See for yourself
It's an ESPN link to a running record of the worst teams in NBA history. On the list, our beloved Oklahoma City Thunder.
"This isn't exactly what the folks in Oklahoma City had in mind."
Really doctor? I'm guessing this won't be printed on any of those gameday programs the Thunder hand out and it probably won't be made into a t-shirt.
I do hope the team sees it though. Not because they should be ashamed of themselves or because the good people of Oklahoma City deserve better or any of that. I hope they see it because it's bullshit that ESPN's making a mockery of them and it should light a fire under their collective asses.
The good news is with Scotty Brooks at the helm the team is improving. They really could play themselves off this list. 16 wins will do it. 14 more out of 62. This seems so doable.
You can look back already this season and find a slew of coulda-woulda-shoulda's on the schedule. The Timberwolves a few nights back, the Phoenix game before that. Last night in Charlotte.
It's like in golf where you tally up your strokes at the end of the round and it comes back 92 or 102 or whatever. Then you think back to the 3-putts, the brain-farts, the lost balls and you realize how close you really were. Focus, concentration and pride. That's the difference. OK, probably a lot of skill and a little luck helps too.
For the Thunder, as the Charlotte game proved, it's free throws, rebounds and turnovers. Focus, concentration and pride.
The Thunder can do this. They have the skill. They are gym rats from the Head Coach to the superstar. And they are thisclose.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Just a quick post today before the boys take on the Charlotte Bobcats. I'd like to mention a couple of interesting tidbits that have resulted since Scotty Brooks took over as coach.
First, the changes he's made to the lineup. Most notably, Russell Westbrook taking over the starters role at Point Guard and Nick Collison heading to the bench in favor of Chris "Weezy" Wilcox. Westbrook and Wilcox have only started one game, the Thunder's most recent against Memphis, and the Thunder won. Though it's only one game it's been coming to this for a while as Brooks seems to favor speed and athleticism so the Thunder can spread the court and create mismatches.
Check this out though, courtesy of 82games.com. It's the top 5-man combinations for the Thunder this season. It's put in order by total minutes played together but look at the +/- stat for the units (+/- is the net point differential between the 5 man unit and the 5 man unit they played against).
The worst 3 units for the Thunder (Min. 20 minutes together):
Watson-Durant-Green-Collison-Petro (-50)
Watson-Durant-Green-Wilkins-Collison (-43)
Watson-Durant-Green-Collison-Swift (-41)
The best 3 units for the Thunder (Min. 20 minutes together):
Westbrook-Mason-Smith-Green-Wilcox (+3)
Westbrook-Durant-Mason-Smith-Wilcox (+3)
Westbrook-Durant-Green-Wilcox-Collison (-9)
This could mean many things. First, Uncle Rusty was stubborn because these worst 3 lineups are also the top 3 lineups as far as minutes played together. Second, it could mean it hasn't been updated in a while to reflect Damien Wilkens insertion into a starters role since Scotty took over. Third, it means that Westbrook on the floor, and Weezy to a lesser extent, have a positive impact on the game.
The other interesting factoid resulting from Scotty taking over also reflects the above. Courtesy of Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:
"In 15 games under Carlesimo, the Thunder averaged 88.9 points. Under Brooks, OKC is averaging 98.2, which increases to 101.4 if you throw out the Cleveland clunker."
Of course, we're still in the honeymoon phase with Scotty but one has to be encouraged of what has been happening over this relatively short progress. At the very least it represents the kind of progress that everyone had hoped for from the beginning. Hopefully it portends that the season is not lost and the Thunder can quit being a freebie on everyone's schedule.
Tonight it represents an opportunity to start a winning streak.
First, the changes he's made to the lineup. Most notably, Russell Westbrook taking over the starters role at Point Guard and Nick Collison heading to the bench in favor of Chris "Weezy" Wilcox. Westbrook and Wilcox have only started one game, the Thunder's most recent against Memphis, and the Thunder won. Though it's only one game it's been coming to this for a while as Brooks seems to favor speed and athleticism so the Thunder can spread the court and create mismatches.
Check this out though, courtesy of 82games.com. It's the top 5-man combinations for the Thunder this season. It's put in order by total minutes played together but look at the +/- stat for the units (+/- is the net point differential between the 5 man unit and the 5 man unit they played against).
The worst 3 units for the Thunder (Min. 20 minutes together):
Watson-Durant-Green-Collison-Petro (-50)
Watson-Durant-Green-Wilkins-Collison (-43)
Watson-Durant-Green-Collison-Swift (-41)
The best 3 units for the Thunder (Min. 20 minutes together):
Westbrook-Mason-Smith-Green-Wilcox (+3)
Westbrook-Durant-Mason-Smith-Wilcox (+3)
Westbrook-Durant-Green-Wilcox-Collison (-9)
This could mean many things. First, Uncle Rusty was stubborn because these worst 3 lineups are also the top 3 lineups as far as minutes played together. Second, it could mean it hasn't been updated in a while to reflect Damien Wilkens insertion into a starters role since Scotty took over. Third, it means that Westbrook on the floor, and Weezy to a lesser extent, have a positive impact on the game.
The other interesting factoid resulting from Scotty taking over also reflects the above. Courtesy of Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:
"In 15 games under Carlesimo, the Thunder averaged 88.9 points. Under Brooks, OKC is averaging 98.2, which increases to 101.4 if you throw out the Cleveland clunker."
Of course, we're still in the honeymoon phase with Scotty but one has to be encouraged of what has been happening over this relatively short progress. At the very least it represents the kind of progress that everyone had hoped for from the beginning. Hopefully it portends that the season is not lost and the Thunder can quit being a freebie on everyone's schedule.
Tonight it represents an opportunity to start a winning streak.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thanksgiving Leftovers
It was a long Thanksgiving holiday and I hope everyone had a great one. Since Wednesday, the Thunder have gone 1-2 with a trouncing at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a last second loss to Minnesota and a win against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Because Thanksgiving is all about reuniting with friends and family and recounting tales from the days of yore, let's compare the weekend's events to classic memories from my past.
Wednesday, November 26th: Cavaliers 117, Thunder 82
Lebron and the Cavaliers more or less pistol-whipped the Thunder. It was over really before it started as the Thunder were completely overmatched. They had no answers, no control and the best thing they could do was learn from it and move in.
That was me, sans the bouquet and lost love but with the "What the @*#&" look on my face, at the end of the this game.
Saturday, November 29th: Thunder 111, Grizzlies 103
Again, a college memory. Me and many of my friends were die-hard fans of the band Phish. A group of us decided to take a road trip to see them in Kansas City and St. Louis. There was only one problem. My family was in Florida on vacation and I wanted to meet them since, you know, an all expense paid trip to the beach is pretty awesome too. So we saw the band in KC and it was predictably awesome. The next night was St. Louis and my plan was to stay at the show as long as possible but leave early to catch a cab to the bus station and head to Florida to meet the family. The cab never came and I missed half the show, which, according to my friends, was twice as good as the night before. I did make it to Florida though and it was one of the best vacations I remember.
What does this have to do with the game? Nothing really. But it's the closest thing I could think of. I missed a rare Thunder win (the Phish show) because I failed to set my DVR and I was with most of my family watching the Sooners beat the Cowboys 61-41 en route to leap-frogging Texas for the rights to go to the Big 12 Championship (Florida vacation).
Because Thanksgiving is all about reuniting with friends and family and recounting tales from the days of yore, let's compare the weekend's events to classic memories from my past.
Wednesday, November 26th: Cavaliers 117, Thunder 82
Lebron and the Cavaliers more or less pistol-whipped the Thunder. It was over really before it started as the Thunder were completely overmatched. They had no answers, no control and the best thing they could do was learn from it and move in.
It reminds me of the first time I got drunk. I got picked up by some of my baseball teammates in high school and we headed out to the lake. I proceeded to drink Bud Ice as quickly as I could. Before I knew what happened I could barely pee standing up, I couldn't run without falling and as we headed home at the end of the night I threw up in my buddy's Ford Escort. I, like the Thunder, was overmatched, dominated and clearly not ready for the big time. Bud Ice would be ranked last in the league if such rankings existed.
Friday, November 28th: Timberwolves 105, Thunder 103
A buzzer beating dagger to the heart reminds me of the time in college where I made my first (and only) attempt at long distance romance. I met a girl who went to Mizzou and for a semester we traded letters, talked on the phone forever and saw each other when we could. The Sooners were scheduled to play Mizzou in Columbia. Perfect excuse to go see her. It felt like it had been forever since we had seen each other. I drove up, met her at her house with roses in hand. She then proceeds to tell me she's cheated on me multiple times and it was over. There I stood, roses limper than you know what and that classic look on my face that said it all; "What the @#$^ ?"That was me, sans the bouquet and lost love but with the "What the @*#&" look on my face, at the end of the this game.
Saturday, November 29th: Thunder 111, Grizzlies 103
Again, a college memory. Me and many of my friends were die-hard fans of the band Phish. A group of us decided to take a road trip to see them in Kansas City and St. Louis. There was only one problem. My family was in Florida on vacation and I wanted to meet them since, you know, an all expense paid trip to the beach is pretty awesome too. So we saw the band in KC and it was predictably awesome. The next night was St. Louis and my plan was to stay at the show as long as possible but leave early to catch a cab to the bus station and head to Florida to meet the family. The cab never came and I missed half the show, which, according to my friends, was twice as good as the night before. I did make it to Florida though and it was one of the best vacations I remember.
What does this have to do with the game? Nothing really. But it's the closest thing I could think of. I missed a rare Thunder win (the Phish show) because I failed to set my DVR and I was with most of my family watching the Sooners beat the Cowboys 61-41 en route to leap-frogging Texas for the rights to go to the Big 12 Championship (Florida vacation).
Subscribe to:
Comment Feed (RSS)
