Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
After the schedule comes out, most of the discussion around it centers around back-to-backs. They can take a seemingly easy month and turn it into an incredibly difficult one. Having to play Wednesday night at home and then turn around and fly to Orlando for a game less than 24 hours is not easy.
But simply looking at back-to-backs is just the beginning. It’s only scratching the surface. The real meat and potatoes to the difficulty of a schedule comes down to not only the back-to-back, but what the team you’re playing on that second night comes in looking like. What if you’re playing your fourth game in five days but your opponent has had three days off? Those are the type of minor quirks in a schedule that can really make a difference come April.
In the Thunder’s case, they are in low end of back-to-backs with just 15. The Thunder are in the middle of the four games in five days though with two (seven teams have one or less), but are on the low end of three in four days with a back-to-back with just 11 (only two teams have fewer). Here’s how the whole thing shakes out for the Thunder:
SITUATION THUNDER OPPONENT
4 in 5 2 3
3 in 4 11 19
1 day rest 43 34
2 days rest 8 10
3+ days rest 5 3
Games against unrested opponent 16 15
B2B's on the road 13 9
Total B2B 15 16
A lot of this stuff is determined by geography and the Thunder typically wind up in this same position each year, or close to. And really, the NBA schedule is mostly fair for every team out there. It’s a pretty rare occurrence for someone to get a significantly tougher or easier draw. If you’re good, you’ll be fine. Everyone plays 41 home and 41 away. Everyone plays 82 games. And if you’re a solid or good team, you’ll maneuver through however many back-to-backs or four games in five days and end up with a quality record.
Here’s how the Thunder rank compared to the rest of the league (1 is least, 30th is most):
Four in five days: t-3rd
Three in four days: t-3rd
Total back-to-backs: 2nd
1 day rest: 30th
2 days rest: t-1st
3+ days rest: t-5th
But in terms of where the Thunder fit, it’s pretty favorable. They get fewer games against an unrested opponent (tied for sixth fewest with 16) but get a low number of their own back-to-backs. They do however get the most opponent three games in four days with 19. But they give back by fitting into the middle in both that regard and four games in five days and ranking dead last with 43 games coming on only one day of rest.
How would I assess the Thunder’s strength of schedule? It doesn’t matter all that much. There’s nothing abnormal in it, it’s comparable to everyone else and if the Thunder continue their trend upwards, it could be the toughest in the league and it probably wouldn’t stop them from finishing in the top two or three in the West.
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/222665/Harden_Open_To_Signing_With_Suns
If Harden want to go,I think we should get Cousins or Monroe
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cucv3g9 and maybe their picks
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bqepoa3 and their picks
@Jokazc we will match
I need advice on women. How do you make them say hi to you?
@ElMexiThunder Just don't. I can't tell you emphatically enough. Nothing but misery lies down that road. Go fnd a Schitzu (sp?) or a Boxer and die rich and happy.
@ElMexiThunder Very important: Don't pull your thing out. Indecent Exposure is a Class 2 felony.
@ElMexiThunder Don't be afraid to strike out a few times if you're going to hit a home run.
@ElMexiThunder
The obvious answer . . . smile and say hello first. :)
@ElMexiThunder You remember that women are human beings not some mystical Sphinx creature who won't talk to you if you don't answer its riddles. Just be yourself.
@justin_mia Okay! Not is it a good thing to be called weird, or is that a bad thing? Because i don't know if they mean that in a good way or bad way.
If anybody is hooping what day? just let me know and I'll be there after work, bring a few of my boys too we can get some DT ball going on.
@MisterJohnsonOKC Sunday or Monday depends on what day Bmuelle can play since hes in town.
@ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC monday...sunday i'm going boating with the fam...i may be able to make like sunday night though
@justin_mia @bmuelle21 @ElMexiThunder Plenty of Lakes here, surely a man like yourself who is obsessed with stats can do a quick search on bodies of water in OKC.
@bmuelle21 @justin_mia @ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC
Funny . . . I was just reading a kid's story this week that is set in Broken Bow.
@justin_mia @ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC didn't know either until my cousin told me about here:
http://www.outdoorsok.com/Oklahoma/BrokenBow
@justin_mia @bmuelle21 @ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC
http://www.outdoorsok.com/Oklahoma/Lakes
@bmuelle21 @ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC Where the heck do you go boating in Oklahoma?
@ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC so then i'm not passing up a chance to play bball then with fellow DT'ers by going boating because i can just play on monday then
@bmuelle21 @MisterJohnsonOKC Homie i said Sun-Monday!!
@ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC actually i'm smh because if you don't move the day to play basketball to monday then you are going to be passing up the chance to play bball with me...so shame on you! lol
@bmuelle21 @MisterJohnsonOKC Smh you're gonna go on a boat ride with your family but you'll pass up a once in a life time chance to play ball with fellow DT'ers. Shame on you!
@MisterJohnsonOKC Want to make a trip to Illinois? I would love to play a game with the DT crew! Hahahah
@Bryson @MisterJohnsonOKC You should come this way. We don't wanna get killed in the Southside of Chicago
@ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC @DennisBerry @Bryson what time 2morrow and how do I get there if I'm coming from South up i44?
@MisterJohnsonOKC @DennisBerry @Bryson ^
@DennisBerry @Bryson Yep. basically anything east of Santa Fe.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Bryson like where Bobo's Chicken is?
@DennisBerry @Bryson I agree, NE OKC is rough enough.
if any of you guys see ou_sas or whatever on here anytime soon tell him to email me: brian.mueller@okstate.edu...i need to ask him some things that deal with his "lawyering skills" lol
@bmuelle21 Bro, it's unfortunate but it doesn't matter how old she told you she was or if she had a fake id
@DennisBerry that's not why, lol...i won't be making an appearance on "to catch a predator"
@DennisBerry @bmuelle21
Not our bmuelle!
@MisterJohnsonOKC @DennisBerry @ThunderChick2010 @bmuelle21 I don't date quite that young...
@justin_mia @DennisBerry @ThunderChick2010 @bmuelle21 Yeah, justin doesn't even ask for ID.
@DennisBerry @ThunderChick2010 @bmuelle21 Not everyone.
@ThunderChick2010 @bmuelle21 happens to everybody at least once. http://mlkshk.com/r/6BXL
@ThunderChick2010 i'm relying on you to relay this message to ou_sas lol
@bmuelle21
I bet he checks in for Saturday Morning Cartoons tomorrow. :)
http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=243
@Koka_Da_Bauce What about trollgm?
Who's trying to hoop maybe Sunday-Monday me and Bmuelle are trying to get a quick pick up game going. My buddies would make enough for two teams of five but i'de rather play with DT'ers anyday! Idk about going to the court downtown though. Gets real crowded.
@ElMexiThunder elmexi what exactly am i getting into? lol...how good are all you guys?
@bmuelle21 We're average joe's don't worry. Only dude that's good is my buddy Quinton who plays college ball St.Gregs, and a cousin of mine who was suppose to play for UCO but got hurt. He's fat now though, just super tall. 6'6
@bmuelle21 michael sosanya use to play with us from time to time, and his oldest brother Salomon use to too but Michael's busy playing football for OSU now.
@ElMexiThunder lol alright...sounds good
@ElMexiThunder Inside or outside? I havent't touched a rock in 6months and weigh almost 300 but I'm still nice I'm sure, just gotta adjust and play that Anthony Mason type game
@DennisBerry It would be outside, idk whether it would be in the park on 16th N Meridian, Kieser Elementary, or if we'll head down to the Boys & Girls club in McKinley park since they just remodeled the inside court. Though the park on Meridian and Kieser are actually starting to become hot spots. Starting to see more people there everyday.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @DennisBerry its not that bad on meri but in the ne it can get a lil tense.
@DennisBerry @ElMexiThunder Only people that fight are the "gang bangers".
@MisterJohnsonOKC @ElMexiThunder I can't fight. I don't even kill bugs. I catch them in a plastic baggy then release them outside. I can puff up and front though until someone "breaks us up."
@DennisBerry @ElMexiThunder Lol, if Cole came to a pickup game dude would be looking like Shaq in his prime.
@DennisBerry @ElMexiThunder Oh it gets very physical where I play at. A few fights pop off every now and then but most people just trash talk.
@OBoymuzik @DennisBerry @MisterJohnsonOKC Dude trust me no ones cares. You show up to play then you showed up to play. My bro Q plays college ball and the dude shoots the ball in prolly the ugliest form ive ever seen in my life.
@ElMexiThunder @MisterJohnsonOKC @DennisBerry I'll be up there sometime this weekend.
@DennisBerry @MisterJohnsonOKC @ElMexiThunder lmao speaking of the devil i screen captured this on my phone a few weeks ago and forgot to post it on Dt
check out the comments on this https://dl.dropbox.com/u/39782240/2012-07-15%2012.08.43.png
and @ElMexiThunder my jump shot is a disgrace to basketball..i hope we actually do the DT fantasy basketball league this year so i can keep some of my dignity
@MisterJohnsonOKC @DennisBerry Yup not often now because its getting real crowded but i use to be the only mexican up there hooping. We only go up there when its empty. The set up is much better then Kieser or the court on St.Patricks church.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @ElMexiThunder Someone tweet Cole Aldrich to show up, so he can play, be a no impact, then have Justin whatevertheshit come make up more excuses for him
@ElMexiThunder @DennisBerry Mexi, I hoop at 16th & merdian like 4 days a week bro, you be up there?
@OBoymuzik @DennisBerry @bmuelle21 For sure! OBoy gonna hit a few J's on everyone!!
@ElMexiThunder @DennisBerry @bmuelle21 sure on twitter or on here either one and i'll see it
@OBoymuzik @DennisBerry @bmuelle21 Will do sir will do. Via Twitter?
@ElMexiThunder @DennisBerry @bmuelle21 lmao just let me know when and i'll try to come if i'm not working
@OBoymuzik @DennisBerry @bmuelle21 Eh on concrete? I don't want to have to take you to the hospital man. Nah man all are welcome to come. Like i said not everyone in the group has been playing all their lifes only a few have and the rest are sorta new.
@ElMexiThunder @DennisBerry @bmuelle21 i'm gonna jump outta nowhere and take a charge on you fools...but really i suck so bad at basketball lol
@DennisBerry @bmuelle21 Perfect!!!! I'm telling you dude you'll fit right in.
@bmuelle21 @ElMexiThunder butter get you a mouthpiece bruh' Nah I don't elbow, but when I set a screen on you, you know you just screened. Similarly, when I fight through a screen on defense, you probably won't wanna try to set anymore screens on me again. And no "and1s!" If I'm fouling you on purpose, your ball up top, because you won't get the bucket
@bmuelle21 @DennisBerry Its not that bad. I think when we go play it'll be some of my buddies who are kinda new to the game we go up against. If its the others then be ready to get pushed around a lil. Nothing too bad.
@DennisBerry We usually end up kicking out people who cry too much for that same reason. If they can't take the contact then they should go play with the old men.
@ElMexiThunder @DennisBerry wonderful...i get to look forward to being elbow checked.... lol
@DennisBerry I know but just don't try to dunk, and nah don't worry dude we actually play really physical too. Thats actually why we like to play in our little group alone instead of going downtown and stuff. People whine and bitch too much. Like if they've never been elbow checked before.
@ElMexiThunder So I gotta bring a few hommies too for that reason alone.
@ElMexiThunder Concrete is torture on the knees bro. My only problem playing on foreign courts is I play too physical, and everyone ends up wanting to fight me lol
@DennisBerry Why do that when there's pleny of open courts? If its the concrete that you're afraid might hurt your legs just don't try to do anything special.
@ElMexiThunder Man yall don't got no YMCA's where we can play like $6 for a 1 day membership? I could rent out the whole high school gym here for like 50 bucks but it's an hr from all of you in OKC
@DennisBerry @ElMexiThunder man i haven't actually played competitively in like 6months lol
@DennisBerry @bmuelle21 Hey man i still think you'd school me. I can't score for shit though. I can lock people down.
@bmuelle21 @ElMexiThunder Physically I make Nazr look like Shaun T. I used to be extra nice though, here's a pic of me crossing Hot Sauce and AO (yes I scored on the play too) http://i33.tinypic.com/2wpv8dh.jpg