blah blah blah…I was also at rePUBlic the other day and while almost all of the TVs were showing hoops, it was 100% NBA and I had to request that the bartender put the Thunder game on…blah blah blah
What I MEANT was that all of the screens were on NCAA games. Understandable to me that NCAA was dominant product during tournament time, but highly disappointing that 20 screens or whatever couldn’t have a single screen showing the Thunder, and even more disappointing was the pushback when I asked for it.

https://deseret.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5cfe3b1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1999+0+0/resize/740x493!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2Fs_7AhpXSIJOKuKRVvtaka30jHic%3D %2F0x0%3A3000x2318%2F3000x2318%2Ffilters%3Afocal%2 82226x507%3A2227x508%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24568082 %2Fmerlin_2973143.jpg


Oklahoma City Thunder 114 @ Utah Jazz 98

Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469355

Attendance: 18,206





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJb54LJ4vDs

at worst the thunder will be playing for the post season on sunday ..


at best the mavs lose a game and the thunder are in the play in tourney

Sounds like the Bulls have nothing to play for tonight so will be resting starters. Will keep fingers crossed for a Bulls win but this is likely to come down to Sunday. I like how the NBA did the scheduling on Sunday with all the Eastern Conf games at Noon and all the Western at 2:30.

Bucks are resting against the Grizz. Which is good for us, since it means the Grizz are basically seed locked. So hopefully they won't bring the pain on Sunday.

Obviously way less stressful of a weekend on tap for OKC if the Mavs drop tonight's game against the Bulls. But very unlikely.

So this comes down to win on Sunday and you are in.

Oklahoma City (39-42) have one game left (home) vs Memphis.
Thunder have the tiebreaker vs Dallas Mavericks
Dallas (38-42) have two games left both at home vs Chicago and San Antonio.

Memphis (50-30) have two games left on the road @ Milwaukee, @ OKC
If Memphis loses their last two games, they could end in a tie with Sacramento who owns the tiebreaker vs the Kings.
Sacramento (48-32) have two games left, home vs Golden State and at Denver.

Interesting--how this could play out.

17974
Odd game time decisions for Dallas if they're serious about winning tonight.

Would this be a good time to jump in on season tickets? I've been very on the fence for years about it, scared I wouldn't end up going often enough and not sure really what the overall cost would be, just the initial deposit. I think at one point I looked and there was a waiting list I think (obviously during the championship dreams heyday) but they've been a bit more aggressive in recruiting lately.

Should I dive in?

I've been a season ticket holder in a group where we split the tickets three ways and never regretted it. The price is really reasonable. I think this is the perfect time to jump in before everyone realizes how good this team is next season.

If the Mavs throw in the towel tonight in an effort to maintain their top 10 protected pick from going to the Knicks, then OKC may want to lose on Sunday. We could actually make the play-in AND jump up several spots in the lottery standings.

If the Mavs throw in the towel tonight in an effort to maintain their top 10 protected pick from going to the Knicks, then OKC may want to lose on Sunday. We could actually make the play-in AND jump up several spots in the lottery standings.

Beautifully said. And I wouldn’t be surprised at all if The Pres deals a future FRP or two in an effort to climb up to #7 or so. A guy like Jarace Walker would make a lot of sense with the roster as it’s constructed, imo.

Kyrie Irving among 5 Mavericks ruled out for must-win game


The team announced late Friday morning that Irving (right foot injury recovery), shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (left ankle soreness), small forward Josh Green (rest), and power forward/centers Maxi Kleber (right hamstring injury recovery) and Christian Wood (rest) would sit out against the Bulls, essentially for precautionary reasons.

Link: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36105747/kyrie-irving-5-mavericks-ruled-win-game

Chicago Bulls 115 @ Dallas Mavericks 112

NBA Standings 2022-23: https://www.espn.com/nba/standings

Who would have guessed at the beginning of the year?

NBA spokesman Mike Bass: "The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks’ roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night’s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions.”

https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Memphis%20Grizzlies/MEM_CE.jpg
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Paycom Center, OKC
Bally Sports Oklahoma, 2:30 P.M.
https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_SE.jpg

ThunderWire reports:

The Thunder will play the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Sunday, April 9. Daigneault said that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams will all sit out that game to rest.

Based on what talent takes the court, available tickets should be priced at G league prices.

I'm looking forward to the Poku/Dieng show today. Predicting triple doubles for both of them. Only being a little tongue in cheek.

https://s.espncdn.com/stitcher/sports/basketball/nba/events/401469381.png?templateId=espn.com.share.1

Memphis Grizzlies 100 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 115

Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469381

Attendance: 16,601





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bcqhXUn7I

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NZVntOSfLRuW0.WT3MLKEg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/thunder_wire_usa_today_sports_articles_686/f60c66465570bba7727357ae247c2a84

OKC Thunder to play New Orleans Pelicans in Play-In tournament: https://sports.yahoo.com/okc-thunder-play-orleans-pelicans-221326310.html

Zion out.

Even without Zion, the Pelicans have been a tough match up for OKC. Looking forward to seeing how the team responds to the challenge.

Ingram has eaten OKC's lunch this season. If you stop him, you are in.

https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_IE.jpg
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
ESPN 8:30 p.m.
https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/New%20Orleans%20Pelicans/NOP_SE.jpg

Timberwolves choked against the Lakers last night. Which, IMO is better for Thunder if they can get the job done tonight. The refs got awfully nice to the Lakers in that second-half and I would prefer not to run into that issue.

8:30pm game tonight. Stop Ingram from dropping 40 and I think they win.

^They absolutely choked - started taking terrible shots and you could just see the lead evaporating. They got a turnover late in the game with a 4 point lead and immediately jacked a bad 3.

Tonight I think you can’t have Ingram and McCollum both have big games. This will be the first time Thunder have faced both of them in the lineup this year.

Lets go!!!!

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/meridianstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/d4/5d4fec9c-cb1a-5d89-8867-02dcb7249322/6437875d17edc.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500


Oklahoma City Thunder 123 @ New Orleans Pelicans 118

Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401539674

Attendance: 18,715




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U10SUVK5rjY

Dort and Giddey carried HARD. Then SGA found his groove in the second half and that is all she wrote.

The NBA absolutely killed it by doing this play-in deal. These single elimination games are so fun.

It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow night. Wonder if Gobert is going to play.

Dort and Giddey carried HARD. Then SGA found his groove in the second half and that is all she wrote.

The NBA absolutely killed it by doing this play-in deal. These single elimination games are so fun.

It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow night. Wonder if Gobert is going to play.

I read that he was only suspended one game, so I'm assuming he will play. I hope that actually works out as a negative considering all the discontent he's created with his teammates.

https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Oklahoma%20City%20Thunder/OKC_SE.jpg
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Friday, April 14, 2023
Target Center, Minneapolis
ESPN 8:30 p.m.
https://appimages.nba.com/p/tr:n-slnfre/2022/uniform/Minnesota%20Timberwolves/MIN_SE.jpg
Winner meets Denver in Best of Seven

we firing presti yet??

Someone in-the-know tell me how did New Orleans get 18,715 into an arena with an official seating capacity of 16,867.

Someone in-the-know tell me how did New Orleans get 18,715 into an arena with an official seating capacity of 16,867.

I believe they can do different configurations based on sport. I am guessing they did a slightly different configuration for this playoff game to increase the number of people allowed in.

Kind of like how the Lakers and Clippers have different amount of capacity though they are in the same arena (or at least was the case the last time I looked).

Tomorrow's game has me a little worried. I give the Thunder a 40% chance of winning.

On paper the Wolves are one of the most talented teams in the NBA. However they historically have one of the worst front offices in all of sports. If they had competent management, they would have already had their ticket punched in the playoffs.

But they don't. And on the flip side, the Thunder do.

Thunder have exceeded my expectations this year and I have no criticisms how the franchise operates. They just aren't as talented as Minnesota but if they hussle they have a chance. It is just a matter of "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work."

I give the Wolves the edge on the roster and, of course, home court advantage, and I give the Thunder the edge on coaching and overall franchise leadership.

Seems like the Wolves have had the Thunder's number recently. I could be wrong and I hope I am wrong. I am a fan of Oklahoma City and want them to win.

Tomorrow's game has me a little worried. I give the Thunder a 40% chance of winning.

On paper the Wolves are one of the most talented teams in the NBA. However they historically have one of the worst front offices in all of sports. If they had competent management, they would have already had their ticket punched in the playoffs.

But they don't. And on the flip side, the Thunder do.

Thunder have exceeded my expectations this year and I have no criticisms how the franchise operates. They just aren't as talented as Minnesota but if they hussle they have a chance. It is just a matter of "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work."

I give the Wolves the edge on the roster and, of course, home court advantage, and I give the Thunder the edge on coaching and overall franchise leadership.

Seems like the Wolves have had the Thunder's number recently. I could be wrong and I hope I am wrong. I am a fan of Oklahoma City and want them to win.

agreed to a point, but it's a little hard for me to get too worried. we've only been in the tank wilderness for a total of 2 years. Most franchises (see, e.g., Phila) spend so much longer in tank mode. So I do think we're playing with a bit of house money at this stage.

it's also just very insane to think that we have chet coming + another lotto pick + tons of cap space + 15 FRPs over the next five drafts.

When we lost 3 out of 4 games to the Timberwolves it was way early in the season. It was before Williams and Williams became starters. We didn't start playing good ball until January.
It should be a close one.

We just need a classic KAT meltdown on the TWolves and we can win it. Problem will be size on the inside again.

We just need a classic KAT meltdown on the TWolves and we can win it. Problem will be size on the inside again.

This. We need two things not to happen, Gobert (if plays) getting 7 thousand rebounds and KAT going extra hard trying to make up for the Lakers game foul trouble issues.

Also, Anthony Edwards looked pretty banged up last game. He averaged 24 during season, but he had just 9 points (3-of-17 from the field and 0-of-9 from 3) versus Lakers . We need another clunker from him.

KAT and Rudy are game time decisions. Rudy back spasms, at least that's what they say.

Oklahoma City Thunder 95 @ Minnesota Timberwolves 120

Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401539676

Attendance: 19,304

Are there usually lingering issues with Lisfranc injuries?

Good season for OKC, but that game wasn't even close. Goes to show the team still needs some work, and they didn't belong in the playoffs. Glad the Play In Tournament is getting it right. If they had of won those close games down the stretch against the teams they were supposed to beat, they would of probably been in a better position.

Good season for OKC, but that game wasn't even close. Goes to show the team still needs some work, and they didn't belong in the playoffs. Glad the Play In Tournament is getting it right. If they had of won those close games down the stretch against the teams they were supposed to beat, they would of probably been in a better position.

well said, although Mn. is also just a terrible matchup for us. Very difficult to counter Gobert + KAT without any semblance of rim protection.

This is SI’s take on Thunder’s offseason (sorta long):

2022-23 record: 40-42

Draft picks in June: Nos. 11/12, 37/38 (via WAS), 48/49/50 (via MIA)

Note: There is a tie with Chicago that will be broken after the play-in.

Odds for the No. 1 pick: 1.8%

Free agents: Dario Saric, Lindy Waters III (T), Jared Butler (R) and Olivier Sarr (R)

State of the roster: Before the start of training camp, general manager Sam Presti gave his viewpoint on the upcoming season.

"We just want long-term overall improvement," he said. "That doesn't mean every season is going to be the same way. There's going to be a lag or where sometimes things go faster. Progress is dictated by where you start and where you finish."

The Thunder started as the second-youngest team in NBA history and one that was projected to win no more than 27 games. They finished with 14 more wins than 2021-22 and saw significant growth within their roster. The offseason presents another opportunity for this team to take that next step internally. It starts with the draft, where the Thunder have another lottery pick. Oklahoma City showed an aggressiveness last June to package assets to improve the roster. The Thunder traded three protected first-round picks to New York for the 11th pick in the draft (the rights to Ousmane Dieng). The roster returns 14 players, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort and last year's No. 2 pick, Chet Holmgren, who missed the entire 2022-23 season with a foot injury. Out of the group of 14 players under contract, seven are on rookie first-round contracts, and no player outside of Gilgeous-Alexander is set to earn more than $20 million. As a result, Oklahoma City could enter the offseason with close to $30 million in cap space.

Offseason finances: The Thunder have two paths to choose from this offseason. The first is to play the cap space game. Including their first-round pick and $7.6 million in non-guaranteed salary (Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Lindy Waters III and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl), the Thunder are projected to have $30.5 million in room. Oklahoma City also could choose the option to remain over the cap. Staying over would see the Thunder retain their four trade exceptions ($4.3 million, $4.2 million, $3.5 million and $943,000), along with their $12.3 million midlevel and $4.5 million biannual exception. The Thunder took the over-the-cap approach in 2021-22 despite having just $78.8 million in guaranteed salary ($33.5 million below the cap) before free agency began. The difference, however, is that Oklahoma City had two large trade exceptions of $12.1 million and $9.5 million to take up the cap space.

Top front-office priority: Patience. Like any young team that tastes success, the question always turns to what is next. The answer in Oklahoma City is to stick with the principles that have led to building a sustainable roster. The Thunder could have around $30 million in cap space, and there is always the temptation to add outside of their own players. They also have a treasure chest of draft assets and young players to target an All-Star who might be made available. However, the timeline is different from 2017 when they acquired All-Star Paul George in a blockbuster trade. The Thunder are still very much in the middle stages of development and analyzing their own roster. Until there is a more body of work to see who fits, Oklahoma City should be in a holding pattern..

Extension candidate to watch: The Thunder have three players -- Saric, Aleksej Pokusevski and Robinson-Earl -- eligible to sign an extension. Before injuring his left leg in December, Pokusevski was averaging 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.6 minutes.

Team needs: Besides another year of development and a healthy Holmgren, shooting is needed. The Thunder are at their best when Gilgeous-Alexander is driving to the basket. The guard is one of two players averaging five-plus assists opportunities on kickout passes leading to a 3. Despite Joe ranking in the top 10 in catch-and-shoot 3s, Oklahoma City still managed to shoot only 36%.

Future draft assets: The Thunder have 27 future draft picks at their disposal -- 14 firsts and 13 seconds.

Below is the first-round breakdown:

All six of their own

Two unprotected from LA Clippers (2024 and 2026)

Two top-four protected from Houston (2024 and 2026)

Top-10 protected from Utah (2024, top-10 protected in 2025, top-eight in 2026)

Top-14 protected from Miami (2025, unprotected in 2026)

Top-six protected from Philadelphia (2025, top-four protected in 2026 and 2027)

Top-five protected from Denver (2027, 2028 and 2029)

Swap rights: Clippers (2023 and 2025)

Swap rights: Houston (2025, top-10 protected)

NBA breaks 6 ties to sort out pre-lottery 2023 draft order: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36218955/nba-breaks-6-ties-sort-pre-lottery-2023-draft-order

12. Oklahoma City Thunder 1.7% - Williams was selected with the 12th overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2022 NBA draft. On March 5, 2022

Presti: Thunder ‘definitely ahead’ of beat in 2023


https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/normantranscript.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/f7/9f7f4dfe-0919-5bf4-9dc5-5e6ee41bb5b2/5d083415dccde.image.jpg?resize=400%2C301


“Sometimes you’re going to be ahead of the beat and sometimes you’re going to be behind the beat, and the key being that at the end, you just want to be better

than you were,” said Presti, explaining things through music as he often does.

Link to Oklahoman's full story: https://oklahoman-ok.newsmemory.com/?token=be1d86a10d445b5d5199adf8c05200ef_64429d19_c be8&selDate=20230421&msgid=234216Hw9Qnc9OsmTfEUfOaZjUw9yzQE




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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgea5YoPqcQ

.

OKC Thunder 2023 Salt Lake City Summer League Schedule: https://thunderousintentions.com/2023/06/18/okc-thunder-23-salt-lake-summer-schedule/

.

Thunder trade up to Mavs for Carson Wallace.

I really didn't follow the NBA before we got a team so I'm far from an expert. But what I think I've seen is the Thunder building a Finals team. But it dissolved by players wanting out for this or that reason. Then the management "blew up" the team to start over. So here we are in year 3 or 4 of the rebuild. With, by most on air "experts" 1 or 2 years left to put together the right roster to compete. 2 years from now will be 2025. SGA, Holmgren and J-Dub all have expiring contracts in 2027. They will command big bucks if they meet their potential. Will the Thunder be willing to go into the luxury tax to keep those 3 and enough solid role players to be a Championship contender?

IMO much will depend on how these players a playing together, the coaches success with them and their overall success--won lost record
and will we be one of those markets that can attract free agents.

IMO much will depend on how these players a playing together, the coaches success with them and their overall success--won lost record
and will we be one of those markets that can attract free agents.But all of those things will rotate around $. Players want to get paid. I can't think of many pros that stick with one team to be loyal to the system when someone else offers more money.

I really didn't follow the NBA before we got a team so I'm far from an expert. But what I think I've seen is the Thunder building a Finals team. But it dissolved by players wanting out for this or that reason. Then the management "blew up" the team to start over. So here we are in year 3 or 4 of the rebuild. With, by most on air "experts" 1 or 2 years left to put together the right roster to compete. 2 years from now will be 2025. SGA, Holmgren and J-Dub all have expiring contracts in 2027. They will command big bucks if they meet their potential. Will the Thunder be willing to go into the luxury tax to keep those 3 and enough solid role players to be a Championship contender?

The new CBA is effectively more of a hard cap, which was enacted to prevent another GSW situation (where a team has like 4 max level players). The old CBA was mostly enforced via fines. But the new one actually imposes substantive penalties which will make it more difficult for teams to field a roster. See: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/04/nba-to-phase-in-second-tax-apron.html

I’m sure Presti will manage to negotiate it, but the days of simply buying championships, by spending deep into the 2nd tax apron, is mostly over.