Thunder a popular distraction at Final Four
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook dunks over Chicago center Omer Asik during Sunday's 92-78 home victory over the Bulls.
To say Sunday’s game between the Thunder and Chicago created a buzz at the Final Four in New Orleans would be vastly overstating it, but there was at least a murmur.
Fans who attend the Final Four have such tunnel vision toward college hoops that the rest of the sports world pretty much ceases to exist until their champion is crowned. Nothing is more important than the event they’re at. Major league baseball’s opening day doesn’t register. The Masters will have to wait until later in the week. As for the NBA, that championship won’t be determined until June.
But several fans opened their minds on Sunday. Around 5 p.m., a bar called “The Beach” on Bourbon Street was packed with college hoop fans. The music was loud. The drinks were flowing. Didn’t matter it was an off day before Monday night’s title game between Kentucky and Kansas. In addition to Final Four supporters from UK, KU, Ohio State and Louisville, there were fans from various participants in this year’s bracket — North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, Florida, Florida State, even Ohio.
Everything in sight and everything within ear shot was about college hoops. Then flat-screen televisions above the bar area started showing a recap of the Thunder’s 92-78 victory over the Bulls at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Five Louisville students decked out in Final Four gear suddenly stopped sipping their drinks and bouncing to the beat as they watched a package of Thunder highlights. First came Kevin Durant raining in jumpers. Then came Russell Westbrook scoring inside and out. That was followed by Westbrook’s perfectly thrown two-hand flick pass from halfcourt on an ally-oop to Durant.
The Louisville Five shook their heads on the ally-oop, but when Westbrook threw down a dunk over 7-foot, 280-pound Chicago center Omer Asik, those fans simultaneously turned and looked at each other while screaming their delight. Two guys got so excited, their lost their hats. High-fives quickly ensued. Others watching the highlights pretty much had the same reaction, as did the bartender when he stopped serving, looked over shoulder and saw several slow-motion replays of Westbrook’s dunk.
New Orleans is a town filled with, shall we say, distractions. Sunday afternoon on Bourbon Street, one of the bigger distrations were Thunder highlights.
Thunder 103, Nuggets 90
Observations from the Thunder’s 103-90 victory Thursday night at Denver:
- Tuesday’s 104-103 setback to Houston unquestionably was the Thunder’s worst loss of the season. OKC blew an 11-point lead in the final 2½ minutes, and blew it at home. The manner in which the Thunder lost and the place it lost, it couldn’t have been much worse. That being said, not only was it imperative that OKC beat Denver on Thursday night, it was important how the Thunder looked doing it. OKC’s 103-90 victory indeed was impressive. Tuesday night’s loss is not forgotten, but at least it’s in the rearview window and could become a fleeting memory if OKC can sweep San Antonio and Portland in The Peake on Friday and Sunday night.
- Ignore Thabo Sefolosha’s stat line Thursday night (three points and one assist in 12 minutes, 27 seconds). His presence was undeniably huge. The Thunder had its identity back. Remember, OKC is 17-2 with Sefolosha in the starting lineup and 16-8 without him. “The chemistry is going to get back to what it was before,” Kevin Durant said.
- Daequan Cook isn’t going to say anything about preferring to not start, but he immediately seemed at ease coming off the bench and getting into the flow, scoring 11 points in 16 minutes.
- At 11:15 a.m., Denver coach George Karl spoke of how much better his team would match up defensively with Danilo Gallinari and Nene’ Hilario back in the lineup after missing the season’s previous meeting against OKC. Less than two hours later, Nene’ had been dealt to the Washington Wizards before the NBA trade deadline. Why would Karl bring up Nene’ if he knew he wouldn’t be playing? Maybe Karl didn’t think the trade would go through. Denver media expressed shock at the trade.
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks said he doesn’t believe a shortened season and limited practice time necessarily led to fewer trades. “There’s not a lot of practices, you can say that, but you can blend it in,” Brooks said. “NBA players and coaches, they figure it out and teach on the fly. … You have to deal with it and integrate it as quickly as possible. It’s tough, but there’s enough time to work it out.”
- The best thing about Nick Collison, and there are many things, is he’s a straight shooter. When the Thunder stinks, Collison will tell it to you straight. And when OKC excels, Collison will do the same. Keeping that in mind, here is what Collison thought of Russell Westbrook’s performance against Denver: “Russell deserves a lot of credit. He defended really well. He got over every screen. I thought he was great tonight. He set the tone. So much of it was at the point of the ball. If we can avoid having to help so much (defensively) and avoid breakdowns at the point of the ball, we’re a lot better, especially against a team like Denver. He’s still playing on a sore ankle and he showed a lot tonight. He was great, and (Nuggets point guard Ty) Lawson is tough, man. He’s one of the toughest to keep out of the lane. I was impressed with Russell.”
- Speaking of Westbrook, he is starting to suffer the consequences for constantly whining for fouls and flashing his six-shooters when making 3-pointers. Denver fans started booing Westbrook the first time he touched the ball. Those boos quickly turned to groans as Westbrook buried his first three jump shots, but he made just 4 of his final 14 attempts to finish 7 for 17. With 7½ minutes left in the game, Westbrook was booed loudly when he did a double-clutch reverse dunk well after a whistle had stopped play. One section in the stands started chanting “over-rated,” which quickly fizzled out. Fans even booed when Westbrook was shaken up after being fouled with 2:41 remaining. With 2:25 left in the contest, Westbrook had a breakaway, but laid in the ball and placed it on the floor, drawing more boos.
- I’ve never heard fans boo more than in Denver. They spend much more energy booing than they do cheering for the Nuggets.
- The Thunder had a lengthy film session prior to the Thursday morning’s shoot-around, during which the normally mild-mannered Brooks wasn’t particularly kind. “We watched a lot of film and saw how bad we were,” Collison said. “Defensively, we’ve been really bad. We were a different team tonight. So now the key for us is that needs to become a habit. It can’t be just because we got embarrassed. Hopefully guys will see how fun it is to play like that and hopefully we’ll keep it up.”
- Speaking of the mild-mannered Brooks, he was slapped for a technical foul with 1:45 left in the second quarter when Ibaka was whistled for his third foul. Brooks was right. It was an atrocious call. Two trips before that was a delayed foul called on James Harden after the Thunder had gotten the ball back and was headed the other direction. It was Brooks’ second technical of the season.
- Brooks understandably had been frustrated with his team’s lackluster play as of late. He was particularly dejected after Tuesday night’s loss. “Didn’t get much sleep that night,” Brooks admitted during Thursday morning’s shoot-around.
- Man, there’s a lot of ice being used inside the OKC locker room. Lots of aches and pains. These truly are the dog days of the season.
- Thunder rookie Reggie Jackson never became a fan of the Denver Nuggets after moving to Colorado Springs in the sixth grade – he liked the Chicago Bulls and Portland TrailBlazers – but he performed extremely well in his home state, finishing with five points, a career-high five rebounds and four assists. “Reggie played phenomenal basketball tonight,” Durant said.
- The biggest individual stat difference from the first meeting between OKC and Denver to the second meeting obviously involved Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. Durant scored 51, Westbrook scored 40 and Ibaka had a triple-double in a 124-118 victory in OKC. Playfully asked if he had the same plan for Thursday, Brooks said during the morning shoot-around: “That was a good game plan. It worked last game. It’s going to be tough to pull that one out again. That was a spectacular game. One of those games no one deserved to lose.”
- The biggest team stat difference from the first meeting to the second meeting was the Nuggets scored 20 fewer points in the paint thanks to the Thunder taking better care of the ball (13 turnovers; just five in the second half) and not allowing Denver to get easy baskets off OKC’s carelessness. The Nuggets also had 15 second-chance points, 10 fewer than the previous meeting.
- The sequence of the game came with 3:41 left in the third quarter: An Ibaka block into the waiting hands of Durant, who fed Westbrook, who fed Harden for an ally-oop to make the score 70-57. Breathtaking.
- The Thunder might have struggled a bit lately, but there has hardly been a significant demise in its stature. Despite being just 4-3 in its last seven starts, OKC still has the best record in Western Conference at 33-10 (second-best in the NBA to Chicago’s 36-9) and leads second-place San Antonio by four games heading into Friday night’s game at The Peake. The Thunder is 15-7 on the road (easily the best record in the West) and is 18-3 at home (second-best to the 18-2 Los Angeles Lakers).
Thunder still not best in West
NBA on TNT crew of Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.
On Monday night on TNT, the Thunder beat the Boston Celtics for the third straight year inside TD Garden. For more than two hours, the telecast crew of Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello, Chris Webber and David Aldridge heaped praise upon the Thunder, which has the NBA’s best record at 12-2 after its 97-88 victory at Boston. But when TNT joined its studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal outside Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Thunder quickly played second fiddle again.
Johnson asked the panel to pick a series winner between the Los Angeles Lakers and Thunder right now and all three without hesitation picked LA. The Lakers are too big and Kobe Bryant is simply too good for OKC to win.
LA then went out and nipped Dallas 73-70 on a 3-pointer from Derek Fisher with 3.1 seconds left. The Lakers scored seven total points in the third quarter, shot 38.2 percent from the field, shot 10 percent from 3-point range (1 for 10) and Bryant went 7 for 22 from the field and finished with 14 points.
Some excerpts from the TNT experts:
Webber on Thunder forward Serge Ibaka: “He is athletic, smart defensively. He’s a great shot blocker and a great inside presence.”
Fratello on Thunder head coach Scott Brooks: “He really knows his players and he knows which guys to let grow and develop and which ones he can get on a little bit harder. He wants players to grow and experience this learning process and by the way, they’re winning a lot of games in this process.”
Webber on Thunder sixth man James Harden: “The best teams that I played against had role players that were superstars. They took their role seriously and they knew the importance of their role to the team. (Harden) has embraced his role (as sixth man) and has made sure that the bench is better for that.”
Smith on point guards Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and OKC’s Russell Westbrook: ”They are the only two teams that have guards, besides (Chicago’s) Derrick Rose, that consistently get into the paint.”
Fratello on Thunder forward Kevin Durant: “He is a very unselfish player. He has the God-given ability to score the basketball whenever he wants to. He understands the team aspect of the game and is a willing passer.”
Barkley’s predictions on the best teams in the Western Conference: “The Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets are the two best teams I have seen in the West.”
O’Neal on the Thunder being 12-2: “They’ve had an easy schedule.”
As you can see from ESPNstats, the Thunder ranks No. 1 in the NBA in RPI and No. 8 in strength of schedule. O’Neal is partically right in that OKC often has played teams not at full strength such as San Antonio (no Manu Ginobili), New York (Carmelo Anthony), Memphis (Zach Randolph, Darrell Arthur) and New Orleans (Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza), but other teams also have enjoyed the same benefit. In addition, the Thunder also swept its back-to-back-to-back, won five games in six days and is on a seven-game winning streak.
New rules will directly affect Kevin Durant
Because of new rules interpretations that will be a point of emphasis in the 2011-12 season, it will now be a little tougher for Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant to get to the free-throw line with the same frequency. Durant has attempted 2,487 free throws his first four seasons in the NBA — the third highest total in history for a player his age, trailing only LeBron James and Dwight Howard.
More than a few of Durant’s free-throw attempts have come off the so-called “rip” move, when the shooter swings the ball into a defender’s outstretched arm and attempts to shoot once contact is made. Durant excelled at the move, much to the delight of OKC fans and to the disdain of opponents. These will now be considered non-shooting fouls if contact begins before a player starts his shooting motion.
Here is a story on Durant’s “rip” move published last season in The Oklahoman.
Durant and others also draw multiple free throws while driving to the basket. Shooting fouls will now be called only if contact occurs after the player has begun his shooting motion and not after he has initiated his leap.
Several other rules changes will be introduced this season, as reported by Ric Bucher of ESPN The Magazine:
- Traveling in the post and on the perimeter will be a point of emphasis, with a player hopping off of and landing on the same foot viewed as an automatic violation. Referees will also consider locking or clamping an opponent’s arm or hand under the basket while battling for a rebound and discontinued or hesitation dribbles as automatic violations.
- Substitutions will only be allowed before the final free throw of any trip to the line that is not for a technical or flagrant foul.
- Two horns will be sounded 15 seconds apart after every timeout. Teams whose players are not moving toward the court as soon as the second horn sounds will receive a delay-of-game warning.
- Instant replay will be utilized only during full timeouts, not 20-second timeouts, when necessary.
- Whether a player’s foot is on the 3-point line or midcourt line will be determined by where it last touched the floor, meaning a player could have a toe on the three-point line but if he leans back on his heels before he releases the ball a successful shot would be deemed a three-pointer.
- The eight-second backcourt violation will occur when the shot clock reaches 15 seconds, rather than 16. This is necessary because the 24-second shot clock will now be equipped to show 10ths for the final five seconds and work as a “true” clock. From a technical standpoint, the old shot clock began with 24.9 seconds and expired with .9 left. Now the clock will switch from 24 to 23 seconds after .1 second has expired.
- Referees will be vigilant about defenders making contact with offensive players when they’re in the air and fully extended attempting to score. In most cases, expect this kind of foul to draw a Flagrant Level 2, which is two free throws, possession of the ball and the defender being ejected. “That type of contact was a trend last season and it’s really dangerous,” said NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson.
NBA already blew it with 2011-12 schedule
Thunder All-Star forward Kevin Durant had 44 points on Christmas Day in a 114-106 victory last year over the Denver Nuggets inside the Ford Center. (Photo by Steve Sisney)
The 66-game regular-season schedule presumably is still on the drawing board, but already the NBA has made a huge mistake.
Opening day for the abbreviated 2011-12 season will be Dec. 25. The league got this part right. Christmas Day was a wise decision and an obvious choice. It’s important to get off on the right foot following a 149-day lockout which, based on the tentative agreement, appears as though it could have easily been settled in 49 days.
Where the league got it wrong was scheduling only three games on opening day — the Celtics at the Knicks; the Heat at the Mavericks; the Bulls at the Lakers.
Rather than cater solely to the major markets, the league should have included everybody. Why in the name of David Stern weren’t 15 games slated for Christmas Day? Schedule these games in the right arenas and there might have been nothing but sellouts on opening day.
Including all 30 teams would have been the proper sign of goodwill in celebration of the new collective bargaining agreement. Show fans every team is created equal (even though they aren’t). Allow every team to share the stage. Small-market teams like the Thunder certainly would have appreciated the gesture.
Stern and Co. are a sharp bunch, but they whiffed on this one.
I have no idea when the revised schedule will be determined. Maybe it’s already complete. If not, then make the change and schedule 15 games. Make it a Merry Christmas for every team and its fans, not just the Big Six.
OKC Thunder’s flag football roster
Kevin Durant plays flag football at Oklahoma State on Halloween night. (Photo courtesy KT King)
Evidently, Kevin Durant has accepted LeBron James’ challenge to a flag football game. It was on Twitter, so it must be true:
@KDTrey5: Set it up! My team ready RT @KingJames:@KDTrey5 Team KD35 vs Team King James do I hear? Flag football.(Done deal! Date soon)
On Day 123 of the NBA lockout, Durant was at bored at his OKC home on Halloween night and asked via Twitter if anyone locally was playing flag football. What transpired was one of the coolest impromptu events ever to hit Stillwater.
The play-by-play of Durant’s escapade is detailed here and here.
OKC Thunder coach Scott Brooks and general manager Sam Presti no doubt cringe at the thought of their franchise player (due to start a five-year extension whenever next season starts) challenging the 6-foot-8, 260-poundish James on a football field. Doing so on a basketball court is crazy enough. The dude could start next Sunday for the Cleveland Browns … um, the Miami Dolphins.
Durant claims he has his flag football team ready to go. Thunder players organized four-day workout sessions this summer in Austin, Texas, and Lexington, Ky., so it’s not outlandish to think they would gladly huddle up as a flag football team to pass the time.
Here is a breakdown of the OKC Thunder flag football roster, with positions:
Kevin Durant — WR/FS: With Durant’s 7-foot-5 wingspan, every pass attempt should be a fade route, even from the Thunder’s own 10-yard line. If there’s a jump ball, offensively or defensively, it’s his. Boring, but effective.
Russell Westbrook — QB/CB: Best athlete on the field, including LeBron. A Michael Vick type. (Did you know Westbrook writes left-handed?) No matter how many completions he has, national media will complain Westbrook should have passed the ball more to Durant.
Kendrick Perkins — DL: Only non-platoon player on roster because of fragile knees. Ndamukong Suh’s attitude. Most penalized player in flag football.
Nick Collison FB/MLB: Instead of taking charges, Collison finally gets to knock some people down. He excels playing two physical positions. When you least expect it, Collison erupts (think Trey Millard 61-yard TD run vs. Kansas State).
Thabo Sefolosha WR/SS: A physical presence on both sides of the ball. Covers a lot of territory. Always helping out teammates. Good blocker. Outstanding receiver on underneath routes. Unsung player, but vitally important.
James Harden FL/OLB: Effective playmaker with the ability to take over a game. Streaky. Sneaky quick. And here’s some good news for him: he gets to start.
Serge Ibaka TE/DE: Remarkable athlete, but language barrier creates problems with on-field communication, which is why he plays the same position on both sides of the ball. He stands in the exact same spot going each direction.
Eric Maynor QB/CB: Westbrook’s backup at both positions. One of the most underappreciated backups in all of flag football. Rarely makes mistakes. Subtle in his effectiveness. A valuable commodity.
Nazr Mohammed TE/DL: Pretty much keeps his hands raised throughout the entire game, kind of like “Chief” in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Stands at the line of scrimmage, to either catch a pass or knock one down.
Daequan Cook WR/BANDIT: A specialist on both sides of the ball, as a receiver and as a fifth defensive back. Either way, he’s going deep. Restricted free agent, but hopes to have contract signed before coin toss.
Royal Ivey PLAYER/COACH: There in a pinch when you need him. Wise and dependable. Think George Blanda at age 29. Out to prove people from Austin still know how to play football.
Cole Aldrich C/NT: Just like in basketball, Aldrich is asked to have a presence in the middle. Is permitted three developmental assignments in the Canadian Flag Football League, which is handy because he can visit his parents in Minnesota.
Byron Mullens C/NT: Just like in basketball, is battling for the exact same positions(s) as Aldrich. Also is allowed three CFFL assignments. Mullens is better offensively than defensively, and vice versa for Aldrich.
Nate Robinson RB/CB/KR: An explosive weapon, when he’s focused. Played cornerback for one season at University of Washington before concentrating on basketball. Potential hero or goat and a crowd favorite.
Reggie Jackson: No assigned position as of yet. Durant and teammates have him busy doing rookie chores — laundry, washing cars, carrying luggage, Sonic runs.
Are you ready for some (flag) football?
Kevin Durant’s tattoo you: OKC gets the best “ink” of all
In a video he posted on You Tube, Thunder star Kevin Durant explains his reasoning behind getting tattoos on his chest and back.
Durant obviously put a lot of thought into his tats. Each carries a special meaning. “My tattoos are just not there to be there,” Durant said. “They’re something that are really significant to me.”
A breakdown:
- A tattoo of the house where he was raised in Maryland, accompanied by a “301″ area code. “I’ve been through a lot in that house,” Durant said.
- A scripted “W” of Washington Nationals logo for Washington, D.C., where Durant was born.
- A “Walk by Faith, Not by Sight” inscription. “Kind of self-explanatory,” Durant said.
- A tattoo of a Texas Longhorns logo. “Kind of self-explanatory as well,” said Durant, who played one season at UT.
- Names of his mother (Wanda) and grandmother (Barbara), accompanied with rose and dove, respectively. “The two most important women in my life right now,” Durant said.
- On his back is an angel, in honor of an aunt who died of breast cancer when Durant was in sixth grade. “She was kind of one of the people who got me into wanting to play sports, wanting to play basketball.” Durant said. “(The angel) is kind of her watching over me because she never got to see me play in the NBA, or in college or in high school. That was her kind of just watching over my back wherever I go.”
- “Maryland” is enscribed across the top of Durant’s back. “Maryland is really known for a lot of haters and a lot of guys that bring people down, but I just wanted to shine that bright light on our state, and just let people know I represent them wherever I go,” Durant said. “I want to carry the state on my back. I want to do as much as I can for them, whether it’s on the basketball, in the community, anything.”
- Three fingers flashed in one hand and five in the other, representing his jersey No. 35, which he wears in honor of his first coach, who passed away at age 35.
- Durant’s tattoos are hidden by his jersey. He has no tats on his arms. “My mom told me I can get tattoos, but I can’t get them on my arms, not letting them show, I guess,” Durant said. “I tell people I’m saving them (the arms) for my kids and my family — my wife and my kids whenever they get here.
“I’m the same person. I’ve just got some tattoos.”
Some Thunder fans no doubt are asking, “Hey, where’s the love? Where is Durant’s tribute in ink to Oklahoma?”
Actually, OKC got the best ink of all. It came last year, when Durant inked a five-year contract extension.
Kevin Durant: The burden of a city
Kevin Durant reacts to the loss in Game 4 against Dallas.
After a devastating 112-105 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 on Monday night, an emotional Kevin Durant said during his post-game interview session “I let the city down.”
“I love this game so much,” Durant explained further after Wednesday’s shoot-around session at American Airlines Center, where Game 5 will be held tonight at 8. “This is my life. I live for moments like this. Not to win that game after the way were going I felt like, me being the leader, I kind of let people down. It’s not the first time I’ve felt like that. Maybe I should have kept it to myself and use it as inspiration and motivation for the next game.”
Durant’s emotional remark after Game 4 came as no surprise to Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “Kevin’s a special kid,” Brooks said. “Not a lot of guys will think of those things at a tough time like that. He cares about his teammates. He cares about the community he lives in. To me, that’s a special comment. Not a lot of guys go there. Kevin cares. He wants to please his teammates. He wants to please his coaching staff. He’s a winner and only cares about winning games. He felt that he didn’t play well down the stretch.”
Dallas center Tyson Chandler said Durant shouldn’t be shouldering the burden of an entire city.
“I don’t think he should take on that kind of pressure,” Chandler said. “He’s our No. 1 guy we focus on defensively, so it’s our job to stop him. I’ve thought we’ve done a good job thus far of keeping him contained and making things tough for him. That’s what happens when you’re the No. 1 guy on the team. He’s playing hard out there. They’re doing everything they can to win. We’re doing a good job of stopping him down the stretch defensively.”
With a victory tonight, the Mavs would clinch the Western Conference title and advance to the NBA Finals against the Miami-Chicago winner. The Heat leads the Bulls 3-1 with Game 5 on Thursday night in Chicago.
As the league’s two-time defending scoring champion, Durant remains the key to the Thunder’s survival. “We need to do a better job of getting him open,” Brooks said. “He understands that. We work on it. We’re improving at it, believe it or not. We won a lot of close games. This same group of young guys won a lot of close games. I’ll take this group any day of the week.”
A reporter asked Durant if OKC would win Game 5. “You want me to guarantee a win? That’s not who I am,” Durant said with a smile. “We’re going to play hard, though.”
Thunder Fans Showing They’re The Best In The League
This is not normal.
Fans of the NBA’s other 29 teams don’t routinely await their team at the airport after both big wins and bummer losses. Fans of the NBA’s other 29 teams don’t stay up well past midnight, living and dying with every break and bad bounce then travel to the team’s hangar in the wee hours of the morning with signs and a chorus of cheers. Fans of the NBA’s other 29 teams don’t stand and wait in wretchedly wet conditions, braving the remnants of a storm, ignoring area thunder and lighting just to show their appreciation for all of 10 minutes.
Thunder fans do.
“No,” said Nick Collison. “It’s not normal.”
Late-night airport greetings have become the latest show of support that sets Thunder fans apart. The Thunder faithful has met the team at Will Rogers World Airport at least four times since last year’s initial welcoming, when the Thunder clinched its inaugural playoff berth following a win at Dallas. The most recent gathering came early Friday morning, just past 1 a.m. after the Thunder landed following a series-evening six-point win at Dallas in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
Fans also welcomed the Thunder back home following the triple-overtime instant classic at Memphis in Game 4 of the semifinals. That night, the team didn’t land until about 3 a.m. following that 3 hour, 52 minute marathon. Another welcome was conceived and carried out following the Thunder’s disappointing Game 6 loss against the Grizzlies.
“We’re really appreciative of the fans we’ve got,” Collison said. “It speaks to the consistency that they’ve shown, in good times and bad. I think that’s the most rare thing about our fan base.”
A few Thunder players have come to expect the crowds. Most Thunder players do not.
“We’re not really thinking about it a lot of times,” Collison said. “We’re thinking about the game or whatever. But it’s a nice surprise for sure.”
The groundswell of support is organic, too. Fans have flocked to the airport on their own. The Thunder hasn’t organized a single trip. And really, that’s an understatement. The Thunder hasn’t so much as made public the arrival time of the team plane. Every aspect of this trend has been a grassroots effort. And so far, the strong show of support has done a surprisingly spectacular job of spurring the Thunder in subsequent games.
Following that playoff-clinching win at Dallas last season, the Thunder returned to the Ford Center on the second night of a back-to-back and defeated Minnesota by eight. Kevin Durant scored 40 points. Russell Westbrook dished a career-high 16 assists. Following the triple OT game against the Grizz, the Thunder spanked Memphis by 27 points. No starter needed to play a single second of the fourth quarter. And after the second-half collapse against Memphis in Game 6, the Thunder came back and cruised to a 15-point series-clinching victory in Game 7. Durant scored 39 points in 39 minutes. Westbrook recorded the first Game 7 triple-double since 1992 and only the fifth in NBA history.
The fans were frantic in each one of those games. Now, there’s no telling what we might see Saturday night in Game 3.
“I think every arena is really loud in the playoffs, and ours is exceptional,” Collison said. “But that consistency of us knowing they’re behind us all the time is huge for us.”
It’s undeniable at this point. Thunder fans are hands-down the best in the NBA.
UPDATE: I had forgotten this fact since April of last year, but Royce Young over at DailyThunder.com is the brains behind this whole movement. He encouraged fans to flock to the airport after that inaugural playoff-clinching win at Dallas. Here is video of that very first welcoming. This is now growing into quite the tradition. Thunder fans should be extremely proud.
-DM-
Thunder Takes Homecourt Advantage With Game 2 Win
Nasty!
Nuggets from my notebook from Thursday’s 106-100 Game 2 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
- Russell Westbrook is fine. Relax people. I know the majority of Thunder fans know better than to make a big deal out of his fourth-quarter benching and subsequent emotional outburst. But to those that don’t, it’s nothing to be concerned about. If there was a reason to be concerned, it would be if Westbrook wasn’t ticked off about coming out of the game.
- Now, let me say this. It’s a shame that after such a great team win my first bullet point had to be about a guy who didn’t play the final 12 minutes. I guess that’s just a product of everything being magnified in the postseason and something being made out of nothing.
- With that said, great team win by the Thunder tonight. These guys never cease to amaze me. Just when you think they’re done, they find a way to hang around, fight back or regain control. OKC is now 26-6 after a loss this year. And there is no doubt in my mind that if only one thing could be carried over into next year it should be this team’s toughness.
- I feel I need to be more specific. So let’s recap the runs the Mavs made and the way the Thunder responded.
- The Thunder went down 21-11 midway through the first quarter. Tyson Chandler had just caught and converted consecutive lob passes at the rim. Mavs fans were going nuts. Three minutes later, the Thunder went down 28-17 on a Jason Terry driving layup. That capped a 17-6 run and made things look like the wheels were coming off for OK. But the Thunder just collected itself and closed the quarter on a 9-3 run. That spurt eventually grew to a 23-7 run that put the Thunder up 40-35.
- The Mavs responded with a 13-3 run to go up 48-43. OKC bounced back with a 9-4 run to tie it at 52-all.
- The Thunder went up 71-65 with 3:48 left in the third, but the Mavs seized control with an 11-2 surge to go up three with 28 seconds left in the period. James Harden then converted a four-point play to give the Thunder a 77-76 lead at the end of the quarter.
- And don’t for a second overlook how the Thunder held off the Mavs in the fourth quarter. After scoring the first basket of the period to go up four in the fourth, the Mavs got within one point five times. They never took the lead.
- Many believe the spark to that 23-7 run was Kevin Durant’s latest poster, shown above. Hard to argue there. The Thunder trailed 28-19 when KD owned Brendan Haywood. And one of those seven points for the Mavs came on a technical foul free throw Dirk Nowitzki hit. Durant was whistled for the tech after taunting Haywood following the monster jam. So the Thunder essentially allowed just six points during the run.
