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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