Daily Thunder.com

What a strange feeling to have as a Thunder fan. Winning a game and yet feeling some disappointment and frustration. And it’s kind of weird to be on the other side of a comeback attempt.

But hey, it’s a win. And guess what: TWO OUT OF THREE. Had it not been for Carmelo tearing out OKC’s heart, this would have been three in a row. Can you believe that? But one encouraging thing to take out of it is that instead of OKC getting the “Here we go again” feeling, they closed. A month ago, the Thunder would have lost this one by eight points. But instead, they closed. They made clutch plays, got big rebounds and most importantly, won. And that feels good. Despite what may have happened in about an eight minute stretch, the Thunder played awesome for about 40 minutes, then hung on for dear life for eight. And won.

But the path to getting there wasn’t pretty. After leading by as much as 25 late in the third, Al Harrington went on an 11-0 run by himself to cut it to 14. The Thunder called timeout, went on a 4-0 spurt and pushed it back to 18. But then New York went back at it and got it down to as little as three. At one point, the Knicks scored on 13 consecutive possessions. As the game tightened, so did the Thunder. Jeff Green (who was awesome tonight) was 7-7 from the free throw line. But late in the fourth, he missed three of four from the line. OKC turned it over time after time and in general was just loose with the basketball. Had it not been for the Knicks just going completely cold from three, this may have been a jump-off-a-building type game.

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vs.

New York Knicks (13-19) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (4-30)
Tuesday, January 6
Ford Center
Oklahoma City, OK
7:00 PM CST

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

The other view: Knickerblogger

Throw out the first meeting between these two. Just take it, wad it up and toss it. Because much has changed since these two squads hooked up. November’s 116-106 win for the Knicks saw Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford both tossing up 29 point games as New York stormed out to a big lead and OKC fought from behind. But both Crawford and Randolph have been traded. Now OKC has to prepare for Al Harrington and Tim Thomas. Coach P.J. Carlesimo is gone. The Thunder welcomes in one new player as Nenad Krstic joins to fold. So basically, it’s as if the two teams never met.

Really, the main thing to watch for tonight is what Nenad Krispy does or is given the opportunity to do. Scott Brooks has said he wants to “work” Krstic in, meaning play him a little and build his minutes. But what if he walks out on the floor and scored three buckets and grabs four boards in a minute? I have a feeling Brooks will say, “Screw it. He’s playing 30 tonight.” My guess for Krispy: 14 minutes, eight points, three rebounds, two assists and 19,000 highly encouraged people.

The Thunder actually match up fairly well against the Knicks. Much like OKC, the Knicks play pretty small. I like Russell Westbrook on Chris Duhon because Russell is quicker and Duhon is prone to made poor decisions when pressured. Westbrook had 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists against the Knicks in the first meeting and for the most part outplayed Duhon. Quentin Richardson isn’t the same scorer he used to be. Wilson Chandler can be electric but at this point, I’m taking Kevin Durant over about 90 percent of the league’s small forwards. Jeff Green could really give Harrington trouble on the offensive end, but Green’s going to need help guarding the bigger Harrington. And Robert Swift versus David Lee is a total mismatch athletically so OKC will have to do something there. I don’t know who will get the start, but Chris Wilcox might be able to neutralize Lee somewhat.

I actually lean to OKC to win this one for a few reasons:

A. Because the Knicks are coming off a big win over the Celtics two nights ago. To me, that’s a red flag for a below average team to come out flat.

B. The Knicks are 5-11 on the road.

C. As mentioned, the matchups might favor OKC. The Knicks dominated Boston in the frontcourt. OKC doesn’t get much from there anyway and relies mainly on its backcourt. Plus, adding a wildcard like Krstic could be a huge boost for the Thunder. I like Westbrook against Duhon, Durant against Chandler and Green offensively against Harrington. Lee could be tough for Swift, but Wilcox might be able to guard him. And we just concede shooting guard every night. Basically, you could put a fan out there and let him run around and you’d get about the same production.

But the real key is how will the Thunder respond after last Friday’s 122-120 heartbreaker against the Nuggets. Some teams use it as extra motivation and come out looking to rectify and justify. Some come out sulking and mail it in for 48. Hard to say what will happen here. Last time the Thunder lost on a buzzer beater against the Pistons, they played poorly in Washington. But after Mike Miller’s horn beater to give Minny a 105-103 win, the Thunder beat Memphis on the road. So who knows.

But much like the Golden State game, these are no longer the stay-close-and-hope-you-have-a-chance games. These are winnable games. OKC is better than four wins. But you’ve got to show it against the 13-19 teams too, not just against the best. The Thunder has somehow started gaining respect despite having the worst record. Another solid performance and win No. 5 could go a long way in helping build that respect.

1. Kevin Durant’s PER is at a solid 19.48 right now compared to 15.87 for his rookie season. He ranks 37th in the league in PER, ahead of players like Carmelo Anthony, Gerald Wallace and Rashard Lewis. The two categories KD really needs to improve in order to get into “elite” status are assists and cut down of turnovers. Something many don’t realize is that Durant ranks SIXTH in the entire league in scoring at 23.8 ppg, and THIRD in the West. And he’s in his second year and is 20 years old. Durant actually ranks ninth in the league in three point percentage (44.4). One other thing is that under Scott Brooks, KD is averaging about seven more minutes per game than under P.J. Carlesimo. I had that as one thing that needed to change for Durant almost two months ago.

2. A somewhat disturbing stat: Oklahoma City has hit 135 three pointers on the season. The team is shooting a pretty solid 38 percent from three which ranks 11th, but the 135 made ranks second to last. Between Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, those two have made 89 threes (Green 45, Durant 44), accounting for 66 percent of OKC’s made threes. The next highest total comes from Damien Wilkins who has made 16 on the year, followed by Russell Westbrook who has 15. After that, Earl Watson has 11, Kyle Weaver three and Joe Smith one. I think three point shooting is an issue.

3. David Thorpe on Russell Westbrook: “Westbrook has not disappointed his coaches on either side of the ball. He notched his third five-steal game of the season on New Year’s Eve after scoring 31 points two nights earlier. The Thunder were expecting the steals, but not the points this early in his first season. He’s scoring well while still not being a good shooter, a skill that can be improved over time. That bodes well for both Westbrook and the Thunder.” Hmm. Seems like somebody else was saying that about Russell. Look out league if he can get a consistent jumper? Yep.

4. Nenad Krstic appears to be fitting in nicely with his new team. He’s already been given the nickname “Krispy.” There’s no definite word on whether Krispy will play tonight against the Knicks, but all signs point to yes. He’s been cleared to play and the way Scott Brooks talked, I bet minutes will be limited (something like 8-10), but we should get a look at him at least.

5. Kevin Durant leads the Thunder in blocks with 30. The next closest player is Nick Collison with 24. And if you’re wondering, no, Krispy is not a big-time shot blocker. He has averaged just 0.7 bpg over his NBA career.

What’s something I’ve said about 200 times over the last month that you already know, but that’s not going to stop me from saying it again? Anyone? The Thunder are getting better. The December 31 107-100 win over Golden State gave the team confidence. Last week’s 122-120 heartbreaker either shattered that confidence or built it even more, telling the young team they can compete with anybody.

So as this season wears on, what are five NEW goals for the Thunder? Being 4-30, it’s not crazy to say the team likely won’t be able to meet the goals they set before the season started. I remember a Sporting News reporter asking Kevin Durant about the playoffs. That really funny now in a that’s-not-so-funny-kind-of-way. But what can OKC set out to do the rest of the way? There’s 48 games left. Since there’s not a whole lot to play for other than to lose more and secure the most ping-pong balls, some new goals need to be set. Here’s five suggestions:

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Forget all his amazing dunks and unreal display of athletic ability.

Voting for the last person ends January 14th. Go vote for Russell. He’ll blow your mind with what he can do.

And now for the post you’ve all been eagerly awaiting: comment guidelines.

The whole goal of the blog is to have smart, clean and thoughtful discussion about Oklahoma City Thunder basketball. For some of you, I realize that is impossible. You’ve made it your goal in life to stop by, say something horribly inappropriate, click “submit” and be strangely proud of yourself. From now on, your comments must adhere to the following guidelines — and that goes for Oklahoma City folks, Seattle people or anyone else for that matter. Every single other team centric blog has a comment policy and it’s high time for this one to join the fold.

1. No profanity. If you wouldn’t say it in front of your grandmother, don’t say it here. If you have any question about a specific word, don’t write it. It’s probably bad. Also no pseudo-swears — using symbols (#$&%) or putting an asterisk (*) in the middle of the word aren’t acceptable. I don’t care how much cursing is part of your everyday life. If you want to comment, you won’t do it. This should be a place all ages can enjoy. I’m not going to list all the offensive words that aren’t acceptable, so use your judgment. If you didn’t hear it in Toy Story, it’s not going to fly.

2. Like every other conversation site on the planet there will be no obviously offensive comments based on race, orientation, religion and anything else in that realm. (For the most part) this blog is about basketball, so check your politics at the door. And your hate.

3. As Dave from Blazer’s Edge says, don’t be THAT GUY. Write in complete sentences. Maybe proof your comment once. Don’t use unfair and confrontational tones. I realize we all have opinions on lots of things, but as long as you’re being fair and not arrogant or abusive, everything is good. If you think you’re the authority on everything, start your own blog and write your obviously correct opinions there.

4. Absolutely no personal attacks on other commenters or writers. If someone misspelled something or forgot a comma, don’t go grammar police and point out everything and disregard anything they said based on that fact alone. We’re all our own editors. People make mistakes. If somebody thinks Earl Watson should be an All-Star, don’t call them a moron — call them a moron and explain WHY. Not really, just disagree, make your point and move on. Instead of saying, “You idiot, Earl Watson could never be an All-Star,” say instead, “Earl Watson could never be an All-Star.” It’s actually pretty simple to be nice.

5. We’re writing and talking about a GAME that grown men play in shorts and tanktops, not things that are actually really, really important. Remember that.

If you can’t follow these simple guidelines that every other team blog has established, then find another one that allows it. If you want to cuss OKC, talk about our dust and tepees or make fun of our intelligence then check out Bend It Like Bennett or start your own message board. If you want to argue with former Sonics’ fans and instigate and rile them up, then follow them wherever they go from here. This place is supposed to be about Thunder basketball. It’s meant to be a place to encourage lively discussion about OKC basketball and a place to read somebody’s thoughts on the team. We’re all here to have fun. Try to — in the cleanest way possible. Please don’t make me waste my life screening every single comment. We’re all adults. Let’s all try and act like it.

Thanks for reading and if there are any questions or concerns about the guidelines, feel free to email and ask. Oh, and the policy goes into effect… right… NOW.

Adfsdfgfsgfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff (finally picks head off keyboard).

Dang. That really, really, really sucks. Big time. Kevin Durant hits an incredible shot — an INCREDIBLE shot — to put Oklahoma City up one with 2.7 to play. The Thunder actually may beat one of the best teams in the West. The Ford Center is ballistic. But Carmelo Anthony did what he’s paid to do. And in the end the Nuggets did what we all thought they would do.

Not to be lost in the killer, heart-wrenching, wooden spoon to the nards, 122-120 defeat is how well OKC played. Not only did the Thunder push out to a 14-point cushion at one point, but after Denver did what we all knew they would do — comeback — the Thunder weathered the storm (pun intended) and stayed in the game. They got the stop they HAD TO HAVE and KD knocked down the shot. Durant had 33 points, nine boards, five assists, was 10-21 from the floor and 4-5 from three. Jeff Green played a perfect sidekick, chipping in 18. Russell Westbrook was effective, scoring 14 and dishing five assists. Desmond Mason and Damien Wilkins both finally played a little offense. And what the heck has gotten into Earl Watson? Are you actually trying to get me to like you?

I just hope the team can get over it. I hope they realize that they proved themselves in a big way tonight. Coming off a win, they played awesome for 48 full minutes, taking one of the best teams in the league to the edge. It will be tough for them to refocus and get back at it when they were so, so close to the biggest win of the year.

It’s a weird thing to watch one team that’s clearly over-matched battle a far more talented team to the limit. Anthony had 31, Chauncey Billups 24 and Nene 27. Every possession late, it just seemed it would take a miracle from the Thunder to stop the Nuggs.

Honestly, other than the obvious poor defense, there’s nothing really to complain about. It sure would have been sweet to pick up win No. 5 and for it to be over a great team, but OKC played about as good as it could. The Thunder shot 58 percent from the floor. They hit free throws. They rebounded (relatively) well. They didn’t turn it over an absurd amount. They just got beat by a better team.

There were some lost possessions late in the game where Jeff Green airmailed a pass into the eight row and Chris Wilcox inexplicably threw it away. Those would be nice to have back. But dang, I feel for the team. They wanted this one. They played so hard and so well. To come up empty-handed has to hurt. But this happens in the NBA. Happens a lot in fact. It just has to be forgotten as OKC prepares for a Tuesday night run against the Knicks. I think it’s pretty clear right now: You better not come into the Ford Center and expect to roll the ball out, jog up and down the court and walk out with a win. It’s just not happening anymore. This team will play you. And if you’re not ready and focused, they’ll beat you. I really feel that the Thunder could win every two out of five the rest of the way. Mentally, you can see they believe they can win. I think they’re finally getting over the “Here we go again” mentality.

OKC tries to shake this one off against New York Tuesday night at the Ford Center. Good game Thunder. Nothing to hang your heads about.