April 11 will be the final road game of Kobe Bryant's career - in OKC.

April 11 will be the final road game of Kobe Bryant's career - in OKC.

Maybe, he could be hurt by then and not make the trip.....but let's hope he's playing cause I'm going to that game.

Maybe, he could be hurt by then and not make the trip.....but let's hope he's playing cause I'm going to that game.

I'll have to consider it now with him retiring.

I just bought two tickets and will come in from San Diego with a die hard Kobe fan. Even if he doesn't play that night, I am sure they will give him a big send off for his career. I think his very last game is the next night at Staples.

Thunder needs to keep up the 'Billy Ball' pace on the road. Tonight will be a good test as the Thunder players transition to Billy Donovan's system.

Atlanta Hawks then the Miami Heat.

Key: Turnovers

There should be a "No" and a "Hell No" option as it looks like the Thunder will be swept in the first round or play for a lottery pick. Anyway it's gonna be Cleveland or Golden State who wins it all.

There should be a "No" and a "Hell No" option as it looks like the Thunder will be swept in the first round or play for a lottery pick. Anyway it's gonna be Cleveland or Golden State who wins it all.

Quite the disparity in those two sentences. Sure, right now GS and Cavs are the early favs to win title. But the first sentence about Thunder specifically is just goofy. Third in west and have won 4 straight going into tonight. Lottery pick??

Maybe we'll eventually beat a good team.

Is San Antonio a bad team?

We've beaten 2 teams with winning records. That's it.

We've beaten 2 teams with winning records. That's it.

So your answer to my question is no? And actually it's 3 teams, San Antonio, Dallas, and Orlando.

Yeah, they're a good team. Since we beat them, does that make us a good team?

Being top 3 in the West helps. Odd that Atlanta's record is better, yet they're 6th. Maybe as the season moves on there will be more disparity in the East?

Yeah, they're a good team. Since we beat them, does that make us a good team?

And if you lose to a plus 500 team does that make you bad team? I'm certainly not happy with the current results but I'm not ready to cash in the season as you seem to be. You are making statements that are just not true. This reminds me very much of all of the doom and gloom around here after OU lost to Texas.

Road games are difficult to win especially when you come out and dig yourself a hole then spend the last 3 quarters trying to catch up. You need time to make a pit stop to refuel.

Atlanta Hawks organist: Sir Foster's constant playing of the organ throughout the game is the most annoying & distracting spectacle witnessed in any sport.

Reggie Jackson fined $25K by NBA for directing inappropriate language at fan in OKC on Nov. 27th game.:rolleyes:

^^^^^^
Excellent

Road games are difficult to win especially when you come out and dig yourself a hole then spend the last 3 quarters trying to catch up. You need time to make a pit stop to refuel.

Atlanta Hawks organist: Sir Foster's constant playing of the organ throughout the game is the most annoying & distracting spectacle witnessed in any sport.

I like the organ playing, and considered it something unique to ATL. Seeing him go at it was interesting.

I am beginning to think this Thunder team may be one of those teams that just has to outscore other teams to win. Defense has been really bad - giving up more points than the Sixers for example. Serge is a no show in terms of on the ball defense. Against Hawks has 5 rebounds in 30-plus minutes. (Russ had 5 rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game). Roberson has regressed - ON DEFENSE! This ramble is about as organized as the defensive structure of the home team! 11-7 start isn't a disaster but I think how they are playing defensively has to be a legit concern. I really don't wanna become a Mike D'Antoni Suns team.

Granted the sample size is rather small, they started out bottom 5 in def. Now they've moved up to being average at around 13-17.

Thunder's Mitch McGary, Josh Huestis assigned to Oklahoma City Blue | News OK (http://newsok.com/thunders-mitch-mcgary-josh-huestis-assigned-to-oklahoma-city-blue/article/5463686)


McGary suffered a concussion in the preseason against Memphis on Oct. 16 that set him back in terms of practice time and integration into Billy Donovan's new offensive and defensive schemes. Then, McGary sprained his left ankle in a road win against Utah on Nov. 23 and hasn't seen game action since, though he's been on the Thunder's active roster and has practiced with the team.


Could this signal that the Thunder may be ready to make a mid-season move to bring in one more piece capable of providing above average defense & average offense?

Well Miami is looking like they're ready for the Eastern Conference Finals and that they can win without LeBron. Cleveland's trip to the Finals won't be that easy now.

Thunder playing like same old Thunder. You wouldn't even know they got rid of Scotty Brooks. They are playing like Buzz's girlfriend right now.

last five possessions. russ turnover, russ turnover, russ missed 3, Durant holding ball for 20 seconds then chucking up 3, then russ missing a running 3 at buzzer.

meanwhile Miami kept going to the basket and getting fouls and got back into it.

Billy Donovan is probably wishing he was back in Florida. Not only is this the Kobe Bryant farewell tour but I'm afraid it may be Duran't last season in OKC. Anyway, gotta give credit to Miami as they look like they can beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals and possible beat Golden State.

^Well you can get 30-1 odds on your Heat to win Championship. That's 8th in the league. As for the East, Cavs are 1/3 meaning they are OVERWHELMING favs. Heat 10-1 to win East.

Billy Donovan is probably wishing he was back in Florida. Not only is this the Kobe Bryant farewell tour but I'm afraid it may be Duran't last season in OKC. Anyway, gotta give credit to Miami as they look like they can beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals and possible beat Golden State.

One heck of a heat fan to think that they can beat Cleveland, and especially GS

Anyway, gotta give credit to Miami as they look like they can beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals and possible beat Golden State.

I think Cleveland would demolish Miami. They'd have the three best players in the series.

Man OKC had some great plays down the stretch, then went hero mode at the end. I know KD wants to be the hero and he hasn't been able to take those shots lately because of injuries, but damn the holding the ball for the entire possession and then launching that three...cringe.

I think the biggest "doh!" down the stretch was the 5 on 4 breakaway where Russ had the ball poked away, that was easily 2 more points and would have forced MIA to make the desperate plays.

Anyways, I like how the team is becoming more fluid when working together. I still think this team will be pretty scary by Christmas.

That's a good description. I was surprised they called the foul at the end, as fouls mostly go uncalled at that time.

One heck of a heat fan to think that they can beat Cleveland, and especially GS

Don't think any team can get past GS unless some important knees give out

Don't think any team can get past GS unless some important knees give out

Right now, I'd only give three teams a legit shot at the title: Golden State, San Antonio, and Cleveland. Not saying the Thunder couldn't turn into a team that could contend, but there just haven't been signs of it yet. Barring injuries, I have trouble seeing other teams challenging those 3 or 4 teams, but that's why they play the games...

Now, I realize I don't post in this thread much, but I had a chance....so I'm going to fire a tidbit out there.

I have to admit...it's really hard to stay enthusiastic about the Thunder right now. This should be their best roster to date, fresh coaching perspective, everyone healthy. Yet here we are, with a team that's....no other way to say it...struggling.

I thought, okay, first few games might be rough under the new coach/system, but it isn't just the first few games. We're essentially 25% of the way into the season...and they're still struggling. No defensive emotion, motivation, or intensity. And when they strung together four wins last week, you almost started to think something was "gelling," and then we drop two in a row.

But what makes getting out of the doldrums for the Thunder even harder is a Golden State team that seems to be one of destiny for the ages - what 20 in a row and counting, unchallenged, Curry firing 40 points a night...good grief, these guys are playing a different game at a different level. Say OKC had started better and had gone, say, 15-4 instead of 11-8, you'd still be looking at GS and saying, 'wow."

I don't mean to be a debbie downer, and I hope the Thunder will get better, but as each inexplicable game follows the next, it's increasingly hard to be optimistic. There's just not a lot to hang your hat on; horrendous defense, inconsistent offense, just no cohesion. And I'm darned sure not smart enough about basketball to know what it takes to fix it.

Now, I realize I don't post in this thread much, but I had a chance....so I'm going to fire a tidbit out there.

I have to admit...it's really hard to stay enthusiastic about the Thunder right now. This should be their best roster to date, fresh coaching perspective, everyone healthy. Yet here we are, with a team that's....no other way to say it...struggling.

I thought, okay, first few games might be rough under the new coach/system, but it isn't just the first few games. We're essentially 25% of the way into the season...and they're still struggling. No defensive emotion, motivation, or intensity. And when they strung together four wins last week, you almost started to think something was "gelling," and then we drop two in a row.

But what makes getting out of the doldrums for the Thunder even harder is a Golden State team that seems to be one of destiny for the ages - what 20 in a row and counting, unchallenged, Curry firing 40 points a night...good grief, these guys are playing a different game at a different level. Say OKC had started better and had gone, say, 15-4 instead of 11-8, you'd still be looking at GS and saying, 'wow."

I don't mean to be a debbie downer, and I hope the Thunder will get better, but as each inexplicable game follows the next, it's increasingly hard to be optimistic. There's just not a lot to hang your hat on; horrendous defense, inconsistent offense, just no cohesion. And I'm darned sure not smart enough about basketball to know what it takes to fix it.

It's hard to imagine that the Warrior's can keep up this pace for 80+ games, so in that sense I'd much rather see them hit their hot streak at the beginning of the season vs. end of season/playoffs.

That being said, Curry can do no wrong right now and they're as deep as ever. None of this matters though if the Thunder can't pull it together.

It's hard to imagine that the Warrior's can keep up this pace for 80+ games, so in that sense I'd much rather see them hit their hot streak at the beginning of the season vs. end of season/playoffs.

That being said, Curry can do no wrong right now and they're as deep as ever. None of this matters though if the Thunder can't pull it together.

Yeah, I thought he Warriors would come down to earth this season a bit, but they've come back not just better, but far better. The thing is that they're not just a little better than teams like the Thunder. They're dramatically better. Steph Curry has passed KD and LeBron as the best player on earth. Even when the Warriors come down to earth and inevitably lose a few games, they will likely still be far better than the Thunder overall. Since 2012 I've always believed the Thunder were as good as any team in the league and could win a title if healthy... until now. It's a little depressing thinking that these Thunder squads could be remembered for their missed seasons with injuries and the Harden trade. The Thunder are not, and probably cannot be, as good as this Warriors team if healthy. Again, I hope I am wrong, but here are a few reasons that I don't think a healthy Thunder team that is playing well can beat the Warriors:
1. Defense - if the Thunder are playing Kanter, Waiters, and Westbrook then they have a ceiling on their defensive potential
2. Effort - Russ is one of the best players on earth, but he is a lazy, lazy defender. Russ could be good as he has the skills, but he's clearly not invested. And years of evidence indicate that he's not interested in turning it on and fighting over ball screens or getting back on defense.
3. 3 point shooting - The Thunder just don't have the upside of the Warriors and this is how you win in the NBA today. Having said that, the Thunder could somewhat offset this disadvantage with more high quality mid-range shots and more KD threes. KD should be taking more threes than he is taking now.

However, it's a long season with injuries, trades, and change. There's no reason to think the Thunder couldn't get the three seed and have a little luck go their way for once...

Steph Curry has passed KD and LeBron as the best player on earth.

I absolutely do not agree with this.

I absolutely do not agree with this.

Right...best shooter on earth maybe...

The Warriors and Spurs have a lot more basketball IQ than the Thunder have. We have a dumb team that constantly makes stupid mistakes.

Don't think any team can get past GS unless some important knees give out

We needed one more play down the stretch to break Miami's back; take the crowd out of the game. Two road back-to-back losses in which we didn't close out. Each time we failed to capitalize which allowed the Hawks & Heat to remain in the game.

Closing out, the Thunder's mental breakdown can't just be a give & go game between two players. Those passes need to be on target (non telegraphed), where you break down the defense--then you open the floor to get a better percentage in the paint shot or get fouled.

We're so focused on Golden State & San Antonio's performance that we can't wait for the Thunder to start their breakout. Billy Donovan has to show these guys that their present form of Durant and/or Westbrook take over isn't a team approach.

As soon as they can get over this hurdle, you'll see an improved Oklahoma City team.

I absolutely do not agree with this.
Elias: Top 5 NBA Questions -- December 3, 2015 (http://stats.nba.com/featured/elias_top_5_questions_2015_12_03.html?ls=nbahpfull 5)
Q: Stephen Curry has scored at least 40 points through three quarters of a game four times this season. How many other players have a game with 40-plus points through three quarters?
A: The only other instance this season was produced by James Harden.

Box Score: Warriors-Hornets (Dec. 2, 2015)
Box Score: Warriors-Suns (Nov. 27, 2015)
Box Score: Rockets-Clippers (Nov. 7, 2015)
Box Score: Warriors-Pelicans (Oct. 31, 2015)
Box Score: Warriors-Pelicans (Oct. 27, 2015)
Q: Stephen Curry has made 102 three-point field goals in the Warriors' 20 games this season. Is that the most through a team's first 20 games of a season?
A: Yes, that is the most. The previous high was 75 by Antoine Walker of the Celtics in the 2001-02 season.

As far as the Warriors as a team:

Q: The Warriors have outscored their opponents by 308 points through 20 games. Is that the best point differential for an NBA team in the first 20 games of a season?
A: Yes; the previous record was a 303-point advantage by the Knicks in the 1969-70 season, when New York went 19-1 over its first 20 games.

There really is no argument.

New Russell Westbrook commercial. :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNgkNVKeKPs

His part was filmed at the Skirvin.

Now, I realize I don't post in this thread much, but I had a chance....so I'm going to fire a tidbit out there.

I have to admit...it's really hard to stay enthusiastic about the Thunder right now. This should be their best roster to date, fresh coaching perspective, everyone healthy. Yet here we are, with a team that's....no other way to say it...struggling.

I thought, okay, first few games might be rough under the new coach/system, but it isn't just the first few games. We're essentially 25% of the way into the season...and they're still struggling. No defensive emotion, motivation, or intensity. And when they strung together four wins last week, you almost started to think something was "gelling," and then we drop two in a row.

But what makes getting out of the doldrums for the Thunder even harder is a Golden State team that seems to be one of destiny for the ages - what 20 in a row and counting, unchallenged, Curry firing 40 points a night...good grief, these guys are playing a different game at a different level. Say OKC had started better and had gone, say, 15-4 instead of 11-8, you'd still be looking at GS and saying, 'wow."

I don't mean to be a debbie downer, and I hope the Thunder will get better, but as each inexplicable game follows the next, it's increasingly hard to be optimistic. There's just not a lot to hang your hat on; horrendous defense, inconsistent offense, just no cohesion. And I'm darned sure not smart enough about basketball to know what it takes to fix it.

The real downer for me is that Scott Brooks could have still been the coach and I wouldn't notice the difference even with the defense getting better.

As for Steph being a better player overall, I don't agree with. However, GS is better overall than OKC and CLE as a team.

In retrospect the most impactful Thunder coaching change to date was the departure of Ron Adams.

I absolutely do not agree with this.

I'd like to see the reasoning. Steph is by far the most impactful offensive player in the league. What he's doing as a shooter is so far beyond precedence that it's hard to believe. Not only that, but Steph makes the highest percentage at the rim. That's absolutely unreal. More than that, he's transformed himself into a good defender.

I love KD and LeBron is great, but they aren't having the impact that Steph is having now. Why do you think they're better?

It's as though Stephan Curry is a man possessed... ...more so than Clay Bennett. :D

KD's not even the best player on his own team. Definitely the most gifted, and probably the most talented, but that's not the same as the best.

KD's not even the best player on his own team. Definitely the most gifted, and probably the most talented, but that's not the same as the best.

Interesting. Why do you think Russ is better than KD?

Personally, I think KD is the best player on the team. First, KD is still a more efficient scorer and better overall offensive player than Russ in my book. While Russ' points and assists are high, that's also a by-product of a really high usage rate. Second, for all of Westbrook's greatness (e.g., great scorer, penetrator, underrated passer), his flaws are far worse. Russ can be very stubborn in taking bad shots and, more than anything, he absolutely does not give a crap about playing defense this season. He rarely fights over screens, he takes low odds risks constantly (thus giving up a ton of easy buckets for an occasional steal), and he doesn't get back at times. For all his talents and hussle, Russ is a big reason that Thunder's D has underachieved this season in my opinion. I'm not downplaying Russ because I think he's a top 10 player in the league, but I would put KD at number three right behind Steph and LeBron.

Okay, I take back all my KD comments and apologize just based on KD's horrendous performance tonight. Lol. Considering they got a win, the Thunder looked about as bad as they could. And KD led the pack. We're a fourth of the way through the season. It's really time for this team to start making some kind of progress. Might as well have kept Scott Brooks because things don't look much different.

I said this last night, but I believe in my heart that if there were a stat that factored time actually touching the ball instead of a per-game or per-minute stat, KD would lead the league in turnovers. He is a turnover MACHINE.

10 damn turnovers last night. SMH. Two seasons ago he started out the same way, and finally got it under control with less dribbling and more passing. What gets me is the lazy passes and maybe the lack of communication while handling the ball in the open court. To many opposing players are coming up from behind and taking it away from him. He needs to step it up a notch.

I'm will stir the pot for Russell staying in OKC.

NBA star Russell Westbrook buys Beverly Crest home from Scott Disick - LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-russell-westbrook-house-20151207-story.html)

I'm will stir the pot for Russell staying in OKC.

NBA star Russell Westbrook buys Beverly Crest home from Scott Disick - LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-russell-westbrook-house-20151207-story.html)

It shouldn't. LA is the hottest real estate market in the country, he lives there in the summers, his family is still there, and when you're rich having an LA house is the thing to do.

If anyone is interested:

http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-nba-picks/

Just want to say that this argument about K.D. vs. Russ being the best player on the team is totally irrelevant. Durant & Westbrook both have their pros & cons (flaws & faults).

The important thing is that the roles they play complement each other & the team (co-leadership).

Billy Donovan's system will transition these players to a situation that involves trust among teammates; whereby the whole team becomes involves. Each players should know his strengths & weaknesses; target individual improvement--work for the common ground of making those players around you better.

Golden Oklahoma City Thunder Warriors.

OKC just played their best game of the season. Starters won't play the 4th.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies - Box Score - December 08, 2015 - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400828203)

Durant did a number on Mighty Jo Z-Bo...

Same old Thunder. smdh

Thunder Death Ball:


Why Going Small Could Be Big


So what does that mean for Oklahoma City? Not much if Billy Donovan is unwilling to embrace the small ball revolution. But as we’ve seen recently, most notably against Memphis on Tuesday night, Billy D. is beginning to understand the potency hidden within his own brand of the Death Ball lineup.

Using a lineup of Russell Westbrook, Dion Waiters, Anthony Morrow, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder downsize considerably and increase the amount of scoring potential from all five guys on the floor. This squad finished the first half on Tuesday with a 22–11 run that changed the complexion of the entire game. This has fans wondering: Should we consider using it more frequently?

https://medium.com/@UpTheThunder/thunder-death-ball-4312a1bd6ea1#.62sv5psji

I turned the channel with about 8 minutes left. It was too much of a slaughter for me.

The season hasn't started off smoothly for Billy D, but I do believe that he is creative, open-minded, and attentive to analytics. I think he has been experimenting with lineups, which is not a bad thing in December. I think if this was March you wouldn't (and won't) see Kyle Singler playing, for example.

Which, by the way, if you didn't read this Reddit post on Kyle Single being the worst player in the NBA that plays - it's on point: https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/3vqw8w/kyle_singler_is_the_worst_player_in_the_nba_and/

Yeah, I give Donovan credit for is him trying out different lineups. Sometimes it doesn't work, but him being open to it is something I respect and is something that will eventually (hopefully) benefit the team.

Getting Brooks to experiment with lineups or to even play a small ball lineup was like pulling teeth.