ESPN logoTrueHoop Network
An ESPN Affiliate

Daily Thunder.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Team
    • Salaries
    • Roster
    • Schedule & Events
  • Commenting Guidelines

Westbrook-less Thunder playoff run off to heart-stopping, fitting start

by Michael Kimball on April 28, 2013 at 1:21 pm 1,239 Comments
Screen Shot 2013-04-28 at 1.18.14 PM

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

HOUSTON — By the time Kevin Durant’s back-breaking 3-pointer bounced three times off the rim and once off the backboard before dropping softly through the hoop, an enterprising person could have learned a second language or built a ship in a bottle. Or at least, that’s sure what it seemed like as the defining shot of this Thunder postseason so far took its sweet time to splash home.

If this is any indication of how Oklahoma City’s playoff run is going to go with Russell Westbrook, it’s time to heed the advice of the sage Ray Arnold. “Hold on to your butts.”

Who knows if it was a tribute or just the force of habit that led to Westbrook’s jersey being hung in his vacant locker in the Toyota Center before Saturday’s game, but it served as a poignant reminder, as if one was needed, that OKC was missing one of the sharpest arrows in its quiver. No one can truly fill those shoes, and he’s not going to be back in uniform until October. Keep Reading…

TGR 98: Recapping Rockets/Thunder

by Thunderground Radio on April 28, 2013 at 10:59 am 153 Comments

DTTGRBrad and Joel give their deep thoughts on the series so far, and recap Game 3.

Topics of discussion include:

  • Adjusted expectations for the team without Russ
  • The role Reggie Jackson must play
  • How much more valuable is Fisher?
  • Brooks’ creativity
  • Do you hate Harden now?

…and much more!

DOWNLOAD

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Things bounce the Thunder’s way to go up 3-0, 104-101

by Royce Young on April 28, 2013 at 12:46 am 301 Comments

BOX SCORE

Considering the circumstances, considering the last 48 hours, considering what developed over tonight’s 48 minutes, considering what the Thunder were dealing with, this might’ve been the most emotional Oklahoma City Thunder game I’ve ever watched.

I don’t know what the future holds for this team this season. I don’t know what Game 4 holds. But the performance from the Thunder tonight was special. Yeah, they blew a 26-point first half lead. And they only won one of the four quarters. They showed holes, they had problems, they almost blew it.

But they won. Keep Reading…

Thunder vs. Rockets: Game 3 Pregame Primer

by Royce Young on April 27, 2013 at 6:36 pm 2,440 Comments

okc-thunder vs. h rockets

Thunder (2-0, 0-0 road) vs. Rockets (0-2, 0-0 home)

TV: ESPN
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 8:30 CT

View from the enemy: Red 94

All playoff games are important and being up 2-0, the Thunder have a cushion. But I think Game 3 could be the biggest of the series for a lot of reasons. Mostly for the mental reasons. Dealing with the injury to Westbrook is tough and the Thunder can either win tonight and prove right away they can be fine, or they can only amplify the doubt that’s festering since the news broke. Keep Reading…

The Side Part: Breakable

by Tyler Parker on April 27, 2013 at 4:33 pm 227 Comments
Screen Shot 2013-04-27 at 12.17.40 PM

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

Special emergency edition of The Side Part, because we all had a lot to say after Russell Westbrook’s injury. This column typical runs on Thursday’s and it authored by Tyler Parker of Ballerball. You can follow him on Twitter here.

Down I go into the blackness, deep into the abyss. The dark places people who work at Hot Topic and sit front row at Gwar concerts are afraid to venture to.

This is where your emotions send you when the right meniscus of Russell Westbrook is torn. This is where you go when your sports heart takes a swan dive off the Cliffs of Insanity and you land in a pile of swords made by Inigo Montoya’s father. This is actually inconceivable. Russell Westbrook, the once unbreakable, is hurt.

My beard grows long and patchy and I squint because the sun is new to me. I’m in a robe and Seinfeld boxers, shuffling around in my house shoes with a carton of milk in my hand, muttering the word “wolverine” over and over, and I can’t remember what my name is. Keep Reading…

Russell Westbrook to miss remainder of postseason after surgery

by Royce Young on April 27, 2013 at 1:57 pm 411 Comments

Russell Westbrook underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee Saturday and will miss the remainder of the postseason, the Thunder announced today.

“Although we are of course disappointed that Russell will be unable to return to the floor with his teammates this season, the opportunity to repair the meniscus as opposed to remove it was the best possible scenario for Russell’s long term health as a player and person,” said Thunder general manager Sam Presti in a release. “Russell’s health and well being are obviously our number one priority through this process and today’s procedure helped solidify our belief that Russell will have many productive years of basketball in his future.”

Westbrook injured the knee in Game 2 against the Rockets on Wednesday after a collision with Patrick Beverley. Westbrook remained in the game and played 29 more minutes, scoring 20 points.

Presti said on a conference call that Westbrook had a repair done on his meniscus, rather than a removal. Keep Reading…

Saturday Morning Cartoons: The sads

by Royce Young on April 27, 2013 at 11:27 am 117 Comments

Happy Saturday. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Russ-ell, Russ-ell, Russ-ell.

Via TBJ, we actually won’t be watching Westbrook. Sads, I have all of them.

Bonus cartoon after the jump, just ’cause. Keep Reading…

Saturday Bolts – Get Well Soon Russ Edition

by Royce Young on April 27, 2013 at 6:54 am 224 Comments

BoltsLogoNew11Zach Lowe of Grantland: “It’s also worth noting that many in the “Why did they trade Harden now??!” crowd in October also recommended at least waiting until the trade deadline. That would obviously not have helped here. The Maynor trade is exactly the reason you draft Jackson. Maynor’s going to be a free agent this summer, and he was shooting 31 percent in Oklahoma City while recovering from his own sad knee injury. He was better in Portland, but still shot just 42 percent with a 10.6 Player Efficiency Rating — well below the league average. In the final analysis, this is a horrible bit of bad luck that very likely wipes a title contender off the map. The Thunder should still beat Houston, and they could still win the Western Conference; Durant is that good, and a solid supporting cast is still here. But they’re underdogs now, and they’ll probably be underdogs in the next round, against whomever they face, if they get there. That’s life in the NBA.”

Rob Mahoney of SI.com: “An added complication comes by way of a game progression in which Westbrook often functions as a first-quarter dynamo. Only one other player (Carmelo Anthony) posted a higher usage rate in first quarters this season, in large part because Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks has built his team’s early game offense around Westbrook’s inextinguishable energy. One can almost hear Westbrook’s motor revving from the moment his sneakers hit hardwood, and from the opening tip he surges and screams as if every possession were the emotional climax of a Game 7. He’s pure kinetic energy, and though a player like Jackson may be able to match Westbrook’s end-to-end speed, he won’t produce comparably and can’t manage the same instant electricity. That’s a bit less tangible than some of the Thunder’s other concerns, but the kind of dynamic that shouldn’t be overlooked in terms of how Oklahoma City goes about managing this unexpected loss.” Keep Reading…

  • « Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • …
  • 510
  • Next »
Back to Top

Headlines

  • KD named All-NBA first team, Westbrook second team
  • Perk donates $25,000 to help build shelters in schools
  • Report: Mo Cheeks to interview with the Pistons
  • Thunder land the 12th pick in the 2013 draft
  • Thunder donate $1 million to aid with disaster relief
  • Kevin Durant donates $1 million to disaster relief
  • Serge Ibaka named first team All-Defense
Daily Thunder
  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Copyright © 2008-2012 DailyThunder.com
Designed by iThemes Creative & Hosted by Site5