Steve Kerr on the Thunder’s weakness: “I still want to see a more composed version of Russell Westbrook. I think the internal improvement there really starts with him, both with his offensive efficiency — there is no reason why he should shoot 41 percent; he’s just too good of a player — and there is just no reason for his tantrums. It may not kill them as a team. They are so mature that they seem to weather those emotional outbursts, but it’s not helping them. I’d like to see him just show a little better leadership and maturity, and I think that’s probably the next step for him and the team as a whole, just seeing how they can make that improvement emotionally.”
Alok Pattani of ESPN.com: “LeBron James has garnered a lot of praise for his six-game streak of scoring and shooting percentage. However, if you look at a complete statistic that takes everything a player contributes to his team over the course of a season, James actually trails Kevin Durant. The statistic is “Win Shares”, developed by Basketball Reference building off the individual offensive and defensive rating framework established by ESPN Production Analytics’ Dean Oliver. Win shares quantifies a player’s overall impact on his team’s winning – taking into account a player’s individual box-score statistics in the context of his team’s offensive and defensive performance.”
ESPN Stats and Info: “LeBron’s PER is 6.6% higher than Durant’s, and his Estimated Wins Added – the estimated number of wins a player adds to a team’s season total above what a ‘replacement player’ would produce – is 3.6% more than Durant.”
Mike Prada of SB Nation on Westbrook’s media thing: “Most athletes will respond to an inane question like “Did your team lose this game or did the other team win?” politely. A few might give a short answer that says nothing. Then, there’s Russell Westbrook, who will respond to your query by raising his eyebrows and making it seem like you told him the world was flat. I approve of this, by the way. Ask better questions, reporters.”
Erik Spoelstra: “This is a game that everybody will be wanting to watch,’’ Spoelstra said. “The last game before the break, sometimes as a coach you would be worrying about whether your team will be engaged or thinking about the break. But our guys will not be thinking about the break and I don’t think their guys will be either.”
Bil Haisten of the Tulsa World on Matt Pinto: “As the Thunder routed Phoenix in Oklahoma City last Friday, the Tulsa World recorded and transcribed Pinto’s call during the third quarter. There were 4,259 words. Over the course of an entire game, Pinto’s play-by-play description amounts to more than 17,000 words. Over the course of an 82-game season – about 1.4 million words.”
Dirk on playing the Thunder: “Well, last week they blew us out. But other than that, it has been fun games all the way around. Before they really, really got good, we used to have their number. We used to always beat them, here or there. In the championship year, those close games, we knew we were going to pull it out and win in the end. And these last two years, we just can’t get a win.”
5-on-5 talking Thunder-Heat with Tom Haberstroh taking Miami in a seven-game series: “As Erik Spoelstra said the other day, the Finals were way closer than a five-game series. Still, I’m not sure the Thunder’s postseason chances improved when they dealt James Harden but the Heat’s closing lineup with Ray Allen has been downright terrifying. I think the Heat still have the upper hand here.”
http://dailythunder.com/2013/02/heat-vs-thunder-pregame-primer-4/
Roll out
I'm interested to see if we keep doing the same things against the Heat. I honestly will be a little surprised if we lose tonight just because its on our home court and we've lost to them 5 straight times. If we do beat them though I don't think it means a thing. We still don't match up well with them with our current roster.
- Will Perk play 25+ minutes?
- Will Serge guard a perimeter player?
- Will we see a zone from the Thunder?
- How much does KD guard Lebron?
- How muc time do we go small ball?
I'm excited about the game but I'm not as excited as I feel like I should be for some reason. I don't feel like the Thunder have much to gain tonight. They should win this game. They've lost 5 in a row to the Heat and it's at home. It will be fun seeing the best 2 teams get after it and the best 2 players get after it. Let's see if Brooks will break the mold and try new things!
@okcjim
Yes
Yes
Yes, but ironically only when they have shooters on the floor
Minimally, Thabo will spend all his minutes on Lebron
Not as much as we should
You all are funny
So pumped for this game. KD to drop 50 and turn the 'LeBron for MVP' narrative on its head!
@Stringer Bell KD only dropped 50 like twice, I doubt he drops 50 in lebrons presence or vice versa.
@Lost Ones I know this but I'm trying to be positive, bruh.
@Lost Ones @Stringer Bell Hey it COULD happen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYzBGlL3ZQc
@DSYIII That interlacing...
This could be a very good win for OKC if they can pull it off. Would make for perfect game film come June!
Before Royce's comes out, here is my pregame primer http://nowthatsthunderbasketball.com/2013/02/14/miami-heat-vs-oklahoma-city-thunder-preview-game-53-of-82/ #ThunderUP #HuckTheFeat
Just picked up my ticket for tonight's game! Thanks Tricia!!
@KD's Pocket Guide To Defying Physics Did you give her a Benz that made her dance?
@AlexR44 Haha nah. With my current financial situation that's about the least likely thing I could do. I made a video for her contest.
@KD's Pocket Guide To Defying Physics That's cool man. Enjoy the game.
@AlexR44
He gave her a video that made her laugh.
@AlexR44 @ThunderChick2010
But this is me talking . . . :)
@Lost Ones @ThunderChick2010 @AlexR44 http://youtu.be/lcUSLqALkNs
@ThunderChick2010 @AlexR44 where can this video be found ha
@ThunderChick2010 That statement could be misconstrued many a ways. LOL
@KD's Pocket Guide To Defying Physics
Tricia rocks! Can't wait to meet her!
Have fun at the game! :)
That Kevin Durant guy is pretty good! I'm glad he is on our team! Just stating the obvious here... Happy Valentine's Day DT'ers! Go Thunder! Beat the Heat and we will Rise Together!
Rose has a 10 percent of playing this season IMO, then again seasons happen every week according to the lakers.
It's possible that D Rose won't even play this season... I would say abouuuut... ummmm... 75% that he doesn't. Thoughts?
@Barry Amenema
I'm thinking it's about 75% possible Barry tells a joke tonight that involves a grasshopper in some way. :)
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@Barry Amenema He's smart not to rush back.
@KD's Pocket Guide To Defying Physics @Barry Amenema Totally agree. Unless he's hiding something, there's no reason for him to come back unless he's fully ready. It's better for him to come out and be who he was from the start. If he comes back with less hops and explosiveness, then he really has no value to the Bulls as yet another facilitator.
@thunder_mike Exactly, plus it would be foolish for him to come back too early and risk his entire career for one playoff run.
@Barry Amenema I'm thinkin Addidas looks dumb for running that commercial so much showing how hard he's working to come back. Now he's saying nah I don't feel like coming back this year.
@Barry Amenema if thats what you say, bruh.
This summer is going to be interesting in the NBA....Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings and OJ Mayo are all fringe max players but I don't think they're deserving of it. We'll see if any GMs have smartened up.
@OBoy Jones III Giving any of those guys a max is handcuffing yourself to mediocrity. But sometimes that's better than being bad
@OBoy Jones III Also jennings isn't anywhere near a max player imo. I'd give him a ty lawson contract, maybe slightly bigger
@AIaska @OBoy Jones III I think Lawson is better than him. Lawson is a better passer and more efficient scorer (even now during a down year). Both are small and mediocre defenders at best. Honestly Jennings isn't a very good player, he's been riding that one month at the beginning of his career for the past 4 years.
@OBoy Jones III Kevin Martin*
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@MJOKC @Lost Ones no one is going to give Martin max, lost wants just wants to be negative.
@Lost Ones LOL
fringe max players= they think they're worth max
@OBoy Jones III josh smith will get it, mayo 12mm, jennings 10
You are correct, Mr. Prada.
Can't wait to see the Heat fans show up tonight wearing their new Baltimore Raven hats.
...... of course with their Heat jerseys.
New FB profile pic for the day.
http://blog.newsok.com/thunderrumblings/files/2012/04/PerkonWade.jpg
@see-mittens forbidden pick?
@Lost Ones weird. Its just perk kicking wade in the face.
@see-mittens me no have access
http://24.media.tumblr.com/deb6d5c532be9978a33a4dc51897c24f/tumblr_mi75y82npz1rny7o1o1_500.png
lol not to bring it up again, but this is what im talking about, @ legendary dork, lool this is being dehumanised. (its really not funny smh)
@O O O O O O aren't we all animals? i don't think we are plants
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@MJOKC @O O O O O O Animal? everyone innocent until proven guilty imo. no need to call anyone a animal, better ways to describe a person instead of using emotions.
@Lost Ones @MJOKC @O O O O O O At least our crazies here in Oklahoma stick to meth lab porta potties.
@Lost Ones @MJOKC looool we got 14 days left to talk about this, before its sshhhhh back to the corner
@MJOKC @Lost Ones that may be true, but couldnt it work the other way too? why does it have to be minorities that have to get the short end of the stick, its only perpetuating the power structure further, unless we act right, we're subhuman. it's a part of something larger, that may or not be a part of what you're talking about too, and to be sure, u can bet that whoever is running the media in that way, isnt made up of a bunch of black guys.
@MJOKC @O O O O O O Always will be a racial divide between minority's and law enforcement IMO
@MJOKC @Lost Ones gdamnit, so many problems
@MJOKC @Lost Ones alright, fair enough, so then what does that make the law enforcement thats hunting him down, w no trial, no conviction? animals or heroes?
@Lost Ones @MJOKC i got no problem w emotions. its an emotional situation, but theres gotta be some sort of awareness, or something, that should let you know, i shouldnt say this thing, because of the effect it might have, especially in regards to race and media. we just gotta be careful man.
@MJOKC no, he wasnt an animal, neither of them were, sociopaths, maybe, always human. and its not about the media does to me, its the prevailing message thats sent out overall. where the media plays a dominant role in creating the image for these dudes, and how that image gets perpetuated. white killers are misunderstood, mentally ill, highly intelligent, but disturbed, where the black killers are animals. yeah, the media are absolutely some snakes.
@MJOKC @O He knew alot of somethings. Check out his unfiltered manifesto. He was more than a smart guy. I agree the whole thing seems very fishy. I have a hard time believing he is actually dead though. If you understand the guy he would've been much harder to catch then what they say. I dont agree with anything the man did though. Very sad ordeal in all.
@MJOKC @O Smart people kill people all the time. I has no substance calling him a animal and not CT shooter, Tim McVeigh, Manson, Zimmerman, James Holmes, DC Sniper. All very intellgent people Not all called "animal" Yes he did kill Inocent from what LAPD has said. The LAPD also shot and killed innocents as well. So if he is an 'animal" every officer involved in those shooting are as well. Not to mention who ever killed Doner himself. Innocent until proven guilty isnt a hindsight sort of thing.
@MJOKC its true, and thats what im saying, that certain way that we're talking about is that chris dorner is an animal that deserves to die right away, but james holmes is only just mentally ill, and should be given a fair trial.
@O O O O O O @MJOKC Doner was far far from an animal. He was uber intelligent and came in at the top of his class throughout his time in the military. He was a man pushed to far by a corrupt system in LAPD and didnt want to or know how to rationalize what happen to him. Media paints pictures based on agendas. Nothing new though.
@MJOKC @O O O O O O Yup, murder is murder. Even if one disgusts me more than the other (CT shootings)