The Forecast for May 5 – May 11: Tony Crocker
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What we have here in the Oklahoma City Thunder is a team with resiliency and onions. A team that, despite all the frustrations that come with cheering for them, always play hard. And if you can get through the rocky times, the times when they look lost and forgot how to properly play offense, and get to the moments where they look smooth and together and the ball is going to where it needs to go, then it’s beautiful. It was gorgeous in Games 6 and 7. It felt good. Let’s keep that good feeling going.
Let’s take a look at The Forecast.
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Game I
Team: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd seed in the West)
Round: Second Round of the Western Conference Playoffs
Date: Monday, May 5, 2014 (Home)
Details: This bear of a second round series starts in Oklahoma City, the children of the town finally removing the Blake Griffin posters from the walls of their rooms. They leave the ones of Tony Crocker up, though, because he was cool and unique in his long sleeved undershirts. They rub shoulders with framed Jabari Brown jerseys.
I don’t dislike Blake at all as most do. That might change by the end of the series, but I’m generally extremely impressed by him. He’s completely horrifying and I hope he has a terrible series, but it’s not as if I want his head on a plate. Zack Lowe tweeted out just this morning that, per Synergy, on post ups vs OKC this season, Griffin is 4-20. That’s a good stat. As a Thunder fan I like reading that. Still, though, that Jordan and Blake front line is terrifying. They’re both playing the best ball of their careers.
If we thought our bigs could take it easy after dealing with ZBo for 6 games and Gasol for 7, we were very wrong.
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Game II
Team: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd seed in the West)
Round: Second Round of the Western Conference Playoffs
Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 (Home)
Details: This one is coming at you on TNT, too. Shaq will be telling one of the two team’s big men that they need to be “more dominant” and then regurgitate stats some while I leave to go to the kitchen to get a refill because you get dumber listening to him, you really do.
The Griffin-Ibaka matchup is the one people are talking about right now but it feels like the series’ narrative will twist and turn with the heads of the respective snakes, the point guards. Long has Chris Paul been considered the best one in the league and almost just as long has Russ been considered an amazing, preposterous kind of enigma. Great, but not the great some want.
There will be arguments as to which point guard is a “real” point guard and Paul will win that argument time and again, but Russ doesn’t much care for boxes I don’t think. He’ll compete and he’ll play hard and if he finds that space he found in 6 & 7 of the Grizz series, what fun it will be.
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Game III
Team: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in the West)
Round: Second Round of the Western Conference Playoffs
Date: Friday, May 9, 2014 (Away)
Details: ESPN brings this one to your TV’s. At this point in the series story lines will be set and that studio crew, as they do, will beat them into the ground. This will be the first game in Staples, the Thunder getting their first taste of Playoff-Billy Crystal, a different more-rigorous version of himself in the “You know how you find an apartment” scene in When Harry Met Sally. That hat he wears really takes a lot off the table, though, no? Like, the “not quite a Kangol, but let’s be honest it’s a Kangol” hat.
Staples will bleeding it’ll be thumping so much and you might get to see Mrs. Sterling sitting court-side, acting sweet even though she’s also a racist. The NBA might also have appointed a sit-in CEO at that time, a story line that not enough people are talking about. Historically, when the league has a hand in running a team, something happens that feels less than okay for everyone involved who’s not associated with that team.
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Game IV
Team: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in the West)
Round: Second Round of the Western Conference Playoffs
Date: Sunday, May 11, 2014 (Away)
Details: It’s the NBA on ABC and with that comes fantastic tunes played by somebody on a piano. This will be the game where the teams have settled firmly into what they’re trying to do. Are the Thunder getting beaten up down low? Is Chris Paul outplaying Russ? Is Durant getting to his spots? Is Griffin winning the battle with Ibaka?
How much better of a coach is Doc than Scotty? How many times has Perk been dunked on? Who has more commercials that air during the games: Paul, Griffin, or Durant? Do the Clippers have anyone that can actually handle Durant? How many darts will I have thrown at the Matt Barnes cutout that I’ll be placing on my wall tonight?
Tons of questions and we’ll get answers to them all.
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Acceptable Outcome: 2-2
The Thunder should handle their business and win both at home. Regardless, even if they don’t, they’ve shown the ability to win crucial games on the road. There’s no reason to come out of this week with anything less than a split.
This series is going the distance, though. It will be fast and heavy and the scoreboard will get a workout. It’ll ultimately come down to which team can get stops when they need them, but that’s how it always is, isn’t it? The Thunder have shown the ability to clamp down when they have to and it’s paid dividends.
