(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Ah, preseason overtime basketball. Nothing better. Except… everything. To recap quickly, the Thunder blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead, the game went to overtime and the backups backups came in and locked in a 110-105 Thunder victory.
The final score was nice and getting a win was fun but there are three very positive things to take from this one: Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and 3-point shooting.
First, Westbrook. How does a triple-double sound? It sounds pretty awesome, but Westbrook fell just short notching 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in three quarters. And only three turns including one coming off a rebound that bounced off his foot. He just looks like a whole new player. I loved the Russ from last year but gone are the hair-pulling moments. He’s in control and he plays smart. Two plays stood out: 1) With 1:15 left in the first, he took his time, split a double-team, went to the rack and scored two and was fouled. It was a patient, well calculated move. 2) With 3:30 left in the third, he got inside the lane, drew two defenders and slipped a beauty to Ibaka for a flush. A very slick play.
Next, Serge Ibaka. The man is a freak, a beast, a monster, a whatever-you-want-to-describe-him-as. His line may not blow you away – 10 points, six boards, one block – but he’s quickly stuffing Byron Mullens on the end of the bench and possibly buying his bus ticket to Tulsa. Ibaka runs the floor like a guard and tonight he showcased that rim protection we’ve all been dying to see. His block on Grant Hill in the second quarter wasn’t a block – it was a complete destruction of a shot. He got a piece of two of Amare Stoudemire’s shots, but was ticked for fouls. He goaltended twice but it was nice to see someone above the rim protecting it. I’m am quickly being convinced he doesn’t only deserve a roster spot, but a place in the rotation. He made some mistakes like a couple defensive three second calls and two moving screens, but he’s learning. Regardless, a great high energy performance. I foresee a Serge Ibaka jersey in my future. I’m officially in love.
Lastly, the outside shooting. Granted, it helps when Kevin Durant goes 5-5 from deep. But Thabo Sefolosha was 2-2. Jeff Green hit two. So maybe it wasn’t the “team” but a couple guys REALLY shot the ball well from the outside. And if that’s what it takes to not be last in the league in 3-point shooting, I’m for it. But for the most part, the team took smart shots and knocked them down, hitting 47.1 percent from the floor.
Not to be lost was a solid defensive effort. KD was his usual awesome self offensively (30 and 11 on 10-16 shooting), but I thought he played a solid defensive game. Etan Thomas provides a lot of muscle inside. Jeff Green did decent work on Amare Stoudemire. Russell Westbrook tormented Steve Nash. And Thabo was all over the passing lanes. There was a lot of talking, a lot of great rotating and any time you hold the Suns to 73 points through three quarters, it’s a solid night.
Brilliant, random thoughts:
- We’re one television game in and I am close to Van Gogh-ing both my ears. Enough Thunder Up. I can’t do a whole season of this. Please. For the children.
- Was it just me or did KD look really aggressive on the glass? It seemed like he was really snatching them up. He finished with a double-double and it just looked like he was really going after it hard on the boards. If he does that all year, he can absolutely be a 9-10 rebound a game guy.
- Let me just say, I’m not really a fan of Russ’s mohawky thing. But if that’s what it takes for him to play the way he had lately, then by all means.
- Kevin Durant finished with a +24. WHAT NOW PLUS MINUSES?
- But he also finished with seven turnovers. What now buzzkill?
- Obviously you’re not psyched about five straight turnovers in the last three minutes of the fourth. The backups were on the floor, but geez, the meltdown was bad.
- Hey you guys! Did you know Rumble was the 2009 Mascot of the Year? I KNOW!
- No Byron Mullens tonight. He’ll likely get some more chances in the last four preseason games, but it appears Serge Ibaka has distanced himself a little in that competition.
- Ahhh, another year of Brian Davis and “triggering,” “triggered” and “triggers.” If you asked me what I’d rather kibosh, Thunder Up or all forms of “trigger,” I’d have to go pack my things, head to Nepal, spends three weeks eating grubs and drinking ditch water, live with a Shaolin monk, find nirvana and then hopefully come back with my answer. Because it’s that hard of a question.
Did not play
Ryan Bowen (coach’s decision), Michael Ruffin (coach’s decision), Tre Kelley (coach’s decision), Byron Mullens (coach’s decision), Nenad Krstic (coach’s decision), Nick Collison (ankle).
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
If there’s one thing to not be fired up about, it was James Harden’s game and the execution late. He scored just five points on 3-12 shooting in 29 minutes. And when he was THE offensive threat on the floor late, he wasn’t able to take over and get his unit to put the ball in the basket. He did play a bit better in the extra period, but he hasn’t been the efficient scorer we’ve expected quite yet. I’m thinking it’s just early career jitters as he hit just 5 of 9 from the line and he’s typically a very good free throw shooter.
Oh, and it wasn’t awesome blowing a 17-point fourth quarter lead. Nothing to be too worried about because obviously we know who was on the floor, but at the same time, Phoenix didn’t come back with Stoudemire and Nash. They came back with Earl Clark and Alando Tucker. I could’ve gone without that. And without the overtime.
A win for the Thunder which is always better than a loss. Next up is Miami Oct. 14 at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
i wasn't even at the game, but after reading about the 'thunder up' chant, i hate it as well. can't we just cheer?
I wathched the game on TV. Anyone else notice that Mo Cheeks looked like that guy at the party that doesn't know anyone? He sort of wandered around outside the huddle with a lost look on his face. It was kind of unnerving.
Oh and put me down for some Ibaka love as well. I'll take goaltending once in a while just to see him above the rim swattin it away.
If you lose Durant, you lose your best offensive threat. But, you can make it up on defense by shifting Thabo to the 3 and bringing in Weaver or Harden at the 2. Or you could shift Green down to the 3 and bring in an extra big like Collison or Ibaka.
But if you lose Westbrook, you lose the team's motor. He seems to be really running the offense well, and he is a way better defender than Ollie or Livingston.
If I had to chose which player to sit down for a few games (and only a few games), I think it would be a tough call... maybe Durant.
@f5alcon
Wish I could remember my seat assignment (didn't pick the seats and didn't sit there last night)... but down in front row of 323.
Like you, I really like the versatility Presti has put together. Brooks has a lot of tools and it looks like he will be experimenting a bit with Durant at shooting guard.
Like I said previously, my favorite lineup of the night was RW,KD,Green,Ibaka and Thomas. And I think Ibaka has enough interior presence that you could pull Thomas, add Kirstic's jump shot and really force teams to keep pace on offense. If you want to clamp down a bit more, you bring in Thabo and Thomas or Collison, and sit Durant or Green and Kirstic.
And I have to say, I can't think of a single scenario in which I would prefer to sit Westbrook down in favor of another player. Neither Ollie nor Livingston add anything that Russ lacks. He is the only starter on the roster that really HAS to be on the court for the team to have success. In that respect, he might just be the most valuable player on the team.... I mean who would you rather get hurt, Durant or Westbrook?
Harden just looked like a Rookie. It was clear the game has not slowed down for him yet. His mind is still playing college ball while pro's are running circles around him. He'll get it, it just will take a month or so.
Serge's Block on Hill... who's going to make the animated GIF?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFsF5KUmFoo
@B-RY
im in 323 also.
ibaka is a beast, should be backup center by midseason, we have such a versatile lineup, can go big with livingston,durant,green,ibaka,krstic or small westbrook, ollie, livingston, durant, collison. Even if we have bad defense we should be able to outscore teams, i mean we basically outran phoenix for 3 quarters. Our bench has weapons now too, white and harden give the 2nd team scoring so it wont be build a lead, lose a lead all the time.
I really hope Ibaka stays on the Thunder for the season. I think he needs to get playing time against real competition. I think he will learn from playing against Amare, Dirk, and the like. I would like to have a nice record this season, but I think developing Ibaka is very important. Plus this next draft is supposed to be good, so another lottery pick and a big free agent pick up next season should move us into playoff contention. Why not just see what we have this season and get Serge some playing time.
Maybe if "Thunder Up" is annoying enough people, we should message the OKC Thunder feed on Twitter to try and get it taken away... although it might be too late at this point.
thunder up kills me!! i was at the game... the scoreboard is amazing! ibakka made me giggle several times... but man they need to ditch the thunder up.
I know it's nothing to worry about, but I can't help but get incredibly annoyed when I see stuff like this.
On Henry Abbott's TrueHoop post about Sonicsgate, someone in the comments section claimed that one of his friends, who knows Earl Watson, claims that Earl said that the other players can't wait to ditch OKC.
I know there's no truth to it, and you shouldn't take an anonymous internet source who claims their friend knows a former player seriously... But these disgrunted Sonics fans really get under my skin for some reason. Such irrational hatred at our CITY really gets my goat. Feel free to hate Bennett, McClendon, Schultz, etc.--but stop pouring hate on the great Thunder fans in OKC.
I can't wait until Seattle gets another team... This fixation on OKC is getting a bit tiring.
I expect to see this sign made sometime during the season by someone...
http://tinyurl.com/ykbu4x6
I think Serge will become a fan favorite if he gets the minutes during the regular season so the average fan can see what he brings to the table.
A couple other things that might not have come through on TV that I forgot to mention:
While Durant was out at the end of the game, he really took on the role of team leader. He and Green stood up through the entire 4th and OT periods. It was nice to see.
Kyle Weaver and James Harden bicker a lot... a LOT! Harden failed to step towards a pass from Weaver, who subsequently rolled his eyes and proceeded to bitch him out... and not in a coach/mentor sort of way.... more like the annoying younger brother kind of way. Looks like Weaver might not be taking too kindly to his new competition.
@Floppy Punch!
That musical chairs had me laughing before it started. You could tell with those giant blow-up chairs that some kid was going to go flying. First round? Yup.. chair and kid rolling sideways.
The game was great, and I'll take five extra minutes for free as long as we win. More bang for the buck!
As the game tightened up at the end something I thought was impressive was the bench. KD and a couple others were on their feet yelling and cheering on. KD was up the entire last 10 minutes. Guess he didn't get that memo about staying seated, and I'm glad he doesn't care. It shows his passion for this team.
I wonder if Durant had a chip on his shoulder for this game... He was amazing and his third quarter performance was just great.
I noticed that on (at least the second, if not the first) Ibaka's goaltending was most definitely not goaltending. The ball was clearly going up, but I can see how the refs have to make a quick judgment call. Ibaka is going to be great if he continues to play like this. He's a great defensive presence and always seems to be active.
Overall, this was a good game for our first team. Hopefully Harden gets settled in, but Thabo looked good tonight. RW is looking great too. His play at the 1 so far has me extremely excited for the regular season.
@Floppy Punch!
I'm almost convinced he gassed...
I was disappointed in our 2009 mascot of the year. He lost in a game of musical chairs to a little girl. She was like eight! You gotta block those little ones out or they'll squirt right past you.
Todd :Durant just looked like Durant, which is another way of saying we may already be starting to take this incredibly gifted, hard-working young man for granted. At least as a player. He goes off for 30 points, hitting 3-pointers like they’re layups and seemingly scores at will from anywhere on the floor, and we just nod our heads and say “of course, what did you expect?” A few years ago we were treated to something extra special when Chris Paul came to town. It’s the same with Durant. I hope we never really do take him for granted.
Great comment! I think you've hit the moneyball with Durant being taken for granted. Durant's stats last night were amazing, but Westbrook was named player of the game.
@Todd
That last part is just downright Lovecraftian. Just terrifying, man. I'm now dreading my tickets to opening night against Sacremento, for fear of becoming some mindless Thunder shell.
Watched the game last night and wow.
Thabo has been my favorite player, basically since he came over from Chicago, and last night just confirmed how right I've been. He looked awesome. All up in the passing lanes and flying around like he always does. Plus, the one thing we said he needed to work on? Three from the corner? He's just the greatest. *swoon*
The guys who will probably be the main rotation players, or at least compete for it, looked pretty darn good last night. They've looked pretty good all three games so far, but tonight even more so. They looked something else as well - comfortable, and awfully confident. A full season under Brooks, or most of one, along with a full training camp and also finally being settled into a new city, is starting to show results. The whole team chemistry thing gets a lot of attention with this bunch, to the point you begin to wonder if it's being overdone. Then you see them on the court playing like they were last night. It's not overdone.
On Ibaka, it's obvious he'll be spending a lot of time in the D-league this season. (Just kidding.) Beware the Beast Under the Basket! King Congo, baby! (Think I read that nickname on here over the summer.)
On Westbrook, I'm beginning to think those classes he took over the summer were called, "Advanced Point Guard Concepts." Goodness sakes, he looks like he's been running the point guard position for years instead of year. I'm okay with the Mohawk look, except the back part looks a little ragged, but if this is how he plays the point guard spot, he can wear a fright wig on the floor and I'm good with it.
Durant just looked like Durant, which is another way of saying we may already be starting to take this incredibly gifted, hard-working young man for granted. At least as a player. He goes off for 30 points, hitting 3-pointers like they're layups and seemingly scores at will from anywhere on the floor, and we just nod our heads and say "of course, what did you expect?" A few years ago we were treated to something extra special when Chris Paul came to town. It's the same with Durant. I hope we never really do take him for granted.
And is it okay if I still get all warm and fuzzy when I think to myself, we have an NBA team in Oklahoma City? Too bad if so. Because I still do. The new ain't worn off yet for me.
As for Thunder Up, I tried to warn everyone. I raced through the city calling out, "Thunder Up is coming! Thunder Up is coming!" but to no avail. And so the screaming begins.
The worst part? I've gone over to the Dark Side, and now actually enjoy the chant. It has this hideous, moth-to-the-flame effect, drawing you in even as you try to cover your ears and pull away. But it's no use. Resistance is futile. So are ear plugs. Trust me.
@Shaun
I e-mailed them last week, and I'm willing to do so again. Are you guys up for that?
I've said it before, but Serge Ibaka reminds me a lot of a young Shawn Kemp.
I just got back from the game and thought I'd let you know how delicious my food was. I had seen a picture from Royce's media day tour of a food stand with huge slabs of meat being rotated, so I searched it out and got a gyro, which was totally worth $7 and was absolutely delicious. My dad got the ham sandwich with some sweet BBQ sauce and he thought it was awesome as well. In case anyone wants to check it out, I think it's called the Bistro and it's at gate 110.
Oh, and the new scoreboard is equivalent to going from black-and-white to color...It's amazing and completely enhances the enjoyability of the Kiss Cam...
Harden will get there folks. He's yet to play a real NBA game remember. Let the guy be a rookie. He's in control, handles well, doesn't turn it over, looks for his teammates. Maybe he hasn't found his role as a scorer just yet. He's a rookie. He's allowed some time to adjust to a new role in a new league.
Ibaka was all over the court, and I loved the shotblocking he brings. I don't care if half of them are goal tending calls. Make the opposing team face the fact that their shot is being contested every time down the floor. He'll change shots, and change the game. Ibaka is a game changer. Soon as he adjusts, he'll be a BEAST.
I love the new Russell. It's better than I expected by a mile. So far.
Realize though, we gave up that lead with no 5 on the floor. White had to play the 5, Thabo had to play the 4, Livingston played the 3. Harden and Ollie were the only two that played their natural position, and Ollie is an offensive liability really, since he poses no scoring threat whatsoever. But 3 of those guys were playing one position up from where they normally should. When 4 guys on the floor play their best at the 1 or the 2, you expect there to be some uncomfortable confusion about how to execute.
There's no way that lineup is on the floor in a real game for long. It's preseason, guys need some burn.
I parked myself 10 rows up at mid court tonight, with my season tickets from 323, and really got a nice view of the game.
Ibaka...wow! From what I saw tonight he is already better than White (who looked lost at times) and seemed to play really well next to Etan Thomas... who he is also better than.
Green really played well tonight, and he looks like he has put on some weight. He did a nice job on Amarie defensively, but not quite as well as Ibaka IMO.
My favorite stretch tonight was in the third quarter when the had Russ, KD, Green, Ibaka and Thomas on the floor.... man I enjoyed that... Phoenix didn't. They also had some interesting smaller sets, with Russ, Harden, Thabo, Durant and, crap, can't remember. So Durant got quite a bit of time at the 2 and 4 tonight...
Last thought: Harden has a long way to go if he want's Thabo's job. He looked hesitant and uncomfortable the entire game, and he's a step too slow on defense against faster guards. I'm pretty sure that every guard the suns played was able to blow by Harden on the baseline. Late in the game when Brooks was clearly forcing him to be "the guy" he just looked freaked out. I'm sure it will come with time. He did show some flashes of offense off the dribble and made a few nice defensive plays... but he's no Thabo.
(which is exactly what that chant is doing)
@MartzMimic
Dang it...I was really hoping they'd have stats visible at all times...Very disappointing...
Oh and THUNDER UP SUCKS...It pretty much sounds like we're chanting "Gay it Up"
I was also at the game, and hated the Thunder UP chants. I refused to partake because A. It was stupid, and B. I'm not sure what "Thunder UP" really means... Either way, we gotta put the kibosh on that one
During one of the breaks, they had large guys on tricycles. I wanted to stand up and start singing, "Fat guy on a little coat."
The scoreboard is freakin' awesome, though I could never find assists, rebounds, etc. Maybe they'll have them on the auxiliary boards onc e the regular season gets here, but they just showed scores from around the league tonight.
Say it with me now!
Thun-der Up! Thun-der Up! Thun-der.. Up... ... Thun...
My defining moment for Westbrook tonight was when there was a whistle and a time out, he got kind of hung up with a Suns player (really harmless) and he gave a MEAN stare to that guy that said don't Effin' touch me. That's our PG baby!
Another note: Miami just ran the ball in for a TD with :10 left and no TOs. "You play to win the game" folks.
@RH
Great stuff. And agreed about the Suns and Taylor. Very classy.
It was a classy move by the Suns to start Taylor Griffin. I don't want to be the guy who always talks about the Griffins (there were plenty of people going crazy over him tonight) but I thought it was a nice move.
I went to the game tonight and yes, I agree, the Thunder Up slogan is brutal. They used it as a chant - the same cadence we used last year for "Go Thunder Go," and you could hear the crowd collectively cringing.
The whole game-experience was much improved tonight. For starters, they revamped their entire soundtrack, so we get to hear something besides the same 5 songs the whole night. Secondly, they didn't give away random gift cards and t-shirts for all of the promos - they gave away TICKETS. Which was great. So props for that.
Ibaka is awesome. Royce, you might have a crush on him, but you'll have to get past Jay Bilas first. Ibaka is exactly the type of player that Bilas falls in love with: long, athletic, gives a great effort, and has a reasonably high ceiling. They had Harden jerseys and j-shirts tonight, but I think you might have to wait some for Serge.
Last thought. I realize we were void of our best weapons at the end of the game, but neither Livingston nor Ollie looked like they knew how to run an offense. It was brutal, and wasn't encouraging for the future of the surprisingly-important-backup-PG-role. But maybe I shouldn't complain. At least Earl Watson wasn't out there tonight.
@Za6
Also at the game... EVERYONE in my section was cringing at all the Thunder up crap. We need an email campaign to stop this now.
And I love Ibaka!
I agree 100% about Thunder Up. I was so embaressed.
@za6
It was bearable at first, but already after one game, it's too much.
Ibaka looked great, from the couple of quarters I watched. Blocked shots, altered shots, put back offensive rebounds... He even displayed some nice shooting touch down low with his back to the basket. If he plays half this well in the regular season, I think you can mark down another fantastic draft pick from Presti. Also, is it too early to say that Russ could record 10 triple-doubles if he plays this well all year?
And of course, it was great to finally see the Thunder back in the Ford Center on TV, didn't realize how much I missed watching them on a regular basis. Bring on the regular season.
I was at the game. Somehow, this Thunder Up thing has got to be stopped. It's torture already.
I know it is preseason but I don't like the fact that KD had 7 to's. To me that is the 2nd thing he needs to work on most (after defense). Over all it looked like the Suns were ready to go home and the Thunder looked excited to play at home. Man we looked good!!! Off to stalk Ibaka now.