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Thunder at Clippers: Pre-game primer

by Royce Young on April 15, 2009 at 10:03 am 12 Comments

okc3 vs. lac

Oklahoma City Thunder (22-59, 7-33 road) at LA Clippers (19-62, 11-29 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 9:30 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.7 (29th), Clippers: 102.5 (30th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.8 (21st), Clippers: 111.5 (25th)
Pace:Thunder: 93.5 (8th), Clippers: 92.0 (13th)

And we’ve made it to the end. You know what that means? As soon as this one is over, we get to completely think about next year.  That sure beats having to stare at a 22-59 record.

So what’s on the line here tonight? Well, obviously nothing really that important, but OKC ranks 29th in offensive efficiency and the Clips 30th and the two teams are separated by just  two-tenths of a point. So there’s that. Also, the Thunder is one game behind Memphis right now and the Grizzlies play at home against Atlanta. So a Thunder win and a Grizzly loss means we’re looking at a tie for 27th worst record. While that’s definitely a storyline, I say forget the ping-pong balls and go win. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I’d rather get another win and avoid a 60-loss season. I know others might feel differently, but I’m not all wrapped up in the lottery. It’s a crapshoot anyway and even if you have the best chance, it’s not really all that great of one. Keep Reading…

Wednesday Bolts – Almost There Edition

by Royce Young on April 15, 2009 at 8:17 am 27 Comments

Empty the Bench recaps the NBA season in 40 lists. Click and read. It’s awesome. Oklahoma City finished on top of a thunderbolt2310couple including team Andrew most watched, team most likely to improve and Kevin Durant, Thabo, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are all mentioned throughout.

BDL power rankings: “As has been stated many times in many places, this team could have rolled over, but it fought and worked and genuinely enjoyed playing with each other. Bright, bright future for the Thunder.”

Bill Simmons will his full MVP list with appearances by Nenad Krstic and KD, but this is noteworthy: “Follow-up note: Presti wins 2009 Exec of the Year for shrewdly building a nice foundation — Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook as his Big Three; Krstic, Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha as three legit rotation guys, a top-six draft pick coming, multiple first-rounders in the hopper, cap space galore, a genuinely good coach in Scottie Brooks, and the NBA’s single strangest bench guy in Robert Swift. There’s just a lot to like. By the way, if they make a “Children of the Corn” remake and DON’T include Swift, I’m going to be furious.”

The poll says “Yes!” Players wants Scott Brooks back but Sam Presti still not saying anything: “A survey by The Oklahoman of all 15 Thunder players yielded 13 players who are in favor of Brooks returning as the full-time coach. Chucky Atkins declined to comment, and Russell Westbrook was non-committal. But even with overwhelming support from players and a growing segment of the fan base in favor of lifting Brooks’ interim tag, general manager Sam Presti has been unwavering in his desire to defer contract talks until the off-season.” Keep Reading…

Tuesday Bolts – 4.14.09

by Royce Young on April 14, 2009 at 8:10 am 29 Comments

Marc Stein’s power rankings with a pretty strong note: “Was this the one and only season in the Durant Era that the thunderbolt239good folks of OKC had to stomach a ranking that was always in the 20s? The answer is YES unless the whole league is guilty of overhyping this situation.”

SLAM awards: “O.J. Mayo? Are you kidding me? Russell Westbrook? Word? Look. This rookie class has been exceptional. I see about eight future All-Stars. But there shouldn’t be a discussion, here.  Rose came into the season facing the pressure and shouldering the burden of being the No. 1 pick, playing for his hometown Bulls. He was thrust into a starting role in the game’s most demanding position. To make matters more challenging, he was playing on a young squad without a leader and for a coach whom many of his teammates disliked. Through a season that included a coaching change and roster overhaul, he’s put up 16, 6 and 4 and helped the Bulls get into the postseason. Meanwhile, O.J. and Russ play for two of the worst teams in the League and O.J. has often played like the typical “numbers guy on a bad squad.” Rose better be a unanimous pick.”

NBA.com looks at potential Most Improved candidates:


Layup Drill has five players it wishes were in playoffs: “1. Kevin Durant: KD is the truth. The kid is making Portland wish they had went in a different direction a few seasons ago when bypassed Durant for Greg Oden. The Thunder have built the franchise around their lanky swingman, who averaged career highs in points, assists, and rebounds this year, and should have been selected as an All-Star. There’s always next year though.” Keep Reading…

Deja vu: Blazers thump Thunder 113-83

by Royce Young on April 13, 2009 at 9:35 pm 25 Comments

Uninspired, uninterested, unmotivated. You pick the word. It all fits for this performance.

I had to keep telling myself to understand what I was watching. This is a team that doesn’t really care and they’re just looking forward to summer vacation. It’s kind of like a college freshman that has a guaranteed “D” in his biology class and while he still has to take the final, it’s not going to really change anything. So does he study? No, he just shows up, fills in some circles and leaves. That’s what the Thunder’s doing right now. And they were playing the kid that’s got a 4.0 and can get a 95 in his sleep. While it’s not exactly what you want to see, it is what it is (whatever the heck that means).

I could rant about effort and intensity and place blame on someone, but is it really worth it? Come next season, I don’t think we’ll look back and point at this game and say, “See! If they just would have brought effort here, they’d be competing for a playoff spot!” It’s just loss No. 59 in a season full of them. Sure it was pretty ugly, but this has been a long year for a lot of young guys and I’m sure they’re worn out both mentally and physically.

I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right there’s no excuse for it. But does the fact that the team has been uninterested and uninspired this last week and a half mean that all the good things that happened the past three months be ignored? Even though I knew exactly what was happening and I tried to tell myself that was the way it was going to be before tip, it didn’t make it any less frustrating. I was still bothered and agitated at each turnover, each defensive collapse and each Greg Oden uncontested dunk. Keep Reading…

Thunder at Trail Blazers: Pre-game primer

by Royce Young on April 13, 2009 at 12:39 pm 12 Comments

okc-thunder3 vs. p-trail-blazers

Thunder (22-58, 7-32 road) at Portland Trail Blazers (52-28, 32-7 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 9:00 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.8 (29th), Portland: 113.8 (1st)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.6 (21st), Portland: 108.3 (16th)
Pace:Thunder: 93.5 (8th), Portland: 86.5 (30th)

One thing I think we’re all going to have to accept is what’s happening. There’s two games left, the team is on the road, there’s nothing to play for but pride and I’m sure it’s tough to be motivated. I really don’t blame the team. I think it bothers me (and others) because we’ve come to expect so much more from this team in terms of effort, but right now, they’re just trying to get to the finish line and start thinking about next year.

I know Scott Brooks surely isn’t happy about it seeing as he’s still fighting to keep his job. And I’d absolutely much rather win than lose. Forget the ping-pong balls. If OKC is meant to get the No. 1 pick, it’ll get the No. 1 pick.

But the Thunder travels to Portland tonight for what most would expect another ugly affair. Remember last time? A 37-point margin and it wasn’t even that close. Let me warn you: That could very well happen again tonight. The last eight losses, OKC’s average losing margin is 19.4 points. That’s quite a jump from all those six point losses the Thunder had been piling up. Lately it’s been either win, or get whooped trying. And since I’m not really expecting a win, I’m thinking we may be flipping over to Letterman during the fourth quarter. Keep Reading…

Limping to the line: How they’ll finish

by Royce Young on April 13, 2009 at 9:53 am 14 Comments

The playoffs are locked up and the lottery teams are set. The season is nearly over and we’re very close to having a completely clear image of who will have the most ping-pong balls come the draft lottery. Right now, Oklahoma City sits as the fourth worst (or if you’re an optimist, 26th best) team in the league, with an 11.9 percent chance of winning. And while all these teams have nothing to win, they do have a lot of reason to lose. There’s some pretty tight races heading to the finish of who will get how many ping-pong balls. So what’s the final standings shaping up to look like?

Sacramento Kings: 16-64
Currently: 30th, 25 percent chance
Games remaining: at Denver, at Minnesota
Projected finish: 30th, 16-66. They’ve already locked it up. No breaking this down. And they’ll lose their last two anyway.

Los Angeles Clippers: 19-61
Currently: t-29th, 17.7 percent chance
Games remaining: at Utah, Oklahoma City
Projected finish: 29th, 20-62 The Clips will most certainly lose in Utah, dropping them to 19-62, but should beat the Thunder at home (where they’ve already beaten OKC handily once). Currently, they are tied with the Wizards for the second worst record with identical tallies of 19-61 and the two teams split the season series. (Lottery rules state that if two teams are tied, then they split the average amount of combinations. Just FYI.)

Washington Wizards: 19-61
Currently: t-29th, 17.7 percent chance
Games remaining: Toronto, at Boston
Projected finish: 28th, 20-62. With Gilbert Arenas returning the Wiz have played a bit better. The Raptors stink on the road and every team likes to win their home closer. Doubtful they win in Boston though. Looks like we’re heading for a tie at the 29th spot. That is, unless OKC can “upset” the Clips Wednesday.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 22-58
Currently: 27th, 11.9 percent chance
Games remaining: at Portland, at LA Clippers
Projected finish: 27th, 22-60. Really unless the Thunder goes crazy and win both their last games, I think they’re slotted at 27th. It’s possible to jump the Grizzlies if they lose twice and OKC wins twice, but looking at the schedule, that’s unlikely. Of course, they could tie each other. The Thunder can’t increase their chances at all seeing as the Wizards and Clips both have 19 wins and can’t catch OKC’s 22 with two to go. So at worst (or best, this is all so confusing), the Thunder will finish 27th with the potential to move up to 25th.

Memphis Grizzlies: 23-57
Currently: 26th, 8.8 percent chance
Games remaining: at Phoenix, Atlanta
Projected finish: 26th, 23-59 The Grizzlies could very well beat Phoenix, just because the Suns are done and look to kind of be cashing in their chips. Atlanta appears to be focused getting ready to head into the playoffs and it’s unlikely they’ll slip. As is, the Grizzlies could move up to 25th with two wins and two Minny losses, or could drop to 27th if they lose twice and OKC wins twice. Unlikely. So look for the Grizz to stay right at 26th.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 24-56
Currently: 25th, 6.3 percent chance
Games remaining: at Dallas, Sacramento
Projected finish: 25th, 25-57. Like all these bad teams, the Wolves are awful on the road and will likely lose to Dallas. But winning against Sacramento will seal their fate as the 25th best team in the league as OKC can’t catch them. Keep Reading…

Monday Bolts – 4.13.09

by Royce Young on April 13, 2009 at 8:15 am 10 Comments

Let me just tell you, Kevin Durant may be a better person than basketball player. And that’s obviously saying thunderbolt238something. He is so incredibly humble as showcased in his intereviw with Jenni Carlson. And the fact that he’s going to school this summer also says something about his committment.

HoopsWorld tells us what’s right, what’s wrong and where the Thunder go from here: “Fan support is unbelievable right now; OKC is ranked 11th in the league for overall attendance, 10th in the league for percentage of tickets sold and will end its debut season with 18 sellouts. Just need some more wins to keep these numbers steady. Other good news: Oklahoma City residents voted last year for a short-term extension of a 1-cent sales tax to pay for $100M in improvements to the Ford Center and construction of a new $20M practice facility for the team. Pieces are already coming together to build a solid franchise. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a smart general manager, a (thankfully) behind-the-scenes owner, a player’s coach and a hungry city….plus a very young, high-energy team eager to learn what it takes to move to the next level in the NBA. And for Pete’s sake, name Brooks the permanent head coach sooner rather than later.”

David Thorpe looks at the sophomore class and has some high praise for Kevin Durant: “The 2008 rookie of the year has seen an increase in almost every statistical category this season while decreasing his turnover rate. He has established himself as a strong All-Star candidate for years to come and is arguably the best small forward in the world not named LeBron James. And he won’t turn 21 until a few days before training camp starts next season. Next up for him: spearheading a Thunder team that looks ready to compete for a playoff spot next season, and likely some playing time for the next Team USA.”

Could the Tar Heels beat one of the NBA’s worst?: “Life would not be as hard for Roy Williams group against the Thunder as his big men should be able to get some work done inside against the likes of Nenad Kristic, Nick Collison, and D.J. White. They are outmatched inside, but it’s nowhere near to the extent that they would be against the Clippers. Where the Tar Heels would really struggle is in the back court going up against Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Perimeter defense was the weakest aspect of Carolina’s game this season and although they did go up against some pretty talented guards, none of them were Westbrook or K.D. The two would carry the Thunder to a convincing victory and Jeff Green would play a major role as well. In the 2007 Final Four Green had 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists as the Tar Heels had no answer for him.” I also broke this matchup down months ago and I had it as a no doubt win for Oklahoma City. Keep Reading…

Thunder 98, Bucks 115

by Joe on April 11, 2009 at 9:18 pm 28 Comments

It was pretty shocking to my system to see the Thunder completely crap themselves just a night after giving such good effort, and just days after talking about finishing strong. The team was slow, lethargic, flat, un-energized…you pick the adverb. If we play like this against a reeling Milwaukee team, what can we expect on Monday in Portland?

This crapfest of a basketball game doesn’t even really deserve a post game write up, but I am going to power through the misery and detail the lowlights in short order. “Get er done”!

The Thunder had so little regard for defense that they allowed a floundering Bucks team that is allowing about 100 points per game to go off for 115; and to score a ridiculous 71 points combined in the second and third quarters. I don’t know how many times I shook my head in disbelief as Jeff Green got jumpers nailed in his face with little or no resistance. Where’s the pride?

This game was completely over in the third period, but the rout started in the second. In the second, the Bucks shot 12/19 (63%) including 3/4 from three to open up a 5 point lead. They followed that with  13/18 (72.2%) including 2/3 from three. I mean, is it just me or do you think the Thunder might be able to get the Bucks to miss more than just 5 shots in the whole quarter? Keep Reading…

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Headlines

  • Thunder donate $1 million to aid with disaster relief
  • Kevin Durant donates $1 million to disaster relief
  • Serge Ibaka named first team All-Defense
  • Report: KD reaches settlement in ‘Durantula’ lawsuit
  • Derek Fisher fined $5,000 for flopping
  • Durant finishes runner-up to LeBron for MVP
  • Thunder-Grizzlies second round schedule released
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