please leave your comments to show the OKC thunder team your support for tonight game.


7690

yes I have seen those rude comments too. but is time for the thunder team to rise over criticisms, and all that. I know the OKC thunder team have what it needs to win, they just have to focus on winning and give their best on court, no holding back anything. they have to give all tonight.

Welcome to the major leagues. It's like that in any major league city with the press. It is not the job of sports reporters to be uncritical cheerleaders.

When a paper writes a headline like this, they need to be at least 51 % accurate. In this case, this is the furthest from it.

KD has another nickname, ... Mr. Clutch. Ice water in his viens.

Mr. Clutch is human. ..he gets tired too. Scott Brooks knows this, he just doesn't know HOW to manage it.

There's a big difference between being critical and being right. Is Durant Mr. Unreliable? He may be the most reliable player in the NBA. How many great seasons and great playoff series has he had? Calling him Mr. Unreliable during one bad series that is not even over yet is a case of the "what have you done for me latelys" at its worst.

The Oklahoman owes him an apology.
Was the article about the professional career of KD or was it more about the current series with Memphis? If it was about Memphis, what are the numbers for KD in shooting % and % outside the arc?

Welcome to the major leagues. It's like that in any major league city with the press. It is not the job of sports reporters to be uncritical cheerleaders.

Yeah but cities like NY and LA can get away with stuff like that because it's NY and LA. OKC? Not so much.

There's a big difference between being critical and being right. Is Durant Mr. Unreliable? He may be the most reliable player in the NBA. How many great seasons and great playoff series has he had? Calling him Mr. Unreliable during one bad series that is not even over yet is a case of the "what have you done for me latelys" at its worst.
As has been already pointed out, the criticism is about THIS series and playoff run. And the criticism is spot on. I love KD, but he isn't looking very much like the league MVP so far in the playoffs.


The Oklahoman owes him an apology.
No, they do not.

Tonight is the night when KD will have to prove that he is the best player in the NBA! so lets all watch tonight game and see how he will play. I personally think he need to play a little more hard to prove what he already is, the best NBA player. go thunder! go KD

Was the article about the professional career of KD or was it more about the current series with Memphis? If it was about Memphis, what are the numbers for KD in shooting % and % outside the arc?

The articles are fair criticism of KD. I never said anyone on the Thunder is above reproach. In this case the headline did not match the articles and made The Oklahoman look like The New York Post.

Apparently, Mr. Sherman agrees with me:Headline over Kevin Durant story missed the mark | News OK (http://newsok.com/editor-headline-over-kevin-durant-story-missed-the-mark/article/4744890)
We take great pride in our headlines about big sporting events and news in Oklahoma. Thursday’s headline in The Oklahoman on Kevin Durant’s performance in the Memphis series missed the mark.

The words were overstated and unduly harsh. The headline and presentation left the impression that we were commenting on Durant’s season, career or even character. We were not. We were referring only to the Memphis series.

The fact the headline and presentation left that impression with so many readers is proof that we failed.

No, they do not.

They feel different seeing as how they've already issued one.

They feel different seeing as how they've already issued one.
They should apologize for having no backbone. Even so, the headline is appropriate for THIS series, which is what Mike Sherman said was the intent.

Tonight is the night that they all need to play like it's their first game in the Final Four! Hate to have to revert to college but it's ONE OR DONE time!


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They should apologize for having no backbone. Even so, the headline is appropriate for THIS series, which is what Mike Sherman said was the intent.

He also admitted that they missed the mark with their intent.


The fact the headline and presentation left that impression with so many readers is proof that we failed.

He also admitted that they missed the mark with their intent.

Only because people with half-second attention spans couldn't make it past a two-word headline to read what the intent actually was. Apologizing to people too lazy to read for context just validates bad behavior.

He apologized for the headline, not the article. It was appropriate. The article was accurate, the headline unnecessarily ambiguous, sensationalistic and baiting.

Unfortunately, it's the 2-word headline that has made national news, not the two articles underneath it.

As has been already pointed out, the criticism is about THIS series and playoff run. And the criticism is spot on. I love KD, but he isn't looking very much like the league MVP so far in the playoffs.


No, they do not.

Do you know anything about Athletics? ...obviously not. How many analogies do I need to make, to help you with your education...???

In the HIstory of Baseball, Cy Young / Nolan Ryan / Roger Clemens / Sandy Kofax / etc, could NOT pitch every inning of every game of the season, and then expect to have any "Pop" on their fastball in the playoffs.

In the History of Football, Barry Sanders / Waltor Peyton / Jim Brown / Bo Jackson / etc, could NOT carry the ball every snap of every game of the season, and then expect to have any "Drive" in their legs in the playoffs.

They even figured this out in 1860. The Pony Express knew that you can't just ride the same Pony Across The US !!!!! ( they break-down after a given distance )

So, this is NOT about KD, this is about Scott Brooks. The Oklahoman does owe KD an apology. This is a sports issue and the History of Sports has already spoken about this. The Oklahoman got it wrong on So Many Sports Levels.

Tramel, do your job, Apologize to KD, and then ask Brooks how he was able to find a way to beat Miami, but can't get passed Memphis in the first round? This is the story.

I wouldn't mind Stan Van Gundy one bit as a Scott Brooks replacements:

Do the Thunder Have a Scott Brooks Problem? Could Stan Van Gundy Solve It? « (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/do-the-thunder-have-a-scott-brooks-problem-could-stan-van-gundy-solve-it/)

Scott Brooks certainly shoulders the lion's share of the blame/credit for the Thunder performance in the playoffs so far (I hope his tenure comes to an end as quickly as the Thunder's season is about to). Even so, and why the headline and article were not unreasonable, when you are the player-leader of the team and the league MVP, you also bear significant responsibility for being the leader you are supposed to be (and being handsomely paid to be), helping your team play like the champions everyone has thought they were supposed to be.

He apologized for the headline, not the article. It was appropriate. The article was accurate, the headline unnecessarily ambiguous, sensationalistic and baiting.

Bingo. First thing I thought of when I read the article was that there's no way the guy who wrote that article would have expected that headline to accompany it, and a lot of folks don't realize the guy who writes the headlines is almost certainly not the person who wrote the story - can often be a layout or composition person, although someone has to proof the final release at some point, and that goes on Sherman, I think.

Baiting is precisely the word I was thinking. Tramel is going to get crushed with blame for this, and in all honesty, his article was a fair assessment. KD hasn't had a great series.

All that said, win tonight, bring it back home miraculously for a Game 7 and win then, all is forgiven :)

My heart is in this too much now. I somehow still think we'll win tonight, despite the fact I know better. Perhaps I've drunk too much coffee.

Scott Brooks certainly shoulders the lion's share of the blame/credit for the Thunder performance in the playoffs so far (I hope his tenure comes to an end as quickly as the Thunder's season is about to). Even so, and why the headline and article were not unreasonable, when you are the player-leader of the team and the league MVP, you also bear significant responsibility for being the leader you are supposed to be (and being handsomely paid to be), helping your team play like the champions everyone has thought they were supposed to be.

I think the overarching sentiment right now is that Brooks has not helped his team in this series. The part of coaching that isn't very popular these days is when the Mack-like "clap 'em up" kind of coaching has gone as far as it can, and the job then becomes telling your guys when they're making wrong decisions. The next level of refinement for RW or KD is knowing when they're not making those smart decisions, and it's up to the coach - hard as it may be, I think Brooks has yet to get to a point where, as an example, he's comfortable telling RW to "stop shooting threes."

Do you know anything about Athletics? ...obviously not. How many analogies do I need to make, to help you with your education...???

I like how the post starts condescending... and then proceeds without really making much of an argument. At least use some facts to back up your point that Kevin Durant is playing too many minutes to win a title. So, I figured I'd test your theory and see how many minutes Michael Jordan played before his first title...

Michael Jordan played 3,102 minutes in 80 games in the year of his first championship. Kevin Durant played 3,122 minutes in 81 games this season. I guess you can "ride the same Pony Across the US !!!" :tongue:

The headline was very succesfful. You started a thread about it. "mr. unreliable" was trending on twitter this morning. They will probably get more page views today than they ever have.

If you don't like the headline, ignore it.

"Mr. Unreliable" is top trending on twitter now. Wow. The Oklahoman really going to get those website hits now.

Opposing fans having a hayday using this opportunity to troll KD and the Thunder.


It is amazing to see the impact spread today.

Scott Brooks certainly shoulders the lion's share of the blame/credit for the Thunder performance in the playoffs so far (I hope his tenure comes to an end as quickly as the Thunder's season is about to). Even so, and why the headline and article were not unreasonable, when you are the player-leader of the team and the league MVP, you also bear significant responsibility for being the leader you are supposed to be (and being handsomely paid to be), helping your team play like the champions everyone has thought they were supposed to be.

The Headline was the most ( Unreasonable ) point to take. ( Un-reliable ??? ), is not KD's game to date. Un-realiable in this series, not even close. The word that should have been used is KD is human too.

Now, I ask this: Who is not doing their job? KD is giving his ALL out there, he is just fatigued. ...and that is Brooks' job to make sure his players are in a positive situation for winning, not at a dis-advantage ( fatigued) and not in a position to win. ( and i'm not talking about a last minute shot, I'm talking about the wear of the season, the drain on his star player, and the lack of others in the game ( LAMB / Perry ) during the playoff w/ Memphis ). That is Brooks' job to manage. And he didn't.

I like how the post starts condescending... and then proceeds without really making much of an argument. At least use some facts to back up your point that Kevin Durant is playing too many minutes to win a title. So, I figured I'd test your theory and see how many minutes Michael Jordan played before his first title...

Michael Jordan played 3,102 minutes in 80 games in the year of his first championship. Kevin Durant played 3,122 minutes in 81 games this season. I guess you can "ride the same Pony Across the US !!!" :tongue:

KD is not built like MJ or Labron James, and he can't take that long-term body abuse in games. It's the miles, not the age.

I like how the post starts condescending... and then proceeds without really making much of an argument. At least use some facts to back up your point that Kevin Durant is playing too many minutes to win a title. So, I figured I'd test your theory and see how many minutes Michael Jordan played before his first title...

Michael Jordan played 3,102 minutes in 80 games in the year of his first championship. Kevin Durant played 3,122 minutes in 81 games this season. I guess you can "ride the same Pony Across the US !!!" :tongue:

Really? ...so you are saying that Clemens could pitch every inning of every game in the season, and still have "Pop" on his fastball in the play-offs? ... I will let you in on a little secret, his arm would fall off before the first pitch of the play-offs. Things take their toll.

KD can still shoot the ball, he just might lose a little "touch" on his shot. His legs might be a little weary.

You shouldn't compare Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant with lebron James because neither Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant needed help from the ref. To be a good player.

You shouldn't compare Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant with lebron James because neither Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant needed help from the ref. To be a good player.

Uhhmmm....while I realize he has not necessarily gotten his share of the calls in this playoff series, to say that KD hasn't gotten "help from the refs" over the course of his career is....a bit naive.

What Sam Presti said about the headline -

SAM PRESTI -

What I witnessed from Kevin Durant on the streets of Moore, Oklahoma, a year ago is the absolute definition of reliability.

Keep the Faith!

It's not the minutes, the Russell Westbrook absence and transition was really tough on Durant. The whole weight of the team fell on his shoulders. Durant is suffering from acute mental & physical exhaustion; he will recover!

We enter the bears' forum, grit & grind house, the 'Den of Doom,' let's take game six, pick up sticks and drag this carcass back to OKC! A bear skin rug will look nice at the entrance to the Peake.

Who's going to step up tonight; Jackson, Fisher, Butler or Thabo? We've got to come out and sucker punch the Grizzlies; hit them hard, knock them into semi-hibernation .


Thunder gonna eat, BEAR MEAT!

http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif Let's Go Thunder!


http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif "Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif

If you're going to take an unnecessarily high risk shot in the last seconds of a pivotal playoff game -- you need to hit that shot.

He took the shot, and he didn't make it. When you take a big risk you have to be prepared to accept the consequences of it if your judgment wasn't right.

I'd agree overall we have a Scott Brooks problem and not a KD problem. We shouldn't have every single playoff game coming down to the last seconds. it's unfair to cast all of the blame on KD, when the entire team and coaching staff did not perform well enough, forcing KD into that situation at the end of the game.

We need to go back to having the game won with a minute left on the clock.

The Thunder in this series was not the same team we are used to seeing.

"Mr. Unreliable" is top trending on twitter now. Wow. The Oklahoman really going to get those website hits now.

Opposing fans having a hayday using this opportunity to troll KD and the Thunder.


It is amazing to see the impact spread today.

At this point I am hoping its "bulletin board" material to get them fired up. Maybe I'm just delusional but I really think they pull it off tonight. Of course I have no idea what they will do if they make it to a game 7.

What Sam Presti said about the headline -

SAM PRESTI -

What I witnessed from Kevin Durant on the streets of Moore, Oklahoma, a year ago is the absolute definition of reliability.
In that case, absolutely without question. In this series, not so much.

Historically, he has been solid. That's what makes his performance this playoffs so stark in its contrast.

The only unreliable and inconsistent thing in OKC is the Oklahoman.

The Oklahoman is like a deadly virus that has planted itself into Oklahoma City's media environment as a press parasite preying upon everything in sight.


https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTO9ifh2MPj1XBkh6maqhShKhYX12LWQ ktZRCDYhJ3_Ho_TSTCVJwhttps://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTU2fP4s89RvWDH3ySMlRKujKDELa5XD sKudDllk58lx9keA6GPjQ

The Impotent Daily Disappointment, the doormat of America's News Outlets!


http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif "Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif

only few more hours for the game LETS GO THUNDER 7694
please leave your comments to show the OKC thunder team your support for tonight game.


7690

I want all the "journalists or media industries" to help-out in this discussion. How does KD score 25+ points in over 41 games this season, breaking a NBA record that was held by Jordan? ... get tagged w/ Un-reliable ?

If you want a story, ask how we Brooks has allowed his team to fall behind by 20 ( at home ) against Memphis in a playoff game? ...how does that happen? If Phil Jackson is the coach, does the team fall behind by 20? ...don't think so.

So, if you want a REAL story, step-up and ask that question. ( The Sports Animal is lost on this. They are only concerned w/ the apology question ). As a coach, how do you allow ( The Thunder ) to fall behind and not putting any new faces on the floor, if the guys are not hitting shots? ...and still have Perkins / Thabo on the floor? ...that is a coaching deficit.

The Oklahoman says the headline was wrong and unfair.

Kevin Durant headline was unfair | News OK (http://newsok.com/mike-sherman-kevin-durant-headline-was-unfair/article/4745069)


He is not “unreliable” and it was wrong and unfair for us to characterize him as such in a headline in Thursday’s editions of The Oklahoman. The headline, which appeared over a column by Berry Tramel, was not written by Tramel.

Something certainly woke the Thunder up tonight though and they need to just keep it going.

That's what I'm talking about!

I don't know if it was Brooks or Durant or both that finally figured out he's got to take the ball into the paint. He's got five inches on Allen, draws many more fowls, causes the defense to collapse leaving others open, actually means we have somebody near the basket when he's shooting, etc., etc.

Once he started doing that, everything changed, not the least of which was we stared making shots and getting more breaks, and thus could dictate the tempo.

Just do the same thing Saturday night and we're rid of these grinders!

Took some brass ones not playing Thabo at all and gave minutes to Adams. Really changed how the grizz approached the game

Good game tonight.;)

Having Adams and Ibaka down low will be great to watch for years to come

Grizzlies better hope Conley is 100% for game 7

http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif Oklahoma City Thunder 104 Memphis Grizzlies 84

Drag this grizzly carcass back to Oklahoma City and call the taxidermist.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies - Box Score - May 01, 2014 - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400553074)

Balanced scoring tonight:

36 Durant
25 Westbrook
16 Jackson

8 Ibaka
7 Butler
6 Perkins
2 Adams
2 Collison
2 Fisher

Key to tonight's win: Thunder held Mike Miller to 7 points; every time Miller got the ball someone was in his face crowding him, keeping him from pointing his arse and knocking down a three.


http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif "Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif

We certainly don't want to look past a Memphis team that has already won twice in OKC during the playoffs but we need to keep an eye on what's happening in the very competitive Clippers - Golden Gate series. Golden State is up by one point in the 2nd quarter at the time I'm posting this. We should be hoping for a seven game series there so the winner doesn't get any extra rest.

We played smart tonight. Finally. We took good shots, got to the basket, and, unfortunately, finally benched Thabo. Our shot selection was so much better than it's been. When we play smart we're hard to beat. Got to do it again though.

Let's hope the Thunder can close this out on Saturday. Let something really good happen on May 3rd!

We played smart tonight. Finally. We took good shots, got to the basket, and, unfortunately, finally benched Thabo. Our shot selection was so much better than it's been. When we play smart we're hard to beat. Got to do it again though.

You nailed it. It was a smarter team on the court tonight. Hope this can carry over to Saturday and end this series.

At this point I am hoping its "bulletin board" material to get them fired up. Maybe I'm just delusional but I really think they pull it off tonight. Of course I have no idea what they will do if they make it to a game 7.

Told y'all :)

I want all the "journalists or media industries" to help-out in this discussion. How does KD score 25+ points in over 41 games this season, breaking a NBA record that was held by Jordan? ... get tagged w/ Un-reliable ?

Well, if you read the story you'd know that Tramel specifically contrasted how reliable KD has been this season with his shortcomings in the series.

Anyway, I don't believe the player-speak totally. I think this was a nice shot of motivation for KD. One more.

Golden State beats the Clippers so that series is going to a seventh game also.

Well, Brooks did what he is supposed to do. Place his star player in the best position to win, by adding Butler to the starting line-up. Yes, I'm not a Butler fan, but I do appreciate Brooks' attempt to help add more offensive fire-power from the tip-off. And it worked nicely. Butler hit a key 3 in the first quarter that helped relieve pressure off of Durant. Memphis had to guard Butler and couldn't just "Load Up" on KD.

KD was able to have a little more "space" to shoot in and lanes were open for his mid jumper. Thank you KD! As Always, so reliable.

Brooks also brought in Adams, who had a monster game. The announcer even asked "where has he been this series?" So, KD has another 35 point game, I think we can look to see a big game on Saturday here at home.

KD, please don't let a couple of "knuckle-heads" with a type writer & a printer ever let you think you are not VALUED here, they Don't speak for us, the fans. This is your home too.

In the year 2014, we need KD and the Thunder.... we don't need a paper.

The Thabo/Butler switch worked primarily because KD stepped up his perimeter defense and smothered Courtney Lee et al. the entire evening.

Thabo's perimeter defense is the single thing that he excels at, and KD essentially negated the drop off that came from putting him on the bench. I appreciate everything Thabo has done for the team, but realistically the team probably can't/won't re-sign him as his contract expires.

If KD brings that type of defensive intensity on a regular basis it will allow another Thunder scorer to be on the floor from the start, which will in turn improve Russ' and KD's own effectiveness offensively. KD already has the length, quickness and game-awareness to be an elite defender, but so far he has mostly been satisfied to let others do the dirty work.

Not so much a criticism of him, but I think everybody learned last night how much better the team can be if he rolls up his sleeves and takes on another aspect of the game. It is the type of thing that elite players do as they ascend to Champion and Hall-of-Fame status, and if he takes this next step in his development (he will) the team has the potential to be virtually unstoppable.

The Thabo/Butler switch worked primarily because KD stepped up his perimeter defense and smothered Courtney Lee et al. the entire evening.

Thabo's perimeter defense is the single thing that he excels at, and KD essentially negated the drop off that came from putting him on the bench. I appreciate everything Thabo has done for the team, but realistically the team probably can't/won't re-sign him as his contract expires.

If KD brings that type of defensive intensity on a regular basis it will allow another Thunder scorer to be on the floor from the start, which will in turn improve Russ' and KD's own effectiveness offensively. KD already has the length, quickness and game-awareness to be an elite defender, but so far he has mostly been satisfied to let others do the dirty work.

Not so much a criticism of him, but I think everybody learned last night how much better the team can be if he rolls up his sleeves and takes on another aspect of the game. It is the type of thing that elite players do as they ascend to Champion and Hall-of-Fame status, and if he takes this next step in his development (he will) the team has the potential to be virtually unstoppable.

KD was able to have intensity because he was not getting mugged on the offensive side w/ Butler in the game too. It is a balance that works best w/ a 4th offensive threat on the floor and not just 3 ( KD / RW / SI ). ..and the other guys were hitting their shots too.

Yes, they were all more focused on the defensive side of the ball, not letting them have the early 3 and Ibaka was not letting anything get to the rim. They played "deny" ball and it worked well.

You have that backwards. True, he wasn't getting mugged because Butler was in the game, but what allowed Butler to be there in the first place was KD's willingness to shoulder the load of the perimeter defense. Having the third scorer with no defensive drop off made Memphis account for another guy, which allowed the Thunder (including KD) more spacing, better passing lanes and more open looks. The ultimate key to what happened last night was a more balanced defensive effort.

Brooks must have cleaned his ears out after game 5. Our first adjustment all series and it is a blowout. Who would have thought playing Thabo and Perkins less with more Jackson, Butler, and Adams would have worked?! Oh that's right, everyone BUT Brooks.

Regardless, it looks like Durant has that beast mode look again and we should stomp them out tomorrow night in the 'Peake.

Great to see the Clips/Warriors wearing each other out, too. Should be a fun round 2 if we make it!

Several people I know can attest to the fact that I personally picked this series to go 7 games. Let the crying commence if we lose at home on Saturday and let the 'all that crying for nothing' commence on Saturday after we win because it's on to the next series where everyone will cry and complain if it goes 7 games too!


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Several people I know can attest to the fact that I personally picked this series to go 7 games. Let the crying commence if we lose at home on Saturday and let the 'all that crying for nothing' commence on Saturday after we win because it's on to the next series where everyone will cry and complain if it goes 7 games too!


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Would love to hear if Conley is really going to play for Memphis....lots of varying stories about how badly he's hurt, with many of them leaning toward hurt-worse-than-it seems. Huge, huge factor going into tomorrow night.

And I wish I had my own "ticket oak" for tomorrow night's game! :)

Yeah, I'm not for sure on what his status is but I'd bet the team is preparing for his presence. They seem to think on The Franchise that his injury is not bad and due to his competitiveness, he will play on Saturday night.


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Randolph suspended for Game 7.
For the punch on Steven Adams.


As if tomorrow couldn't look any better for OKC. Conley, now Randy.

Couldn't believe that Thabo got a DNP last night, hope he hasn't completely bailed on the team, we're going to need his abilities against the Clippers and Spurs/Blazers.

^article with video

Grizzlies' Randolph suspended for Game 7 | NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/2014/news/05/02/grizzlies-zach-randolph-suspended/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpts)

^article with video

Grizzlies' Randolph suspended for Game 7 | NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/2014/news/05/02/grizzlies-zach-randolph-suspended/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpts)
Wow