Moved To Thunder Peakes at Wordpress

Thunder Peakes has now moved

to ThunderPeakes.wordpress.com.

This will effectively be the last post

on the Blogger version of this blog.

 

Here again is the Link.

Moving Site Names

I am in the tedious process of changing the supporter for this blog from Blogger to Wordpress. Most likely this will take a few more days and regular posts should return to Thunder Peakes. I will have the link to the new blog shortly. Thank you for your patience, if I haven't lost you as a reader.

Renewed and Back On Track

Thumbs Up

I wanted to take this opportunity to renew this blog in full. This particular blog has been my sole inspiration for finding what I want to do with the rest of my life. And all of you reading this are apart of of it! I reckon that if I had not gotten the amount of constructive criticism from my family and from my fans, then I would have never realized my real dream. So this post is to you, my special and loyal fans. I appreciate all the support you have given me for this blog, and promise to move wholeheartedly into making this the best blog you have ever seen. Stay tuned, big things are in store. 

Photo courtesy of Krissen. Retrieved from Flickr. 

Postgame 37: Blazing the Trail

Thunder Wins, 87-83

Players of the Night

Oklahoma City- Kevin Durant (33 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Blk)

Portland- LaMarcus Aldridge (33 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Blk

Box Score

Bubble gum and rubber bands. 

That was about all that was holding the Thunder together tonight on their trip to Portland, the front game of a back-to-back. Serge Ibaka was out with a chest contusion, aka chest bruise, and Thabo Sefolosha was out with a sore neck. With the Thunder's two best defenders and two of the better scoring options for Oklahoma City out tonight, no one would have blamed the Thunder if they did either of two things: 1) let Portland go for 100+ points, and 2) Let Portland win. 

83 Points?!? Two quarters under 20 points?!?

Yup. OKC continues to amaze. 

With the help of some bench players playing extended minutes, great efforts by the likes of Nick Collison and DeAndre Liggins, and with a tad bit of luck, Oklahoma City prevailed in a game that surely seemed destined to slip through their fingers. Kevin Durant led the team with 33 points, dominating like always when the Thunder needed him the most. However, it wasn't just luck and KD that got the Thunder through this game tonight. 

Two of the biggest stars for Portland, Nicolas Batum and Damien Lillard, scored only 30 points on 31 shot attempts. The Trail Blazers could not plug the whole in the middle even with the likes of Serge Ibaka missing. Oklahoma City scored a total of 46 points in the paint. As a team, Portland shot horrendously from the field and even worse from the arc. The bench was much, much worse for the game, scoring only 6 points all together and earning the moniker of the league's worst bench. As much as the Thunder did, the Trail Blazers essentially packaged this win and tied it with a bright red ribbon. 

Many different players got playing time tonight, especially Perry Jones. Even though Jones still looks quite lost defensively, a dunk in the first half on an alley-op from Liggins showed us all how explosive he really can be. 

Lock down defense towards the end and some clutch shots sewed it up. Defense wins games. 

Stat of the Night: 3 for 3. DeAndre Liggins, in his first career start for an NBA team, went a perfect 3 for 3 from the arc tonight. 

Player of the Night: DeAndre Liggins. Kevin Durant put in his usual 30 points, but the man of the night was Liggins. Going perfect from three, scoring 11 points, and making the game-securing rebound all warrant the game ball for Liggins tonight. Good to know that the Thunder have another Sefolosha if they need him. 

(Credit: ESPN Stats and Information)

(Credit: Sam Forencich, NBA.com)

Pregame 37: Thunder vs. Trailblazers

         vs. 

Where: Portland, Oregon - Rose Garden

When: January 13 @ 8 PM CST

TV: Fox Sports Southwest (Cox 37, HD 722; Tulsa Cox 27; DirectTV 679; UVerse 754) 

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

Stream: Click Here

Oklahoma City heads to Portland tonight to face off with the up-and-coming Trail Blazers for second time this season.

In the last match-up between these two teams, Oklahoma City handily put down Portland for their very first win of the season following the heartbreaking loss to the Spurs in the season opener. With the team in disarray from the fresh wound of the James Harden trade, Westbrook rose to the challenge and put the Trail Blazers away with a 32-point, 6-assist, 5-rebound performance. Kevin Durant destroyed the boards with 17 rebounds and in only his second game with the Thunder, Kevin Martin was a perfect 3 for 3 from the arch and put in 19 points to cushion the win for OKC.

35 games later, Portland faces Oklahoma City on a collision course for more than just a chance in the Western Conference playoffs. The Trail Blazers have a 20-16 record under their belt with impressive wins vs. Miami, San Antonio, and @ Memphis. Break-out players such as Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and J.J. Hickson are starting to hit their stride at the right time. Damien Lillard is an early ROY, or Rookie of the Year, candidate. Lamarcus Aldrige is averaging more in every statistic except field goal % and still has an outside chance as an All-star selection. However, the Trail Blazers lack of a bench can hinder their chances against teams with more depth, such as the Thunder. With an outside chance at the 6th or even 5th seed in the Western Conference, barring injuries and with the help of losses from Golden state, Portland has a legitimate chance to make it to the playoffs and a slim, if not decent, chance at advancing past the second round.

Oklahoma City comes into this game tonight after an absolute thwacking to flailing Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder, facing Portland, has a huge advantage that they don't have over many teams in the Western Conference. There is no real defensive stopper for the Best Scorer EVER, Kevin Durant. Since the Trail Blazers are rarely known for their lock down defensive, barring some miracle defensive intensity, they will have a hard time defending the possible future league MVP. Unless the usual scorers for Portland go unconscious and the bench decides to produce, the Thunder will win tonight's game, most likely in a wire-to-wire close game.

Prediction: Thunder 102, Portland 97

Things to Remember

• No Air Congo. The Oklahoma City power forward came out of the game against the Lakers with a chest contusion, which is actually no more than a chest bruise. Although it must be decently painful to keep Ibaka out of tonight's game, look at this as no more than caution by the Thunder staff. 
• Keep Lillard In Check. Damien Lillard, the star rookie point guard for the Trail Blazers, is having a great rookie season. Barring injury, Lillard is a lock for the Rookie of the Year award. In order for the Thunder to secure the win tonight, Oklahoma City will have to keep track of Lillard, cut off his passing lanes, and remind him that he is in fact still a rookie. 
• Bench Production. The Thunder live and die with the production of their bench, or the lack thereof. Production from the bench is usually the difference between a blowout win and a close win/loss. If Kevin Martin or another one of the bench players cannot produce for OKC tonight, look for this game to be much tougher for the league's best team. 

Thunder Up!

Pregame 34: Abracadabra!

    VS.

Where: Washington D.C. - Verizon Center

When: January 7th @ 6 PM CST

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

      TV: Fox Sports Southwest (Cox 37, HD 722; Tulsa Cox 27; DirectTV 679; UVerse 754)

Stream: Click Here

The Oklahoma City Thunder face the D.C. Wizards tonight, the team with the worst record in the league at 4-28. 

OKC comes into tonight's game from the front side of a back-to-back in Toronto. Even with the odd noon tip, the Thunder got their business done in Canada with out any major snafus. Minus a outrageously efficient second quarter from Alan Anderson, Oklahoma City handled the Raptors and left nothing to chance in a 104 to 92 win that was not nearly as close in the second half as the score displays. 

The Thunder seem to have much of the chemistry worked out among their players and are working much more in rhythm than they were earlier in the season. Kevin Martin is starting to take more control of the ball and has regained his shooting rhythm which he lost for a stretch of games. Russell Westbrook has fixed his shooting stroke and is shooting and finishing at a better rate than he has for the past few games. Serge Ibaka is growing more confident in his offensive toolset and looking more smooth and confident from beyond the arch. 

However, as much confidence that Oklahoma City seems to be building, all that can come down in a matter of one off night against a bad opponent. Just ask the Heat. The Wizards have some talent that can definitely sneak up on teams, and if you aren't completely ready for this team, they can surprise you and end up placing  a loss on your record. Jordan Crawford, Jeremy Beal, and Nene can give an decent offensive output and you can never know when one of them will go off for a hot shooting night as some decent players have against the Thunder. However, the Wizards have only won four games for a reason. They have no real all-star or breakout players save John Wall, and Wall has spent the season on the bench injured. With Wall back, D.C.'s winning percentage might go up somewhat, but with out the chemistry of a veteran team and with a lack of scoring, this team is going to struggle to find wins for the rest of the season. 

Prediction: 109-83 Thunder 

Thunder UP!

Postgame 32: Back To Business

Thunder Wins 109-85!

Players of the Night

Oklahoma City- Russell Westbrook (27 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl)

Philadelphia- Nick Young (21 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl)

Box Score

Takin' care of business. Every day. 

Oklahoma City got back to their winning ways tonight with their second win against the 76ers this season, putting the series at a 2-0 lead for the Thunder. This was a welcome sight and separation from the last game between these two teams which led to an overtime win for the Thunder. Tonight, OKC led for the majority of the game and win became more and more secure as time ran on. Both teams went to their benches with about three minutes left in the 4th quarter and the game was essentially over. 

Philadelphia played fairly well for most of the game, with the 76ers staying fairly close up until the 4th quarter. Nick Young was efficient off the bench for Philly, registering 21 points and keeping them in the game with many of his makes from behind the arch. The starters for the 76ers did not fare very well, however, with only 2 players making it into double digits. Turnovers were killers for Philly, with 20 turnovers and the Thunder scoring 24 points off those turnovers. Missing the production from the starters was the final nail in the coffin and led to the the outcome of the game tonight. 

Oklahoma City played very well tonight, shooting efficiently, crashing the boards, and playing stifling defense.  Russell Westbrook and Kevin Martin were both perfect from beyond the arch, going a collective 8 for 8 for three. Wolverine was lava-hot tonight, going perfect from three, making many of his mid-range jumpers, and finishing at the rim with finesse. Much of the hitch in his shooting motion is long gone and the Westbrook that was shooting at a high percentage in the beginning of the season is back. KD was himself like always, making the All-star plays and making his man look like a fool. Both would score 27 and 26 respectively.

Pregame 32: Thunder Vs. 76ers

        VS.

Where: Oklahoma City - Chesapeake Arena

When: Friday, January 4 @ 7 PM CST

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: Fox Sports Southwest (Cox 37, HD 722; Tulsa Cox 27; DirectTV 679; UVerse 754)

Stream: Click Here

Tonight is the second meeting between the Thunder and the 76ers for the 2012-13 season. The last match up between these two teams ended up up in a 116-109 overtime win for Oklahoma City. 

The 76ers are in a bit of a rough patch as of late compared to their 10-6 November record. Since the end of November, Philadelphia has gone a record of 5-12 in games since. Even with their sub .500 record, the 76ers are tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with Boston. If the season were to end today, Philadelphia would be a playoff contender. However, there is much of the season left to play and many more games to be played before time comes around for the playoffs. 

Philadelphia is a decent Eastern Conference team with good young talent. Jrue Holiday is a potential All-star, if not this year then in future years. Once back from injury, they will also get one of the better Centers in the league, if Andrew Bynum can fix the constant lapses in judgement. Evan Turner is a good young talent who can score when needed and is just starting to come into his own as a player. Thaddeus Young is an athlete with 5 years under his belt and is an efficient big man for the 76ers. However, this 76ers team lacks the consistency and chemistry of a team such as the Thunder. With movement before the trade deadline to get more integral pieces, Philadelphia can become a serious contender in the East. Until then, the 76ers seem to be destined for the brink of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. 

Oklahoma City comes into tonight's game following a tough loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Many thought this game involved poor officiating, but allowing a player such as Joe Johnson to score such as he did on Wednesday night will certainly not help an effort for winning any game. Along with allowing Brook Lopez to score 25 points instead of an average 14 to 16, the Thunder played lax defense and turned the ball over way to often leading to 17 point loss to the Nets. 

The Thunder should come into tonight with a bit more pep in the step then what was seen in their last outing. Look for the defense for Oklahoma City to be much more solid than on Wednesday and look for decrease in the amount of turnovers for the team. Either OKC will bounce back from their loss to the Nets and take it to the 8th-placed 76ers or the game will end up close such as the last meeting between these two teams. I am going to go with the prior. 

Prediction: 113-104 Thunder. 

Points of Interest

• Scores Galores. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both scored 30+ points in the last match-up vs. the 76ers. With no one really capable to keep a lid on KD or the Wolverine, look for both of these teammates to switch off torching the 76ers' offense from the inside and out. 
• I'll Be Back. For a few games during december, our own resident Terminator, Russell Westbrook, decided to lose his shooting stroke. Thankfully it has come back from the future and Westbrook can proceed with destroying Skynet ( A.K.A. The Miami Heat).
• Cold Bench. Recently, Scott Brooks has decided to go deeper into his bench, looking for sparks in stretches where the Thunder offense is lacking any life. Reggie Jackson has seen his minutes go up, Thabeet has returned somewhat, and Jeremy Lamb has gotten a few quality minutes here and there. If the newcomers for OKC can start to produce not just in the 66ers, D-League Affiliate of the Thunder, but produce on an NBA level on a night-to-night basis, then OKC will become an even more potent offense and team than they already are. 

Thunder Up!

Pregame 30: Sunny, With A Chance of Thunder

VS.

Where: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Chesapeake Arena

When: Monday, December 31 @ 7 PM CST

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: Fox Sports Southwest (Cox 37, HD 722; Tulsa Cox 27; DirectTV 679; UVerse 754)

Stream: Click Here

Tonight, the Oklahoma City face the Phoenix Suns for the first time this season. 

The Phoenix Suns do not have much interest as of late after the loss of their future HOFers, Steve Nash and Grant Hil. Before the loss of arguably the most important player for the Suns since Shaq, Steve Nash, Phoenix was at least a playoff contenders even if they were usually a 7th or 8th seed. However, if the season were to end today, Phoenix 

would be at the bottom of the Pacific Division and second-to-last in the Western Conference. 

The Suns are one of the more plain teams in the NBA, with no potential All-Stars, no future HOFers, and no big, standout players on the roster. If anything, Phoenix has become a hodgepodge group of players that other NBA teams traded for draft picks or players that were simply let into free agency by their teams. Channing Frye, Shannon Brown, Luis Scola and Jermaine O'Neal did not start their career with the Suns. None of the players on the team are very flashy, with most if not all the players having average to below average stats. Look for Goran Dragic and Marcin Gortat to be the most important players for the Suns and the players leading in points and rebounds, respectively.

Oklahoma City comes into the game playing some inspired ball, with some of the spunk from their 12 game winning streak flowing through their veins. OKC is only on a 2 game winning streak, but a couple games is all it takes to start another long streak of wins. An overtime win against Dallas and a 30-point win vs. Houston has put some pep in the step of the boys and the confidence of a big win against a struggling Suns team will only help the Thunder. Russell seems to have wrestled himself out of a recent shooting slump and the team is getting back some of their pre-christmas rhythm. All this leads to even more confidence and good things to come for Oklahoma City. 

Prediction: 109-82 Thunder 

Thunder Up!

Postgame 27: That Was A Foul?

Thunder Lose 103-97

Players of the Night

Oklahoma City- Kevin Durant (33 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast)

Miami- Lebron James (29 Pts, 8 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk)

Box Score

(Credit: ABC)

Tonight was just one of those nights. 

As sports blogger/journalist, I have a duty to leave my emotions out of my work to a point and display a piece of work that is un-bias, again to a point. I know many people tonight are absolutely furious at the officiating, including myself, and I could spend all of this post speaking on the horrific officiating in this game. However, the Thunder left this game in the hands of the refs and when that happens, the outcome is usually not pretty. 

The Thunder are usually almost, or nearly, perfect from the line. However, Oklahoma City was less the perfect at the line and it was pivotal. The team, as a whole, missed 6 free throws. Six points was the margin of victory for the Heat. Westbrook missed two, Kevin Durant missed two, and the standard-bearer of free throw line efficiency Kevin Martin even missed a free throw. 

Russell Westbrook had an absolutely horrendous shooting night. Now, don't take this as blaming Wolverine for the loss. Westbrook, however, did play a bit out of wack tonight, missing easy layups, shooting up bad mid-range jumpers, and falling asleep defensively. Coupled with the lack of foul calls, Westbrook could never get in a rhythm and it completely stymied the offensive flow. 

The one if not only bright spot for OKC tonight was the MVP candidate, Kevin Durant. KD absolutely destroyed LeBron with a flurry of spot up shots, three pointers, step backs, and even a floater. If not for extenuating circumstances, this game would have placed KD in the sole top position for the MVP and would have been a prime example in the argument of Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James. However, the winning team gets the press, and this beautiful game by the Durantula will be mired in the loss. 

Pregame 27: Merry Christmas!

Vs.

When: Tuesday, December 25 @ 4:30 CST

Where: Miami, Florida - American Airlines Arena

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: ABC (Cox 8, HD 705; Tulsa Cox 8; DirecTV 6; UVerse 5)

Stream: Click Here

The moment all Thunder fans have been waiting for. A chance to exact revenge. An opportunity to stick it to LeBron and his cohorts. A shot at showing not only that Kevin Durant is MVP worthy, but at showing that OKC is championship worthy. Barring any outstanding circumstances, all roads to the Larry O'Brien trophy run through the Heat. 

The last time these two teams met, one team was basking in the glow of victory, and another was consoling each other while looking towards the future. Most can guess who was which. The iconic image of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook all arm-in-arm, watching the rest of the clock of Game 5 of the Finals tick away was one that was burned in the minds of all Thunder fans. 

Seeing the young, charismatic players, rarely seen without a smile, standing in the corner of the court with looks of sadness was more than many OKC fans could bare. Yet, there was always next year and always the promise of many more runs at it. The big three for Oklahoma City were the youngest in the NBA, looking forward to 10+ years together with opportunities abounding for this young super team. However, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. 

A few days before the deadline to sign restricted free agents, James Harden was traded. The Beard, the threes to the ground, and the guttural roar from the darkness of Harden's face were all gone. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year was gone. Along with Aldrich, Cook, and Hayward (Lazar), Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, a few first round draft picks, and a second rounder. No one knew what was next for the cinderella team from America's Heartland. 

Neither did anyone know how little it would actually affect them in the regular season. 

So far, the Thunder are showing little to no negative effect from the Harden trade. Oklahoma City's offensive has been as potent as ever, ranking in the top five of most, if not all, of the monikers of offensive efficiency. Field goal percentage, three point percentage, and free throw percentage are all up from last season. The Thunder are shooting, assisting,  and rebounding better than ever. Kevin Martin has effectively filled in most if not all of the holes that were left by James. Martin is just as, if not more, efficient as James Harden while spacing the court even more with his consistency from downtown. The question is, can Martin do what James wasn't able to do during the Finals, show up?

Prediction: 113-105 Thunder

Points of Interest 

• Kevin Martin. Every Thunder fan saw the effect of a game without Kevin Martin. Now that problem needs to be fixed just in the case that he is injured again, but having Martin back in the lineup is pivotal. In order to beat the Heat, OKC must be able to space the floor and use all of its offensive weapons, not just Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
• Assists, Assists, Assists. The Thunder have been setting a great precedent for future years as a team with a high assist rate. To spread the floor and take advantage of the full power of their offense, the Thunder must assist much like they have before. 
• Small Ball. In last year's Finals, the one weapon that worked for the Thunder all season was used against them. Miami infused a group of hot shooting guards into the lineup, torching OKC from the arch because of their inability to match the small ball that they installed. Oklahoma City must be able to defend against the small ball of Miami in order to win tonight. 

Thunder UP and Merry Christmas!

Pregame 26: All You Need Is a Silver Bullet

    vs.

When: Thursday, December 20 @ 6 PM CST

Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota - Target Center

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: TNT, No FSO Tonight ( Cox 31, HD 730; Tulsa Cox 29; DirectTV 245; UVerse 108)

Stream: Click Here 

Oklahoma City heads to the land of the Twin Cities, meeting Minnesota in the first match-up between the two this season. 

SFHM: Straight From the Horse's Mouth

Straight From the Horse's Mouth is a 3-part Q & A series with different Thunder journalists and their views on a couple of current Thunder topics. 

Part 2: Royce Young, Editor and Operator for Dailythunder.com, ESPN TrueHoop network affiliate


Q: What do you believe is the Thunder's greatest strength?

A. Kevin Durant. Next question. But seriously, it's just the overwhelming talent the team has. Even on nights where the defense lacks and the offense is out of sync, there's so much raw ability on the team that they can stay close. These guys are ultra competitive and absolutely HATE losing. They work their tails off and are obsessive about getting better. Put all that together and you've got one heck of a team.

Q: What, in your opinion, does the Thunder need to do to win a title?

A. There are a whole lot of things you can fill this answer with, but in general terms, I'd say it's simple: Play to their potential. I think top to bottom, the Thunder have the best roster in the league. The pieces fit, the team makes sense. I think the Thunder were better than the Heat last season, but the Heat played better four of the five games. They got production from unlikely places while the Thunder didn't get anything from players they were counting on. If OKC can learn from those mistakes and just be themselves in the postseason, I think they have what it takes

Q: Do you believe the Thunder will win a title with the current lineup? Including coaches?

A. If you're asking if they NEED to make a trade to have a chance, I say no. I think the current construction is plenty good. And I know a lot of people question Scott Brooks, but he's not at all the reason the Thunder fell short last season. And to consider making some kind of move when the team has come so far with him in charge would be completely against the team's culture and philosophy. And I think it would send a really negative message to the player. 

But this group is built to compete for a trophy this season. Kevin Martin has fit better than I anticipated, Westbrook and Durant are better than ever, and Serge Ibaka is developing into a legit weapon.

Q: What ceiling do you see for Kevin Durant? Multiple MVPs and Championships? 30,000+ points? Hall of Fame? One of the best players of all time?

A. I honestly don't know if he has a ceiling yet. With how hard he works and the things he's gotten better at just over this past summer, I get chills when I think of what his game will look like at age 28. Winning MVPs and championships is hard though. It takes a whole lot to go right for it to happen. I think Durant should probably put one or two of each away at some point, but projecting that either will happen feels a little crazy. In the grand scheme, it seems like a lock, but actually picturing it is a little surreal. 

But just based on seeing and knowing KD, he's only going to get better. He's going to push himself to the limit of his ability. And when it's all said and done, I think he'll have the kind of resume that has us asking where his place belongs alongside Bird, Magic, Kobe and LeBron.

Next Up: Berry Tramel from the Daily Oklahoman. Make sure to check in frequently to catch the 3rd and final part of the Q & A series, Straight From the Horses Mouth.

Postgame 25: 12 of One, A Dozen of the Other

Thunder Win! 100-92

Leaders of the Night

OKC- Kevin Durant (41 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Blk)

Atlanta- Jeff Teague (19 Pts, 1 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Blk)

Box Score

Now that was a win.

Oklahoma City was obviously looking for revenge tonight against the Hawks. From beginning to end, save a scoreless stretch in the 3rd quarter where the Thunder couldn't buy a basket, OKC took it to the Hawks with force. 

Offensively, this wasn't much of a team game tonight. No other players other than Russell and Kevin got above double digits in scoring, but when you have the Durantula on your team, who needs scoring from role players. Durant exploded in the second half, showing exactly how Not Nice he really is. He would go on to score 40+ for the first time this season, lighting up Atlanta like a Christmas tree; just in time for the holiday season. KD would end up with 41 points and 13 rebounds at the end of the night. 

Regardless of a shooting slump in the second half, Russell started off with a BOOM, scoring with a fury and doing things such as this. He would end up with a double-double, scoring 27 points and registering 11 assists. Wolverine played with great control tonight, only having 3 turnovers and keeping the out of rhythm, off balance shots out of his game and taking nearly all good looks at the basket. 

Coming off his big game two nights before, Air Congo struggled to score much of anything tonight, going from a season high of 25 to shooting 2-9 and scoring only 4 points. Ibaka would be a terror on the boards, however, grabbing 14 of the Thunder's 52 rebounds. 

The real surprise tonight, even after Kevin Durant's 41 point game, was Scott Brooks wholesale roster change near the end of the 1st quarter. Along with normal bench players such as Thabeet, Maynor, and Martin, Brooks threw a curveball and played Jeremy Lamb for his most meaningful minutes this year. Lamb would go on to score 5 points with a sweet 3-pointer, showing either his trade worth or his worth in the rotation for Brooks. Nonetheless, the Thunder took the lead during that time and never relinquished it from there on. 

Pregame 25: Thunder Vs. Hawks

                         vs.

When: Wednesday, December 19 @ 6:30 PM CT

Where: Oklahoma City- Chesapeake Arena

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: Fox Sports Southwest (Cox 37, HD 722; Tulsa Cox 27; DirectTV 679; UVerse 754)

Stream: Click Here

OKC heads out to Atlanta tonight to face the Hawks for the second time this season. Last meeting between these two teams ended up in a 104-95 loss for the Thunder. 

Atlanta has played fairly well in the wake of losing one of the best players last year to trade, Joe Johnson. Johnson, having been traded to the Nets, had been an integral part of the offense for the Hawks but had become too much of a financial burden with his high priced contract. Atlanta traded Johnson for Jordan Farmar, several non-essential role players, and a first-round protected pick in 2013. Atlanta has gone on to put up a 15-7 record, mostly against lower-tier Eastern Conference teams, with one marque against the Memphis Grizzlies, 93-83. Players such as Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague bear the scoring weight for the team, with several quality bench players like Zaza Pachulia and especially Louis Williams, the primary sixth man for the Hawks. 

Oklahoma City comes into Atlanta riding a league-best 11 wins in a row, mostly at home, including a 14-point win in a rematch of the Western Conference Finals from a season ago against the Spurs. The Thunder have been playing at a feverish pace as of late, beating many of the teams during the streak by double-digits and destroying Charlotte by a franchise-best 45 points. Kevin Durant and Co. have done quite the job lately passing the ball around with Russell Westbrook leading the charge, assisting and leading the Thunder with 8+ assists a game. 

In the last match-up between these two teams, two factors were key, Turnovers and Play in the 4th quarter. OKC turned the ball over 21 times which resulted in 31 points for Atlanta. Surging in the 4th quarter, compounded with non-existent defense from the Thunder, Atlanta closed the game out and registered the W in the Chesapeake Arena. However, after only 20 games,  Oklahoma City is worlds apart from the team they were at the beginning of the season. 3 games into the season, OKC had traded the reigning sixth man of the year 3 days before the first game. Kevin Martin was just integrating himself into the offense and the team was just learning to deal the lost of such an important player in their lineup. Now 24 games into the season, Martin has integrated himself into the offense fairly well, and the Thunder has found a rhythm on both sides of the ball. It will be extremely interesting to see how the Thunder fair in the second instance of the match-up. 

Points of Interest 

• Martin: Martin had his coming out game early in the season, scoring 28 points against the Hawks in the first match-up. It will be interesting to see how he plays against Atlanta tonight and whether or not he can repeat his performance. 
• Assists: The Thunder assisted very well in the first game, registering 27 assists despite the loss. With the rhythm and increased play from the team, assisting as such should result in another win for the Thunder. 
• Russell: Westbrook shot 5-18 in the last match-up against the Hawks, so increased offensive output from Russell should surely change the result the second time around. 

Go Thunder!

Postgame 24: 11 Games and Counting

Thunder Wins! 107-88

Leaders of the Night

OKC- Serge Ibaka (25 Pts, 17 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Blk)

San Antonio- Nando de Colo (14 Pts, 2 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl)

Box Score

(Credit: NBA.com)

Gotta love a beat-down. Especially when its the Spurs. 

Coming into the game tonight, the Thunder were walking tall, kicking ass and taking names. There defense wavered slightly against sub-par teams, but it was never anything to worry about. Riding a 10-game win streak, OKC definitely started the game with a little bit of a swagger and ready to run over the Spurs. San Antonio came into the game, having gone 1-2 in the last two games and losing to the likes of Portland and Utah. Knowing the Spurs tendency to have a bounce back game and leave it till late in order to break the hearts of the opponents, no one would have been surprised if they just came out and took it to the Thunder because, unfortunately, it's happened before. Wow, was I surprised.

Air Congo took off for flight tonight, and there was no turbulence. Serge Ibaka was hot-lava smoking from the get-go, looking much like how he had in his game last year when he went a perfect 11-11 from the field against, you guessed it, San Antonio in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. He ended up shooting 8-8 from the field until a throw up ball before the halftime buzzer hit rim and bounced out. 

Serge wasn't the only man getting in on the fun tonight against the Spurs. Kevin Martin was his usual super-efficient self, scoring from the arch, taking it to the hole, and stoppin' and poppin'. He would end up 7-10 for 20 points with 3 from the arch. 

OKC pounded the glass tonight like Amar'e, completely destroying the Spurs on the defensive and , most surprisingly, offensive boards. Serge lead the team with 17 and Nick Collison, having one of his best years of his career, registered 10. 

The Spurs finally bent to Oklahoma City's will in the 4th, keeping many of the starters out and resting for the next game against Denver. Gregg Popovich is a coach who, if he knows that he will lose, will rest his starters because there is not much of the point. 

The Thunder, having completed their home-stand with no losses and riding an 11-game winning streak, head to Atlanta. OKC has a touch stretch ahead, only playing 6 home games between the next game and the same day in February. If they can run the table against Atlanta, Minnesota, and Miami on Christmas Day, Oklahoma City will be a force to recon with and have the number 1 seed fully in there hands going into 2013. That's all depending on if we don't die on Friday. Just kidding!

Pregame 24: Thunder Vs. Spurs

vs.

When: Monday, December 17 @ 7 PM CT

Where: Oklahoma City- Chesapeake Arena

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)

Stream: Click Here

I apologize to my faithful readers recently for missing the pre and post game on Friday. Because of the extenuating circumstances that we all know about, I decided not to write on that day. That is my personal choice and I apologize if I lost any of you readers because of it. However, on a lighter note, Here is your pregame! 

The Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs tonight in a battle for not just the Best of the West, but for the title of Best in the League at this current time. OKC has been riding a 10 game win streak that is the best in the league and the best winning streak in the Post-Sonics Era franchise. San Antonio themselves are limping into this game, having lost 2 of the last three games and having lost the hold on the top spot in the west. This is the second match-up between the two teams, with the first match up resulting in a Spurs win on the opening night for the Thunder, 86-84 on a Tony Parker buzzer-beater.

Oklahoma City seems to be clicking on all cylinders at the moment, bringing almost all parts of their game into a fine rhythm. The Thunder defense has been lax as of late but with offensive fire power like Kevin Durant, explosiveness such as Russell Westbrook, and the super-efficiency of Kevin Martin, a defensive slump can be easily overcome. Much of the product of the run-and-gun offense of OKC is players focused slightly more on the breakout then solid defense, which can lead to lapses in the defenses that are easily overcome.

The rivalry between these two teams has become a classic as of late, with all the parallels in the organization of the teams, the connections of the front offices, and the similarities of their lineups. Although there are very big differences in the way the teams play the game, with the Spurs playing a traditional, John Stockton-like, assist-heavy offense and the Thunder playing a fast-pace, fast break-heavy offense, all these differences accomplish are games that nearly always become instant classics. One teams weakness is another's strength, and all down the stat sheet, the advantage goes back and forth until it is nearly even and only factors outside of statistics determine the outcome of the game, whether it be clutch, luck, or the whim of Gregg Popovich. 

But enough words, lets get to the numbers!

“Far away, through the gash that led the way into the mountains, he heard the thick mouth of the perpetual thunder.”~ Stephen King (The Gunslinger)

Postgame 22: Close, But Not Close Enough

Thunder Wins! 92-88

Leaders of the Night

OKC- Kevin Durant (35 Pts, 9 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl)

NO- Ryan Anderson (14 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk)

Stats Here

Wow, gotta say that one had me a little puckered up at the end. Anyone else?

With a man I have seen as very stubborn in his rotations, Scott Brooks saved the game tonight. By placing sophomore Reggie Jackson into the Thunder lineup for the fourth quarter, the OKC head coach lit a fire that had been flickering on and off all night. Reggie infused energy into the boys and gave the team life when no one else was providing it.

Once the roll started, it never really stopped. Everyone from Kevin Martin, to Kevin Durant, to even Russell Westbrook started to feel the rhythm and miss barely anything.

The Hornets didn't go quietly into the night, however. Players such as Brian Roberts and Greivis Vasquez made big threes late, pushing the Thunder to the brink and testing the mettle. Thankfully OKC is as hard as iron and as cold as steel. KD showed his All-Star talent and put it away when no one thought it would be done.

The Hornets were close to ripping the rug right out from under OKC's feet tonight, playing hard from the opening tip. Players like Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts, and Ryan Anderson all stepped up their scoring early for New Orleans. outscoring Oklahoma City in both of the opening quarters. KD and the boys would wake up eventually though, going to outscore the Hornets in the next two quarters and securing the win tonight. This takes the Thunder to a 9-game winning streak, equaling their best streak ever from 2010. They go on to play the Kings and then their southern rival, the San Antonio Spurs.

Pregame 22: Third Time's The Charm?

Vs. 

When: Wednesday, December 12 @ 7 PM CT

Where: Oklahoma City- Chesapeake Arena

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal  (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)

Stream: Here

Tonight, the Thunder play New Orleans for the 3rd time this year. Anthony "The Brow" Davis is finally back in the lineup. Is tonight the night? Well, Probably not.

The Hornets enter tonight on a 4 game skid, playing the likes of playoff contenders such as Memphis and Miami, and then dropping a game to the league-worst Wizards, 77-70. The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Hornets tonight.

Oklahoma City comes into tonight on their second-best streak of their young history, the best being 9 games back in 2010. The Thunder have scored 100+ points in 12 straight games, going 11-1 with a lone loss to the Celtics. Kevin Durant is scoring at a clip harkening back to a few years ago when he averaged 30.1 ppg. Russell is more under control than ever, keeping turnovers down and being an absolute monster on defense, especially when he does this. Kevin Martin is scoring again, getting more looks and taking advantage of them. Serge Ibaka is protecting the paint much like last year, and shooting the mid-range better than almost anyone in the NBA. This loss will sting if the Thunder drop this one.

OKC has been known in the past to lay up a stinker game against a chump opponent while working on a long winning streak. This game could very well be considered a trap game, especially with the Thunder facing Anthony Davis for the second time this year. Davis could very well have a breakout game for the Hornets tonight, just destroying the paint against Oklahoma City. Greivis Vasquez could release his "inner Rondo" and make Russell look silly. Ryan Anderson could stroke it better than anyone in the house tonight. Can all this happen in one night? No.

The Thunder seem to have a focus that no one has been able to waver as of yet. Even going into overtime, Kevin Durant and Co. seem to be unaffected and making it look easy. So OKC will come out of tonight unscathed, equaling their longest streak ever heading into a game against another sub-.500 team in the Kings and then to the game everyone wants to see, the San Antonio Spurs. Gotta win tonight though, one game at a time. Thunder UP!

Prediction: 113-90. The only reason the Hornets get this many points is because the Thunder rest their whole starting 5 for the 4th quarter.

Now onto the Stats

"Loud roared the dreadful thunder, The rain a deluge showers."~ Andrew Cherry

Melo Yellow: Melo's turn at winning a 'ship?

         Carmelo Anthony is easily one of the best players in the NBA every year. Usually Melo is always on the cusp of MVP contention, lacking the supporting cast and the team record to be considered for the MVP award.

         However, the New York Knicks are very good this year. The Knicks have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 15-5. Melo has a supporting cast that is winning games and stroking threes like nobody's business, with the likes of Tyson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd, and Steve "Novakane" Novak (Arguably one of the best active 3-point shooters in the NBA). When the Knicks get Amar'e Stoudemire and sophmore Iman Shumpert back from injury, the Knicks stand to get even better then they are right now.      

        New York has soundly beat the defending NBA champions twice, by an average of 20 points a game. So with all of these factors present the question, Is this the year for Carmelo? Is this the year for the Knicks? Can they both win 16 playoff games and hoist the Larry O'Brien in June? Only time can tell. 

         The last couple of years have held quite a bit in store for one of the NBA's most famous franchises, the Knicks. Especially last year, the New York Knicks went through a great deal of changes and extremes, embodied wholeheartedly by last year's world-wide phenomenon "Lin-sanity". With the infusion of a sophomore point guard who had rode the D-league and the bench for most of his rookie season, The Knicks  rocketed (ha, irony) into the spotlight, winning 7 straight games and ridding the wave of ridiculousness that was Jeremy Lin. 

        The Knicks would then add Melo back into the starting 5 and would proceed to lose 7 of the next 8 games, and led to the eventual resignation of head coach Mike D'Antoni. New York would then to go on to bounce back with interim coach Mike Woodson, going 18-6. 

        Clinching a second-straight playoff spot, the Knicks would draw the short straw and face the eventual NBA Champion Heat. The Knicks would win one playoff game, breaking a streak of 13-playoff losses, but would eventually lose in a gentleman's sweep to the Heat, 4-1. Players such as Jeremy Lin, Shumpert, and Baron Davis were all out due to knee injuries during the series.  

        Even though the Knicks lost players such as Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields to free-agency during the summer, New York came back with a punch going 6-0 in their first 6 games this season, having the best start  since 1993. The Knicks have since gone on to win 9 more times with 5 losses. Their 15-5 record  is the most wins in the Eastern Conference and is tied for the least losses in the Eastern Conference. So Carmelo Anthony finally has the supporting cast and will most likely have a great team record come playoff time. 

The question still remains: Is this Melo's year to win?

Carmelo Anthony entered the league in 2003 with the Denver Nuggets, where he became known for being a player who could light up the score board, becoming the second-youngest player to score 40 points in a game. The Nuggets, led by Anthony, would become a perennial playoff contender, making the playoffs every year that Anthony was there. They would break their streak of first-round exits in the 08-09 season when they went all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Denver would eventually lose 4-2 to the Lakers. Two years later, Carmelo would be traded to the Knicks. Carmelo and the Knicks playoff woes would continue in the 10-11 season, losing to the Celtics in 4 games, and in the 2011-2012 season, losing to the Heat in 5 games. 

Carmelo has received his share of accolades over the years, being selected to the All-Rookie first team, making 5 All-Star appearances, and winning 2 Olympic gold medals. 

The only thing missing? The title of NBA champion. The accolade stating that for that year, you and your team and no one else, were the best in the world. With Lebron James securing his first title, Carmelo is the only player left at his age and talent level that hasn't won a championship. 

The pressure will either get to him, much as the pressure got to Lebron against the Mavs two years ago, or Carmelo will rise to the occasion and secure himself the one accolade that puts him in a whole 'nother ball park of great players. 

Will this be the year?