Monday Rewind: February 11-17

Thunder Clinch Season Series, Beat Blazers 120-111

• This was something else, huh? Arguably the most fun game of the season. Two MVP-like performances and two more Unlikely Hero performances.
• In the absence of Jerami Grant and Dennis Schroder, it was Raymond Felton and Deonte Burton who picked up the slack.
• Ray Ray had 15 points on 6-10 shooting (3-5 3PT)
• Burton dropped 18 points on 7-9 shooting (3-5 3PT)
• Paul George spent most of the game reminding everyone he should be the league’s MVP this season, including the first bucket of the game for OKC:

• Deonte Burton canned a 3 at the first quarter buzzer. PG loved it, celebrated with fans, and met Russ at mid-court for a celebration. You knew something special was brewing.

• Russell Westbrook went on to obtain a 10th straight triple-double, giving him sole possession of the longest such streak in NBA history. This is your weekly reminder to take it all in. If you’re a Thunder fan, you’re REGULARLY seeing history made. We are spoiled, folks.

• Can we coin the term Triple-Double City yet? Paul George messed around and got himself one against the Blazers, as well.
• PG and Russ became the FIRST pair of teammates to have 20-point triple-doubles in the same game.
• Westbrook: 21 points, 14 rebounds, 11 last, 2 blocks
• George: 47 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals

Thunder Fall in New Orleans, Pelicans Take 131-122 Victory

• Listen, I’m not going to spend much time on this. It is what it is. The Thunder looked ready to head into the All-Star break and I can’t blame them. I’m useless the day before Christmas/Spring Break.
• That being said, the Thunder lost a game they most definitely had no business losing.
• Russell did something cool though:

• I cannot wait until the Seattle SuperSonics are a thing again. 1. I don’t like the mucky shared history thing. 2. Can you imagine how big of a rivalry OKC vs. Seattle is going to be? I’m here for that.
• Westbrook went on to extend his triple-double streak to 11 games. The Thunder would lose though, so we aren’t allowed to get excited about it. You know the rules.
• (Russell had quite a performance, though. Season-high 44 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, and two blocks.)

Hamidou Diallo Wins 2019 Slam Dunk Contest

• My thoughts going into the Dunk Contest: Hamidou’s got a shot at winning this thing, but probably won’t. I just wasn’t confident the judges would give him a fair shake.
• I was wrong. Hami was, by far, the best dunker of the night.

• Are we all going to ignore the fact that it took Russell Westbrook ONE TRY to get a pass of the corner of the backboard perfect?
• A big part of Dunk Contest is not having to try your dunks over and over until you get them right. Hami was fantastic at this. Everyone else, not so much.

• I think we’ll see this one replayed for a few years. No, it’s not a Top 10 all-time dunk, but it looked so good from every angle.
• Kudos to all involved. So cool to see Shaq be a good sport (was he in on this from the start?!) And the rook has some charisma to him we haven’t seen yet! Also — we got this incredible picture from the Thunder:

Russell Westbrook & Paul George All-Star Game Recap

• It was a pretty relaxed night for our Thunder duo and I’m fine with it. I try not to care too much about these, but was definitely hoping Team Giannis would pull it out in the end. Go figure, the ONE time I actually want Steph to hit some threes, he can’t.
• Great moment as Russ sets an (illegal) screen to set up the Dirk three. The Brodie loved it.

• Ummmmm…. This dunk was amazing. Quick reverse 360 for the people.

• PG also made a point to do Harden’s own moves to him when the Beard ended up guarding him. I love it.

• I don’t even remember the final score. Something ridiculous and Russ and PG’s team didn’t win.
• Kevin Durant ended up getting All-Star game MVP. Maybe I’m reading into it a bit much, but I see you back there admiring, Kyrie.

Everything Else:

• The Thunder are signing Markieff Morris.
• I like the signing. The Thunder needed someone who can come in with the second unit and bring the nasty. I think Kieff has some dog in him and that could come in very handy in heated Playoff match-ups.
• Russ isn’t slowing down with PE’s of his Why Not Zer0.2. The box the shoes come in have been just as much fun to watch. Check out the Bear Jordans:

Weekly Forecast:

• I hope the Thunder enjoy their break because we are getting into serious basketball seriously quickly.
• Predictions:
• Win @ Jazz | 57% Confidence | I think Westbrook’s triple-double streak comes to an end here. No idea how the Thunder will play coming out of the break. They were absolutely rolling the past few weeks.
• Win vs. Kings | 80% Confidence | I think OKC shows up at home against a good Kings squad. There’s no Iman Shumpert to drop 30 points, either. Definite plus.
• Buckle up. Things are going to get intense down the stretch in the Western Conference.