2019-20 OKC Thunder

[BoulderSooner]

Refs will get Dort in foul trouble again early and give HOU golden whistles because the NBA wants China to keep watching the playoffs. /tinfoilhat

But in all seriousness, Russ usually bounces back with fantastic performances after a bad game.

correct me if i am incorrect but i believe china still blocks all rockets games because of what morey said

[Bill Robertson]

I have no verification but the guys on the Animal just said the Rockets have lost a number of games in a row and Chris Paul has also lost a number of games in a row when the head ref tonight is officiating. If so one streak or the other must be broken tonight.

[Teo9969]

What a game.

[Anonymous.]

Very strange ending. Adams looked gassed the entire second half. Makes no sense to have Adams in at the end unless he was going to roll to the basket for the oop. That final minute was the Thunder basketball we all remember.

Fun season though, we shouldn’t have even been there. We got a real one in Dort.

[Jake]

What a crazy finish.

Good season!

[SoonersFan12]

Very tough loss but it was a very entertaining series, you should be very proud of your team, good season

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Thunder 102 @ Houston Rockets 104

Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401241819

Houston win series 4 - 3

[Laramie]

Proud of these guys. Wanna see who we keep and who we draft for next season. Maybe there's another Luguentz Dort out there.

[Thomas Vu]

The whole Dort thing is comically similar to Roberson. Lockdown defender that is left wide open to brick threes. The entire game 5 was horrible for OKC. Zero offensive flow and Dort took the most shots. Basically perfect recipe to gift Rockets a W.

Going to have to come out strong tonight with Gallo, CP3, and SGA getting going early or this one is cooked. Also Dennis getting himself ejected when he was our best player was not ideal...

As somebody who's established themselves as anti roberson, I'll defend dort the rest of his career. My statement will probably age poorly haha.

[dankrutka]

Incredible game. Love this team. Really proud of Dort.

Donovan lost this series. Bad lineups all series right up until having Steven Adams in on that last play. Honestly, inexcusable. Adams was useless in this series... we should have seen so much more of Bazley. Hope we move on from Donovan.

Unfortunately, it could be a few years so before we see the playoffs again. If we find a trade for CP3, the tear down will commence. It’s been a good decade of winning.

[SoonersFan12]

Incredible game. Love this team. Really proud of Dort.

Donovan lost this series. Bad lineups all series right up until having Steven Adams in on that last play. Honestly, inexcusable. Adams was useless in this series... we should have seen so much more of Bazley. Hope we move on from Donovan.

Unfortunately, it could be a few years so before we see the playoffs again. If we find a trade for CP3, the tear down will commence. It’s been a good decade of winning.

Presti will never fire Donovan since they are best buds

[PhiAlpha]

Presti will never fire Donovan since they are best buds

I don’t think Dan’s suggesting that Presti fire him. He was the coach of the year, led a team that was supposed to be one of the worst in the league to the 5 seed and was within 3 points of making it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 4 years. He probably got out coached in this series but he was really good as a whole this season.

[Anonymous.]

After rewatching the final inbound play, I am pretty sure that is the exact same play used for Russell's game winner against Denver a few years back. Which doesn't make sense since in that scenario there was almost 3 full seconds remaining so Adams could catch the inbound and give it to SGA or Gallo.

A horrible playcall for that scenario and I agree Adams in this series and especially G7 was entirely useless. He wasn't even trying to jump for rebounds and he was wide open for the tying lob on the second-to-last inbound.

Let's be honest, CP3 did more coaching this year than Donovan. I can't believe you have 2 shots at getting a game winner up and we can't even get the ball inbounded.

If it wasn't for Harden's heroic block on Dort, that shot probably had a good chance at sending the Rox home.

[kukblue1]

Hopefully this was Adams last game in a Thunder Uniform. Seems like a nice guy but he is a fish out of water in today's NBA.

[Anonymous.]

Just watched the interviews from last night. Russ confirmed that he knew the inbound play at the end was for Gallo/SGA heave and he cut off the passing lane.

That is actually comical that Billy tried to use the same playcall that OKC has used multiple times before. The Russ game winner against Denver, and the Paul George 4-point play against Philly.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6nBDCWv5ic

[Rover]

I don’t think Dan’s suggesting that Presti fire him. He was the coach of the year, led a team that was supposed to be one of the worst in the league to the 5 seed and was within 3 points of making it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 4 years. He probably got out coached in this series but he was really good as a whole this season.

Don't know how anyone can say he got out-coached in this series. Houston was favored by at least 5 in every game (a big number by nba betting standards). And yet Thunder came within 3 points of winning the series against a Houston team that had TWO superstars and was the second or third favorite in the West. Billy coached his a$$ off. He finally had a team he could coach and a willing and able participant at the point guard position. Something he didn't have in the past. With a 2% chance to even MAKE the playoffs according to the experts, this was Billy's finest year of coaching.

[Rover]

Just watched the interviews from last night. Russ confirmed that he knew the inbound play at the end was for Gallo/SGA heave and he cut off the passing lane.

That is actually comical that Billy tried to use the same playcall that OKC has used multiple times before. The Russ game winner against Denver, and the Paul George 4-point play against Philly.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6nBDCWv5ic

And yet Dort is the one who got the ball and who was the hottest shooter on the floor. Maybe Russ got baited into doing what Billy wanted. LOL. It's always easier to be smart after the fact. If Dort had a little more experience he would have moved enough to get Harden to foul as he was flying, or he would have let him fly by and then shoot. That's where a more experienced and more savy player would have won the game.

[BoulderSooner]

Incredible game. Love this team. Really proud of Dort.

Donovan lost this series. Bad lineups all series right up until having Steven Adams in on that last play. Honestly, inexcusable. Adams was useless in this series... we should have seen so much more of Bazley. Hope we move on from Donovan.

Unfortunately, it could be a few years so before we see the playoffs again. If we find a trade for CP3, the tear down will commence. It’s been a good decade of winning.

more likely they run it back resign gallo on a 2 year deal and keep Billy Donovan (who is a very very good coach)

[dankrutka]

I don’t think Dan’s suggesting that Presti fire him. He was the coach of the year, led a team that was supposed to be one of the worst in the league to the 5 seed and was within 3 points of making it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 4 years. He probably got out coached in this series but he was really good as a whole this season.

He wasn't just outcoached. He repeatedly put the team at a disadvantage. He's not a great coach. He can't make adjustments. We don't need to fire Donovan... just don't offer him a new contract.

Having said all this, we're likely headed for a rebuild. Maybe he's the guy for that. Maybe not. But his inability to make simple lineup adjustments cost the Thunder this series.

[dankrutka]

more likely they run it back resign gallo on a 2 year deal and keep Billy Donovan (who is a very very good coach)

Presti will likely make moves based on what deals are available, but I think the most likely scenario is a total tear down with CP3, Gallo, Schroder, and Adams traded at some point before/during the season. CP3's value is never going to be this high so we might be able to get something of value back for him. Every team in the West is trying to win next season (except maybe the... Spurs). This is the right time to blow it up.

[Southsider2]

Agreed it’s definitely the right time to blow it up. I love this team and it was a real pleasure to watch them this year. But, Let’s be brutally honest, CP3 has never been healthier and he’s not getting any younger so it’s not likely he’ll be any healthier ever again. I love Steve to death but it’s time to move on from his contract. He’s not dominant enough and the game is too modern for his play style. Keep loading up on assets and young talent. Oh and also, T-Ferg, it’s time to move on from T-Ferg. Gallo probably signs elsewhere bc be definitely earned a contract this year (though he was pretty bad in the bubble). I am interested to see what happens with Dennis. Dude is a baller but does he want to go through a rebuild?

[Jake]

Don't really care if Donovan comes back to coach during the rebuild, seeing how he can't get outcoached in the playoffs if we don't make them. His insistence on playing two bigs against Houston was laughably bad.

[Paule4ou]

Team plane will land back in OKC late afternoon today.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...810Z/KMCO/KOKC

[PhiAlpha]

He wasn't just outcoached. He repeatedly put the team at a disadvantage. He's not a great coach. He can't make adjustments. We don't need to fire Donovan... just don't offer him a new contract.

Having said all this, we're likely headed for a rebuild. Maybe he's the guy for that. Maybe not. But his inability to make simple lineup adjustments cost the Thunder this series.

Scott Brooks with Perk in the 2012 finals comes to mind.

[Rover]

Presti will likely make moves based on what deals are available, but I think the most likely scenario is a total tear down with CP3, Gallo, Schroder, and Adams traded at some point before/during the season. CP3's value is never going to be this high so we might be able to get something of value back for him. Every team in the West is trying to win next season (except maybe the... Spurs). This is the right time to blow it up.

Gallo's contract expired. We can't trade him. Plus, I don't think he would bring much back if we tried to sign and trade. Adams isn't going to demand much in return. Probably worth more to Thunder as a leader to help with the young bucks. We are more likely to let go of Noel and go for a more modern center type.