Pre-Season Game 3 - Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Live Blog

Pre-Season Game 2 Recap: Kings 94, Thunder 85

Something tells me we're gonna be seeing a lot of this this season....
NBA.com Box Score

And, we are on a 2 game losing streak as the Thunder fall to the lowly Sacramento Kings.

For the second straight night, the Thunder looked like an 80s team. Lots of mid-range jump shots, not a whole lot of 3s. Still, when you can say you shot 50% from the 3 point mark, even if it is only 3-6, it's always a good sign.

The biggest news that could possibly come out of tonight was that Joe Smith played and sucked pretty bad. While me and Ben were pretty high on him having a breakout game, he just looked sluggish out there. 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 fouls on 2-9 shooting isn't anything to call your mom about, especially when you play 25 minutes.

The second biggest news you could take out of tonight is that Kevin Durant didn't play, for obvious reasons. He's a known quantity, and not somebody we need getting hurt right now.

Weezy only had 2 points tonight, but at least they were stylish....

The third biggest news that you could take out of this game is that it seems P.J. Carlesimo doesn't have much of an intention of playing his Pre-Season signees more than one game. Derrick Byars, a late 2nd round pick that the Thunder recently signed, got some burn tonight. Unfortunately, nobody else that's not expected to play did play, including Courtney Alexander, who got some minutes vs. the Timberwolves. He didn't do much but shoot, and had 3-5 from the floor, including 2-3 from the 3 point line, totaling 8 points. Nevertheless, I wouldn't expect to see him again. Shooting is probably the least valuable quantity in the NBA. There's been a whole lot of players who have shot great in the Summer League or Pre-Season, but really sucked it up when it somes to the real NBA. So, unless he shows something else, he'll probably be riding the D-League.

On the other side of the ball, Bobby Brown had a great game, with 22 points on 9-14 shooting, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. I'm not gonna call him the real deal yet, but when I was in Germany in June, this dude was all over the news. On the subway, they'd have a little thing called the "Berliner Fenster" (Berlin Window) which would show daily headlines. Usually, after the soccer update, they'd talk about how Bobby Brown had a great game or was battling through injury to help out ALBA Berlin in the championship. After that, they'd have actual news. He seems like one of those score-first point guards. Best case scenario, he turns out like Baron Davis. Worst case Scenario, he turns out like Will Bynum or Tyronn Lue.

Now, for tonights....

Thunder Wonder:

Jeff Green
19 Points, 7-17 Shooting, 7 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals

Normally I wouldn't put someone with such a low shooting percentage (with no 3s attempted) as the Thunder Wonder. But tonight, Jeff Green showed some real leadership on the floor as he lead the Thunder to within 1 point in the 4th quarter before falling behind. If Kevin Durant ever gets injured, this is what we're gonna need to see out of this guy.

Honourable Mention: Damien Wilkins, 14 points, 6-12 shooting, 6 rebounds.

Thunder Blunder:
Joe Smith
4 points, 2-9 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 5 fouls.

Well, there's not much else to say other than this guy had a horrible game. Given that he's the most experienced guy on the team by far combined with the fact that this is only the Pre-Season give me the impression that he'll step his game up soon.

Thunder Plunderer:

Bobby Brown
22 Points, 9-14 Shooting, 4 Assists, 4 Turnovers, 2 Steals

While not an incredibly effective pure Point Guard, and by no means a Mike Bibby, he's a great score-first Point Guard who has shined so far in the Pre-Season.

And, just for kicks, tonights....
Thunder WTF:
Russell Westbrook
8 points, 0-9 shooting, 8-10 Free Throw Shooting, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 4 Fouls, 1 Steal, 3 Turnovers

Basically, he got fouled a lot but didn't manage to score 1 measly point from the floor. Just a wierd, wierd game.

Sorry for the shortness of these recaps, but hey, it's only the Pre-Season, and if you attempt to read into it too much, you'll find yourself proclaiming Damien Wilkins an All-Star. Stay tuned for a preview of tonights matchup with the Warriors (which I hope the Warriors win)! And remember to watch this mornings matchup with Texas (which I hope the Sooners win)!

To Answer Ben: Sooner! And We Believe 2009!

Preseason Pregame 1: Thunder vs. Timberwolves

At long last, the Oklahoma City Thunder will finally take the court in a "competitive" game. Of course it's only fitting that the game take place in the media megaplex known as Billings, Montana in the historic MetraPark Arena. Without further delay, here's a breakdown of today's game:

Backstory: Well, this is the first game for either team, so not much backstory as far as that's concerned. However, there are some interesting angles to look at. First, like I said earlier, it is the premier game for our dream team. If you're into NBA basketball in OKC (like me) and into the NBA preseason (unlike me), then this is probably the game of your life. I'm sure seeing those Thunder jerseys taking the court for the first time will bring tears to many eyes, in more ways than one. Secondly, one shouldn't forget that this is a struggle between two of the NBA's more pathetic teams. Tonights game may give us an indication of how these teams have improved, or perhaps even deproved, if thats possible.

Analysis: Though it's pointless to breakdown what will happen in a preseason game held in Montana, it's how I earn the big buck$ so here goes nothing...

Like I said earlier, both of these teams were quite frankly embarassing last season. We already know that Johan Petro is out of this one, along with Joe Smith being a game-time decision. Also, I wouldn't expect Kevin, Weezy, or Collison to play any amount of extended minutes. Likewise, Big Al should make him self quite comfortable on the pine. This leave a whole lot of nothing for tonight's game, poop quite frankly. I do think that the T-Wolves have the slight talent edge after you remove those players, still though, it isn't much.

Player to Watch: Russell Westbrook. It's his first actual NBA game and he looked very promising in his summer league action. In the Oklahoman today, P.J. said that Westbrook was chomping at the bit to see some action and that "he's very hungary."

Predicted Outcome: Timberwolves 88 Thunder 85



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