A Full 48 against the Raptors
Obviously, when you're 2-24 at the time a win is a win. A couple things made this one so much the better. First, it was at home. It had been over 40 days since the last home win and watching so many defeats had grown long in the tooth (see previous post). That's 13 trips to the Ford Center where the team and it's faithful left disappointed.
Also, while I wouldn't say the Thunder were dominant, they did play with confidence and they were in control from start to finish. It could have been the infusion of Desmond Mason into the starting lineup or maybe, at some point, you have to look yourself in the mirror and say enough is enough. One thing I thought was particularly interesting was a moment late in the game. Coming out of a timeout you could tell the emphasis was on finishing. The team came out of the huddle and went to the scorers table and did their pre-tipoff handshakes, fist-bumps etc., with team officials. It was as if the game were starting over at 0. Interestingly, the Thunder outscored the Raptors 15-5 in those final minutes.
Something else that sticks out about this win is that it came against a Raptors team that was full strength. The Thunder have recently lost games where teams were short-handed. Golden State (minus Monta Ellis), the Los Angeles Clippers (no Chris Kaman) and Phoenix Suns (no Shaq) all come to mind. The Raptors, while not necessarily on par with Phoenix are similar to the others. Beating a team at full strength, playing well for a full 48 minutes and coming out with a victory provided a much needed shot of confidence. Especially with LeBron coming to town.
A Measuring Stick for Improvement
Last time the Thunder played the Cavaliers it was the worst game of the season for the Thunder. It was a 35 point shellacking where LeBron was needed all of 17 minutes. This time around, the Cavs needed Bron-Bron for over 40 and this one wasn't decided until the 4th quarter.
This was a very acceptable loss. The Thunder went toe-to-toe with one of the beasts of the East. There are only a handful of teams with a realistic chance of winning a title. Cleveland is one of them.
Not only was it entertaining, not only was it close, not only did the Thunder play really well, but it also came in front of a packed house. The importance of this cannot be overstated. This game, along with the Hornets, Lakers and Celtics is guaranteed to bring everybody out. It's in these situations when you can have your deepest impacts on a fanbase. By putting their best foot forward against the most exciting player on the planet the Thunder took a big step towards endearing themselves to the city.
The crowd was absolutely awesome. There were tons of Cavs jerseys but Cleveland left town as bullying villains. Let there be no doubt that the Ford Center is Thunderdome.
Perhaps the greatest testament to the Thunder's improvement comes from the Cavs. LeBron said, "Young teams feed off the crowd and the crowd was into it. They stuck in there and played hard." And, quoth Cavs coach Mike Brown, "The Thunder are young, and their confidence is starting to show." Then this, ''The first thing is they play extremely hard and not only that, but I think [Thunder coach Scott Brooks] has found a combination of players that he knows he's going to get that from every night,'' Brown said. ''The athleticism they have, the toughness they have is tough to match.''
The Thunder are indeed proving to be very difficult to match up with and they are finding ways to exploit their athleticism at all times. This has to be the best team to ever flirt with the NBA futility record.
I Nenad My Krstic
Here's what we know about this guy:
- He's a 7 foot center
- He was one of many NBA free agents to bolt for Europe
- He's the first to come back to the NBA
- Evidently he can shoot and pass very well and has a nice feel for the game
- He tore his ACL in 2006 and prior to that averaged 16 points and 7 boards per game
From the Thunder's perspective it looks like this guy will be smart enough to not only fit in with this team's style of play but also complement it. It also says something about what they think of Johan Petro and Robert Swift. He also gets added to the list of potential trade bait.
All in all an interesting move that really has little downside for the Thunder both in the short and long term. Reportedly, he could be in the fold by New Year's Eve.
