games ahead of the spurs for first in the conference. And I am thinking to myself...whats missing we have the best nba player in the league as of right now and a pg that is playing lights out, and what we really need is a real pg ya i said it the only other person bringing this up is MR.Skip Bayless from Espn's first take he says that it is a strategy for disaster come playoff time when normally Westbrook averages more shot attempts per game then "the star" Kevin Durant does. Many things Skip says is ridiculous but this is one thing I agree with. Going into the postseason we do not want Westbrook thinking he has the same right taking the last second shot as Durant does he needs to be a "PG" and give it to the star. As much as he does not like that its the fact of this whole discussion. Like tonight for example he with 42 secs left instead of dishing it to a wide open Durant throws up a 3 and completely missed. Thunder go on to lose this game anyway but the point is come playoff time Westbrook needs to be the sidekick and let Durant do his thing. Follow me @DiBisportstalk on twitter.

NBA All Star Game

The NBA All Star Game is on tonight and watching the dunk contest yesterday was pretty cool but I have to say  not having stars was pretty hard to watch paul george,heath evans, that guy from rockets. Lebron James said he would if winner got 1 million dollars. That is pretty selfish knowing how much fans pay to see these guys all play on one arena. Kevin Durant today said stars should be in it and dont get me wrong i think kd is the best nba player but he didnt do it either. I hope tonight there is some kind of effort involved in the game, but knowing all all star games i dont think that will happen. Just a couple thoughts on what the nba needs to do to improve this dreadful nba all star game. Please follow me on twitter @dibisportstalk