Game 9 Recap: New York 116, Oklahoma City 106

Noooo!!!! Please don't eat me!

Yahoo! Box Score

Royce and I had very conflicting opinions about tonight. While I was telling the team to control the ball, make half court sets, work around for a shot, and play defense, he was preaching, "Just run with 'em!" Well, it looks right he was the correct one.

At the very start of the game, they tried running the fast break, but Earl Watson kept missing shots, so they went to the slow style, and it didn't work. It was almost painful to watch as the Thunder couldn't get anything going and were forced into bad shots and turnovers. It's a common misconception that smallball teams play bad defense....they're usually actually quite good at it if you get them into half court sets. I don't know how many times I saw the guards of the Knicks leak out after a missed shot. One of the Knicks superb rebounders would grab it, and throw it up court for an easy lay in, while most of our guys would still be standing on their own end of the floor.

But, we were yet again witness to a second half comeback. I think I've nailed our games against the upper 20 teams of the NBA down to a 3 type of game science:
Type 1: Just get destroyed. (Example: the Magic game)
Type 2: Show some promise in the 1st and have a good lead, let it whittle down to a tie in the 2nd, and then just let the other team push their lead up to 20 by the time the game is done. (Example: the Celtics game)
Type 3: Come out really crappy, realize what you were doing wrong strategy wise, correct it, and come to within just enough of a margin to win, but then crap out in the last 5 minutes. (Example: todays game at the Knicks)

No one likes the sad D'Antoni look. :-(

I really don't know what the deal is with our coach. P.J. Carlesimo has been in the league longer than most players, and he's learned from the best, Gregg Popovich. He's had this same team for a year before this. Why can't he figure out what to do until the 1st half is up? I mean, did losing Luke Ridnour really make that much of a difference in his game?

Tonights NBA flashback was Malik Rose. I mean, I had no idea that dude was still playing basketball! Much less in a run n' gun system under D'Antoni! I know there's no analysis here, but it's just kind of a wow moment.

I'm also finding myself really hating the FSN Oklahoma coverage. I'm really tired of Brian Davises voice, and Grant Longs insight is usually minimal at best. I was really psyched to watch the game tonight because I thought I could watch it on MSG with Walt Frazier, but DirectTV blocked me out (even though I have league pass) and forced me to watch Grant Long. If you think about their NBA careers, their broadcasting careers are about equivalent. And, I assure you, it's not because I'm sick of hearing the same guys. I really love the Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area guys, Bob Fitzgerald and Jim Barnett. When I watch the Warriors, I love hearing Bobs voice, and Jims great old-school analysis, even if half the time he is reminding the team to trade the 2 for 1. Davis and Long just kind of have no personality for me. Maybe my opinion will change as the season progresses, but these guys are homers to the highest degree. "Did you just see Robert Swift pull down that rebound? Wow!" "We're within 15, looks like we have a good chance of winning!" Ugh, no way. Please get some new announcers!

As far as awards go, Kevin Durant had a typical Kevin Durant-y night. He scored a lot of points, which makes you think he did good, but then you look at his lack of other stats and his poor shooting and realize he had a crappy game. Who really exceled tonight was Russell Westbrook. He actually shot 50%....that's right, 50% from the floor tonight. He grabbed 10 rebounds, 5 of them offensive and tossed 6 assists, almost securing the all coveted triple double. Add on his 19 points, 6-12 shooting, and 1 steal, and you easily get the Thunder Wonder for tonight.

As far as the Thunder Down Under award goes, there are 3 who deserve consideration. Some might be tempted to go ith the black fingernailed Robert Swift and his 13 rebounds, but 4 points just won't cut it tonight. Some might be tempted to go with Jeff Green, who had 16 Points, 8 Rebounds, and 4 Assists, but his 7-17 shooting puts him out of contention. The real performer here is Nick Collison. 14 points, 7-8 Shooting, 6 Rebounds, and 1 Assist locks the award up for him. While his rebounds were kind of low, he still had an excellent and efficent scoring night.

Sadly, I have to give the Thunder Blunder award to Joe Smith. 4 Points, 2-3 Shooting, and 2 rebounds isn't totally bad in 16 minutes, but it was clear thst this was not his type of game. His 33 year old body simply can't handle such a fast game, and this was apparent for the large numbe ofr time he was standing around mid or quarter court watching a scoring play happen. He's much more comfortable in half court sets. Still, it wasn't that bad of a performance, as he din't really hurt the team all that much when he played, but nobody else on the roster really warrants it. I suppose one could just as well give the award to Johan Petro, but he was much more efficent with 6 Points, 3-6 Shooting, and 5 Rebounds in only 10 minutes. I really like Petro coming off of the bench, and I think that's where he should stay.

On the other side of the ball, David Lee gets the Thunder Plunderer award off of the bench. Since they were playing D'Antonis fast ball, everybody else has abysmal shooting percentages. With 18 Points, 7-8 Shooting, 6 Rebounds, and 1 Assist, David Lee definately earns the right to be the second Thunder Plunderer off of the bench.

Next Game: Saturday at the 76ers
If we go 1-9, I think I'll find that I have no mouth and I must scream. Our mater predicter had the right point differential, but he was 21 points behind on both scores. Still, that's somewhat good!

Okay, now that's what I like to see! :-D

Game 5 Recap: Utah 104, Oklahoma City 97

This is Russell Westbrooks "Sexy" look. P.J. Carlesimo is simply stunned by it's greatness.
Yahoo! Box Score

While the score was much higher than our master predictor had anticipated, the result was still the same.

This game started off with a 8-0 Thunder lead. That's right, an 8-0 THUNDER lead. Then, it turned into a 10-3 Thunder lead. Then, it all went straight to heck.

Don't look so sad, Jerry! Zorgon just gave you props!

Honestly, someone could have a bunch of bums play under Jerry Sloan, and they'd do well. Jerry Sloan has such control over his players, it's unbelievable. While this doesn't make him the most popular coach ever, this leads to wins. The sheer fact that his team performed just as well against us without Deron Williams really says something. While I would never, ever play for him, here's to Jerry Sloan and his 1000 super-jazzy wins. While I hate the current iteration of your team, you we're definately fun to watch getting beat down in the 1996 and 1997 Finals.

Anyway, back to the game. The second half of the first quarter and the second quarter were downright painful to watch if you were a Thunder fan. Just absolute destruction. No more needs to be said.

But, during halftime, something happened. The team came back fighting a 30+ point deficit. Grant Long dismissed it as "They realized that they have to play this team 3 more times this year." Well, it was much more than that. They were trying to win. Lead by spectacular performances from Desmond Mason and Kevin Durant, the team stormed back to single digits in the 4th quarter before the Jazz realized that they had to win. Nevertheless, scoring more than you did in the first two quarters combined in both the 3rd and 4th quarter definately makes a statement.

Look, I know that we're 1-4, and I know that things are looking grim, but we are not, I repeat, are not, playing like a young team. We have been in every single game so far, including against the world champion Boston Celtics. We have been competetive not just in the 1st and 2nd quarter, but in the 3rd and 4th quarters. We have dug ourselves out of huge holes. I may be crazy, but I think we can win over 35 games if we can get our act together. Just a few points this way or that way, and we're 3-2. Just throwing that out there.

On the Jazz side of the ball, nobody was better than Carlos Boozer. 21 Points, 7-14 Shooting, 9 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steal, and 1 Block all amount to a very excellent night. You always hear of a guard vying for a triple double, but when a Power Forward gets this close, it's pretty spectacular and says a lot about the man in general. Thus, he gets the Thunder Plunderer Award tonight.

On the Thunder side of the ball, Desmond Mason led the huge comeback against the Jazz in the 3rd and refused to be benched. Until this game, he was arguably the least efficient and least productive player on our roster. Reguardless, his rapid turnaround of 18 Points, 7-14 Shooting, 5 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, and 1 Block earns him the Thunder Wonder award tonight.

After Desmond, the obvious choice for Thunder Down Under is Kevin Durant. He actually hit his shots tonight, going 9-15 shooting for 14 points. His clutch shooting helped almost as much as Masons did. On top of that, he had a solid 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, and 1 Steal. Shoutout to Jeff Green with 22 Points, 6-13 Shooting, 3-3 3 Pointers, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, and 3 Steals.

Playing like a complete embarassment tonight and earning the Thunder Blunder award was Chris Wilcox. When you're a big man, 1-7 Shooting doesn't cut it under any circumstances. A -16 +/- ratio, 6 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, and a whopping 3 Turnovers capped off 22 minutes of hell for Wilcox.

Next Game: Sunday vs the Atlanta Hawks

Pre-Season Game 5 Recap: Clippers 90, Oklahoma City 88

Dr. Strangesmell or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Stench
Yahoo! Boxscore
The Thunderworld Recap

Tonight was a night of bad jerseys, bad play, and badass dancing.

When I went to the Ford Center around 5:45, there were more people there than expected. That was good, but what was not good was the fact that there was absolutely nothing to do. It was completely and totally boring. They had the typical food from the World-Famous Slap Shots, and they had the typical lottery stuff, but aside from that everything seemed kind of lame and last minute. There were no activities or anything. There were no signs in the stadium, very little overall theme, and the floor simply read "Ford Center". Still, it's the Pre-Season, so I expect them to have everything in order in time for the Season Opener.

Almost every activity that they had was a copy of what happened when the Hornets were here. T-Shirt throwing, kids slam dunk contest, free throw contest, running around the bat and trying to make a layup, seat upgrades, and the dance cam all made returns. You name it, and it'll probably be copied by the Thunder. Speaking of the dance cam, if you saw a particularly sexy guy in a blue shirt and blue headband doing the "Apache" dance and getting more than 30 seconds of full-fledged camera time, you guessed it, it was me. (Yes, I looked like a total dork.) Oh, and every single time they asked, "Whose ball is it?", I would automatically say, "Hornets ball!!!!". I guess I'm a creature of habit.

One last side note....2 of the worst NBA uniforms were out there tonight. The Clippers uniforms have always totally sucked. The red, white, and blue looks really cheesy and bland. Honestly, I'd rather them just rock the light blue Buffalo Braves uniforms all year. As for the Thunder uniforms, we've already been over that.

Anyway, on to the game itself. The crowd seemed pretty apathetic towards the pre-game lineups, and the first quarter. The first was full of high energy low post manuvers by both teams. Then, in the second quarter, the Clippers bought in all of their subs minus Ricky Davis, and it was a sludgefest through the third quarter. The Thunder had their starters out, but they played like total crap. It wasn't a defensively-minded game, like you would see in a Spurs matchup. Rather, it was just total crappiness and sloppiness on both ends.

Well, every time except this time....

Most of the time, the Thunder would have to rely on Durant or Westbrook pretending that there was a brick wall in front of them and getting "fouled" while having no intention of hitting the shot. I mean, is that even satisfying? Other players I've seen, like Baron Davis and Chris Paul, do it a lot, but they at least make it fun because they actually try. Westbrook, Durant, and more famously Dwayne Wade hardly even try to shoot, and just act like they got an electric shock. I know it's kind of a soapbox here, but it makes the game boring and makes them look horrible on the stat sheet (Durant went 6-18, Westbrook went 3-11). Comeon guys, at least try.

Well, eventually after a total sludgefest, about 1/8th the arena filed out at the end of the 3rd, with half of the remaining people seriously considering putting on their coat. Than, suddenly, the energy increased and the game got intense. Durant was hitting his shots, and everybody else on the floor was contributing well. On the other side of the coin, Mike Taylor played absolutely insane. Who is Mike Taylor? I don't know, but he was incredibly intense. He had a clutch 3 and he got a key steal for a dunk within the last 2 minutes.

Is it the shoes?

Anyway, long story short, we were pretty close going into the final two minutes. Then, Johan Petro got two freethrows and missed them both. On top of that, Mike Wilks got a steal for a dunk. All said and done, we ended up down by 3 with about 13 seconds to go. Durant had a "shades of Atlanta" 3 point shot, but it rimmed out and Houston got the rebound. Ricky Davis sank 2 freethrows, and Russell Westbrook sank an irrelevant 3 at the buzzer. The whole arena was kind of bummed, but they clapped for the team anyway, and it gave me hope that we can cope with losing for a couple of seasons.

Now, for tonights....

Thunder Wonder and Blunder: Johan Petro
12 Points, 6-9 Shooting, 14 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, 1 Turnover, 1 Steal

Johan Petro had a super game tonight. I mean, nobody could have predicted this at all. He got some good momentum early with an extreme dunk, and just kept producing all game. Hell, he even hit a 12 footer! I mean, he didn't out step his place, and did what he needed to to help the team. Probably a career Pre-Season game. So then, why is he also the Blunder? Well, he missed a couple of clutch freethrows down the stretch, and that was really the turning point that put us back behind the Clippers.

Thunder Down Under (Honourable Mention): Nick Collison
10 Points, 4-8 Shooting, 8 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 2 Fouls
Not particularly impressive on its own, but considering that he only played 15 minutes, he was extremely productive. Everybody elses play seems far too sloppy to include. 13 team assists?! I mean, comeon!

Thunder Plunderer: Al Thornton
23 Points, 8-13 Shooting, 6 Rebounds, 5 Turnovers, 1 Steal

His turnovers were a bit high, but Al was an absolute scoring beast tonight. He hit a whole lost of midrange jumpers and simply couldn't be stopped, even during the extremely lame-duck quarters.

Thunder Plunderer Down Under: Mike Taylor
14 Points, 5-9 Shooting, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Turnovers, 3 Steals

I don't normally do this, but I gotta give props to this guy. His stats are only good at first glance, but he played with extreme intensity on the defensive end. He very nearly forced a whole lot of turnovers, and the ones that he did force were crucial. He forced the Thunder to be constantly on their toes bringing the ball up, and he even hit a clutch 3 late in the game along with a crucial jam in the final minute. Somebody give this guy a roster spot!

That's it for tonight....stay tuned for the last two Thunder Pre-Season games, Thursday Oct. 24th at the Phoenix Suns, and Friday Oct. 25th at the Los Angeles Lakers!

Bonus!
Fashion Notes:

P.J. made an excellent choice of tie tonight.

Along with that, Mike Dunleavy Sr. is the last guy on the planet besides Mike Morgan to have a fake handkerchief in the right pocket of his suit simply for style. Rock on, man.

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



I bet your arena doesn't have huge boulders! Support the Billings for Next NBA City Movement!

OKC Trades for Charlotte's Weaver

Hey, something happened involving the OKC NBA team today! Sam Presti made a move for the highly coveted guard Kyle Weaver (this is sarcasm). I'll be honest, I don't have any idea who Kyle Weaver is and had never heard his name before today. From what I gather, he's a big rookie defensive-minded guard out of Washington State who's somewhat of a slasher on offense. He can play both the PG and SG positions. I suppose sort of a poor man's Russell Westbrook. Can't say this signing thrills me too much. He averaged just a modest 6.2 ppg in summer league, and I can't see him cracking the PG rotation for sure, maybe sneaks in at SG, but not much, discounting injuries.

Kyle Weaver's NBADraft.net Player Profile

Zorgons Note: DeVon Hardin went international, signing with a Turkish team. This is just a move to fill our roster with guys and create less of a center jam, which we shouldn't mind at all, because it means that if a guard gets injured we won't have to scramble to sign Mike Wilks. Also, this could make our roster full, barring our offering or not offering a qualifying offer to Robert Swift.

Ranking the Players Volume II

Sorry for the delay everyone! But, without further ado, here's the next 5 in our Ranking of the Players!!!!

#14. Adrian Griffin, 10th Year Shooting Guard
Best Season: 99-00 with the Celtics, 27 minutes, 7 points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 48% FG%, 28% 3PT%, 75% FT%.

Well, I'm not a big fan of Adrian Griffin, but who is? He's just another old NBA shadow that's haunting our team. It's a wonder that he's still in the NBA. His rookie stats were somewhat promising for a rookie, but his PT and stats have steadily decreased. Still, I'm confident he could put up similar numbers to what is above. I mean, he owns Ronald Dupree, who seems to only score points. This guy can grab the rebounds, dish it, and steal. So, he's not all that bad, but I think his production is just too low for the amount of time he gets in a game.

NBA Comparison: Kelenna Azubuike

#13. Robert Swift, 4th Year Center
Best Season: 2005-2006 with the SuperSonics, 21 Minutes, 6 points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Block, 51% FG%, 58% FT%.

Robert Swift is another one of the "indistinguishable SuperSonics big men". He had a solid season in 05-06, and seemed to have a bright future as an ok to solid big man in the NBA. But, after a season-ending injury to his right knee in February of 08, his future was seriously called into question. He had a similar injury to the same knee in the pre-season of 06, which also was season-ending. He'll definately remain on the roster this year, but it remains to be seen if his knee can hold up. Still, if he does recover, he'll definately be a solid big man (which is something we desperately need).

On a personal side note, WHOH! While gone, this dude grew out his hair and got some major tattoos. Hopefully he won't go the way of Brad Miller and get cornrows.... He's the only white player to be drafted straight out of high school. And, one of the few white big men.

NBA Comparison: Sam Bowie

#12. Russell Westbrook, Rookie Shooting Guard
This guy had a great Summer League, usually scoring more effectively than Jeff Green, and being a perfect compliment to Kevin Durant. Then again, Marco Bellinelli looked like the next Peja Stojakovic when he played in the Summer League, but in the NBA he looks like "Mr. Clank". So, I won't hold my breath on his greatness, and for now, he'll remain pretty low on the rankings list.

NBA Comparison: Too Early to Tell.

#11. Francisco Elson, 10th year Center (5th Year in the NBA)

Best Season: 06-07 with San Antonio, 19 Minutes, 5 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Block, 51% FG%, 78% FT%.

You might call this guy "Ol' Reliable". He's most famous for being a plug in behind Tim Duncan on the Spurs. If you need a solid backup center, this guy is ready and willing. Still, I would doubt that he'd want to stay with a team semi-permanently stuck in the NBA cellar, given that he's 32. But, if he does decide to stay, he might be essential to a good season, should we miraculously pull out over 30 wins.

NBA Comparison: P.J. Brown

#10. Johan Petro, 6th Year Center (4th in NBA)
Best Season: 06-07 with the SuperSonics, 19 Minutes, 6 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 51% FG%, 65% FT%.

This is another one of the "indistingishable big men". He was supposed to have a lot of potential, but if you look at all 3 of his seasons with the SuperSonics, they look essentially the same statistially. At 22, its still very possible that he'll get better, but right now he's looking like an eternal Francisco Elson. Not nessessarily a bad thing, but I'm sure the SuperSonics expected more, and will need more in order to become a force in the West. I will tell you guys that this is the last Center on the list, and if we can't get a good center for a Big Man happy coach like Carlesimo, it could spell disaster. Granted, I could easily imagine us going the small ball trend with Wilcox and Collison at Center, and Durant at Power Forward....but, I have already revealed too much.

NBA Comparison: Francisco Elson

Stay Tuned for Players #9-5!!!!

A Victory for History Teachers Everywhere

City rookie guard Russell Westbrook is doing excellently right now. He played fantastically in the Orlando Summer League, earning him first team All-Summer League honors and helping make General Manager Sam Presti look good. However, a recent incedent during a media session shows that he's far from stardom.

Russell Westbrook was asked by one member of the media how his relationship with cousin Brian Westbrook of the Philidelphia Eagles was.

One problem though. Russell Westbrook has no cousin named Brian.

Russell's reply was 'That's not my cousin.'

Apparently, someone put this bit of fiction of Russell Westbrook's Wikipedia entry. An embarassing moment for both the interviewer and Russell, however, it provides history teachers around the nation ammunition to use against the acadmeically hated site.

The Chicago Bulls vs the Oklahoma City, Game 5

Oklahoma City 16 32 20 18 86
Chicago Bulls 19 19 17 18 73

NBA.com recap
Box Score

Oklahoma City was able to capture a very elusive victory in their last Orlando summer game with both Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook sitting on the bench. D.J. White and Ronald Dupree were able to take over for the resting stars (well, at least by summer league standards) with 37 points and 11 rebounds.

It's true, the City got a little help from the Bulls in that their best players, first overall pick Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas, both sat on the pine during this game. Derrick Rose is scheduled to undergo and MRI following his return from Orlando. Still though, the Bulls saw valiant efforts from former Oklahoma State Cowboy JamesOn Curry (a team high 17 points) and PF/C Aaron Gray (16 points and 12 rebounds).

Esscentially, this was just one of those clean-up "can't-wait-untill-this-summer-thing-is-over-so-I-can-start-doing-relevant-things-in-my-life-again" games that neither team was completely into. There was sloppy play by both teams with a lot of turnovers. Chicago really couldn't get into a shooting rhythm all week, much less this game.

Other OKC players of note included Brian Randel and Mykal Riley both in double digit scoring and Aaron Bruce finally showing up. He had a relatively modest 5 points but a killer 7 assists! Thank God.

Side Note: The All-Summer League first and second teams were announced and OKC had a strong showing. Both Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green took first team honors. No City players on the second team. Guard Courtney Lee of Orlando, forward Michael Beasley of Miami, and center Brook Lopez of New Jersey cap off the rest of the first team. Mario Chalmers (Miami), Earl Calloway (Indiana), Jaycee Carroll (New Jersey), Chris Douglass-Roberts (New Jersey), and Marcin Gortat (Orlando) make up the second team.

The Miami Heat vs The Oklahoma City, Game 4

Oklahoma City 23 16 24 13 76
Miami Heat 23 27 34 17 101

Box Score

ESPN.com Recap because NBA.com continues to fail

Though Jeff Green continues to shine and Russell Westbrook was able to bounce back after a forgetable outing against the Nets, the result was all too familiar for this summer squad; a loss. Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, and Anthony Morrow combined for 46 points as the Heat crushed the City 101 to 76.

The game started close at least. I would like to say it was a slow and steady decline from there, but truthfully, after the first quarter, Miami destroyed OKC in nearly every facet of the game. This was due not only to the three headed monster in the starting line-up of Beasley, Chalmers and Morrow but also because of the play of former Warrior and Zorgon declared "Baby-Foyle" Stephane Lasme who had 14 points, 3 Boards, 2 Blocks in 16 minutes.

Bright spots for OKC include, as mentioned earlier, Westbrook's ability to overcome a terrible game to tie for the team's leading scorer. Jeff Green continues to be the one and only consistant offensive option for the City. D.J. White had his best game of the summer with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Ronald Dupree put in a solid effort and was in double-digit scoring.

However, several problems with this team were noticable. First off, starting center Justin Williams was able to lead the team in rebounds (7). However, those rebounds were all defensive and despite playing over 20 minutes he had not one shot attempt. Not one! You'd think a center might at least get a tip or something. But nada, in 20 minutes of play! What in the name of Pops Mensah-Bonsu is going on here!

Also, Aaron Bruce continues to play like stanky cheese. As much as it pains me to say it, I think it's time to send this Aussie home.

Ultimately I think the team's problem is this...they suck. I know its a summer league roster and everything but Jeff Green is a likely starter next season and Westbrook is likely going to crack the lineup at some point, so one would expect better from them. If we lose to teams that have Jason Richards on them how are we going to beat teams that have Jason Richardson on them?

The New Jersey Nets vs The Oklahoma City, Summer League Game 3

NBA.com Recap

Box Score

New Jersey Nets 28 26 20 21
Oklahoma City 26 25 19 11

Oklahoma City preformed brilliantly the other night. Unfortunately, they weren't so hot tonight. To their credit, it was minus Kevin Durant and they kept it pretty close most of the game. The Nets and their very impressive looking draft picks Brook Lopez and Chris Douglass-Roberts proved too much for the ROY-less Oklahoma City.

Jeff Green was definitely player of the night for The City. 23 points but only 3 rebounds. Still though, he was able to keep them competitive for most of the game. Russell Westbrook, Nick Lewis, Ronald Dupree, and Ronell Taylor were the other players in double digits.

Speaking of Westbrook, he had his worst game of the summer. 2-13 from the field and 3 assists. One can only assume that he'll be able to bounce back from this. He was effective from the line at least, 5 for 6 from the charity stripe.

A sidenote for this game though was that it featured a set of twins. Donell Taylor, Nets guard and twin brother of Ronell Taylor, was only able to put up 4 points. Surely though, when playing against his brother who had 12 and won, it just made those 4 points that much more painful.

Nets standouts included Lopez and CDR, who both scored over 20 and Will COnroy who had 8 points and 7 assists. This team's pretty solid for a summer squad. Still though, OKC was very capable of winning this game.

The Orlando Magic vs. The Oklahoma City, Summer League Game 2

NBA.com Recap

Download the Box Score (PDF)
(Warning: The Box Score is marked as The Orlando Magic vs. Oklahomo City.)

SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Magic 15 18 17 27 77
OK 29 22 30 19 100

Okay, I take what I said back. While, granted, the Playing Time has largely gone to the "big three" and no one else has made a big impact (except maybe DJ White, who is an okay role player), there is a lot of chemistry going. Judging from the recap, Kevin Durant is stepping into his own and becoming a nice floor leader, while Russell Westbrook made good shot selection and functioned as a really useful 2 guard. Jeff Green got almost half of his points from the free throw line, but who cares when you score 28?

Otherwise, no one on the City really stood out. Ronald Dupree got 9, but 5 of those were Free Throws (he'll never be anything more than an NBA scrub, really). DJ White got 5 points and 5 rebounds. Everyone else was kind of a waste of space (including Devin Green....troubling news? Probably not.) Lastly, Aaron Bruce got his first playing time. Nothing special....A missed shot, a rebound, an assist, and 2 turnovers in 7 and a half minutes. Hello, D-League. He won't be getting on the City roster any time soon.

On the flip side, it was basically the Courtney Lee show, with Kevin Kruger throwing him the occasional pass. James Augustine was surprisingly effective in 12 minutes, going perfect from the field and pulling down 3 boards. Marcin Gortat had similar stats in over twice the time and 4 times the shots. I wouldn't be surprised if Tony Battie and Adonal Foyle (:-(, my favourite player) got less playing time next year if Stan Van Gundy continues his "Dwight Howard and 4 wings" formula next year. Lastly, they had a great defensive effort from D'Or Fischer (The Child of D'Brickashaw Fergusons mother and Bobby Fischers Son). He had 4 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 3 Foyle-Like Blocks.

All in all, this was total domination of the Magic, and here's to winning the Summer League!!!!

Oklahoma City Standouts:
Jeff Green: 28 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Kevin Durant: 22 Points, 70% FG%, 100% 3PT%, 5 Rebounds
Russell Westbrook: 19 Points, 80% FG%, 3 Assists, 3 Steals
Ronald Dupree: 9 Points
D.J. White: 5 Points, 5 Rebounds

Orlando Magic Standouts:
Courtney Lee: 27 Points, 100% 3PT%, 4 Assists, 2 Steals
James Augustine: 10 Points, 100% FG%, 3 Rebounds
Marcin Gortat: 10 Points
Kevin Kruger: 8 Assists
Antywane Robinson: 7 Points
D'Or Fischer: 4 Points, 7 Rebounds, 3 Blocks

The Indiana Pacers Vs. The Oklahoma City, Summer League Day 1

NBA.com Recap
Box Score Available For Download as a PDF Here

		Indiana Pacers Oklahoma City	25 23	20 15	26 20	24 20	- -	95 78

Yep, it was total Pacer domination in this one. If you look at the rosters top to bottom, you'd wonder why in the heck we could have lost. I mean, we have Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, D.J. White, Ronald Dupree....and Aaron Bruce while they have....no one of note (I think I've heard of Andre Emmitt before). Neither of their first round picks are playing.

But, if you take one quick look at the box score, the reason we lost is completely clear: Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook did okay, and everyone else threw up a whole lotta bricks. They were a combined 13-29 and the rest of the team was a whole lotta change and a whole lotta clang.

You could talk all day about the individual stats each player made, but the simple fact is that No-Named Indiana played as a team. They didn't defer to the talent that the team was trying to develop, because there was none. IS this nessessarily a bad thing? Well, if you're an Aaron Bruce (DNP-CD) fan, yes. Otherwise? No.

OKC Standouts:
Jeff Green: 21 Points, 5 Rebounds
Russell Westbrook: 18 Points, 4 Rebounds, 5 Assists
D.J. White: 8 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 of 9 Shooting
Mykal Riley: 8 Points, 2 Steals, 3 of 5 Shooting

Pacer Standouts:
Earl Calloway: 16 Points, 4 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 5 of 6 Shooting
Andre Emmitt: 15 Points
Stephen Graham: 14 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Shawne Williams: 13 Points, 2 Steals
Courtney Sims: 12 Points, 4 Rebounds
Aleks Maric: 3 Blocks

You can't really tell much else from the stat sheet. What should you take from this game? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The two stars played as you expected them to, and no one stood out. And, of course, Aaron Bruce didn't play. Lets hope that future games will be a bit more telling.

Funny Note: Blocked Shots are noted as "BS" on the stat sheet. At first I thought of it as like a Bull Shit credit. You know, like Player A pulled some bull shit tonight, so the ref marks it down and pulls the bullshit back on him at a later date. Then, my imagination settled down once I realized it was a blocked shot. Oh well....

EDIT: Sorry about that smut at the bottom. I don't know how to get rid of it.

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