Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images
SCOTT BROOKS
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Sun, sand, stars. Yep, Los Angeles has it all and no one in the Thunder organization wants any part of going back there till sometime next season.
They can avoid that fate by closing out the Lakers tonight inside Chesapeake Energy Arena and that is precisely what they plan to do.
“We know that it is always tough to close out a team, especially one that has Championship DNA and one that has a guy named Kobe on their team, he’s not gonna wanna give up and just give us the game,” said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.
However, the Lakers did exactly that (give up) when faced with elimination last season against Dallas. The Mavs blew out the Lakers. In fact the last two times L.A. has been faced with elimination in the playoffs they were blown out. Over their history when the Lakers started a playoff series down 0-2 they lost almost every one of them (2-17) so it would appear things are lining up for the Thunder.
Though Brooks is certainly not ready to chalk up a win tonight he doesn’t plan to change much of anything in how his team will play the Lakers.
“I think we just stick with our game plan, with what we’ve done,” he said, “and just get better at it. We’ll make a few adjustments, nothing major because I don’t think you need to do that, not because we’re up 3-1 but because I think you have to stick with what you do well and what’s worked to put you in this position.”
At least Brooks will not have to make any adjustments to his starting lineup. Both Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins have been dealing with strained hip muscles. Perk’s injury occurred back in the Dallas series and Russ slipped on the Staples Center floor on Saturday night. Brooks says both players were full go at this morning’s shoot-around.
“Yes everybody’s good, healthy going into tonight, we’re ready to go.”
Even though this is a close-out game the coaching staff and players will not change their approach as they get ready for tonight’s tip-off.
“I don’t think we’re gonna change our focus or our mentality,” Brooks said, “it’s always been take care of the game tonight and don’t worry about anything else. Play in the moment. When you’re in that other situation (the one the Lakers are staring at) it’s either you win or you go home and I’m sure they’re gonna come out and give us their best shot. They’ve got the experience they’ve got the Championship background and nobody wants to end their season tonight.”
The Thunder however, would LOVE to end this series tonight because like we said at the beginning despite all the sun, sand and stars of LA-LA Land no one in the Thunder organization wants to fly back there anytime soon.
NOTES
- The Thunder has produced a turnover turnaround in the playoffs. During the regular season OKC led the league by averaging 16.3 givebacks a game. In the playoffs that number is down to 10.5 and that’s the best in the league. During this series with the Lakers the number is even better as the Thunder has averaged just 8.3 turnovers a game.
- No doubt now that Kevin Durant is King Clutch in the NBA. In the last 24 seconds of close games (five points) KD is 10-for-23 (43.7 percent) on potential game-tying or game-winning shots. That’s by far the best in the NBA. Derrick Rose and Chris Paul are second with five.
- The Thunder is holding playoff opponents to just 24 percent shooting in crunch time of close games.
Randy Renner has covered Oklahoma sports for 30 years and contributes to NBA.com.
game thread up
Man, oh man, DT sure did grew in the last 1.5 years...
and out of the west~ came a monstrous storm, It had 3 heads, but also many many more, There was THUNDER, lightning, and something in store, for the unwilling victims, who blocked their destined door,
poem by Legendary :D
Raise your hand if you object to me posting video of the most intense vulgar pregame speech ever in the pregame thread later along with my regular doings
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@WhoSpurinyourcherrios bring back fletch
@OBoymuzik Dude i dont know who the heck fletch is nor do i care. I really am a Spurs fan. I lke you guys but that doesn't mean i don't think your all bandwagon rednecks. Nor that you guys took the Thunder. However ive always hated everyone from cali and up so. Im just a troll simple as that, i troll you guys because your the only real threat to my Spurs. After we win the title ill come back run it in your facez then leave till next season.
@WhoSpurinyourcherrios @OBoymuzik So if the Spurs who are full of vets and are favored, do what they're supposed to do and beat the Thunder, a team full of 23 year olds, you're going to rub it in our faces? It'll be even better when the 23 year olds send the vets home.
@OBoymuzik I'll come back but i promise it won't be to eat crow. If we lose to you guys ill come back, take it like a man, and never post here again. If we win it all, ill be sure to remind you guys everyday for a month straight. Deal? Ok deal
@WhoSpurinyourcherrios @OBoymuzik you gotta come back and eat the crow if you lose tho...1 out of our 10 or so trolls this posteason have come back...and that was Fletch M Fletcher
@OBoymuzik @WhoSpurinyourcherrios At least he was nice and polite.
Avery Bradley out tonight
We will have to win four games against the Spurs to get to the finals. Spurs lost less than four games in last 2.5 months
@ILikePancakes I did the math and you are correct. We will have to win four games against the Spurs to get to the finals.
@todayisbananas @ILikePancakes I am liking the law of averages and winning streak history and truth of the matter is the Spurs, regardless of how good they have appeared are at that threshold of having it snapped.
@ILikePancakes First time in a while where we'll have no pressure. Unless we get swept, of course, but I think we should be able to make this series more interesting.
@ILikePancakesThe Spurs are cyborgs I like our chances. This team just feels different, even from earlier in the season.
Losing home court really sucks.
@ILikePancakes *BUT I like our chances*
@ILikePancakes They are a very good team, but we have no reason to fear them. We will either learn a lot by winning or learn a lot by losing. Either way the Thunder will be better for the experience. The future is bright.
@KellOne @ILikePancakes Well said.
@ILikePancakes The evil empire awaits.
I still see the series go to 6-7 games with Spurs winning
@ILikePancakes it all comes down to how well their role players play. People like to stop Ginobli, Parker, and Duncan, but they can only get you 60 a night on a consistent basis. The "other guys" stepping up has won them games so far.
With that said, I have *no* idea how to defend them.
http://www.king5.com/sports/New-Oklahoma-City-Thunder-shirt-says-thank-you-to-Seattle-152341325.html
@tydude see comments below to UWJasonUW abd feel free to join in
@cleandoe i saw it but a local news station post a picture of the shirt without an owners permission
@Jooseppi yeah thats true
@f5alcon They are a news outlet. It qualifies as news, is obtained legally and is protected under press laws.
@f5alcon @Jooseppi I would laugh if I read a story about copyright infringement from warpaint (or whatever)
@Jooseppi You can't just take things from the internet and use them just because they are publically available copyrights still apply.
@tydude @cleandoe Don't need permission. it's publicly available.
@tydude since when has the new ever cared about following the rights of others.
@tydude and* (d'oh)
@tydude look down
I wonder if people from Seattle will ever get over it? 5 years, 10 years? Until they get another team and proclaim it the "real" Sonics? I'm actually quite fascinated at the vitirol that the Seattleites spew.
@Tronchaser I dunno. There's some people still pissed at Indy for stealing the Colts from Baltimore. Some people never forgive franchise moves. Especially one with a passionate fanbase. I understand where they come from, but at some point, it's not the people of OKC who are to blame here.
That said, some idiots here will inevitably stir things up. *sigh*
@ou_sas @Tronchaser The people of OKC were never to blame, and most Sonic fans I know realize that. But the world is full of assholes.
@justin_mia @ou_sas I agree with that statement. But it's not those fans we hear from. It's the bleating sonicsgate YOU STOLE OUR TEAM crowd.
/shrug
@Tronchaser why does time matter? there are plenty of seattle fans here that cheer for the thunder, as well as plenty seattle fans that are upset. People in OKC alot of times just see the sonicsgate guys protesting at our games in the NW and think those are average sonic fans...the sonics gate guys are trying to get the word out, and from what i've seen are very fair and don't attack oklahoma city fans
@OBoymuzik I don't get it though. What's the point? Am I, as an Okie, supposed to say to myself :"Oh man, I feel bad now." ? I don't. It was a business decision by the previous owner/new owners. And when the Thunder leave OKC, I'll shrug and still be a fan. I'm not going to go troll the new city because they have *my* team. Ha! As is it belonged to me.
@justin_mia @OBoymuzik They definitely feel like they are "my team".. I went to the airport at 5:30 AM.. I go to every playoff game I can attend, but all that being said - I wouldn't blame the new city because a new owner moved the team there. To me, that's pathetic.
@Tronchaser @OBoymuzik I don't know about the rest of your comment, but if the Thunder spend 40+ years in OKC they will definitely feel like 'your team', if they don't already. I get the idea that there's a lot of civic pride in OKC when it comes to the Thunder. It was the same way for basketball fans in Seattle, only over the course of 40 years instead of 4. Some people who had the Sonics as part of their lives since they can remember are understandably upset, even still.
@f5alcon my bad, got things out of order
@OBoymuzik The rebuild didnt start until after the team was sold to bennett and presti was brought in, if it was never sold, no presti, and the team is vastly different.
@Tronchaser you're saying that this summer if we sign Harden and Ibaka for long term deals and then the team moved in the fall you wouldn't be upset? thats what alot of people are upset about, the team was rebuilding the last few years in seattle and they never got to see the team they ended up being.
you don't have to feel bad and i don't have to feel bad, but we certainly don't need to attack people in seattle
@OBoymuzik As if*
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@MisterJohnsonOKC i was actually thinking of this play today at work. and it just made me smile, no laughing. It was young kobe for a mere second then TURNOVER
@MisterJohnsonOKC I won, now wheres my prize?
@MisterJohnsonOKC I failed the challenge
@MisterJohnsonOKC lol, i am going to dribble for 3 seconds in place and then turn it over
The team wasn't stolen.It was sold, so it belonged to someone else
@walkerdog I feast on the stolen memories of Seattle's children. It is how I am sustained. Does this make me a bad man? Who is anyone to force their morality on anyone else? Am I to perish so that others may live? Not without a fight! Boomer!
@boomerMORLOCK What do Eloi taste like, good sir?
@boomerMORLOCK @walkerdog Tramel, is that you?