Video: Serge Ibaka and KD prepping for the dunk contest

@anonymous
I used to get offended when we first got the team, but we have established ourselves as not only a legit team, but a legit big league city. Anything anyone else says now is just hating.

@Sammy
NBA monastery nice

@Sammy
Oklahomans have a ridiculous inferiority complex. Its pretty embarrassing.

@Sammy
i'm not that insulted, i have to drive by the damn dog food place every day and i know how bad it smells, haha. i get to hear digs on oklahoma every time i talk to my brother, so it gets really old. he lives in kansas btw, not sure how he's talking down on oklahoma.

@gr8ball83
okay, thanks for letting me know. okay, i just changed it.

@gr8ball83
Yeah, they are. It's supposed to be pretty sweet. I'm sure it'll be pretty sweet. I guess my point is I think it's weird how fans from OKC are offended every time they hear about how small/remote their market is. It's not an insult, guys, it's okay.

@TempBoy Brandon
yeah i can't tell what it is either

@Sammy
ha! okay, good feedback. definitely not weird eyes. :)

http://www.nba.com/thunder/promotions/practicefacility_webcam_0910.html

@Sammy
aren't they building a new multi-million dollar practice facility somewhere? i thought that was part of the arena renovation tax and that the skating rink place was temporary?

@TempBoy Brandon
It looks like weird eyes to me and I'm guessing that's not what it is... so yeah, probably too small.

@gr8ball83
But... we do practice in a converted roller rink across from a dog food factory. I think it's actually kind of cool that OKC is the place where ball players go that want to focus purely on basketball. It's like an NBA monastery.

Simmons did talk about how ridiculously hard we practice, he said he watched us practice once, and asked someone if they really practice that hard all the time, and was told that they do, cus Russ and KD make them.

On a completely different note, can you guys tell what my avatar pic is, or is it too small?

@Sammy
you left out the part where Simmons asked Nick if there is such a thing as a million dollar house in Oklahoma, and brought up the converted skating rink they practice in, and the dog food factory.

@Sammy
That's actually really good to hear. Just the fact that they know these things and that they are working on them makes me feel much better. I believe they'll work hard on all these things and shore them up. Maybe this is all a blessing in disguise and we'll really start peaking around the playoffs. I think that's what we're all thinking/hoping, anyway.

And I do agree that the Hornets game was encouraging, despite the loss.

Just listened to the Collison segment on Simmons' podcast. Nice to see that the team's perception of itself jibes with ours. The team knows that right now we're too reliant on Russ to break down his man and make a play, or on KD to be too talented than his man. He saidt Lakers-like offensive execution is the end goal and what they're striving to achieve, but we're a long ways away. He also said the team knows we're not where we need to be defensively, and that right now they only play in spurts, usually in the fourth. He said that the NO game was encouraging even though they lost because they executed defensively for longer stretches than they have recently, which I agreed with. This is all super-obvious stuff to us, but it's nice to hear Nick acknowledge it.

Floppy Punch! :Fantastic acting. It’s like the DeNiro/Pacino restaurant scene from Heat.

One of my top 25 movies of all time. . . Classic!

@Lefty
It is true that winning the contest would amp up his exposure and his "star" quality. Thus, he might be able to make a bit more money from us. But it also comes with other benefits, not the least of which would be confidence for Serge himself.

@f5alcon
I'm with you 100% on Robinson and Howard. It was obvious from the get go that we were gonna see the big guy and the tiny guy. But I think if Serge makes it to the finals with Blake, they'll judge based on the dunks.

@TempBoy Brandon
maybe not as rigged as krypto-nate vs superman, but the players chosen are not the best aside from those 2.

Lets go Ibaka. Shut the haters up. Give Wilson Chandler a good show. 360 between the legs double pump 2 handed dunk.

@TempBoy Brandon
Don't most dunk contest winners end up getting pretty overpaid? I can't back that up. It just seems like we should want him to have a good showing and come in a close second or something. Economically.

@f5alcon
Yeah, i'm about 90% sure that Blake will win it, but I'm still hoping for a Serge upset. If Serge just does something ridiculous, there's no way they can ignore it. I don't think it's rigged, I just think everyone wants Blake to win it and everyone assumes Blake will win it. Of course, it'd be good for the NBA for marketing purposes, but I don't think it'll be rigged.

@TempBoy Brandon
i am, though i think it is rigged like everything else in the nba

@Mrs. Daily Thunder
of course serge may have told him that, as he owns one

http://www.dailythunder.com/2010/08/air-congo-approves-of-air-congo/

Just to be straight, we're all rooting for Serge, aren't we? I mean, I love Blake just as much as the next Okie, but Serge is our guy. I'd love for those two to be the finalists, and I'd be happy if either won it. But I'm 100% behind Serge.

@f5alcon

If I saw him you better believe I would tell him.

@anonymous
griffin will win its rigged for it to happen

anonymous :I’m afraid Serge is going to get the same treatment from the judges that Rudy Fernandez got as an int’l player in the dunk contest a couple of years back

I think Fernandez got clowned because of all the national pride he was displaying. Plus nobody really knows Martin.

@alexfromgermany
most people slammed it before they realized how front loaded it was.

Simmons just posted a podcast featuring nick collison. I wonder what he has to say after simmons slammed him when we gave him the extension

KD gave him good advice. Too often players go out looking terrified, throw down a decent dunk and no one cares. Gotta get the crowd on your side first.

I'm afraid Serge is going to get the same treatment from the judges that Rudy Fernandez got as an int'l player in the dunk contest a couple of years back

If that website wasn't a far left Commie-lovin America-hatin website, I would have bought it already and I'd be the coolest kid at the game.

@Floppy Punch!

Good find. Remember in Spain Ibaka was known as the flying/leaping panther. That Air Congo logo can easily be altered to go along with that idea.

I don't see why you can't make an Air Congo shirt without Serge's silhouette. I'd like it better that way anyway. It would pass as an ad for an African passenger or cargo airline except for those in the know.

I'm tempted to buy this shirt with the logo of an actual, now defunct, airline. I'd be really really cool.
http://www.redmolotov.com/catalogue/tshirts/all/air-congo-tshirt.html

But, I'd rather buy from DT.

@Floppy Punch!
haha! As a huge Pacino/Heat fan, I really appreciated that comment.

I love this video though. Our guys are so great. Like someone in the other thread said, they are cute. Don't care how that sounds.

Looked like KD was trying to teach him Jordan's dunk under the rim there....THAT would impress me. But I don't care who it comes from, I need to cop an air congo shirt!

@Mrs. Daily Thunder
it would be quite awesome if you actually told that to KD.

Dear KD,

We already had shirts. And they were awesome. We'd be happy to start printing them again. Let us know.

Mrs. DT

i doubt he can do it but if he did a vince carter under the leg dunk that would be awesome. I just hope the staples center has some extra backboards on hand, i want to see griffin rip one down.

Fantastic acting. It's like the DeNiro/Pacino restaurant scene from Heat.

"That's Amazing" could be your text message alert.