Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images
Scotty Brooks can play around with Xs and Os and switching defensive assignments and making whatever other changes he wants, though Scotty admits at this point in the season no one really changes much of anything, just a tweak here and there.
And besides Brooks knows most times it comes down to this, “we played well (Thursday night) it’s as simple as that.”
And the Spurs didn’t.
When a team plays well it’s also usually playing hard and that’s what the Thunder did in Game 3 also and OKC center Kendrick Perkins believes as hard as he and his teammates played Thursday night they will need to ramp it up even more in Game 4.
“Just play a little harder tonight, I think the focus still has to be there and just keep playin’ for one another.”
On a day like today, getting ready for a game like this, a game that could turn the series one direction or another Perk also believes there is no room for thoughts about anything else but the business at hand, “I feel like tonight is one of them nights that everybody just gotta lose theyself in the team, no matter who the hero is who scores the most points, just everybody do they job tonight.”
Everyone doing their job seems simple enough but against a team like the Spurs that can become complicated quickly. That’s why the focus has to be razor sharp tonight.
“It’s a little thing but it’s huge, the focus is all a mental thing, you gotta start focusing in like right now. So it starts right now, getting’ locked in for the rest of the day.”
Perkins has talked to his teammates about that process of focusing in early, “a young ball club especially you can’t just figure you can turn it on an hour before the game and think, ‘all right now I’m gonna lock-in,’ when you been playin’ around or something all day.”
For Perkins, a family man with young children, that process can be difficult but knowing how important it is he tends to shut everything and everyone else out.
“I just kinda stay to myself all day, I don’t have many people to talk to and stuff like that so I just stay to myself and I may watch a little film when I go home but other than that I’m just locked in, staying by myself, bein’ real quiet, not around too much, just stayin out the way.”
He may stay out of the way of everyone at home but he plans to be in the way of just about every San Antonio Spur tonight.
Locked in…focused…ready.
SCOTT BROOKS
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KENDRICK PERKINS
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THUNDER UP!!!
"Team is 18,203" on the shirts tonight.
Can't we have something like "Beat SA" or just "Thunder" or "OKC" on it? Or does that invalidate the likely bloat in the game promotions department?
@Jooseppi Would you rather have a generic shirt that says "Thunder" on it or one with a cool slogan? I guess it's personal preference.
@HookemKD @Jooseppi If they're aiming for "cool" I'm guessing they are off the mark.
@Jooseppi Eh. It's cool when you can say you got it at game 4 in the WCF.
Every next Thunder game will be the most important in our history.
@ILikePancakes pretty much...
In bleacher report world a lot of things can change in one day
May 30th-http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/360366777552997.jpg/
May 31st-http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/171/360366653548198.jpg/
@OBoymuzik Let's hope tomorrow's says "Will the Thunder ever lose again?"
@dollarbillrussell @OBoymuzik
If the Thunder lose "Will Russell Westbrook ever be a decent basketball player?"
If the Thunder win "Are the Spurs the worst No. 1 seed ever?"
Music preference of students sorted by average SAT score. Check out the top far left (lowest average IQ score).
http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/musicthatmakesyoudumb.jpg
@todayisbananas Being more popular would have to bring you down just based upon the law of averages. Take Sufjan Stevens for instance. I love Sufjan Stevens and it is second highest. Does that mean only smart people listen to Sufjan Stevens or that only a handful of people have ever heard of him? For the record my 3 year old daughter loves a few Sufjan Stevens songs so I am now choosing to believe she is a genius.
@todayisbananas I don't agree with this at all because an artist most likely has varied songs and albums. Sure, Lil Wayne makes some (alot) of stupid ass songs but some of his material is not that bad.
To further my point, Nas, one of the greatest rappers of all time, is towards the low end of the spectrum.
@todayisbananas that list is bullshit. i listen to a lot of bands on there and i arent no dummy :P
@todayisbananas I'm glad to see Johnny Cash in the middle of the pack.
@todayisbananas lil wayne fav with the lowest
@todayisbananas With all due respect I can't find hinder on this, therefore it is invalid
@OBoymuzik @todayisbananas Hinder is on the left a little bit down, same size circle as Nickelback lmao!
I'm very freaking nervous right now. I know EVERY game is the most important one. This one though, this is the series right here. This is Game 2000 for us. We lose tonight, its game over. This trully is the most important game in Oklahoma City Thunder hisory. THUNDER THE F@#K UP!!!
@ElMexiThunder
We're going to win.
Man the shirts tonight are awesome. Team is 18,203
Royce White supposedly worked out for the Thunder on May 30th.
Would be nice to see a recent picture to see if he really is in shape or not.
@Crow I like Royce White a lot.
@Crow Another thing...his hands. He will enter the league and have the biggest hands of any player in the NBA. This really helps him getting to the rim. He had some MONSTER jams this year. I would love to see Presti trade up to get him if need be. I would kill for him to leave one of my teams to go to my other!
@Bryson @Crow But can he catch the ball if he's standing wide open under the basket? Because we are lacking one of those kinds of bigs.
@dollarbillrussell Yes haha, I don't think I've ever seen him fumble. His monster sized hands are a great thing.
@Crow As an Iowa State fan, I can say that Royce White is an absolute BEAST. I watched him in person 7 times this year, and I can tell you....he's legit. But he's 6'8" so I wouldn't like him playing center. He's very athletic, VERY strong. He boxes out very well and rebounds with power. He can handle just as well as KD, which says something. His passing skills are insane, if I may add. He would be the best passing big on our team. His inability to shoot may sink him to our level of the draft, but don't let that bring your opinion of him down. He is a monster on the block, and he can drive the ball well. This news is very exciting for me, if you couldn't already tell hahahaha. Thunder up, Royce White!
@Crow I was in Stillwater for his game against OSU. 15-12-7 on a poor shooting game. Pretty impressive.
i think he could fit with westbrook or the subs. does he set picks and good ones?
@Crow He sets a lot of those Collison-Harden hand-off screens to get his teammates quick open jumpers. Other than that he doesn't set a lot of really crushing screens that I noticed. The Collison thing is what I noticed the most because they ran a lot of similar two-man stuff that the Thunder do with him+token guard on the right side of the court.
@Crow Only room for one Royce around here! I love you Royce Young!
@DTfanboy he could change his name to royis whitaw (for his boris diaw like skills)
@Bryson @Crow @DTfanboy
We could trade Perkins, he's probably going to have to go after this season anyways. It would be a lot smarter than amnestying Perkins as some posters on this board have recommended.
@Crow @FF_pickups @DTfanboy Give up our 2nd round pick, maybe two 2nd round picks.
@FF_pickups @DTfanboy i don't have an immediate value but it probably wouldnt be that expensive to move up 5 spots.
@Crow @DTfanboy Good point.
The most impressive part about his passing is he's looking for it before he gets the rebound usually. Keeps his head up. A lot of bigs in the league need a few seconds to get the pass off, allowing the defense to recover.
@Jooseppi @DTfanboy i guess but in the nba he wont handle it as much. the ft% is another weakness but he is young enough that he might improve that
@Crow @DTfanboy "trade up if you have to, get him"
What would you be willing to give up in a trade?
@DTfanboy trade up if they have to, get him
@Crow @DTfanboy Turnovers are a bit scary.
@DTfanboy he really knows what he is doing and does it so smooth
@DTfanboy found a triple double game from him. really really like what i'm seeing.
@DTfanboy i like the tape i am viewing
anybody think he could play small ball center?
he seems to have a decent first step but slow down the court.
wonder if he lost 20-30 pounds how he'd move.
i think most nba PFs would stuff him.
wonder what his standing reach and vertical jump are
maybe he could play sf in certain situations
good to have lots of big options. white can dribble very well and supposedly pass well (not in the tapes i've seen so far)
@Crow
I'm guessing the Thunder staff thought he could if he worked out for them., or at least checking to see if he can. He's a big boy, for sure. We'll see what he looks like next week at the combine. He's a good enough rebounder though to get into an NBA rotation.
@Lost Ones There aren't a lot of guarantees with big men. Pleiss, Aldrich and White are all different types of players. It's good to be able to give different looks, especially when it looks like Durant will be spending more time at the 4 as the years go on.
@Crow idk about center but he is a big body at almost 270 but we need to allow pleiss and cole to have those centers minutes.
@Lost Ones with ibaka and durant pf is probably fill and nick is available too. center is a weak spot. behind perkins or instead of perkins.