Sam Smith of Bulls.com: “Well, the playoffs finally started Sunday night with two talented and deep teams, which doesn’t exist in the East. It was a delight to watch after so much miserable Eastern ball, and you’d expect loads of Thunder adjustments after their loss. The Thunder blew it not playing Serge Ibaka the entire fourth quarter with Kevin Durant moving to power forward, which they do. Kendrick Perkins is a fraud, as we know, and had zero rebounds in almost nine fourth quarter minutes. Without any shot blocking, the Spurs won driving the ball to the basket. I know Derek Fisher was hitting shots. But nine fourth quarter minutes? No wonder the Spurs scored 39 points in the fourth. Yes, the Thunder isolates too much, but they always do, and it’s their Achilles. But they win when their defense closes. You sit Thabo Sefolosha late and go with Ibaka, Perkins, Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. They gave away Game 1. But on the road. This series still is well in doubt.”
Tim Varner of 48 Minutes of Hell says OKC should re-think small: “The Spurs had 97 possessions last night. They’ve now won 22 straight in games with more than 94 possessions. The Thunder should re-think small. It’s the right approach most nights, and against most teams. It’s not the right approach against San Antonio.”
Via ESPN Stats and Info: “Although they didn’t win last night, the numbers prove that the Thunder are better when Russell Westbrook takes more shots than Kevin Durant. Including last night’s loss, the Thunder are 27-6 when Westbrook shoots the ball more than Durant.”
Neil Paine for ESPN.com: “For San Antonio’s and Oklahoma City’s stars, the basic stats and the eyeball test tell you why they are so vital to their teams’ championship hopes. But for the unsung heroes of this series, you need to dig deeper, looking at how they impacted the team’s performance when they were on the court, to determine their worth. Without players like Green, Splitter, Bonner, Collison and Sefolosha, these two teams wouldn’t be in a position to punch a ticket to the Finals.”
You probably already know why, but a nice feature on why KD wears 35.
A bunch of new shirt ideas for Russell Westbrook.
Sam Eifling of Deadspin on The Flaming Lips’ new song: “Perhaps the Thunder will take the hint and change that. Because as loud as the earnest, lumpy, lower-bowl Okies at your typical Thunder game get, they have nothing on the army of delirious furries and dehydrated art school dropouts that caterwaul for the likes of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” and one of the most enrapturing “Bohemian Rhapsody” covers this side of an Albertan drunk tank. Do the right thing when this series comes back home, Oklahoma. Thunder Up.”
Manu Ginobili on OKC’s Big 3: “We never had those kinds of legs and athleticism,” Ginobili said Monday at the Spurs’ training facility. “They are just amazing. Their strength, their speed. And they can all shoot, too.”
Scott Brooks: “I think every decision you make, if it doesn’t work out, you say, ‘Why’d you do that?’ and I’m right (there) with you on that. I wish I would have played Serge Sunday night.”
Luc Ricard Mbah a Moute for TrueHoop: “Undoubtedly, the biggest player for Oklahoma City on defense is Ibaka. Serge’s one-on-one defense and his shot-blocking ability on the weak side have made a big difference. He’s been able to handle any forward he’s guarded. I thought he did a good job on Dirk Nowitzki and even better on Pau Gasol. He really didn’t let Gasol get off, and a lot of the scores Pau got in that series were off dropoffs and offensive rebounds.”
I think the thunder are going to end the spurs winning streak and take the west! i wrote all about it in my blog as well as how to bet it so come by chck it out and enjoy! http://basketballforgamblers.com/2012/05/i-want-some-nasty/
LETS GO THUNDER!!!
LETS GO THUNDER!!!
@ThunderBelize Belize, are you the Director of "Creating" Things or the Director of "Conducting" Things?
Clippers are bringing back VDG next year Horrible ball they are going to get killed in the playoffs
IDK if it's already been said, but the fact the SB "wished" he'd played SI on sunday, kinda pisses me off. Don't "wish", make the damn call for your best rim defender to enter said game sunday...
@GAP I think he means he wished NOW after knowing the alternate outcome.
@qrex @GAP Well Clippers had a close eye on OKC Thunder if we didn't' sign an extension with Brooks but it looks like they won't be getting Brooks
@tydude @GAP Despite the wishes of some here, if Brooks doesn't get extended, it will be because he got greedy not because of management dissatification.
I posted this stat earlier but here's a little bit more to go with it:
Last two years in playoffs, Thunder:
With Crawford: 1-4
W/O Crawford: 17-6
Here is the extra part, using the binomial distrbution and the winning percentage without Crawford of 0.739 then there is a 98.17% chance that Joey Crawford is cheating against us. (BTW, for all of you stat heads, if KD hadn't made that 3 bounce, last second shot against Dallas and we were 0-5 with Crawford, there would be a 99.86% chance that Joey Crawford was cheating against us)
@FF_pickups Why not include 2010 too? Oh wait, we were 1-0 with JC (Game 3) and 1-4 without him?
@qrex
It was a different team then, we were starting two guys who aren't even in the NBA now and we were an 8 seed with no shot in heck of getting out of the first round. Yet somehow, with Joe Crawford's help in that game we shot 34 free throws to the Lakers 12.
@FF_pickups @qrex Actually surprised the league doesn't fix more games for that exact purpose... well the league or the teams themselves...
Dr. Buss "kobe, we stand to make an extra 4 Mil if you bring it back to LA. do what you need to do."
Kobe "I'll get the usual cut?"
Dr. B "of course"
Kobe "done"
@ThunderBelize @qrex
Great point, ThunderBelize.
@FF_pickups @qrex We had to win 1 so that LAL could have that extra home game and it's $2-3Million in revenue...
@FF_pickups
OK, Buddy your taking this way too hard. Go take a nap, wake up in time for the game, get a cold one, put some meat patty's on the grill, get ready for the game. Relax man Relax, your acting like you've never seen the NBA before.
@ElMexiThunder
I've watched all of the games this season and invested waaaayy too much time to see this BS. Like I said, I can guarantee you that if that game one officiating costs us this series, I'll quit watching the NBA. I'm just not going to cheer for the Washington Generals or watch WWF.
I'll be honesty, i know they made that song just for fun, but that song by The Flaming Lips is TURRRBLE. The Chorus is actually a little nice, but wow.
@ElMexiThunder have to agree... it was rough to sit through!
Heck ya Brooks you should have played Serge and Sef. At least he realizes that
Can't wait for game 2. Don't know why everybody is all panic. Before the series most here agreed that the Spurs are the favorites. Then they win the first game at home and a lot of guys scream about the refs and Brooks while not admitting that the Spurs were simply better.
I agree Brooks messed up, though. Well...that's part of the Thunder, it seems. Wasn't the first time, probably won't be the last time either. And it was not about the refs.
Mainly, the Spurs defended well and all 3, KD, Russ and Harden, played poor ball in the 4th. It happens. Let's see how they adjust.
I actually feel o.k. about game 1. While it did prove that the Spurs are better, it also showed that OKC is right there and has a shot when everything goes right. Let's hope for a great game 2 and a fun, tight series! Game 1 was a cool start...
@wannabeGM I don't think everything even needs to go right... ratchet up the FG% 5% and choose to play defence, any defence at all really, in Q4 and we have a legit shot. And I doubt Manu will go off like that again. I had him pegged for 15-18 a night in this series... I think tonight we'll see that mean play out.
@ThunderBelize @wannabeGM
I agree it would be nice to make more shots but we *would* have been 5% higher last game had Harden and Westbrook gotten some calls when they attacked the rim. They got hammered and there were no calls and if that doesn't change, it'll be nearly impossible to improve your shooting.
@FF_pickups @wannabeGM Agreed... but everything back to the mean, or close to it, and we'll be good. The one KD missed dunk is really my only beef with the refs the first game. of course minor other stuff... but that one was tough to overlook.
i finally got the answer why Seattle fans hates OKC Thunder because we took their history
@tydude We didn't take their history. It was Oklahoma or some other state.That was a business deal between a seller and a buyer. When you buy something you do whatever you want with it.
@tydude When most teams move, they take their history with them. They should be so thankful we're not still the Sonics and threading Green and Gold.
@C-Wil @tydude Memphis should have dropped the Grizz name... don't think there are many Grizzlies down in those parts...
@ThunderBelize @C-Wil @tydude I'm just happy we weren't stuck with that putrid green and yellow.
@qrex @C-Wil @tydude and how many Nets in Brooklyn?
Wait?! What?
@ThunderBelize @C-Wil @tydude And how many lakes are in LA? Like was said above, usually when teams relocate, they take ALL the history with them. Shared history was a way of throwing the dog a bone, but the dog still doesn't like it.
@tydude
Tydude, I know you're not a troll (as someone suggested yesterday), but sometimes I think you DO live under a bridge.
@ThunderChick2010 @tydude tydude, do you ever send in any texts for the Fox crews' "Question of the Night?"
@tydude this is why I love DT
@tydude this is more than I could ask for...lol
@ThunderChick2010 @Barry Amenema i watch local news and Sports Center
@Barry Amenema @tydude
Don't admit it if you do, tydude. You'll never live it down.
@Barry Amenema @ThunderChick2010 no don't watch fox news
@ThunderChick2010 the truth is i ONLY troll seattle Facebook page and give them crap about how thunder is doing and it drives them crazy
@tydude @ThunderChick2010 shesh. no wonder they hateus TY its all YOU
In truth though, points aside, I will try to maintain basektball related conversations...
on a side note... i was giddy like this in 96 when Kemp and Payton squared off with MJ... I was graduating from high school... surely I shouldn't be behaving like this that many years later!
Only TC passed the first test... :-(
To deviate from basketball - I am up to 128 points. It is my goal to reach 200 by the end of this round. What that means for my fellow DT community? It means you are now all commissioned to like the hell out of my posts regardless of whether you like it or not - just throw an old dog a bone and like it! you can start with this post. go ahead don't be shy! There will be a test in a few minutes.
@ThunderBelize
Where is cemitten when you need him?
@ThunderChick2010 @ThunderBelize at work. I have been slacking on my dt. belize comment a bunch an hour or two before the game. I got your back
@cemitten @ThunderChick2010 @ThunderBelize
DT hero mode . . . :)
@ThunderBelize 129 now i just like it
@tydude I'm feelin the love already!
Someone made a comment I wanted to touch on about Brooks yesterday. They said, he's a "keep it simple" coach and not an adjustments coach, and that that was fine for the time being.
But here's the fundamental problem that I see with Brooks:
In principal, he IS a keep it simple coach. Stubborn lineups, not much change to the playbook or rotations, not a lot of change to the starters. We've seen keep it simple coaches do well (Byron Scott with the Nets) from time to time. But here's where Brooks falls short.
He doesn't have a solid, detailed core philosophy unlike his more experienced "keep it simple" coaching counterparts. He attempts to be a coach who makes adjustments when he feels pressured to do so (as exhibited in 4th qtr game one), while still sticking to his keep it simple principals (went small to match SA's small lineup, a "customized" move, but without a customized lineup to match). This is the short-coming of having a young, inexperienced coach, who doesn't show absolutely elite and exceptional maturity as a coach.
The times when we struggle the hardest are those when he deviates from his own (and the team's) identity. Do I like the robotic, rigid substitution patterns? Heck no. But our team functions acceptably when they are stuck to, and it at least gives the players minutes proportional to their expected production. But because our coach doesn't stick to his true identity, we suffer more than if he were to truly keep it simple, and end up with things like Derek Fisher playing 23 minutes to Ibaka's 22, and other such nonsense.
@JimboSlice To his credit he did admit that he should've played Ibaka more, and will play him more.
It wasn't just poor substitutions that hurt us in the fourth. I think the early turnovers in that last quarter is what really gave the momentum away.
@blueRAP i wasn't so much referring only to the last game.
A lot of us have called for Brooks to make more/ better in-game adjustments, but maybe we would be better off with no adjustments at all until he has come to a better understanding of his own philosophy and how to apply it.
@blueRAP or only a very limited set of adjustments which he has become comfortable with. Just like players have certain shots that they know they can hit 9 times out of 10 and certain go-to moves, coaches have the same with in-game adjustments. Going to something you're not totally confident in usually yields a lower success rate, both as a player and a coach