vs. 
Mavericks (20-27, 8-18 road) vs. Thunder (35-12, 20-3 home)
TV: FSOK (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 112.4 (1st), Mavs– 104.4 (14th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.7 (10th), Mavs – 106.7 (22nd)
Pace: Thunder – 93.0 (8th), Mavs – 94.4 (5th)
View from the enemy: The Two Man Game
Kind of getting tired of talking about bouncing back for the Thunder. They’re really good at it, which is great, but this is the fourth straight bounce back opportunity for OKC. The Thunder haven’t won back-to-back games since beating Dallas in overtime on Jan. 18.
One thing that’s going to help remedy that: The Thunder are finally at home for more than a cup of coffee. OKC starts a three-game homestand tonight, the first against a scrappy Mavericks team. And one that the Thunder know well. In the two meetings, both games have gone to overtime, with Dallas sending it there each time with big-time clutch 3-pointers.
If there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that this game probably won’t be a sure-thing. Dirk Nowitzki is expected to play and with him, the Mavs are dangerous despite their record. OKC’s defense has really lapsed as of late as the Thunder have allowed points in bulk. The Mavs aren’t a great offensive team, but they do have weapons in O.J. Mayo, Dirk and Darren Collison.
With the Spurs on fire, every game is becoming more and more important. Can’t be giving any away at home. The only thing worse than a loss is not bouncing back the next time out.
Dallas coming in: The Mavs last played on Friday beating the Suns.
Shootaround Audio:
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Three Big Things
1. Defending Dirk. It’s always priority No. 1 when you play Dallas. Serge Ibaka has improved in his defense of Dirk recently, but it’s going to be more about Nick Collison and Kendrick Perkins, especially in crunchtime if it’s close.
2. Mayo. He has yet to really go off against OKC at all (other than making that big 3). Thabo Sefolosha has done terrific work on him and eliminating Mayo as an extra scorer really hampers what the Mavs are offensively.
3. Defense. How about playing some? Yeah, that sounds good.
Tip at 7:00 CT. Go No Overtime.
http://dailythunder.com/2013/02/no-overtime-needed-thunder-stomp-the-mavs-112-91/
Tron, your 70-12 season BOLD prediction is still alive.
Who thought you'd still be able to say that 48 games in?
@ThunderChick2010 WOOT! IT LIVES!!!
@Tronchaser
Just gotta go 34-0!
The thing that bugs me is that when Miami loses everyone just says "Oh they're coasting" but every time OKC loses the sky is falling.
Is OKC not allowed to coast just a little bit?
@Marty_McFly321 no one besides Thunder fans are freaking out...i'm sure some Heat fans are worried too.
@MJOKC @Marty_McFly321 Lol, Miami fans that live in Miami maybe.
@Marty_McFly321 no
@see-mittens @Marty_McFly321Well also the East is so awful they've got a bye to the finals virtually. Whereas OKC has work to do to get back.
game
Chuck Hayes is dominating Jefferson
@OBoy Jones III If we didn't have Nick I'd want the Chuck Wagon in his place.
@[censored] Why did the Kings sign him? They make some unbelievably confusing decisions.
"I think we gotta get the ball down in the post"
-Every Jazz announcer ever
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@MJOKC Fans are starting to take the "don't get too high" approach which basically means gripe about anything and everything
@MJOKC You aren't putting too much stock in this one win are you? Everyone says you shouldn't be much stock in bad losses so ...
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@MJOKC @Old Man Game 2nd best record in the league whooptie i hope presti dont take that attitude to the deadline.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game Who's depressed? I dont see anything this game changed besides the fact that dallas is terrible
@MJOKC The Mavs were so worthless in this game I don't know what to make of it other than they sucked and they didn't have Carter who could have helped them.
@MJOKC lots of negative nancys on here.... sucks to be us.
@MJOKC we suck again
Al Jefferson just left a 25 foot buzzer beater 10 ft short
@OBoy Jones III It looked partially blocked.
@OBoy Jones III DeMarcus Cousins likes this.
You guys are reading too much into junk losses. This isn't a 65 win team. It might be a 60 win team. We probably have just as good a shot at making it out of the West as we did last year. Nothing is a guarantee - WOW! Novel thought. But changing your opinion of the team just because there's been a rough patch in the season is strange unless you felt this was a 65 win team beforehand.
@[censored] No reason this team can't win 65 games. OKC is 3.5 games off of that pace right now.
@HookemKD Don't think this is a 65 win team.
@[censored] Who changing position, i know you arent referring to me i have had the same thoughts since November.
@Lost Ones That's a long time to carry around this unhappiness. Let it go, man.
@[censored] :(
@[censored] Do you believe the team is playing as well recently as they did to start the season?
@Old Man Game Yes, I think the start of the season was just an easier schedule.
@MJOKC @Lost Ones Anyway, if you want to be super assured of the team that's totally fine. I'm just more concerned given what we're seeing out of the other teams in the west and some of the issues our team is having this season.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game If this team is bored we have even bigger issues, how can you be bored when you haven't won anything? we need the #1 seed badly.
@Lost Ones @MJOKC And the issue is, OKC hasn't done a good job covering the 3 pt line in the last two seasons. GSW has three point shooters and rebounders to kick it back out to them. We're vulnerable to that.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game Anything can happen man, Stef klay etc could go lights out.
with the clippers they will be even scary if billups get back to full strength
@MJOKC @Lost Ones The point is you can't look at the matchups and then just plead "experience." That doesn't solve matchup issues.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game Playoff experience is overrated a young lebron beat the pistons
@Old Man Game @MJOKC yup
@MJOKC It's happened before, 2007, GSW beats defending WC champs Dallas. 2011, Memphis beats San Antonio. Could happen again.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game Says who? we beat the spurs
@MJOKC Laugh all you want but they've got shooters and rebounders. Especially if Bogut is healthy that's a tough out in the playoffs.
@MJOKC @Stringer Bell @Old Man Game No, I think this because I don't think we can count on playing such perfect ball again to win a series. And the Spurs are much better on defense this season.
@[censored] @MJOKC @Old Man Game Spot on. Hopefully the Spurs have some extra losses with Duncan out. Unlike us, they very rarely play down to their lesser opponents.
@[censored] @Stringer Bell @MJOKC @Old Man Game I would say the spurs are better this year then last, defensively they have improved as well as experience. splitter is at least 2xs the player he was.
@Stringer Bell @MJOKC @Old Man Game Especially without HCA. I think getting the #1 seed is very important to our playoff hopes. Obviously we CAN beat the Spurs without it, but I don't like our odds of doing so.
@[censored] @MJOKC @Old Man Game Justin beat me to it.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game @[censored] The Spurs worry me more than the rest. As long as they are healthy they are a tough battle.
We played 4 almost flawless games in a row to beat them. That was a basketball aberration. I think you will struggle to find 4 more games that season where we played better. But, I still think we can beat any team this year. 7 games is a lot of basketball.
@MJOKC @[censored] Clippers, Spurs darkhorse pick would be the Warriors.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game Spurs. I think our series with them last year was a bit of a perfect storm. IF we're eliminated in the playoffs this year I'd say 75% chance it's the Spurs that do it.
@Old Man Game Our defense was < 100 points per 100 possessions the first 10 games. 7 of which were at home, and 7 against teams below league average offensively. That carried the defensive ranking for awhile. The defense has had some issues in some scattered games lately but we were back up to 6th on defense as recent as a week and a half ago. I know the Cleveland loss and the GSW loss sucked, but there have been good defensive efforts sprinkled in there also.
@MJOKC @[censored] Yeah probably not. To be clear I still think the team CAN come out of the West, I'm just not very confident about it right now.
@MJOKC @Old Man Game @[censored] I completely agree with this.
@[censored] Sort of a chicken and egg type deal here. Is the defense worse because the competition is better, or is the defense just plain worse?
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@MJOKC There are others that have shared those feelings too, mostly after the Cleveland loss. Winning heals everything, unless you're depressed.
@[censored] @MJOKC There's no need to be kings of the regular season anyway. Ask the Spurs and Bulls.