Laramie
02-21-2023, 11:28 AM
Gotta give it up to SGA, he is building the confidence of the players around him. Good solid 'win' over a depleted Rockets' squad.
Thunder ambushed the Rockets 133-96.
Thunder ambushed the Rockets 133-96.
View Full Version : Oklahoma City Thunder 2022-23 Season Laramie 02-21-2023, 11:28 AM Gotta give it up to SGA, he is building the confidence of the players around him. Good solid 'win' over a depleted Rockets' squad. Thunder ambushed the Rockets 133-96. Laramie 02-23-2023, 10:16 AM REMINDER: Thursday, February 23, 2023 Oklahoma City Thunder @ Utah Jazz Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT Bally Sports Oklahoma, 8:00 P.M. . Laramie 02-23-2023, 10:54 PM Oklahoma City Thunder 119 @ Utah Jazz 120 - OT Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469047 Attendance: 18,206 Laramie 02-23-2023, 10:59 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_CE.jpg Friday, February 24, 2023 Oklahoma City Thunder @ Phoenix Suns Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ ESPN & Bally Sports Oklahoma, 9:00 P.M. - ESPN https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Phoenix%20Suns/PHX_CE.jpg Laramie 02-24-2023, 11:38 PM Oklahoma City Thunder 115 @ Phoenix Suns 124 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469054 Attendance: 17,071 Laramie 02-24-2023, 11:49 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Sacramento%20Kings/SAC_AE.jpg Sunday, February 26, 2023 Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder Paycom Center, OKC Bally Sports Oklahoma,6:00 P.M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_IE.jpg Laramie 02-26-2023, 08:33 PM Sacramento Kings 124 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 115 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469070 Attendance: 15,147 Laramie 02-26-2023, 08:45 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Sacramento%20Kings/SAC_SE.jpg Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder Paycom Center, OKC Bally Sports Oklahoma, 7:00 P.M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_IE.jpg Laramie 02-27-2023, 05:04 PM Oklahoma City Thunder have 22 games remaining on their schedule. Thunder's record is 28 wins & 32 losses. bombermwc 02-28-2023, 08:22 AM I was told, come here to dispute my comment on another thread that Presti has helped ruin the Thunder. So tell me how if we're still 13th out of 15 in the west...been sitting at the bottom for years, that we're not doing poorly. When was the last time we saw a playoff birth? It all fell apart after he started trading off the talent, which is now at the top of the NBA all over the league. We're not getting some amazing draft picks that are doing wonders (his strategy). It's not panning out When we do have a "big win", it's mostly around the other teams that are struggling. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to keep cheering for them because I'm not just a fair weather fan. It's just frustrating to see someone that seems to operate in the shadows with more power than the coach (who gets to be the scapegoat) and yet, he's still there calling the shots, not getting us anywhere. BoulderSooner 02-28-2023, 08:39 AM I was told, come here to dispute my comment on another thread that Presti has helped ruin the Thunder. So tell me how if we're still 13th out of 15 in the west...been sitting at the bottom for years, that we're not doing poorly. When was the last time we saw a playoff birth? It all fell apart after he started trading off the talent, which is now at the top of the NBA all over the league. We're not getting some amazing draft picks that are doing wonders (his strategy). It's not panning out When we do have a "big win", it's mostly around the other teams that are struggling. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to keep cheering for them because I'm not just a fair weather fan. It's just frustrating to see someone that seems to operate in the shadows with more power than the coach (who gets to be the scapegoat) and yet, he's still there calling the shots, not getting us anywhere. years?? 2 whole years?? and not getting great talent?? also 4-14 in the west are all bunched 4 games separating all of them maybe this discussion is not for you? king183 02-28-2023, 09:35 AM years?? 2 whole years?? and not getting great talent?? also 4-14 in the west are all bunched 4 games separating all of them maybe this discussion is not for you? Yep. I’ve learned to disregard comments about Presti like the one by Bomber because I’ve found people who make that argument typically do not understand how the NBA works, and no matter how logically you explain why they are mistaken, they will never change their mind. It’s a tell that they don’t really watch the Thunder or the NBA. Which is fine, of course. Anyone who knows how the NBA works (i.e., the salary cap, the luxury tax, the trade mechanisms, the draft lottery, big vs. small market, talent evaluation, etc.), understands we are witnessing a near miracle for how quickly OKC is returning to the playoffs and has constructed a talented roster. catcherinthewry 02-28-2023, 11:07 AM I was told, come here to dispute my comment on another thread that Presti has helped ruin the Thunder. So tell me how if we're still 13th out of 15 in the west...been sitting at the bottom for years, that we're not doing poorly. When was the last time we saw a playoff birth? It all fell apart after he started trading off the talent, which is now at the top of the NBA all over the league. We're not getting some amazing draft picks that are doing wonders (his strategy). It's not panning out When we do have a "big win", it's mostly around the other teams that are struggling. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to keep cheering for them because I'm not just a fair weather fan. It's just frustrating to see someone that seems to operate in the shadows with more power than the coach (who gets to be the scapegoat) and yet, he's still there calling the shots, not getting us anywhere. Here's what you said in the other thread: "The Thunder certainly decided that they dont want to spend what it takes to stay up there but think they're making plenty of money the way they are. I'd just assume fire Mr Presti for what he's done to us. But if they're happy from a business model, then they probably aren't going to be going anywhere either....and have a lot less drama/stress to deal with not having so many high talent folks on the team." This is not Presti's plan at all. He wants to build a title contender and is not content with just making the playoffs most years. Here are some quotes from his exit interview last year. When asked about his long-term future with the franchise, Presti said that he is laser focused on building the team back up as a contender Presti once again reemphasized the fact that he wants to build a long-term winner with the Thunder and that it will require some patience. Presti said that he doesn’t anticipate the team taking shortcuts when it comes to fully seeing out the rebuild and that he wants a contender instead of just a 40-win team in Oklahoma City. https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/lists/okc-thunder-quotes-biggest-takeaways-from-gm-sam-prestis-exit-interview/ Now for some of your current comments: "We're not getting some amazing draft picks that are doing wonders (his strategy). It's not panning out " -We've had 2 drafts since our last playoff appearance. The first draft we took Josh Giddey who was WC Player of the Month each month until he got hurt and was All Rookie team. The second draft we got the no. 2 pick who got hurt in the summer, but is a terrific prospect and Jalen Williams who is projected by many to be 1st team All Rookie. Both Giddey and Williams played in the Rising Stars game. "When we do have a "big win", it's mostly around the other teams that are struggling." -In January the Thunder beat the following playoff contending teams: Boston, Washington, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, Brooklyn, Indiana, Denver and Cleveland. As others have said, this Thunder team is way ahead of schedule for this rebuild. Even though they are the youngest team in the NBA, they've already won 4 more games than they did last year with 22 games left to play and they've also already beat Vegas' over/under. They currently have the WC 5th best point differential and all of this w/o the no. 2 draft pick from last year's draft. The future is bright and it is all due to Presti who is not interested in mediocrity, but wants to play for championships. dankrutka 02-28-2023, 11:52 AM Thanks to catcherinthewry for debunking almost every point in bombermwc's post. Overall, I would argue that Presti is arguably the best GM in the NBA and the Thunder ownership's support of him allows the franchise to rebuild the right way. First, the Thunder have had tremendous success. They were one of the most successful franchises in all of pro sports in the 2010s. However, the team leadership was also smart to recognize when to rebuild and the key is that they are rebuilding the right way. Bad teams try to rush the process. By doing so they usually run their rebuild. Fortunately, the Thunder have already built a foundation and will likely be competing in the playoffs next year. And it only required 2 years, which is incredible. I am really good with the team shifting to player development and losing game to get one more foundational piece in the draft. I couldn't be happier with how Presti and the organization is building up OKC for long-term success. It's honestly stunning. April in the Plaza 02-28-2023, 01:50 PM I was told, come here to dispute my comment on another thread that Presti has helped ruin the Thunder. So tell me how if we're still 13th out of 15 in the west...been sitting at the bottom for years, that we're not doing poorly. When was the last time we saw a playoff birth? It all fell apart after he started trading off the talent, which is now at the top of the NBA all over the league. We're not getting some amazing draft picks that are doing wonders (his strategy). It's not panning out When we do have a "big win", it's mostly around the other teams that are struggling. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to keep cheering for them because I'm not just a fair weather fan. It's just frustrating to see someone that seems to operate in the shadows with more power than the coach (who gets to be the scapegoat) and yet, he's still there calling the shots, not getting us anywhere. No on most of this. The West is extremely competitive, which makes the standings very compact. The team sits one game out of the play-in and just four games out of the west #4 seed. And that’s without Chet playing a game. Plus, Poku has been out for a long stretch with an injury. Adding Chet, an ascendant Poku and another top ten pick (maybe Gradey Dick or Jarace Walker) will make next year’s team very interesting. And we’ll have plenty of cap space flexibility with Kemba coming off the books. Laramie 02-28-2023, 02:02 PM Reminder tonight: Kings @ Thunder - Paycom Center, TV - Bally Sports Oklahoma, 7:00 P.M. FighttheGoodFight 02-28-2023, 02:29 PM No on most of this. The West is extremely competitive, which makes the standings very compact. The team sits one game out of the play-in and just four games out of the west #4 seed. And that’s without Chet playing a game. Plus, Poku has been out for a long stretch with an injury. Adding Chet, an ascendant Poku and another top ten pick (maybe Gradey Dick or Jarace Walker) will make next year’s team very interesting. And we’ll have plenty of cap space flexibility with Kemba coming off the books. Point Poku is life okatty 02-28-2023, 05:12 PM Thanks to catcherinthewry for debunking almost every point in bombermwc's post. Overall, I would argue that Presti is arguably the best GM in the NBA and the Thunder ownership's support of him allows the franchise to rebuild the right way. First, the Thunder have had tremendous success. They were one of the most successful franchises in all of pro sports in the 2010s. However, the team leadership was also smart to recognize when to rebuild and the key is that they are rebuilding the right way. Bad teams try to rush the process. By doing so they usually run their rebuild. Fortunately, the Thunder have already built a foundation and will likely be competing in the playoffs next year. And it only required 2 years, which is incredible. I am really good with the team shifting to player development and losing game to get one more foundational piece in the draft. I couldn't be happier with how Presti and the organization is building up OKC for long-term success. It's honestly stunning. Agree with this and catcherintherye post. Sports Animal had a discussion a week or two ago about if you have a NBA GM draft, where would Presti go? And it was complete consensus that he would go very high. Laramie 02-28-2023, 09:55 PM Sacramento Kings 123 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 117 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469083 Attendance: 13,353 Laramie 02-28-2023, 10:03 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Los%20Angeles%20Lakers/LAL_IE.jpg Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder Paycom Center, OKC Bally Sports Oklahoma, 7:00 P.M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_IE.jpg bombermwc 03-01-2023, 08:34 AM Well you are all certainly entitled to your opinion. I totally disagree and we're not going to convince each other. Nor do i need to convince you....or you me. Like I said, i'm still going to continue to cheer for the Thunder and support them as best I can. But that doesn't mean i have to accept what i feel, is bad leadership. But that's the fun in sports. Differences of opinions are part of the passion. It'd be pretty boring if we all agreed. Dob Hooligan 03-01-2023, 09:49 AM Well you are all certainly entitled to your opinion. I totally disagree and we're not going to convince each other. Nor do i need to convince you....or you me. Like I said, i'm still going to continue to cheer for the Thunder and support them as best I can. But that doesn't mean i have to accept what i feel, is bad leadership. But that's the fun in sports. Differences of opinions are part of the passion. It'd be pretty boring if we all agreed. Last night's opponent, the Sacramento Kings, have not been in the playoffs since 2006. The Kings were owned by the Maloof family; who also owned the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where "Hef" was partying in the Playboy Suite with the Girls Next Door. The President was George W. Bush. Howard Schultz was complaining about the high cost of owning the Seattle SuperSonics and threatening to sell. That's bad leadership. catcherinthewry 03-01-2023, 09:59 AM Well you are all certainly entitled to your opinion. It's not an opinion when I quote Presti directly contradicting what you said about him. If you don't want to listen to facts that is certainly your prerogative. warreng88 03-01-2023, 11:08 AM If anyone cares, the over/under for the number of wins the thunder would have this year ranged from 22.5-24.5. The Thunder have played 61 games and have won 28 with 21 games left. I added it up and we have lost 24 games by single digits and entering the season. The thunder were the youngest team in the NBA with an average age of 23.14 years old. April in the Plaza 03-01-2023, 11:56 AM Well you are all certainly entitled to your opinion. I totally disagree and we're not going to convince each other. Nor do i need to convince you....or you me. Like I said, i'm still going to continue to cheer for the Thunder and support them as best I can. But that doesn't mean i have to accept what i feel, is bad leadership. But that's the fun in sports. Differences of opinions are part of the passion. It'd be pretty boring if we all agreed. Not really. Surely you trust LeBron’s basketball judgment? He thinks we’re in a very good spot because of the leadership: “Josh Giddey is really, really good, man. Obviously, a tall point guard. He is a triple-double-type of playmaker every single night because of his ability to rebound at his size, his distinctive passing, and he has the ability to score in the paint. I think he is going to continue to get better and better. They have a really good young core over in OKC. They do not even have Chet [Holmgren] there just yet. Josh [Giddey] is a really good player, along with the other rookie that they have this year. Obviously, we know first-time All [Star] Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is really good, and the rest of that crew over there. Pretty good player, for sure. You guys should be proud.” Source: https://thunderousintentions.com/2023/02/23/lebron-james-keeps-praising-okc-thunder/amp/ Laramie 03-01-2023, 09:55 PM Los Angeles Lakers 123 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 117 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469095 Attendance: 17,114 Laramie 03-01-2023, 10:00 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Utah%20Jazz/UTA_AE.jpg Friday, March 3, 2023 Utah Jazz @ Oklahoma City Thunder Paycom Center, OKC Bally Sports Oklahoma, 7:00 P. M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_CE.jpg bombermwc 03-02-2023, 08:23 AM Not really. Surely you trust LeBron’s basketball judgment? He thinks we’re in a very good spot because of the leadership: “Josh Giddey is really, really good, man. Obviously, a tall point guard. He is a triple-double-type of playmaker every single night because of his ability to rebound at his size, his distinctive passing, and he has the ability to score in the paint. I think he is going to continue to get better and better. They have a really good young core over in OKC. They do not even have Chet [Holmgren] there just yet. Josh [Giddey] is a really good player, along with the other rookie that they have this year. Obviously, we know first-time All [Star] Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is really good, and the rest of that crew over there. Pretty good player, for sure. You guys should be proud.” Source: https://thunderousintentions.com/2023/02/23/lebron-james-keeps-praising-okc-thunder/amp/ LeBron is a player evaluating a player. Giddy is good, yes. He's got some development to do so we'll see (including staying healthy). But the team can't be built on one newbie. This 13th spot we're in is not just this year. This has been consistent. I know KD left on his own. But Presti traded Harden, as only one example. With Westbrook/Harden/KD all together, they had "pressure" to relieve the salary burden. 3 strong personalities conflicted a lot, but we were at the top of the game. Every time we seem to get someone that the crowd gets behind, they get traded away for less quality and the team record suffers. It was absolutely part of his strategy to be at the bottom to get those draft picks. My opinion is that we didn't have to cut off our head just to make some deals. Being more surgical would have allowed us to be more of a contender. Do we need to be #1? No. But consistently in the bottom spots sucks. Years now in the bottom spots. Presti's decision making skills on how best to develop the team, are what I question. He's not going to build some sort of MoneyBall team here. Being in a small market, he has to do work to bring talent here and he's failing at it. BoulderSooner 03-02-2023, 08:51 AM LeBron is a player evaluating a player. Giddy is good, yes. He's got some development to do so we'll see (including staying healthy). But the team can't be built on one newbie. This 13th spot we're in is not just this year. This has been consistent. I know KD left on his own. But Presti traded Harden, as only one example. With Westbrook/Harden/KD all together, they had "pressure" to relieve the salary burden. 3 strong personalities conflicted a lot, but we were at the top of the game. Every time we seem to get someone that the crowd gets behind, they get traded away for less quality and the team record suffers. It was absolutely part of his strategy to be at the bottom to get those draft picks. My opinion is that we didn't have to cut off our head just to make some deals. Being more surgical would have allowed us to be more of a contender. Do we need to be #1? No. But consistently in the bottom spots sucks. Years now in the bottom spots. Presti's decision making skills on how best to develop the team, are what I question. He's not going to build some sort of MoneyBall team here. Being in a small market, he has to do work to bring talent here and he's failing at it. you understand that after presti traded harden the Thunder were the best team in the league and were the favorite to win the title until Westbrook got hurt in the playoffs right ? ie the thunder were better with a better record after trading harden catcherinthewry 03-02-2023, 10:56 AM Every time we seem to get someone that the crowd gets behind, they get traded away for less quality and the team record suffers. It was absolutely part of his strategy to be at the bottom to get those draft picks. You should probably leave this thread. The more you post the more you accentuate your lack of NBA knowledge. Watch this video to see what an outstanding and innovative GM Presti is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFKtWw8lZqo catcherinthewry 03-02-2023, 11:09 AM This 13th spot we're in is not just this year. This has been consistent. This kind of comment is why a lot of die hard NBA fans think Oklahomans don't understand basketball. We've only missed the playoffs the last two seasons and only 4 times since the Thunder have moved here. They've made the POs 10 out of 14 seasons. Most NBA teams would love that kind of consistency, but we've been spoiled from the start and think we are entitled to be in the playoffs every year. Sam Prtesti has been the leading reason why we've had so much success. Here is an article that ranks Presti as the no. 3 GM, not currently, but of all time. https://sportsbrief.com/facts/top-listicles/24049-ranking-10-basketball-general-managers-nba/ okatty 03-02-2023, 11:11 AM “But consistently in the bottom spots sucks. Years now in the bottom spots.” Thunder were 44-28 in ‘19-20. And this year they have won far more games than expected and are on an upward trajectory in general without their top draft pick. Totally agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion but I can’t understand the very negative perspective based on the facts. Go ask Philly fans about tanking - pretty sure they had a .500 or worse record 12 years straight. That qualifies for “years in the bottom spots.” bombermwc 03-03-2023, 07:45 AM Well you would like to take a comment and read into it to support your ideas wouldn't you. I never said that after Harden left, that we immediately fell apart. If you actually read what I said, was that as each high talent player left, we fell more and more. Shortly after, Westbrook was gone as well. Collison was gone, the names just kept leaving. We shortly had CP3....sort of again, but then he was gone. We were already struggling when CP3 came onboard, and it's been even worse afterwards. You may not like what i'm saying, but i'm certainly not going to leave just because you don't agree. I would absolutely love to see someone make me a liar. Turn it around and throw it in my face with a 2nd or 3rd round playoff spot. Show me, don't tell me. And the bottom spots are not just at .5. I'm talking about where the facts show we are. Last or next to last has been our comfort zone for a while now. That's not good for anyone. I'll give you a comparison. OU had a terrible record this year. Gotta go back to the Gibbs era to have a simliar record. However, we lost by fewer points in the combined losses, than Gibbs lost in individual games. A few touchdowns or field goals and the whole season would have looked different. Including the bowl game. The Thunder COULD be like that. They're back to the place they were before the original OKC rise. Close games, but can't ever seem to get it over the top....aka Choklahoma. OSU fans are familiar with this. Again, show me the change. I'll keep rooting for them the entire time, but i'm also not going to blind myself to the reality of what the stats show. And no amount of passion (i salute it btw) is going to change that. sooner88 03-03-2023, 08:10 AM Well you would like to take a comment and read into it to support your ideas wouldn't you. I never said that after Harden left, that we immediately fell apart. If you actually read what I said, was that as each high talent player left, we fell more and more. Shortly after, Westbrook was gone as well. Collison was gone, the names just kept leaving. We shortly had CP3....sort of again, but then he was gone. We were already struggling when CP3 came onboard, and it's been even worse afterwards. You may not like what i'm saying, but i'm certainly not going to leave just because you don't agree. I would absolutely love to see someone make me a liar. Turn it around and throw it in my face with a 2nd or 3rd round playoff spot. Show me, don't tell me. And the bottom spots are not just at .5. I'm talking about where the facts show we are. Last or next to last has been our comfort zone for a while now. That's not good for anyone. I'll give you a comparison. OU had a terrible record this year. Gotta go back to the Gibbs era to have a simliar record. However, we lost by fewer points in the combined losses, than Gibbs lost in individual games. A few touchdowns or field goals and the whole season would have looked different. Including the bowl game. The Thunder COULD be like that. They're back to the place they were before the original OKC rise. Close games, but can't ever seem to get it over the top....aka Choklahoma. OSU fans are familiar with this. Again, show me the change. I'll keep rooting for them the entire time, but i'm also not going to blind myself to the reality of what the stats show. And no amount of passion (i salute it btw) is going to change that. Sounds like you need to find another sport to cheer for, NBA might not be for you. The Thunder turnaround has been nothing short of incredible in such a short period of time. Laramie 03-03-2023, 10:21 PM https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/beloitdailynews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/2a/f2a8404a-9cfd-55f9-aeaf-24a437caba78/6402bcdba25e9.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 Utah Jazz 103 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 130 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469106 Attendance: 16,538 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE03mfJq6bM Laramie 03-03-2023, 10:34 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Utah%20Jazz/UTA_SE.jpg Sunday, March 5, 2023 Utah Jazz @ Oklahoma City Thunder Paycom Center, OKC Bally Sports Oklahoma,7:00 P.M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_AE.jpg Laramie 03-05-2023, 09:18 PM https://sportsnaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/20156992-788x444.jpg Utah Jazz 119 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 129 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469123 Attendance: 14,778 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ro6M-J2A4 Laramie 03-05-2023, 09:41 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Golden%20State%20Warriors/GSW_CE.jpg Tuesday, March 7, 2023 Golden State Warriors @ Oklahoma City Thunder Paycom Center, OKC Bally Sports Oklahoma, 7:00 P.M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_AE.jpg Reminder: Exercise your right to vote: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. bombermwc 03-06-2023, 07:54 AM Sounds like you need to find another sport to cheer for, NBA might not be for you. The Thunder turnaround has been nothing short of incredible in such a short period of time. No thanks. I was there to see the Jazz Thunder game last night. The Thunder played well against an evenly matched team. That's in line with what I've been saying though. When you're battling for the scraps at the bottom with other scraps at the bottom, that's not exactly awe inspiring. The biggest thing that caught me was the size of the typical crowd, which is pretty low, honestly. There were 10-11k people there. And "Loud City" was definitely NOT that. Here, i'll go on a memory lane trip, get ready. Look up in the rafters at the timelines of when we were conference champs. In that time, we had a FULL house every game. It got the Loud City name because it was so freaking loud that the announcers had problems. As Presti lost free agents and made bad trade after bad trade, we resulted in what we have now. We'll see what happens, but what we have now is not going to be fighting for a conference championship with 20k screaming fans. It's going to be a "hey that was a fun night" experience. If that's all the goal is, then fine. I just wish we had our sights a little higher. But hey, it's also NBA. Every team goes from the top to the crapper bottom in cycles. You just hope you don't have someone buy your team out while its at the bottom, and move it (cough cough Sonics). BoulderSooner 03-06-2023, 08:07 AM No thanks. I was there to see the Jazz Thunder game last night. The Thunder played well against an evenly matched team. That's in line with what I've been saying though. When you're battling for the scraps at the bottom with other scraps at the bottom, that's not exactly awe inspiring. The biggest thing that caught me was the size of the typical crowd, which is pretty low, honestly. There were 10-11k people there. And "Loud City" was definitely NOT that. Here, i'll go on a memory lane trip, get ready. Look up in the rafters at the timelines of when we were conference champs. In that time, we had a FULL house every game. It got the Loud City name because it was so freaking loud that the announcers had problems. As Presti lost free agents and made bad trade after bad trade, we resulted in what we have now. We'll see what happens, but what we have now is not going to be fighting for a conference championship with 20k screaming fans. It's going to be a "hey that was a fun night" experience. If that's all the goal is, then fine. I just wish we had our sights a little higher. But hey, it's also NBA. Every team goes from the top to the crapper bottom in cycles. You just hope you don't have someone buy your team out while its at the bottom, and move it (cough cough Sonics). in the west this season 5-13 are separated by 3 1/2 games .. that is not fighting at the bottom that is a giant middle .. BDP 03-06-2023, 11:32 AM in the west this season 5-13 are separated by 3 1/2 games .. that is not fighting at the bottom that is a giant middle .. And that's with the two projected front court players being out all or most of the season. Shai just missed 10 games as well. Dort has missed about 7 games and Giddy about 5. I don't think it's being overly optimistic or "blind" to think there are 3 or 4 more wins with those players available. April in the Plaza 03-06-2023, 12:29 PM in the west this season 5-13 are separated by 3 1/2 games .. that is not fighting at the bottom that is a giant middle .. Beautifully said. The Jazz sit just 3 games out of the #5 seed and that’s after dropping two straight to us. Laramie 03-06-2023, 08:50 PM You ever get an opportunity, visit the Utah Jazz forum, it's interesting. They have a huge forum community: JazzFanz.com https://jazzfanz.com/ They also want their team to TANK. Like OKC, you have your homer, homie and hombre poster types. Some surprisingly good comments about the Thunder players. Want to see the lethal combination of Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Giddey, JDub & Holmgren next season 2023-24--should bring in a new chapter of Thunder-up. Laramie 03-07-2023, 07:25 AM Reminder Tuesday, March 7, 2023 Golden State Warriors @ Oklahoma City Thunder Paycom Center, OKC Bally Sports Oklahoma, 7:00 P.M. Exercise your right to vote: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. okatty 03-07-2023, 10:16 AM ^I’ll be there! I think JDub is questionable for tonight (wrist). April in the Plaza 03-07-2023, 09:39 PM The State may not be smoking that Mary J, but OKC smoked the Dubs tonight. Laramie 03-07-2023, 09:49 PM https://www.orovillemr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Warriors-Thunder-Basketball-1.jpg?w=863 Golden State Warriors 128 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 137 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469137 Attendance: 16,142 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Sjr9PHM_Y Laramie 03-07-2023, 10:04 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_SE.jpg Wednesday, March 8, 2023 Oklahoma City Thunder @ Phoenix Suns Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ Bally Sports Oklahoma, 8:00 P.M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Phoenix%20Suns/PHX_IE.jpg Celebrator 03-07-2023, 11:35 PM The State may not be smoking that Mary J, but OKC smoked the Dubs tonight. Man, it feels good to beat that team. Yup, I will always hold a grudge against GSW. Loathe them. okatty 03-08-2023, 06:51 AM Really fun game - great win when Steph hits 10 3’s and scores 40. Best of both worlds - see the Steph show and still win! catcherinthewry 03-08-2023, 09:04 AM Really fun game - great win when Steph hits 10 3’s and scores 40. Best of both worlds - see the Steph show and still win! Presti is doing a really poor job of putting a mediocre product on the court:tongue: BoulderSooner 03-08-2023, 09:06 AM Presti is doing a really poor job of putting a mediocre product on the court:tongue: lol Laramie 03-08-2023, 12:34 PM Good win over GSW 137-128. Clearly shows the skill set of the players to make adjustments with a key missing piece (JDub) and a very aggressive Coach Daigneault to put player combinations together to defeat the defending NBA champions. catcherinthewry 03-08-2023, 12:54 PM Good win over GSW 137-128. Clearly shows the skill set of the players to make adjustments with a key missing piece (JDub) and a very aggressive Coach Daigneault to put player combinations together to defeat the defending NBA champions. Plus some good player development for Dieng. I thought he responded well to a very difficult situation. Laramie 03-08-2023, 09:17 PM Awesome, what this team is doing against Phoenix tonight with two starters out (SGA and JDub). Laramie 03-08-2023, 10:51 PM Oklahoma City Thunder 101 @ Phoenix Suns 132 Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469145 Attendance: 17,071 Laramie 03-08-2023, 11:11 PM https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_SE.jpg Saturday, March 11, 2023 Oklahoma City Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans Smoothie King Center, New Orleans Bally Sports Oklahoma, 7:30 P.M. https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/New%20Orleans%20Pelicans/NOP_AE.jpg Laramie 03-08-2023, 11:46 PM https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/4066317.png&h=80&w=110&scale=crop Lindy Waters III, Impressive night vs. the Suns. 3PT - 6-12 - Game total 23 pts. djohn 03-09-2023, 07:23 AM I'm not sure how this will affect Thunder games, but I read that Bally's parent company (Diamond) missed payment on the debt used to buy them. Sounds like they might be headed towards bankruptcy. Hopefully they can still operate, or even better, NBA come up with a better alternative. bombermwc 03-09-2023, 07:58 AM We'll see how the rest of the season goes. We have a 50/50 chance on the remaining games. How we come out, really depends on how some of the others do. And to all of your points....this year doesn't even really matter, according to your logic. If we rise next year, then the crap years paid off. If that happens, i guess you have to also ask if the wax was worth the wain? |