If you’ve been looking for a rivalry for the Thunder, you might be able to call off the search party. Between the hard fouls, the trash talk and the obvious dislike between Oklahoma City and the Heat, there’s something brewing.
There’s a natural rivalry already installed just because of the Kevin Durant – LeBron James dynamic. LeBron the evil antagonist, KD the saintly protagonist. Plus, they’re maybe one and two in the pecking order of NBA superstars. Then you have Big 3 vs. Big 3, KD’s comments about Chris Bosh last season and Perk calling out LeBron’s tweeting and then kicking Dwyane Wade in the face.
As if that wasn’t enough, Udonis Haslem threw a little gas into fire. Via the Sun Sentinel:
“I think sometimes people just use the TVs and the cameras and the crowd, you know, to put on a show,” Haslem said of Perkins. “I don’t think he’s all that he shows out there on the court. I think anybody can be a tough guy with a thousand people watching on TV and referees who call fouls and stop the game and different things like that. I don’t see him being any tough guy that he puts on the show to be, at all.”
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“If we were playing at the park, I don’t think he’d be doing all that.”
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“I voiced my opinion a little bit. Not entitled to say what I said last night, but I got a little bit off my chest. Where I’m from, all the talking and playing like that, if some point it comes to a situation where you’ve got to back it up, he’s never had to back it up, because obviously referees always step in.”
I find Haslem’s comments to be funny, because what’s he asking for here, another Malice at the Palace? Is he daring Perk to hit him? And I mean come on, does he really think Perk wouldn’t back it up off the court? I mean, really?
Obviously most of this comes from Perk’s hard foul on Wade, which he was flagged for his 12th technical. (Which was also a completely ridiculous reputation tech.) And then there was the hard flagrant from Russell Westbrook as well as what seemed like endless trash talk between the two sides.
Wade said this last night, likely in reference to Durant calling Bosh out last season:
“We’re not fake tough guys, we’re not TV thugs. We go out and play basketball. When it’s time to get into the fight, we have a lot of guys who can get into it.”
Says the tough guy that was wheeled off the court in a wheelchair for a shoulder injury…
(Note: I’m saying that not as a fake tough guy, but a not at all tough guy. If Wade so much as raised an eyebrow at me, I’d need to be taken off in a wheelchair out of fear.)
But anyway, shots fired. These teams don’t like each other much, which is the best way to have it. The Thunder have built some animosity between a few teams like the Nuggets, Grizzlies and Mavericks, but none of those really felt like they could evolve into a full-fledged rivalry. It appears we’re on the path to Heat-Thunder possibly turning into one.
All we need is a Finals showdown to seal it.
Nice Video...With Sharing..
Haslem is a clown. Perk has a family thug. Come at him with grown man shit. Can't wait to take it in 5. Baby! Let's GO!
Listen, Thunder players are God men. Not one of them is anything less. Again, they are men, not boys. Men don't listen to boy-talk; men give boys the hand. Let the Heat talk to the Hand. Let the hand fix it; when our men raise their hands: watch out, it begins to thunder. Do you know where thunder comes from? Look up: it comes from above. Nobody can stop it: Go Thunder!!! godtalk@tessiesimmons.org
I mean Brandon Bass just kind of torched the Heat....Ibaka could be HUGE in this series.
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@JMattHicks The 90's were too physical though. It was just a bunch of guys hand checking and knocking the crap out of each other. Then the scores would be 77-72 etc. Not fun.
I think the funniest thing about this is that Haslem thinks that only a thousand people are watching on television.
Interesting last year we were 27-14 when we hit 14 losses in a 82 game season. This year we are 40-14 in a 66 game season. Wow!
@OkcBaby Interesting too . . . many people probably felt better about the 27-14 then than they do about the 40-14 now. I suppose it's the difference between the everything-to-gain mindset and the everything-to-lose perspective.
@ThunderChick2010 @OkcBaby Yeah but that was a fundamentally different team as well right? Jeff Green was our starting power forward for most or all of that.
@Old Man Game @OkcBaby right
I feel a win streak coming. Lets go Thunder!
Had to join the Avi crew:) Does it need a explanation
@OkcBaby Damn you! I said everyone but you and Lost Ones!
@dancassidy35 Thanks for the advice. Got to Rep E Mayn
I'm going to do my avatar pic after I see who wins the Masters on Sunday. If Tiger wins..I'm going with a Tiger's Wood theme, if not, maybe something along a Will Ferrell or Super Dave concept. I have a question for TChick..if I do decide to use the Tiger's Wood pic I won't be in violation of website rules and decorum, right? Talk to me.
@El Prez Ha ha . . . can't decide if you're making fun of me
@El Prez Okay, I had to look back. It was a welcome-like from JMattHicks, one of the livefyre guys who doesn't post here regularly. The first among our group were from Old Man Game, yehoshuagardner, Thunderbeard, and "1 more". I guess "1 more" would be my real first, but I can't see the name.
@El Prez Thanks for the kind words, El Prez. People who think guys on average are insensitive and unemotional just aren't talking sports with them. Of course, "on average" doesn't apply to you guys anyway. :)
@RussianThunder @El Prez and your fourth :)
@El Prez
she gave me mine too
TChick--that surprises me you can't remember your first like. Maybe guys have become more sensitive than women. It doesn't surprise me in reading through this that you and Daniel have this connective energy. Your both two of my favorites on here. Daniel--I envy you...living in Hawaii. I've been to Hawaii four times in my life. What a wonderful place. Have you ever gone snow skiiing on the big island? Most people don't realize there's a place in Hawaii where you can actually ski somewhat.
@ThunderChick2010 Ahh... fitting. I give more props to you for being up because it was 3am your time when the news came down. It was only 11pm for me. Good thing you were up though, or else I wouldn't have had any other Thunder fans to celebrate with!
@Daniel Hawaii At Last - Etta James
@ThunderChick2010 Shoot, I can't remember. What was it?
@Daniel Hawaii Royce was kind enough to provide music for the moment. Do you remember our song? (no peeking)
@ThunderChick2010 Haha, you remembered! We did share that special moment together, didn't we? =)
@Daniel Hawaii @El Prez I really can't remember my first like (not sure what that says about my character) but I DO remember the only other dt person--besides RY--awake in the wee hours of a November morning to cheer the end of the lockout. :)
@Daniel Hawaii @El Prez a special moment in a young DTers life
@El Prez "You gave me my first like on here. A guy never forgets something like that." This is too funny.
TChick, thank you for your candor. I just wasn't totally sure. You do a nice job on here--I would never make fun of you. I'll try a different avatar pic.
@El Prez Okay, still not sure . . . but an avatar based on a porn theme? If decorum is your objective, I think I'd go another direction. :)
No, not at all. You gave me my first like on here. A guy never forgets something like that. You busted my cherry per se on the Daily Thunder. i just don't want to get in trouble on here. I referred to Bayless as the 'Altar of Vulva' on another website and got in trouble. Is that crosssing the line on here?
other then its not showing up
@OkcBaby there we go all better
If we hadn't of traded up for Cole, we could've picked Avery Bradley @18, traded 21 in 2010, the rj pick last year & this year's late 1st to a surefire lottery team like Sacramento, & then drafted Thomas Robinson or Kidd-Gilcrest this year. Seems simple enough - quit sleeping at the wheel Presti.
@Wanderer 1. This doesn't make sense. 2. Who are these rookies playing ahead of?
@Wanderer Seriously? Even the worst GM in the league wouldn't trade a lottery pick this year for bunch of scrubs and late picks
@ILikePancakes But the trade would've been made 2-yrs ago, too many variables for this year's draft strength to be projected then. Even if it is, Sacramento probably would think they'd have improved by now so this years pick wouldn't be a high lottery in their minds so three 1sts for one, 2-yrs in the future probably seems logical for them at the time. We oughta float the same sort of deal this year, our 1sts in 12, 13, & 14 for golden state's 1st in 2014? Bet they'd take it.
I actually like this alot, high risk - high reward potential. "Honey, get Sam on the phone for me, thanks".
@moriarty84 @ILikePancakes Alright, how bout Cole and our 1sts in 12 & 14 for GS's 1st in 14? Minimal handcuffing there. Plus no self-respecting franchise is going to believe they'll be in the bottom 3, 2-yrs in the future but our educated bet would be on their continued futility.
@Wanderer @ILikePancakes First, you can't trade consecutive picks (ie your first in 2012 and 2013). Second, no team with a legitimate shot at a top-3 pick is going to take two late first round picks for their first. You won't get much for a late first, and at the same time, you don't want to be handcuffing your future by trading away multiple future picks.
As much as i would love for Russ to just smack the taste out of Chalmers, Perkins just pummle the shit out of Wade, and eat him. Then see Ibaka snap Boshs body and half, then give his "i just kiled a lion with my hands roar", i understand why they don't. The Thunder want an image of "being the sweet kids", but honestly every now and then the "sweet kids" kinda get annoyed of all the trash talk, and will beat the bully up pretty bad.
Why all the sudden did the Dallas Mavs finally win an NBA championship last season? I'll tell you why--because Mark Cuban finally went out and got him a big nasty named Tyson Chandler. Same deal with Artest with the Lakers. Same deal with Rodman with the Bulls. Same deal with multiple enforcers emeshed in Celtic lore--not just Perk. Presti brought Perk on board because this team needs a little nasty and some snarl. I thought the light elbow contact with Wade's face was much overblown. We need to see more plays like that and not just from Perk.
If your goal is to win the championship, pissing off Perk so bad so that he misses every other game due to technicals seems like a good formula to make that happen. There might be more to this than meets the eye.
@The_Beard_Knows So it seems Perk has never actually had to serve even one suspension for technicals despite having been to the brink at least twice . . . This tells me he can dial it down when he needs to:
http://newsok.com/thunder-notebook-kendrick-perkins-has-been-here-before-on-technicals/article/3651821
For the person asking for people to make avatars, I decided to make one. I put a sombrero on James, bc I was in mexico for the WCF last year and the spanish announcer kept calling Harden, "Jimmy Harden". I would lose it every time he would say "Jimmy Harden tres!!!!!". So there you go, thats the story of my avatar.
BTW, so Haslem is calling out Perk for just talking and "acting: tough on the court.... by just talking and "acting" tough in a newspaper. Hmmmmm.
@Jimmy Harden That's awesome. I can just hear it now "JIMMY HARDEN TRES!" You should make that entire line your name.
@Old Man Game @Jimmy Harden
Its true, they do call him Jimmy. Sometimes they call KD spiderman.
@ElMexiThunder @Old Man Game @Jimmy Harden that's awesome
The Heat talking...what else is new?
Meanwhile the Thunder players are just talking about improving after a tough loss and getting ready for the next game. I'd hope if asked about this tomorrow they won't comment. Just give a "we've moved on from that game and are focused on Indiana" response.
IMO, all this talking shows is that the Thunder are in the Heat players' heads.
@ThunderUp12 No--I don't agree. Screw with their heads a little. Make sure the national media is aware of these sissy Heat players flopping and diving all over the floor everytime they play OKC. Maybe the clueless ESPN ferret will pickup on this angle and give the Westbrook stalking a 24 hour break.