OKC takes game 1 in Oakland

[outhereincali]

The Thunder went 2/7 against the three best teams, Spurs, Cavs, and Golden State. And in one of those games they won the Spurs didn't pay a couple of starters. KD and Russ played terrible when the game was close in the closing minutes, to's, poor shot selection. It's true the supporting cast was mediocre but part of that is on .KD and Russ.

But in the playoffs its finally turned around. Dion Waiters has stop clanging, his shot selection has been great, and he hasn't had any lapses on defense. Andre Roberson has stopped throwing up air balls, and Serge Ibaka has finally decided to get involved on offense. Adams is capable of double doubles, he's already had 6. And when that happens then you see the

real KD and Russ. I mean was KD economical or what? 33 points on 10 of 15 shooting. Minimal to's, finally. I've been waiting for this to happen all year and they've frustrated me. But man the Thunder offense has picked the perfect time to jell and they're halfway to the finals.

In sports when you play the champs the burden of proof is always in the challenger. And even after a decisive victory and the next game at home, its still a bigger game for the Thunder. But they've clearly showed that the Warriors are nowhere near as invincible as people think.

 

[jsto60]

FYI, the Thunder starting 5 had the highest PER as a group when they were on the court together......over any other mix of any 5 players in the league. Higher than whatever group of 5 you want to mix together in Golden St or in San Antonio.

Their problem was in the 4th quarter.....Billy Donovan rarely played the group together. He went with a smaller lineup. And they were often not nearly effective. Hence blowing a lot of leads. Now some of that is on the players, but all this complaining.......that group is a good group. And we are seeing it in the playoffs.

 

[outhereincali]

FYI, the Thunder starting 5 had the highest PER as a group when they were on the court together......over any other mix of any 5 players in the league. Higher than whatever group of 5 you want to mix together in Golden St or in San Antonio.

Their problem was in the 4th quarter.....Billy Donovan rarely played the group together. He went with a smaller lineup. And they were often not nearly effective. Hence blowing a lot of leads. Now some of that is on the players, but all this complaining.......that group is a good group. And we are seeing it in the playoffs.

I like the part about blown leads in the fourth quarter. I expect to see something like that on the 76ers, not on a team like the Thunder. What's frustrated me more than anything is the assist to turnover ratio. KD and Russ seemed to have 10 to's a game between them. Look at the assist to turnover ratio on the Spurs or the Warriors. Making the extra pass. To be truthful a lot of the assist opportunities were missed because players like Ibaka or Waiters shot less than 50% from the field. And the Thunder were in the bottom five in assists because nobody but Westbrook was making them, due to not making the extra pass. However, we saw that last night and we saw it in three of their wins against the Spurs.

And an even bigger advantage OKC had over the Warriors is their athleticism. Of the four emaining teams what other team has three athletes on a their team the caliber of Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka? Cleveland has Lebron but who else? The Spurs couldn't match that and neither can the Warriors. They combine all this successfully and they WILL win the series.

 

[RoboCocks21]

So Green was fined and not suspended for game 4....ridiculous....to give them a fighting chance so they don't have excuses about losing....

 

[outhereincali]

So Green was fined and not suspended for game 4....ridiculous....to give them a fighting chance so they don't have excuses about losing....

Privledge He's a starter and an all star on the defending champs. But did you see that after that flagrant he was a non factor? 2 points, 1 rebound, 4 to's, and his shots were blocked at least he times. They drove to the basket and he stood there like a statue? He's the one player on that team who is capable of losing it. I'm certain that if the game gets put of hand again he will.

 

[outhereincali]

I know this is about OKC/GS, but has anyone been watching the Raptors/Cavs? I mean I predicted a Cavs sweep but I'm beginning to think the Raptors have a chance. I have not been impressed by them so far and in the first two games they were blown out. It seemed that King James was on a mission to win a championship. But the Raptors got back home and Lowry/DeRozan are shooting lights out and they're now tied. It remains to be seen if they can do this in enemy territory and I'm still going with the Cavs. But who knows we could end up with a couple of huge upsets in the conference finals. Maybe.

When an NBA team has its first taste of success, the fans really get into it especially in the small towns. Toronto is big city but for the first time the Raptors are in the finals. What makes this different is that it's the entire country that's gotten behind the Raptors. This We The North banner, thousands of people outside watching on tv, waving white towels, I'm telling you I am truly awed.