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Thunder 101, Jazz 87

Posted by
on February 11, 2012 at 11:49 am

Scott Brooks will coach the Western Conference All-Stars.

 

Observations from the Thunder’s 101-87 victory at Utah on Friday night. Forgive the delay in posting. Massive wireless issues for me in the Great Salt Lake:

Darnell Mayberry returns in this slot on Tuesday. Commence cheering.

- JOHN ROHDE

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Kings 106, Thunder 101

Posted by
on February 10, 2012 at 4:06 am

 

The Thunder's game at Sacramento on Thursday essentially was "Chris Webber Night" on TNT and the Kings responded with a 106-101 victory over OKC. Reggie Miller looks on as Webber receives a commemorative Kings "black" jersey.

 

Some thoughts on the Thunder’s 106-101 loss at Sacramento on Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion:

- John Rohde

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Clippers 112, Thunder 100

Posted by
on January 31, 2012 at 4:40 am

Some observations from the Thunder’s 112-100 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night at Staples Center:

- JOHN ROHDE

 

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Thunder 120, Warriors 109

Posted by
on January 28, 2012 at 3:45 am

Observations from the Thunder’s 120-109 victory over Golden State at Oracle Arena on Friday night:

 - John Rohde

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Nick Collison goes all GQ

Posted by
on January 24, 2012 at 12:14 pm

Thunder reserve forward Nick Collison will be writing blogs for GQ.com throughout the 2011-12 season. He has posted two entries so far. The second appeared four days ago. Much like on the basketball court, Collison’s work for GQ has been superb.

You can find Collison’s work at “Balls Out” here. Here is the opening paragraph for his Jan. 20 entry. As you can see, Collison did not “bury the lead.” Great stuff.

I’m writing this while sitting on a plane after a game. I just finished eating some delicious teriyaki chicken wings and drinking an Arnold Palmer. My seat is comfortable and covered in leather. I have about four feet of legroom between my seat and our shooting guard James Harden, who is sitting at a hardwood table playing cards with three other guys. I have wi-fi, and I’m listening to the new Roots album. The previous ninety minutes were spent finishing off a win, sitting for ten minutes in a portable cold tub (think: inflatable kiddie pool with 50 degree water), then a shower, a quick security screening, a short bus ride, and a walk onto one of the chartered Delta Planes we always fly on. A U-Haul truck filled with the bags of personal stuff and equipment of our 42-person traveling party has already been loaded into the belly of the Airbus 319 that comfortably takes us to the next city. (Our travel party includes fifteen players, seven bench coaches, one video guy, and a training staff consisting of two strength coaches, a trainer, a physical therapist, plus two PR guys, an equipment manager and his assistant. The rest of the group includes our general manager and a couple other front office guys, as well as our local TV and radio crew.) When we land we will hop on a bus and head to a beautiful Four Seasons Hotel. Our bags will be delivered to our rooms, which we do not have to share with a roommate.

This is how NBA teams travel, and it is awesome.”

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Thunder 100, Grizzlies 95

Posted by
on January 11, 2012 at 1:38 am

           Tidbits from the Thunder’s 100-95 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night inside FedExForum:

 - John Rohde

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Thunder 116, Phoenix 98

Posted by
on March 31, 2011 at 3:59 am

 

Observations from the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 116-98 victory at Phoenix on Wednesday night inside US Airways Center, where the Thunder is now riding a three-game winning streak:

* Coach Scott Brooks pretty much is saying the same things in March that he did in October. Now that April has arrived, he no doubt will repeat the same this month.  

“Play the right way.”

“There’s still room to improve.”

“Every day is a work day.”

“This is no time to rest.”

“We need to improve on our pick-and-roll and help-side defense.”

Brooks uttered these verses again after his team beat the Suns with conviction. Staying true to your word is fine, I suppose, but this came on a night that warranted at least some kind of appreciation of two impressive feats.

1. With eight games remaining in the season, the Thunder (50-24) already has matched last season’s victory total.

2. March became the most successful month in franchise history — in OKC and Seattle — with a 14-2 record.

Before the game, Brooks said he never has talked to his team about reaching last year’s victory total, nor has he mentioned the possibility of going 14-2 in March.

You figured Brooks probably was trying to keep his team’s private business inside the locker room. If the Thunder was going to celebrate, it would do so in privacy. That, too, would have been fine.

On what would qualify as a significant day in the Thunder’s young history, Brooks essentially shrugged his shoulders at win No. 50.

“It was not brought up,” Brooks said before joking, “Maybe I should go back in there and say, ‘Good job, guys.’ ”

You figured when the Thunder locker room was opened to reporters, there would still be some kind of evidence of recognition — the number “50″ written on a grease board somewhere, perhaps “14-2.”

There was nothing, and when Thunder players were asked about the two achievements, they also might as well have shrugged.

Were the No. 50  and 14-2 discussed before the game? No.

Were they discussed afterward? No.

Was either at least mentioned in passing? No.

Anyone in here have a pulse?

Even after some prodding, the players remained beyond composed.

Thabo Sefolosha: “We didn’t discuss it. Not at all, actually. It shows we’re working hard.”

James Harden: “Nobody even mentioned it. We’re just on a roll. That’s definitely a great accomplishment.”

Eric Maynor: “We’re winning and we know we’re playing good basketball. That’s the main thing. If we keep doing that, we’ve got a shot at winning every night.”

Reserve guard Royal Ivey wasn’t with the Thunder last season.

“Oh, I noticed it,” Ivey said of reaching the 50-win mark. “This is a tough league, especially in the Western Conference and to do it back-to-back years is quite an accomplishment. We’re playing good basketball and the wins are coming. You can’t take winning for granted. It’s a good feeling to be part of a winning team, or a winning tradition now. The stakes are high, so you’ve got to keep it rolling.”

* As the team’s elder statesman at age 33 and a world champion while with San Antonio, center Nazr Mohammed knows the most important ingredients to succeeding in the postseason.

“Half-court execution,” Mohammed said. “That’s always a key in the playoffs. Also, our half-court defense and defensive rebounding. There are not as many fast-break points in the postseason, so you have to be ready for half-court basketball. Getting stops. The playoffs are more like a fight. There’s a lot of wrestling.”

* Portland (43-32), the Thunder’s next opponent, lost at New Orleans (43-32) on Wednesday night and is on the verge of slipping to the No. 8 seed in the West with Memphis (42-33) on its heels. Friday’s game is big for the Thunder, but bigger for the Blazers.

* The Thunder’s magic number to clinch the Northwest Division crown is now four and it is close to a certainty OKC will face Denver in the opening round of the playoffs. “We’re really not concerned with magic numbers,” Brooks said. “We just want to keep playing well.”

* The same Phoenix fan who incessantly begged Arizona State product Harden to return and play for the Suns was the same fan who also screamed for 54-year-old Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks to enter the game.

* Nick Collison played 25 minutes Wednesday after sitting out of Tuesday’s overtime victory against Golden State with a sprained left ankle. “It feels good,” Collison said afterward. “I didn’t have a lot of pain. We’ll see how it feels (Thursday), but I don’t anticipate there being a problem.”

* Sefolosha is battling a case of plantar fasciitis.

* With 4:55 left in the game and the Suns down 16, Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry instructed his team to foul Perkins on every change of possession. The tactic ended 32 seconds later after Perkins had converted 5 of 6 free throws. Perkins entered the contest having made 2 of his last 13 free-throw attempts. Asked about Gentry’s tactic, Brooks deferred. “That wasn’t my decision to make,” Brooks said. “I like the fact that Perk went up there and knocked them in.”

* Phoenix was obviously frustrated, but their behavior at the end of the game – two player ejections and refusing to acknowledge OKC afterward – caused one elderly female fan to say, “You’re embarrassing yourselves.” Then again, she could have been talking about the officiating crew.

* Brooks doesn’t present game balls. If he did, this one probably would have gone to Russell Westbrook (16 points, eight rebounds, three rebounds, two steals), despite having five turnovers. “I thought Russell was really good,” Brooks said. “I thought he showed tremendous leadership. He made the right plays. Defensively, he was active on the ball and guarding one of the best point guards in the game (Steve Nash) and he made it very tough.”

John Rohde: 475-3099. John Rohde can be heard Monday-Friday from 6-7 p.m. on The Sports Animal Network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1.

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Thunder-Utah recap

Posted by
on February 6, 2011 at 12:42 am

* John Rohde’s observations from the Thunder’s 121-105 victory over Utah inside EnerySolutions Arena on Saturday night:

* The Thunder’s 13 3-pointers tied a franchise record, which also was set against the Jazz last season. The all-time franchise record (Seattle days) is 18.

“We’re not the best 3-point shooting team, but we got hot tonight,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of his team, which ranked 29th in the league at 32.8 percent. With Saturday’s 13-for-21 performance, the Thunder is now “up” to 33.5 percent on the season, which would have ranked tied for 25th.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Thunder was ranked No. 5 in scoring offense at 104.3 ppg.

* Criticism has swirled all season about the Thunder defense, but has enough credit been given to the OKC offense?

“No it hasn’t been,” Kevin Durant said. “People don’t really look at us as an offensive team. We get stops when we need them, we just start the game off bad. That’s why statistically our defense is kind of bad. We’ve started off bad, but if you look at it for the second half or maybe the last three quarters, we have a great defense.”

Reserve point guard Eric Maynor said: “That’s what wins, defense, so that’s why everybody’s talking about it.”

* With 5:36 left in the second quarter, Nick Collison took an apparent charge from forward C.J. Miles. Collison was called for a foul on the play and suffered a laceration that required six stitches under his chin. He returned after halftime.

“I fouled him with my chin,” Collison said with a smile afterward.

* Russell Westbrook entered the game shooting 25.5 percent from 3-point range and 43.4 percent from the field on the season. He exited at 30.9 percent for the year on 3-pointers and 43.8 percent from the field after going 4 for 4 and 10 for 15 overall.

What was particularly impressive about Westbrook’s 33-point performance against the Jazz is he had just two points in the first quarter and six points at the half.

“I’ve learned to be patient and that’s all I was doing, waiting on my turn,” said the 22-year-old All-Star point guard. “When it’s time for me to get my team over the hump, that’s what I try to do. If it’s scoring, that what I do. If it’s passing, I try to do that, too.”

Fellow All-Star Durant, who had 21 points and 12 rebounds, said of Westbrook: “Russell was phenomenal from the 3-point line. He was unconscious. That’s something we don’t really get to see too much from him because he doesn’t shoot them too often. We’re a balanced team. Coach called a lot of plays to get Russell involved, a lot of pick and rolls because Russell’s a great pick-and-roll player. I just play my part, sit back and be a second and third option.”

- Forward Jeff Green sizzled offensively on the two-game road trip, shooting 18 for 26 (.692) from the field while averaging 24.0 points. However, for the third time this season, Green finished with zero rebounds in a game.

* Brooks was pleased and relieved at Saturday’s effort, particularly after such a horrid start that saw the Jazz hit its first 11 shots and take a 13-point lead in the first quarter.

“We had to try and stop them from making shots,” Brooks said. “It sounds so simple, but when you have a hand in the guy’s face, they’re less likely to make a shot. We kind of stopped the bleeding when our bench came in and did a good job. They are a physical team and I thought we took the challenge and stepped up and matched their physicality. We played a good team. I know they’re banged up and they’ve got some key pieces that are out (Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur).”

* Maynor played his first 26 games in the NBA with the Jazz before being traded to the Thunder. When Maynor torched Earl Watson and later All-Star pick Deron Williams for 10 first-half points on 4-for-4 shooting, several fans stood and screamed, “Hey, Maynor. We want you back.”

Maynor said he doesn’t try to prove anything whenever he returns to Salt Lake City. “Not at all. I’ve been here too many times since then,” Maynor said. “I think the first time I might have tried to prove something.”

* Beat writer Darnell Mayberry will address the Thunder at the 50-game mark of the season in Monday’s Thunder Insider.

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Tales From Thunder U

Posted by
on October 11, 2010 at 10:30 am

Every now and then, you’ll hear Kevin Durant or one of his Thunder teammates refer to the franchise as ‘Thunder U.’

And every so often, a player provides a tale that defines just how much of a college atmosphere surrounds this team.

It didn’t take long to get the first tale from the 2010-11 season. It came on the first road trip of the preseason.

With the Thunder playing Charlotte in Fayetteville, N.C., some 20 miles from Eric Maynor’s hometown of Raeford, N.C., Maynor’s mother, Barbara, whipped up a team dinner for all 19 players and the coaching staff.

The team spent the eve of the exhibition opener with each other, inside a lounge on the fourth floor of the team hotel. They ate. They laughed. They played video games. They had a good time.

Asked what was on his mother’s menu, Maynor rattled off a drool-worthy list of delicacies.

“Lasagna. Chicken. Macaroni and cheese. Pasta Salad. Cabbage,” Maynor said.

“Very good home-cooked meal. Ain’t nothing like it.”

And Durant was just one of many Thunder players to validate Babara’s cooking.

“Yeah, she can throw down,” Durant said with a smile.

But Durant then noted how this wasn’t the first time the team has had Maynor’s mom’s cooking. She’s in Oklahoma City often, Durant said, and players have grown accustomed to receiving down-home hospitality from each player’s family.

“It’s kind of like we expect that now, from everybody, no matter where we’re at,” Durant said. “If we’re in D.C., my family’s going to do that for the team. If we’re in Minnesota, Cole’s family’s going to do that for us. If we’re in L.A., Russell and James family is going to do that for us. So it’s kind of like normal now. We’re never on our own.”

Thunder U?

College teams don’t even have that much camaraderie. A team this close-knit sounds more like a high school football team, excitedly piling into the starting center’s house for homemade spaghetti before hitting the field on Friday nights.

-DM-

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Thunder road: Support in Fayetteville

Posted by
on October 6, 2010 at 7:08 am

The Thunder opens its exhibition season Wednesday night on the road against the Charlotte Bobcats, but there will be several hundred Thunder fans in the stands at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C.

Backup point guard Eric Maynor returns to the area where he grew up and was a high school star. In addition to that, the team endeared itself to the surrounding area the instant the team plane touched down late Tuesday afternoon.

The Thunder visited troops at Fort Bragg’s Dahl Gym on Tuesday night. After the team’s plane landed, players were immediately shuttled to the base. For almost an hour, they held a shooting competition with fans, answered questions and signed autographs.

“These guys are really the heroes and should be recognized a little bit more,” All-Star small forward Durant told the Fayetteville Observer. “They do so much for our country behind the scenes that people don’t know about. It’s good to get out here and let them know that we’re watching and listening. It’s the least we can do.”

The most entertaining portion of Tuesday’s visit was a lively shooting competition. Two at a time, Thunder players picked fans from the stands and faced off on the court – first player/fan duo to 10 baskets wins. With the crowd at Dahl Gym going wild, Durant won with his handpicked fan decked out in Texas Longhorns garb as Maynor’s team won, too.” – Fayetteville Observer

You can read the full story here.