Oklahoma City Thunder 2017-18

[Laramie]

.

Oklahoma City Thunder 110 - Milwaukee Bucks 91

Box score: http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400974854

Bucks struck by lightning.

[Urbanized]

Excellent job of pushing Giannis out of his comfort zone and getting him into early foul trouble. He still got 28, but was much less of a dominant factor than he’s been in every other game this season.

Two post-game quotes stuck with me:

”When we play the grown-ups, we've got to be ready, and we weren't. They played the grown-ups tonight.” - Bucks coach (and noted spousal abuser) Jason Kidd

”Russ, Russ pushes the tempo. Nobody can push him from the paint, and we're getting wide open looks.” - Paul George

There is going to be a narrative emerging soon in the media that Russell Westbrook has “made over his game.” That he’s “no longer so selfish,” or “finally realizes he needs to involve his teammates to win.” Don’t believe it. He is the same Russell Westbrook he as always been. Obviously a little more developed and crafty, but essentially the same. The difference is that now he has MATURE All-Star teammates around him who appreciate the opportunities that HIS game brings to THEM. Russell hasn’t changed; the experience level and mindset of his TEAM has.

[HOT ROD]

Russ is (and always has been) my favourite athlete and NBA player; but even I think Russ HAS changed in that he's more mature, he's more patient, and he seems to have developed (or developing) more basketball IQ to where he doesn't need to panic as much when the going is tough.

In years past (even last), he'd look up at the scoreboard and if OKC was losing - he'd take it upon himself to be Russ and expect the rest of the team to match or at least try (and when they wouldn't he'd have a significant tantrum which would cause him to lose bball focus and chunk up ill advised, heavily contested, miss shots).

I see him this year, more patient - yes there's still the out-of-control dash to the bucket (and miss because he went too/so fast, no foul) Russ that we all know and love BUT he's managing the game AND TEAM much better and I think it is due to PG13 and Anthony not necessarily lending their talents but that the EXPECTATION of the team itself is much higher/better due to the other two. It's almost like if you visit NYC or Chicago, they could have an off-day and not be what you expect but if there's a major event happening then NYC and Chicago shine better than any City because; well that's what we expect from NYC and Chicago. OKC seems to be developing this team cohesion around Russ where its starting to work and it is due to the presence of George and Melo star power IMO that has raised the bar for the team.

With OKC now having a legitimate Big 3 and the #3 media spot (including being the definite media darling for at least this year), I can see players stepping up in ways that didn't happen last year. I can see players wanting to shine, because the level OKC must be on having Russ, Melo, and Paul G. And as others have noted, the biggest beneficiary besides us fans is Steven Adams - he's well on his way to being the dominant center in the league (again) this year ala 2015 playoffs; and if he keeps this up then OKC will be the only team in the NBA to have legitimate, solid big 4.

disclaimer - I know some may say; wait, Golden State has a big 4 too. But I disagree, because OKC has (or looks like will have) four players in unique positions having superstar status in Russ-Point Guard, Paul G-Small Forward, Anthony-Power Forward/Scorer, and Adams-Center. GSW doesn't have it that way, Curry at Point and Durant at Small Forward/Scorer are the only positions that are truly defined. What is Clay Thompson? He's great, budding superstar but he does best when one of the others sits, more like a 6th man since he cannibalizes Curry or (to a lesser extent) KD. Dreymond 'the nutcracker' Green a PF or a Center - he's an Allstar facilitator but a superstar at neither.

Most would probably agree that GSW does best when it has 3 of their big 4 on the floor [Curry, Livingston, Durant, Iggy, Green come to mind]. Whereas, OKC is at its best with it's core starting lineup and that is because there is no cannibalization - as long as the team performs and the superstars be themself (just like Melo said) then OKC really has a big 4 that works and likely will be the team that unseats GSW as the nba's superteam (particularly if the bench continues to develop). ..

Kudos to Presti (and Bennett's funds) believing in Russ, letting him mature but still be his-self, and him with other star players (btw, I knew Melo would sign with OKC back in July shortly it was disclosed he 'might' include OKC in his trade list, I knew Houston would f-up and OKC would swoop in). Anyway, I sure hope it gels and OKC surprises the world with a chip and long term contract signatures from the 'new 2'. Good times!

[dankrutka]

To your point, I think the biggest change in Russ' game is that he trusts his new teammates more than his old teammates. Russ just did not trust Sabonis so he didn't pass it to him in certain spots. I think Russ' changes are less that he's a different player then that he's in a different situation. And, Steven Adams is a huge beneficiary of this new situation because other teams can't clog the lane with Melo or Paul George on the wings. They pull a lot of attention away from the paint that allows Adams to roam.

I disagree on the Warriors analysis. Unfortunately, their pieces fit perfectly together, all of their big 4 are top 20 players in the league, and their best lineups include their big 4 playing together. I really like how OKC is coming together. Having said that, it's probably going to take a Warriors injury for any team to compete with them. They're still in a league of their own (don't let early season games fool you). But I would love for nothing more than to see OKC find a way to take down the Warriors... it'll certainly be an interesting season.

[Bellaboo]

After league review, Russell was awarded an assist that was missed against the Bucks.

Add another triple double for the season.

[Urbanized]

To your point, I think the biggest change in Russ' game is that he trusts his new teammates more than his old teammates. Russ just did not trust Sabonis so he didn't pass it to him in certain spots. I think Russ' changes are less that he's a different player then that he's in a different situation. And, Steven Adams is a huge beneficiary of this new situation because other teams can't clog the lane with Melo or Paul George on the wings. They pull a lot of attention away from the paint that allows Adams to roam.
fool you)...

100% agree with this assessment. The maturation and patience that Hot Rod is talking about actually happened years ago. Again, Russ is pretty much EXACTLY the same player he’s been for the past 4-5 seasons. The only thing that has changed is the combination of personnel around him.

[Jake]

Bad Loss. Blew an 18 point half-time lead.

[Paseofreak]

If you recall, terrible officiating started the Celt's recovery.

[Laramie]

If you recall, terrible officiating started the Celt's recovery.

Agree,

Don't like to harp on the officials; however it was obvious that on many of Boston's fouls the officials swallowed their whistles along with the balls inside of them.

Got to give it up to Horford, he was clutch down the stretch.

[OKC_on_mines]

We have GOT to get out of this funk.

[dankrutka]

I don't say this often, but the refs were ridiculous last night. Melo's ejection was absolutely absurd and this is right after the refs refused to even look at Russ getting hit in the face.

I'm not worried too much. The Thunder are 0-4 in close games. OKC's point differential is the third best in the NBA, which is usually a better representation of a team than their record. Close games will start going OKC's way. They're still figuring things out.

[Roger S]

Russ needs to stop attending the Roberson School of Free Throw Shooting too.....

[chuck5815]

The Tuesday game in Sacramento should theoretically be an easy win. But we shall see.

[Bellaboo]

Russ needs to stop attending the Roberson School of Free Throw Shooting too.....

There was a rule change this year which does not allow the player to walk outside the top of the free throw key is what he says is bothering him. Russ claims his entire life he has walked in and shot his free throw, then walks back out and comes in for the next one. The rule is intended to speed up the game but Russ needs to adjust.

[AP]

It seems like a fair excuse, as he is an 82% career FT shooter.

[Roger S]

I've also noticed he wasn't taking that deep calming breath before free throws like he used to. Which I think might be affecting his shots more than walking outside the circle.

Taking that deep breath from the stomach is a technique I use quite a bit in billiards and while it may be as much psychological as it is calming. It's a technique that works very well for me.

[Urbanized]

Free throws are so much more about psychology than most of the rest of the game. Sure, you can have an off night from outside or people can get into your head during a game or whatever, but most of the rest of the game is (or should be) played with a certain amount of mindlessness. Meaning they are automatic with as much preparation and experience as these guys have. Free throws, on the other hand, are so deliberate that self-doubt has much more room to take you out of muscle memory. That's why routine is so important; it helps keep the mind clear.

[Urbanized]

I don't say this often, but the refs were ridiculous last night. Melo's ejection was absolutely absurd and this is right after the refs refused to even look at Russ getting hit in the face.

I'm not worried too much. The Thunder are 0-4 in close games. OKC's point differential is the third best in the NBA, which is usually a better representation of a team than their record. Close games will start going OKC's way. They're still figuring things out.

Agreed on all counts.

[Jake]

This team's offense is broken. What a horrible performance.

[Thomas Vu]

The only thing I think I can say about this game is you gotta hand it to the Kings bench. They did better than their starters.

[dankrutka]

Embarrassing performance. We'll see how the team responds. Will Russ be stubborn when things are going poorly or can he stabilize the offense? Is Russ going to run back on defense after a mistake? Will Melo realize that he's got to move the ball when a shot isn't initially there instead of pounding the rock for an iso, contested jumper? How will the team get PG integrated? Will the team completely abandon Steven Adams on offense when he was dominating? The answer to all these questions tonight was no. Again, it's still early, but it's going to take some humility from the Russ and Melo especially to figure this thing out.

[Thomas Vu]

Funny thing is that I don't think Russ was bad. +2 overall, 20/12/6, and maintained composure after that ridiculous flagrant 1. Melo was bad, the statistics show that PG shouldn't be taking game winners, and the Kings got to their average in points scored.

Funny enough, I thought the Kings offense looked a lot better than ours. Extra passes were made, and they were getting open shots. The shots just weren't going in for them resulting in Joerger swapping out all of the starters 10 minutes in.

Looking at the box score again, bench scoring was bad too. Outside of Grant, the combined scoring was 10.

[dankrutka]

Yeah, it's amazing Russ was a +2, but I think it's just an anomaly. He had so many really bad turnovers in the first half, but what really disappointed me is seeing him not even try to get back on defense a couple times when the team was struggling. He's just got to be a better leader and set the tone.

But, yeah, the Kings played like a team and the Thunder didn't. Off nights happen, but I was more concerned about the lack of execution in general and lack of effort in spots.

[Laramie]

You'll see more teams go after the franchises stacked with super stars like the Warriors, Cavaliers, Celtics, Rockets, Spurs, Thunder & Timberwolves. Face it, they can afford to gamble because they don't have anything to lose.

[OKC_on_mines]

Dude. Were down 96-92 to the nuggets. What the piss trainee?! Like, what is the problem ? We gotta get out of this slump