Kendrick Perkins still a starter for the Thunder?

The Thunder went out in the draft and got some big men which brings me to one question.....why is Kendrick Perkins still the starting center on the Thunder. Don't mind me but since its the off season this is going to be a little bit of a rant as I am not a huge fan of Perkins. Honestly this guy has an attitude that the Thunder needed but his offensive skills are zero to none, averaging 4 points last year if we were lucky. His defense to me is overrated, he was burned in the playoffs by Marc Gasol and Omar Asik. The Thunder have on their roster Hasheem Thabeet who is the tallest man in the NBA and developed very well last season. Perkins first off is being over payed which to me was a part of us not bringing back James Harden and Kevin Martin. He is supposed to be a rebound machine but he only averages 4 rebounds a game. What kind of starting center for the number 1 seed in the Western Conference has those type of numbers? I am sorry but I just don't see it and many fans might disagree with me but many might agree as well. Maybe a trade for Omar Asik would be a nice move. He requested a trade from Houston and maybe if we added some draft picks and Perkins to backup Howard, Why would that be such a bad idea? Asik averaged 10 points a game which would be huge for the Thunder to have two offensive big men in Ibaka as well. Kevin Durant could play power forward which could allow Ibaka to go to center as he is a much better re-bounder and defender than Perkins. If the Thunder are going to keep Perkins they should lower the amount he is being payed which could help the Thunder go out and get some free agents like Mike Miller or a 3 pt specialist to replace Kevin Martin. Just a little rant to put on you in a off season of much activity. By the way I really like how Reggie Jackson looks in the summer league, he could be ready to be the new 6th man of the Thunder. He impressed the Thunder in the playoffs after Westbrook was out for the year. If you disagree feel free to write a comment.

What do the Thunder need in the draft?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have already been active in the draft trade talks. According to a source the Thunder had offered the Cavaliers Perkins their two first round picks for the firs overall pick. So what exactly does that mean the Thunder were after? Well getting rid of Perkins would mean that OKC would need a new center and Noel from Kentucky might be the exact thing the Thunder needed. The Cavaliers declined. So with Perkins still on the team do the Thunder still want to pursue a center who can bring offense or do they like what they have in Hasheem Thabeet? With Kevin Martin and Kendrick Perkins both free agents, Sam Presti is going to have to make some decisions. The draft is full of really good guards that the Thunder could get with their picks. Michigan's Trey Burke was very productive in March Madness and could provide a offensive consistency the Thunder need if they are going to continue to start Thabo Sefelosha. Michael-Carter Williams from Syracuse is also someone that interests me. He can play both point guard and shooting guard with his aggressive defense he could go perfect with a young Jeremy Lamb and Sefelosha to develop. The biggest void in the Thunder though is offensive production at the center position. Kendrick Perkins only averaged a whopping 4 points a game (If even that much). Hasheem Thabeet is still raw but has crazy size that could turn out to be a great pairing with Serge Ibaka. If the Thunder could get the first pick and take Noel....wow they would be dangerous. Sam Presti should take a good look at the centers in the draft, Perkins is being payed a lot of money that the Thunder could quiet frankly do without spending right now. There is great value at both shooting guard and center. Well with the James Harden trade in place, OKC has two first rd picks and could get both a SG and Center but if Jeremy Lamb develops into what they want him to be, Big man is key.

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Bitter, Disappointing, Too Early End To The Season

Well its over OKC Fans. The Thunder season has ended in what was a year of big ups....and big downs. The Thunder fell in another close game in Game 5 at OKC which was a heart breaker. Kevin Durant gave it his all this playoffs and all year and my hat goes off to him. I'm going to make this short and sweet but we really needed Westbrook. No disrespect to Durant because I think he went all the way until he couldn't go anymore and he even said in his interview that he drank over 4 Gatorades after the game but he knew what he had to do and sadly it wasn't enough. Although the season is over this team has a bright future. Kevin Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka are all 24 and 23 so this is still a young team with a lot of room to grow. Its not time to clean house or make serious changes all we need is a healthy #0. Personally I feel that if Westbrook didn't get hurt we were going all the way just looking how Him and Durant were jelling with the team against Houston and at the end of the season. I am going to call out ESPN's Skip Bayless who harshly criticized Durant and said he even lost some respect for him....Alright that draws the line Skip, Durant was going up against the bad boys that are the Memphis Grizzlies so it is not like he was going up against a team like Houston or a Team that by himself he should have beat. The Thunder supporting cast was not good and that is my one concern for next year is we need that third scorer. Ibaka has the potential to be that guy but I think he goes as far as Westbrook goes as that's where he feeds off and how he gets buckets in simple terms. The entire series consisted of Durant trying to score as much as the Grizzlies combined and in the end he was just simply burned out. Its a sad ending to a year that had a lot of promise but if they can retain Perkins who is still a big time defender and get Westbrook healthy then this team is still going places. Durant does concern me that maybe he differs to much which is true. He averaged around 19 shots a game and was around what it was with Westbrook only maybe a little more so I no longer believe Westbrook deprives Durant the ball so Durant needs to get bigger this off season and work on his post game in order to improve which with his skills there is not much to improve on. His defending could use some work as well but he is still a stud and its just a shame that it had to end so soon this season. Anybody still think we made the right move trading Harden and keeping Ibaka? I don't. One last problem I have in this team is Head Coach Scott Brooks. OKC should not be happy with him based on he made absolutely no adjustments to the offense after Westbrook was injured. This team was still built around how he played which put more on Reggie Jackson and even during the games when Brooks would take a timeout I just didn't see the adjustments or smart drawn up plays from him. Obviously he will still be coach next year but if it was up to me......Phil Jackson? Last thought I will leave with you for the year is that this team is not done and has a very bright future. This team is going to rally once again when Westbrook comes back and if we can progress with some more quality bench players then this team WILL win a title I can guarantee you at least one. Thank you so much for reading my articles it has been a pleasure to write for GetRealBasketball.com this season and can't wait till the draft to get back to writing but as for now Thanks so much Basketball fans.....Its been REAL.

Kevin Durant's Struggle

OKC is in trouble. The Thunder lost their second consecutive game in this second round series being the first time they have trailed a series since last years Finals. The Grizzlies came into OKC and stole game 2 from Durant and in Memphis they did the same thing. The game started off like they normally do with Memphis which is slow and defensive. Kevin Durant at one point had more points than the whole team combined showing how much he is trying to do just to keep the Thunder close with Memphis. I think after 7 games without Westbrook its easy to say that we need him and we need him badly. Kevin Durant has averaged over 30 points a game since Westbrook has been gone but other than him, Everyone is struggling without the all star point guard. Serge Ibaka is in a major slump missing at least 5 wide open shots that in the regular season he knocked down with ease. I think one of the issues with Ibaka is that he really fed off of Westbrook's drives to the hoop and dishing or missing the shot and Ibaka gets the tip in. Now what is happening is Durant is trying to Facilitate, Drive, and look for his open shots which one man just simply can not do all by himself. Ibaka needs Reggie Jackson in my opinion for him to get out of this slump. Reggie Jackson has done his part notching at least 10 points a game against Memphis but him playing a little Westbrook like would really benefit Ibaka. Perkins to me is doing what he should which is trying to contain the Grizzlies big time big men in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph (Z-BO). I like to compare OKC's situation to the 2007 or any Cleveland Cavaliers team prior to the Big 3 formation. Cleveland consisted of Lebron lighting it up and getting little support and got Cleveland to the NBA Finals in 2007 by himself so a lot of people are saying well Kevin Durant should be able to do that as well. Well my take on it is yes to me Durant should and did get past Houston and should squeeze this series out but even Cleveland had Antwan Jamison in the paint dishing and Mo Williams was pretty dynamic at times with his big time 3s, Kevin Durant is simply getting no help what so ever and I give no credit to Scott Brooks who to me is not doing a good job of adjusting to the Memphis line up and putting in a solid line up. To me they must release the Ronnie Brewer project. Brewer is a big time physical defender who could really rough up Randolph on doubles and help significantly on the boards where Ibaka is really struggling in. The Thunder trail the series 2-1 and someone needs to step up now or else this could in my opinion end in 5 or 6. Kevin Durant can't do it all yes Lebron and Kobe did it but they had some what of a supportable cast well OKC isn't getting that. Ibaka to me should be getting 20 and 10 either points and rebounds to make up for the loss of a man I miss.....Russell Westbrook. The Thunder are looking to get a big one and tie up the series in Game 4 in Memphis on Monday at 9:30 ET which is a definite must win. Like the website, Thunder players not named Kevin Durant need to GET REAL.

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Its Been Real

Thunder grind it out vs Memphis. Lead series 1-0

Alright OKC fans you can take a breather. The Thunder won a tough one in OKC Sunday afternoon as the 2nd round kicked off. The Thunder were coming off a great Game 6 win over the Rockets where they showed maturity and Derek Fisher really stole the show in the end. The Grizzlies and Thunder both started the game physical and tough and boy was it tough to watch them go to battle. It took a whole 2 and a half minutes in for the Thunder to score their first points. That really describes what this series is going to be like which is a long, hard, tough, Physical and Mentally challenging series. The key to the series is clearly Perkins and Ibaka vs Gasol and Randolph which started off defensively OK for Perk and Serge but offensively the two combined for a mere 7 points. At the end of the half the tired Thunder were leading by 1 after Pondexter nailed a half court shot to go into half. Coming out into the second half the Thunder started off slowly losing the lead and then trailing by 11 quickly. The Grizzlies have really grown from the 80 point wins with tough D to that real tough D but now are potentially scoring over 100 points a game but the Thunder matched the intensity in the final stretch which helped lead top a close win. OKC went on a quick run with 5 minutes to go to get back into the lead but Mike Conley got hot at the right time as the lead went back and forth which was a great time to watch (I'm sure you Thunder fans and Memphis fans were pulling your hair out). This is where you appreciate Kevin Durant's ability and his leadership to pull together and get the win. Well he went Captain Clutch today to get the win with 11.1 seconds left Durant pushing in the paint only to pull back over Tayshon Prince and drain the 2 pt jumper to take the lead by 1. So Cheasepeak arena is rocking, Twitter is blowing up and the Thunder get another great defensive stop when the Swede Thabo Sefelosha knocks the ball out of Conley's hands to go out of bounds but Conley touched it....Thunder ball! Sefelosha gets the ball to Reggie Jackson the young PG "Replacing" Westbrook and he is fouled. So this is the second time in the playoffs where Reggie has to take clutch free throws. He hits them both but then makes a costly mistake up 3....he fouls Quincy Pondexter behind the 3 pt line. Boy did the arena get quiet after that. Pondexter luckily only makes 2 of 3 and the game ends but it was no easy task for the Thunder in Game 1. This series is only going to get tougher and Durant needs help. A guy I have not talked about yet is Kevin Martin who was stellar with 25 points off the bench and really took advantage crashing to the paint. He will be crucial in this series if OKC gets the series win but again they need more points from Ibaka 5 will not do it. Perkins actually had a great game you can't expect him to score big time points but his attitude and tough defense rocked Gasol enough. Game 2 is Tuesday at 8:30 and will be another grind it out game.

Thunder drop last 2....Trouble?

The Thunder are in trouble. Yes it is still 3-2 in the Thunder advantage but boy was I wrong about the Thunder and Russell Westbrook. I will be the first to admit it, I did not believe Westbrook was helping Durant by shooting so many shots and that if we had a better facilitator type PG Durant would be a superstar, well he had the chance to shoot more in the past 3 games and yes his points have been up but he still is facilitating and they just can't provide enough scoring to keep up. The Rockets have won two high scoring battles in which James Harden has taken control over the game. Durant should take a look at what his former teammate is doing and base how he is going to lead this team off of what Harden is doing. I know it is not all on Durant but look at the past stars and how they have had great success with a not so great supporting cast. Look at Lebron in Cleveland getting to the Finals with who? Mo Williams...ya OKC has fire power with the level of Williams. Kevin Martin has been on a serious shooting slump going 1 for 12 last night. Ibaka and Jackson have been consistent double digit guys but have not been scoring throughout the game, it comes in bunches. So as I watch the Thunder struggle and like most OKC fans....I miss Westbrook. His speed and physical play makes all the players around him better and not to take anything from Durant but he just doesn't seem to have that competitive edge like Westbrook does or that fire to win. My big question is why Durant is not shooting more now that Westbrook is done, Analyst such as ESPN First Take's Skip Bayless (So Called "Thunder Fan") has criticized Wesbrook for shooting more than Durant but look what is happening, He is still shootting the same amount proving Durant just clearly doesn't want to take as many shots. So we go to game 6 where all the momentum is on Houston's side going back home. If the Thunder don't stick out a win tomorrow many OKC fans are going to be worried at least I know I will. The key for the series closer is to tighten up defense on the perimeter and please K-Mart make your shots! If Ibaka can conribute a double double and be a force in the paint, I think we will turn out OK but my fear is the next round. How tough of a series will it be vs the Grizzlies or Clippers, Durant is going to be tired but will have to steal a couple series if we want to get back to the finals....again anyone think we have a chance against the Heat.....(Sigh).

 

Post-Westbrook Era for 2013 playoffs starts off with a win

I'm sure by now everybody knows that All Star PG Russell Westbrook is out for the season....what a huge low blow to this team. I was seriously thinking we finally were gonna go all the way.Kevin Durant said in his press conference that he is going to lead this team back well he did just that last night in Game 3 in Houston. Durant tallied up 41 points and was dominant all game. Sadly if the Thunder want a chance at the playoffs Durant is going to have to play like this throughout the playoffs. Ibaka helped significantly as well with 17 points. The key to make up for Westbrook's scoring is Ibaka and Kevin Martin. Well Martin has been a disappointment  this post season and he needs to pick it up. The Thunder held on to a close win against the Rockets who erased a 20+ Point deficit to take the lead with 5 minutes left. Then comes MR. 35 with the huge dunk to retake the lead. This series may be 3-0 but the Thunder have had to fight for every game they won. Now lets talk about what happens after this series (Assuming the Thunder win the series) they will face the winner of the Memphis vs LA series which is tied at 2-2. This could help the Thunder if they can rap up the series in game 4 and also if the series in LA can go to 7 it could be a huge advantage for the Thunder. I believe this team can still get to the Western Conference Finals if they can get a better match up in Memphis rather than the Clippers who have a high powered offense that Durant just simply won't be able to keep up with. Now with the Spurs if they can get to the Conference Finals I don't think the Thunder can pull it off to get back to the NBA Finals. I am sorry OKC Fans but its just too big of a loss to sustain. The Thunder pulled together as a team to beat the Rockets in Game 3 but the effort that KD put in might not be able to be as consistent but hey I've seen more crazy things happen. Anyone else think the Thunder can still beat the Heat? A guy can dream can't he?

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Thunder stomp Rockets. Take 1-0 Series Lead

For the Thunder their NBA playoff start could not have started better. The Thunder dominated the Rockets in Game 1 at OKC 120-91 Kevin Durant was dominant with 28 points as well as Russell Westbrook teasing with a triple double but had 19 Points and 10 assists but the most impressive performance was the play of PF Serge Ibaka. Ibaka was amazing notching over 3 blocks and racked up 17 Points and most were in the paint. My theory for the Thunder to win a title is all on Ibaka, His impact on the team is huge showing obviously yesterday. James Harden returned to play in his first playoff game since leaving the Thunder this fall and well statistically it wasn't a bad night but mentally and the physical toll he took all game....it couldn't have gone any worse. After getting posterized by Durant he then came down the court and got slammed by Ibaka, Rough night huh? Well it didn't go well for any of the Rocket players. Their fast break offense was shut down thanks to Thabo Sefelosha and Perkins who played incredible defense. Perkins had a beautiful steel from Lin getting the ball to Westbrook and Sefelosha just a complete team play. Perkins is going to be big as well in the playoffs mainly on the defensive side but he contributed some what in the offensive side with 4 points and 4 rebounds so he contributes when he is needed. Again I will mention a guy who doesn't get any attention and to my viewers I apologize but Ronnie Brewer (Again Sincerely Apologize) did not get any minutes mainly because the Thunder simply dominated but I will be interested in crunch time if they look to him and Sefelosha as the 2 and 3 then move Durant to 4 and Collison at 5, I really like that lineup as it gives us a tough defense but small so it makes our offense just as good with Westbrook and Durant still on the floor and don't underestimate Thabo Sefelosha's 3 point capability. The Thunder take on the Rockets in Game 2 in OKC on Wednesday in what could be another butt wooping for the Rockets. I predict this is a sweep of a series unless Harden would like to steal another game with a 46 point performance and that still might not be enough. Do you think Harden regrets not re signing with the Thunder, Well he should and the fans let him know that last night. Prediction for Game 2: Thunder 107-96 Rockets. Thunder Win lead 2-0.

Thunder clinch First Seed in West with Win over Kings

It's official the Thunder will have home court throughout the playoffs and maybe the Finals after a easy win over the Sacramento Kings in OKC. The Thunder just out ran the Kings all game and the soon to be Seattle Sonics were just no match. Kevin Durant and Westbrook had 50 points combined and Serge Ibaka had a solid 14 but what I loved seeing from his was his low post play which yes I have said in nearly every article will be huge for the Thunder to get back to the finals and win. The forward that I would like to talk about most first is Ronnie Brewer who yes got more than 3 minutes of playing time and made it worth his while. He only had 2 points but what is Brewer's strength is his tight defense which he played to his ability stopping Evans until he got injured. I am so caught up with Brewer because when the Thunder gave up a 2nd round pick for him I knew exactly what they were doing, the key in the trade was all about #6 Lebron James. The Thunder struggled all series in the Finals last year against Lebron who just played more physical than Durant forcing his way to the paint well with Brewer you get another big guy who isn't going to get pushed over by anybody not even the "King" himself. Brewer in my opinion will be big in the Thunder run. With the seed clinched we now watch to see who will be our 1st rd opponent and as it stands right now it is looking like the Kobe-less Lakers but its not over. The Utah Jazz need a win against Memphis and a Laker loss to the Rockets and they get the 8th seed. Personally I believe the Thunder will have a easier time against the Jazz who they won the series on 3-1. Utah does not hold a PG nearly capable of playing to Westbrook's level or defending him. Perkins and Ibaka will be big in both cases as both the Lakers and Jazz have 2 big time big men. For the Lakers they have All Star Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol and for the Jazz they have Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson. Ibaka's shot blocking must be key and Perkins low post defending needs to stay consistent. With 1 game left the Thunder will sit their starters as it is a meaningless game except for the fact that Kevin Durant is 71 points away from winning his 4th scoring title.....he said in is interview "Do you want me to go for it......alright I'll try" I really like the approach Durant took with the scoring title situation where he could of easily won but he put the team first and contributed in other ways then just points with rebounds and assists as well, His main goal right now is to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy and needs to do everything that will help that happen. The Thunder take on the Bucks Wednesday and then its playoff time! Starting April 21 for the first rd!

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Thunder take 1st seed....for now

The Thunder took care of the Blazers Friday night in what was a game I found very interesting as Ronnie Brewer finally got some playing time! The Thunder traded for the Forward at the deadline with the Knicks for a 2nd round pick and since then he hasn't played at all. Well that changed and he played some rock solid defense and notched 5 points on the board which helps but he is all about his big time D and against the Heat in the Finals if they get there is where I think the Thunder wanted him the most. Westbrook put up 33 points in a big game for him but it wasn't a surprising victory. The Thunder now take the first seed in the Conference by a half a game over the Spurs and would be taking on a Kobe-less Lakers team that is a game up on the Jazz for the 8th and final spot. Well now I for sure want that first seed as before I was a bit nervous about how the Lakers would give us a tough time to the 2nd round I just didn't see the Lakers making it easy on OKC but without Bryant there is no worries for me. Come playoff time you want it to be a easy road to the Western Conference Finals like it was last year with a easy sweep on the Mavericks and then taking out the Lakers in 5. Well this year might be a bit more difficult, maybe not in the first round but in the second round teams like the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Clippers are going to give the Thunder a tough time especially Denver. The Grizzlies slow but tough defense worries me as it slows down Durant and Westbrook in recent games but the Nuggets fast break was just deadly to the Thunder as OKC could only take one of the 4 games this season to Denver. The best match up for the Thunder come the 2nd round is the LA Clippers. The Thunder swept the Clippers this year in the regular season and are just a faster and better team. Blake Griffin's big time dunks in the regular season will most likely not be as effective in the playoffs, the game just slows down and the court gets more narrow with the tight defense all teams play. The two teams standing in the way of the Thunder title hopes is the Spurs and the raining champion Miami Heat. The Thunder vs Spurs match up on April 2 made it easier to know that the Thunder still have the Spurs number. Without Tony Parker at 100 percent if he isn't by the playoffs, I don't even know if they get to the Conference Finals. OKC takes on the Sacramento Kings in their 2nd last game of the regular season....you smell that, Playoffs are right around the corner.

Thunder get big win against Spurs .5 game back for 1 seed

2-2 is the series finish for the Thunder and Spurs and boy was this a big game for confidence and for playoff standings. The Thunder started off swinging and the two stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant scored 52 points combined a great game for both and this could be a good sign for fans worried that this team can't get back to the Finals without #13. Well the Thunder dominated off the bench Derek Fisher had a huge bounce back game with 17 points and Kevin Martin had a bad game with only 2 pts and that needs to change as he will be a huge factor if the Thunder are going to get back to the Finals and beat the Heat or any other East team....but most likely the Heat. That is the big concern for the Thunder is finding that extra scoring punch off the bench now Derek Fisher was just that this game but the consistency is not there. Serge Ibaka had a solid game with 11 points and 3 blocks he and Perkins really shut down the paint and the Thunder defense was stellar holding the Spurs to only 88 points. So now the Thunder stand at .5 games behind the Spurs for the top seed and they have the Indiana Pacers tonight this is a huge game. Tony Parker only had 2 points which props to Westbrook for playing some great defense but at the same time Coach Pop said Parker has a shin injury he has been battling. The Thunder are just faster then the Spurs and like Charles Barkley said the Spurs are built the best to beat the Heat but they can't beat the Thunder in a 7 game series and that could be true but if Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka can be hit in the post and excel there then they might be able to beat the Heat but I agree with Barkley jump shots will not beat the Heat. This game was a great one but it gets me thinking about the Finals now last year OKC won 1 game in the Finals series, Are we better than last year and if last years team won one game what will this years team do? A stronger Kevin Durant and Westbrook or James Harden? I think this years team might be built better to beat the Heat if Ibaka can score more that's the key but as for the Spurs at 2-2 on the series I think we can beat the Spurs again in a 7 game series but this year home court is a big thing for OKC to have throughout the playoffs.

Should Losses to winning teams be a concern?

So is anyone else ready for the playoffs? The Thunder stand at 2nd in the Western Conference and although they lost Harden in the off season, they are doing just fine without him.....that is until they face legit winning teams that will compete for the Larry O'Brian Trophy. Daily Thunder posted an interesting point. The Thunder last year dominated every team in the NBA except for the Heat in the Finals well this year they are 0-2 vs the Heat, 1-2 vs the Spurs, to sum it up, the Thunder are 3-9 against the Nuggets, Spurs and Grizzlies only sweeping one top team which is the Clippers. Is this a concern for the Thunder come playoff time? I couldn't tell you right now to be honest. The Thunder are beating all other teams in the NBA by an average 9.2 points per game it just might be Harden was that factor that put the team over the top. Do they have that guy this year? A lot of people say Kevin Martin has done just fine averaging about the same amount of points this year as Harden did last year but my response to that is they do it in different ways that affect the Thunder. Harden is more of a play making ball handler where as Kevin Martin is more of a point shooter and its causing Westbrook to handle the ball more which sometimes can be a bad thing as you all know he tends to get out of control and times. Kevin Durant has strengthened his role as the next ball handler and is doing a good job of it averaging career highs in assists. If the Thunder want to get back to the finals they must rely on Durant with the ball in his hands. Now the factor that's going to help OKC get over the hump of losing to these teams is the man you (Sam Presti) chose to resign over James Harden......Serge Ibaka. The main reason the Thunder lost the finals last year in my opinion was because they did not have the post play and got dominated in the paint. Ibaka was quiet all series and if the Thunder get back, he needs to make a big impact in the defensive side but now in the post posting up and taking less jumpers even though he is excelling in them this year. The Thunder will most likely face the Rockets in the first round taking on former teammate James Harden and I think that's a easy 5 game series win and then the team I most fear most likely. The Denver Nuggets. This team has the Thunder number who just can't seem to break Denver's high pace fast break offense. If the Thunder can slow the temp down or better yet beat the Nuggets at their own game and that/s where Westbrook comes into play with his amazing speed and acceleration to get to the paint quickly. My early prediction Thunder get to the Western Conference Finals rematch vs the Spurs and win in 7 games, yes they have struggled but when push comes to shove, The Thunder are still the top team in the West as long as Durant is there he will get them to the Finals with Westbrook but its going to take a team effort to take out the Miami Heat.Finals shall play itself out Thunder vs Bucks.....A guy can dream can't he?

Thunder fall again to Fast Break Nuggets 114-104

Well the streak continues......oh you thought I was talking about the Heat streak well they aren't the only ones with a winning streak in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets came to OKC riding a 12 game win streak and the Thunder were looking to even the score as the Nuggets led the season series 2-1. Well the first half looked great, the Thunder held the Nuggets fast break and played some great transition defense...well that's kind of the same thing. Kevin Durant was terrific in the low post, he finished with 34 points and 7 rebounds so he had a great game as well as Russell Westbrook who finished with 25 points and even Kevin Martin got going again with 14 points mostly from down town. So offense looked good on paper but in the third quarter is when it all crumbled, The Thunder went 1-9 with their first 10 shots in the third quarter and couldn't control the turnovers, once the shot was missed the Nuggets quickly got it down court and the Thunder just couldn't keep up. The fourth quarter the Thunder tried to rally but the Nuggets put them on ice. PG Ty Lawson had the most points for the Nuggets with 25 going right up with Westbrook so he had a great game. So now the Thunder still stand at 2nd in the west. The Nuggets for some reason fell in the standings to 5th and didn't move up at all during the streak. The Grizzlies stand at 3rd in the West as the slumping Clippers fall to 4th so the Thunder are safe from any comeback from the other 3 contending teams in the West for a top 2 seed. Now what happens if the Thunder meet the Nuggets in the Second round or possibly the Western Conference Finals. I will be the first to admit I think the Thunder are the clear best in the west but if I had to choose any team in the West I don't want to play in the playoffs it would be these hot Denver Nuggets. They are fast, physical just like the Thunder but the difference is their offense. The way they execute the fast break offense is unbelievably impressive hats off to Head Coach George Karl. Now if I'm taking the Thunder or Nuggets in a 7 game series I still think the Thunder are the better team. Tonight is another big test against the 3rd seed Memphis Grizzlies who always give some good fights with the Thunder. If OKC can fasten the pace with these slower Grizzlies who aren't very similar with the fast pace Thunder offensively, Memphis just like OKC last night just won't be able to keep up. Now its not that the Thunder can't keep up with the Nuggets athletically because they can but its all about execution and paying attention after a bucket or missed rebound, Denver is going to slip by and for the Thunder to beat them (If they meet in the Playoffs), they will need to hold 2 back and beat the Nuggets in their own game which I think they did well yesterday in the first half.

 

Thunder stomp Jazz to remain close to Spurs

This was expected to say the least. The Thunder eased past the Utah Jazz getting payback from their last meeting where the Thunder lost to the Jazz in Utah. Final score Thunder 110 Jazz 87 so it was a blowout and it was not really close ever in the game except for the first.......5 seconds? The Thunder had 6 players in double digit points with the game high for Kevin Durant who had 23 points and 10 defensive rebounds. Westbrook stayed under control with 19 points and 9 assists which I like to see him spreading the ball around you know like most PG do. Not to keep knocking on Westbrook but he is the biggest piece to the Thunder winning the NBA Title not disrespecting Durant who is so consistent you don't have to worry about him where as Westbrook can get kind of crazy at times as you Thunder fans know, but back to the game shall we? The Thunder held the two Jazz big men Paul Milsap and Alshon Jefferson to only 15 points total as Ibaka had 10 pts and him and Perkins really disallowed Milsap and Jefferson to get any post ups in through the paint. The one guy on this squad that has really impressed me since returning to the Thunder is Veteran Leader PG Derek Fisher. He has had double digit points in the past 4 games and is shooting at a very high percentage from behind the arc. Lets talk about the Jazz for a minute, They currently stand at a tie with the Lakers for 8th but have the tiebreakers so they stand at 8th. I am at a loss on how the Jazz have stayed afloat in this rough Western Conference but it is very impressive that they are having the success they are, courtesy to Jefferson and Milsap mainly who are two very underrated big men in the league. The Thunder stand at 48-17 only 1 game back behind the Spurs for the 1st seed in the West which is very important because I would much rather play the Utah Jazz than the Rockets but what about the Lakers.....I am terrified of Harden so I would still choose to take on the Lakers no disrespect to Kobe of course. Next up for the Thunder is the Orlando Magic in the Sunshine state Florida which should be a easy outing for the Thunder.

Thunder fall to Spurs 105-93 2 GB out of 1st in the West

Crazy game and another frustrating one for people who are critical of Westbrook's PG decision making. The Thunder fell to the Spurs in San Antonio Monday night which was a game to most that had the Thunder reeling past the Tony Parker less spurs but that was not the case. The Thunder started off fast getting up to a 13 point lead in the 2nd quarter but vastly saw it demise as Tony Duncan and Kawhi Leanord went off. I have to be honest I was screaming at the TV for Westbrook to pass the ball to Durant who seemed extremely frustrated with the moves Westbrook made. He was at the end of the first half 3-11 but just wouldn't stop shooting. This is when people who are Westbrook critics (Skip Bayless) can show they are right about Westbrook not being a true PG which I think is pretty obvious even though he is in the top 5 in assists per game this year. If the Thunder cannot fix their turnover woes then the Spurs are going to creep up behind the Thunder and steel a Western Conference Finals Title. Back to Westbrook, He took 27 shots compared to Durant's 13 and yet finished with 25 pts compared to Durant's 26......I think that should send a message to Scott Brooks and Westbrook to get Durant the ball more. Not a lot of bench points for the Thunder with only 16 that has to go up too for when Durant and Westbrook take breaks. I would like to see Ronnie Brewer go out there more to rough up the top scorers with his tough aggressive defense but has only averaged a mere 2 minutes a game. Why Presti got him to me is a mystery but the reason could be come playoff time if they get back to the finals they need someone to play hard against Lebron and D-Wade (Assuming the Heat don't get upset by the Pacers or Celtics or any other team).  The Thunder take on the Jazz Wednesday and try to keep their pursuit of the 1st seed in the West on.

Thunder put Lakers in there place with a 122-105 win

A good win for sure but not overly impressive with the Thunder really having the Lakers number for the past couple seasons and this was another game where the youth of the Thunder out played the veteran Lakers. Kobe Bryant injured his elbow during the first quarter which helped the Thunder put their lead ahead. The Thunder bench played extremely impressive basketball with both backup Point Guards Reggie Jackson and Derek Fisher with 10 points each. Kevin Martin was great from down town finishing with 11 points. I have been hard on Westbrook since he came to OKC but this February and March have started to change my mind about the young dynamic PG. He has been averaging over 30 points a game in the past month including some impressive outings like the recent game against the Clippers in clutch time when he made 2 clutch shots to keep the Thunder in the lead. Kevin Durant has been nothing but solid and efficient. He doesn't miss his jump shots and has been extremely impressive with the rebounds averaging a career high this season with them. Back to Westbrook, against the Lakers he showed up Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant beating him in the post and all over the court. His assists have been top notch in the top 5 this year and as much as Durant is the go to guy in big moments and when the Thunder try to stack the lead, Westbrook has shown he can create highlight reel plays on his own and making the players around him better. The Thunder take on the 3rd seed New York Knicks in the East Thursday night which will be a big test for Kevin Durant going up against Carmelo Anthony. This can be a great opportunity for Durant to show his elite defensive talent.

 

Thunder win thrilling, nail biting, physical game against Clippers on ABC 108-104

What a game. The Thunder really looked in control of this one.....until the fourth quarter came rolling around. The Thunder were up 17 in the 4th quarter and looked like they had everything sealed for the win. Blowing big leads has been a issue for the Thunder this year including a game a couple weeks ago against the Houston Rockets when we all know James Harden went off in the 4th. Well it looked like Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin had the same momentum this time around. The Clippers cut the lead to only 6 with about 5 minutes to go. The game was chippy all game but in the 4th it was intense. First it was Carom Butler who got in the face of Kendrick Perkins and then with Ibaka and Griffin battling all game. Serge Ibaka had another impressive offensive performance with 16 points but the notable play by Ibaka was after he "Cheap Shotted" Blake Griffin off a rebound Ibaka slashed Griffin in the ......well you know. After this Ibaka was called with a Flagrant 1 and the crowd was upset that Ibaka was not tossed and were even more furious when Ibaka hit a three point play to take the lead back for the Thunder. The most impressive player to me for the Thunder was All Star Point Guard Russell Westbrook who finished with a double double 29 points and 10 assists including two clutch shots in the 4th quarter to keep the Thunder in the lead. Although everyone in clutch time for the Thunder looks to Durant, Westbrook has a major clutch gene and can lead this team when it counts just like Durant. I am not discounting the fact that Durant had 35 points but Westbrook has one some big games for us and the Thunder will need this type of games come playoff time if the Thunder want to capture their first NBA Title in OKC. A very chippy game started and ended the same with the Thunder on top finishing the sweep on the season to the Clippers. OKC will face off against the other LA team in OKC vs Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard's Lakers. It will be a tough game and the Thunder know the Lakers are desperate for wins as they are only 3 games out of the playoffs so Thunder can play some spoiler this Tuesday.

Durant posts triple double in 119-74 blow out win vs Hornets

Probably the best all around team win I have seen in a while. Ronnie Brewer and Derek Fisher made their debuts in OKC and it was a pretty great start. The first quarter kicked off very fast with Russell Westbrook scroing 18 points in the quarter almost breaking Durant's franchise record for most points in a quarter which is 22 pts. The Thunder played great defense with Perkins and Ibaka recording 11 boards and 7 blocks. Ibaka played the way the Thunder imagined him every game when they chose to re sign him over Harden. He posted 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks, He played great in the low post and with offensive rebounds finishing the plays. Durant is playing at a MVP level alright I am sorry Lebron but Durant deserves this thing. Another triple double in 4 games with 18 points. 11 rebounds, and 10 assists is just absolutely stellar. Since Harden left the Thunder needed that 2nd ball handler that controls the temp when Westbrook gets out of hand and that has been Durant this year and he is doing an amazing job at it. He is averaging a career high 4.6 assists per game and is making everyone else around him better offensively and defensively notably the most benefited is probably SG Thabo Sefelosha who has been amazing behind the 3 point line and is averaging a career high in points. Newly traded Brewer played only in garbage time with 5 points and Fisher had 0 but played good defense and just has to get back into the basketball speed he has been out for most of this season. The Hornets almost had no chance from the get go and the Thunder will now improve to 42-15 awaiting the red hot Denver Nuggets Friday night.

Thunder take care of offensive less Bulls 102-72

Now that's they way to play defense. The Thunder are coming off 4 disappointing defensive performances but man did they bounce back against the Bulls. From start to finish you could tell how much the Bulls are missing Derek Rose right now as they could not move the ball at all or create open looks. The Thunder on the other hand looked stellar again, Russell Westbrook is having the best month of his career again scoring a team high 23 points but it wasn't the offense that stood out this time, it was the defense. Nick Collison, Ibaka, and Perkins played amazing inside the paint not allowing Boozer or Noah to get any momentum at all which has been a problem of late for the Thunder when coming to paint defense. This is when you know how much different the PG position is without Rose, Nate Robinson started for the Bulls and yes had a solid night with 13 points but just got utterly dominated by Westbrook in the post and just couldn't keep up with Westbrook. Durant had another great night posting a double double with 19 points and 16 rebounds. This is why Kevin Durant needs to win MVP, its not just that he is scoring in doubles every night but every other stat is going up. He was again a rebound monster and had a team high in assists with 6 and is not only improving himself but making his teammates around him better. The Bulls got some momentum back at the end of the 2nd quarter only to let it slip away when Thabo Sefelosha went to the hoop for the tip in and one. The second half consisted of the Bulls chucking up deep shots because quite frankly there was no where to go. The Thunder perimeter defenders did a great job of jamming the Bulls up at the 3 point line forcing bad shots which was the biggest reason they won this game. If the Thunder want to make another run at the NBA title, they will need to have more wins like this that are all around great with both offensive and defensive play that I have not seen as good as it was in this one. Scott Brooks kept praising defense on the sidelines saying just to keep pressuring them and don't let up which got through to the players holding the Bulls to a mere 29% shooting . The Thunder now stand at 41-15 and 3 games back behind the Spurs for first in the West. They next take on the New Orleans Hornets or shall I say soon to be Pelicans.....which by the way is a just awful name for a b-ball squad but anyway yes they take on the Hornets in OKC Wednesday night where newly traded SG Ronnie Brewer will make his debut. The Thunder also today signed veteran and  previous PG of the Thunder Derek Fisher for mainly another veteran presence and insurance purposes if Reggie Jackson every suffers a injury or plays poorly.

Thunder defeat T-Wolves 127-111

Wow what a game. The Thunder offense was just dominant. Westbrook's season high 37 points and Durant's 27 helped the Thunder score 100 points before the third quarter ended. The defense for OKC was off to a slow start and allowed Minnesota to score way too easily for how well the Thunder have played on defense this year. Although it struggled the T-wolves had the same problem on their defensive side just getting dominated in the rebound battles and just had no answer to the Thunder making every jump shot they took. Another game that Kendrick Perkins has impressed me with as he had 10 points and 7 rebounds, his offensive ability has really improved this year with both posting up and jump shots. If he can continue this it will really benefit the Thunder's chances to get back to the Finals. Kevin Martin played great off the bench for 19 points but that's just what he has been doing all season. You can really tell since James Harden left that Kevin Durant has taken over that second ball handler spot. He has a career high in assists per game, rebounds per game, and another leading scoring season. If mister James was not playing so well down in Miami we would be talking Durant for sure winning the MVP but he might be the runner up this year to "King James". The Thunder take on the Bulls Sunday at 8:30 ET and will be a nice test against a very tough defensive minded team. If Russell Westbrook can control Bulls PG Nate Robinson from going all out like he does in a lot of games this year, the Thunder will shut down the Bulls who struggle to get open looks by themselves.

Thunder Trade Deadline Report

The Thunder made a couple moves on Thursday before the NBA trade deadline and one could help put the Thunder over the top to get back to the NBA finals. Last year the Thunder picked up Derek Fisher from the Houston Rockets which brought a veteran leader to a young team that needed it to get to the Finals. This year the Thunder and Knicks made a trade that would send Knicks SG Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder for a second round pick. Although Brewer is not having the best year in points averaging 3.6 PPG he still has been when out on the court playing solid defense and provides a veteran presence that I think the Thunder still need. Brewer can play SF as well so he could provide a good relief for Kevin Durant or can be played and Durant can be moved to the PF position. The Thunder also dealt PG Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers, Maynor who lost his backup PG job to Reggie Jackson who was just out playing him has been looked by the Thunder to be traded to clear some cap space and really, there was just no need for 3 PGs when Westbrook can play the entire game if he needed to anyway. This was a very smart move so now the Thunder can look to Jackson as a needed boost off the bench to score because other than Kevin Martin, the Thunder don't have many scoring backups which is another reason probably they went for Ronnie Brewer. The Thunder received a 2.2 million dollar trade exception in exchange for Maynor's services. The Thunder take on the Timberwolves Friday night and it will be interesting to see if Brewer plays and what his roll will be with this team.

Thunder lose in crazy outing against Rockets 122-119

What a game it was but bitter sweet for SG of the Rockets and formally of the Thunder James Harden who had a career high 46 points against the Thunder. The Thunder led the game by 11 in the 4th quarter and like many times this year got relaxed far too early. Kevin Durant posted his 2nd ever triple-double as well as Thabo Sefelosha notching his career high 25 points but it was not enough to stop the red hot Rockets. Jeremy Lin was the unsung hero of this game hitting 2 huge clutch 3 pointers to put the Rockets up by 5. Jeremy Lin finished with 29 points and 8 assists. Everything seemed to be going well for the Thunder up until about 4 minutes left and it all came crumbling down. Reggie Jackson and Westbrook had no answer to stopping Harden and Lin, far too many turnovers by the Thunder over 10 in the third and fourth quarter allowed the Rockets fast break offense to take advantage. Harden hit the nastiest fade away over Reggie Jackson to take the lead. The Thunder could not make anything other than free throws, too many forced passes and forced up shots led to the 4th quarter demise. This could not be the last time the two teams meet as the Thunder stand at 2nd in the west and the Rockets are battling with 6th and 7th seed in the west. If the Thunder want to be able to secure big leads against good teams which in fact the Rockets are a dangerous team in the west, they will need to keep their foot on the gas and continue to beat down the opposition with the lead.

Thunder Mid Season Report

The Thunder are half way through the year and stand at a 2nd in the league best record 39-14. Kevin Durant is playing at a MVP level and Russell Westbrook is keeping his turnovers down and getting his assists in the top 5 leaderboard. Kevin Martin the replacement for James Harden at the 6th man has been averaging over 11 points a game off the bench which is much needed for the Thunder secondary scroing when they lost Harden who was their whole offense when Durant and Westbrook were not out there. Serge Ibaka is playing all-star defense as well as his jump shooting which has been terrific averaging 13 points per game. The Thunder look to have made the right decison choosing to extend Ibaka over Harden. Perkins has again played his tough, solid defense, even his offense has been at a career high with the Thunder. The problem this year has been exactly what ended their season last year........The reigning NBA champion Miami Heat. The Thunder were swept in the regular season series this year and have now dropped 6 straight to the Heat. Kevin Durant continues to struggle when defending Lebron James who is probably going to win yet another MVP award at the end of the season. The Thunder just get shut down by the Heat completely forced to shut perimeter jump shots all game as the Heat defense has not allowed the Thunder to make the extra passes and force into the paint. If the Thunder want to claim their first NBA title in OKC then they are going to have to figure out a way to shut down Lebron and score in differet ways against the Heat. Not totally saying the Thunder are the clear cut favorite to make the NBA Finals in the West as the Spurs and Clippers are playing championship caliber basketball as well but the Thunder are the most explosive, young, star powered team in the West. The Thunder will need to just play consistent winning basketball in the seond half to secure the divison and hopefully secure home field throughout the playoffs for a better chance to beat the Heat.

Thunder take care of Business against Suns 97-69

Well that was no surprise, the Thunder took care of the Phoenix Suns Sunday night 97-63 and really this one was never really close. The Thunder got off to a good start holding the lead throughout the whole entire game with a career high game in points for Thabo Sefelosha who had 20 points. Kevin Martin did not play due to injury so Sefelosha stepped it up with his offensive and oblviously his great defensive play. Westbrook had a great night with 24 points and 6 assists and did a terrific job at shutting down Goran Dragic who only had 6 points so Westbrook did his job including a 1st half buzzer beater 3. He did not get out of control, kept his turnovers down and made good decisions which is key for the Thunders deep playoff run. Kevin Durant had a solid game with 18 points but did not play most of the 4th quarter when the Thunder had a 30 point lead. Liggins did a good job coming in for Sefelosha notching 7 points off the bench. The Thunder and Suns just are not on the same level so this game was of no surprise to most who watched it. Morain Gortat was shut down again by Ibaka and Perkins finishing with only 6 points. None of the Suns scorers could get any rhythm going at all as the Thunder just weren't letting up all game. The Thunder look ahead to Tuesday when they take on the Utah Jazz in Utah. The Jazz currently stand at 7th place and would face the Thunder in the playoffs if they started today. Key for the Thunder is to shut down Alshon Jeffery and make the Jazz make shots from the perimeter.

 

Thunder defeat Suns Friday Night

The Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns  friday night 127-96 thanks to a rare offensive performance by center Kendrick Perkins who racked up 17 points and 9 rebounds. The Suns kept it close early evening up the score at 33 but when the second half rolled around, the Thunder ran away with it. 5 Thunder players finished with double digit points including a season high for Thabo Sefelosha who had 18 points. Durant put up his usual 21 points and Westbrook had 17 points and 6 assists. The Thunder's bench was terrific with Kevin Martin having 16 points and also a great showing from the young guns such as Perry Jones who in the end of the game had 3 monster dunks. For the Suns they just could not generate enough offense to keep up with the Thunder and thats been the problem for most teams this year that face the Thunder. Center Marcin Gortat only had 2 points in one attempted shot the whole game so the Thunder big men in Serge Ibaka and Perkins did their job on the veteran big man. The Thunder will again face the Suns Sunday night at 8:00 ET in a home and home matchup that will wrap up the series between these two teams. For the Thunder don't let the Suns fans get into the game, keep the pace at your speed which these Suns won't be able to keep up with without a big time scorer on their team. Westbrook will need to shutdown Goran Dragic and not let him slip into the paint which he is known for doing a very good job at. If the Thunder can have another impressive offensive outing by either Ibaka and Perkins, they should get a easy win on Sunday.

Thunder defeats Golden State Warriors

The Thunder defeated the Golden State Warriors Wednsday night and what started off as a fast pace high scoring game...well ended like it. The Thunder kept the temp fast all game and scored most of their points in the paint. Kendrik Perkins looked like an elite center grabbing 11 rebounds and 6 points while Durant and Westbrook did their usual stellar play with Durant having 25 pts and Westbrook with 22. Durant and Westbrook are starting to get very gritty this year showing a lot of toughness with their physical play and also mouths. Kevin Durant who said "No more mister nice guy" has been nothing but the opposite of nice when it comes to plays with the refs. He has had a boat load of technicals this month and this week told reporters on his technicals that "I just need to shut up". Kevin Martin was stellar scoring 21 points off the bench draining 3 after 3 after 3. Reggie Jackson is the guy I want to focus on most in this game recap, he had 12 points and 6 points off the bench. If Jackson can keep up this great consistent play it could be the difference if the Thunder win the big one this year. The Thunder have not had a quality backup for Westbrook since Maynor tore his ACL last year 8 games into the year and just wasn't the same this year. The Warriors played pretty good against the Thunder for what they are as clearly the Thunder are on a completely different level then they are. Harrison Barnes led them with 19 points and has been one of the best young players in the NBA this year. The Thunder stand at 37-12 and are 1.5 games back from the Spurs for the first place in the west coming close to the all star break. The Thunder meet up with the Phoenix Suns friday night and the Thunder would like to keep their winning ways going headed into the all star break. By the way Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook need to entertain all us basketball fans and join the dunk contest so we get some decent talent in the competition this year.