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.