25 Things about the Thunder

Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold did this yesterday and I am shamelessly stealing his idea. But hey, he got his idea from Facebook, so it’s cool right?

1. This year, OKC has lost six games by six or less, six by four or less and seven by two or less. That makes 19 losses by six points or less, which leads the league. You turn just half (we’ll say 10) of those games into wins and the Thunder would be 23-33. That doesn’t look that bad at all. Heck, they’d be just 5.5 games out of the eighth spot in the East.

2. Joe Smith has played for nine different teams and twice for two of those teams (Philadelphia and Minnesota).

3. Kevin Durant’s middle name is Wayne, Clay Bennett’s is Ike, Kyle Weaver’s is Donovan, Desmond Mason’s is Tremaine, Scott Brooks’ is William and Jeff Green’s is Uncle – I mean, Lynn.

4. After I wrote the piece about Kevin Durant and the 180, he’s since been shooting at a 192 and is at 178 on the season.

5. Kevin Durant is one of the fastest players ever reach 3,000 points. Michael Jordan did it in 108 games, LeBron James in 133 and KD in 134.

6. The only (positive) categories OKC ranks in the top 10 of the league in are rebounding and free throws attempted and made. The Thunder are fifth in offensive rebounding at 12.3 a game and fourth overall at 43.1 a game, OKC ranks ninth in free throws attempted and free throws made, hitting 20 of 26 on a nightly basis.

7. Of the games I actually made a prediction for in previews, I am 7-3 and the Thunder is 3-7. I don’t know what that means, but it seems like it means something.

8. The Thunder have been tagged with the second fewest technical fouls in the league with 19 (San Antonio has 18). And in 43 games as head coach, Scott Brooks has yet to be hit with a technical.

9. So far, Rumble the Bison is 0-2 on dunks and the team is 0-3 with him as the mascot. Good start!

10. I have been to an estimated 20 NBA games (between the Hornets and Thunder) and I have never been out of Loud City. Thus, I have dubbed myself to friends and family as “The Mayor of Loud City.”

11. Matt Pinto, the radio voice of the Thunder, has been the play-by-play man for the Seattle SuperSonics, the Dallas Mavericks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

12. At this point last year, the team was 15-41.

13. Kevin Durant averages 39.9 minutes per game which is second in the league in that category. Last year, he got 34.6 minutes a night.

14. Scott Brooks has played on eight professional basketball teams in three different professional basketball leagues. He also is arguably the most famous person from Manteca, Calif., alongside *famous* race car driver Scott Speed.

15. The reason Kevin Durant wears No. 35 is in honor of his childhood mentor and AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at age 35.

16. In 2006, Nenad Krstic was voted the third most eligible bachelor in Serbia by their version of People Magazine.

17. Joe Smith leads the Thunder in career points at 10,870. Desmond Mason is second with 7,754. Chucky Atkins is third with 6,656. Earl Watson is fourth with 4,279. And Kevin Durant is fifth at 3,066.

18. After ranking near the bottom in points per game for the first month and a half of the season, the Thunder are now at 19th in scoring at 98.3 ppg.

19. Russell Westbrook has had five 30 point games. For comparison, Derrick Rose has had zero, Michael Beasley zero and O.J. Mayo six.

20. Jeff Green and Kevin Durant have combined to hit 151 three-pointers on the season. The rest of the entire team has hit 81.

21. Russell Westbrook graduated from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, Calif, also the high school of Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Jeff Green graduated from Northwestern High in Hyattsville, MD, also the home of the late Len Bias and Cleveland Brown’s corner Leigh Bodden.

22. Kevin Durant has taken 102 more free throws than the next closest Thunder player on the team (Russell Westbrook, 293).

23. When Texas played at OU in 2007, I yelled something slightly rude at Kevin Durant and I swear he looked up in my direction. I wish every day I could take it back. But at the time I totally meant it.

24. OKC is 9-12 when scoring 100+ points, but is 5-33 when its opponent scores 100 or more.

25. Currently, the highest paid player on the Thunder is Malik Rose ($7.6 million). Nick Collison is No. 2 ($6.3 million) and Earl Watson is No. 3 ($6.2 million). Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook make a combined $11.1 million this year.