Should be a hell of a series...

[KD4MVP]

My first post here, my thoughts on the upcoming series.

- Westbrook vs Parker, this matchup should be a huge part of who wins this series. Parker ate OKC's lunch the last 2 games, but Thabo didn't play. Parker is tough to guard, hopefully Westbrook can make it tough on him.

- Thabo vs Green, kinda similar players, but Green is better offensively.

- Durant vs Leonard, from what i've seen Leonard is a pretty good defender. KD has faced Marion and Artest, two of the better ones. KD is gonna need some monster games for OKC to win this series.

- Ibaka vs Diaw, Diaw can stretch the floor and bring Ibaka away from the rim and hurts his shot-blocking.

- Perk vs Duncan, Perk did a very solid job on Bynum who is a handful, but Duncan looks like he found some youth, looks 27 again.

- Manu vs Harden, some say Harden is Manu 2.0, looking forward to seeing those two go at it this series.

- Spurs probably have the advantage the rest of the bench. I hope to god Brooks doesn't use the whole bench vs SA or it's gonna be a blowout. Two of RW, KD, Harden need to be on the floor at all times or can't sit for too long.

- Pop has a big advantage over Brooks.

I think Spurs win in 6 or 7, we needed HCA imo to win this series, so even if we do steal a game at SA, they are more then capable of doing the same. So they'd need to win 2 games at SA, tough task.

Best of luck.

GO THUNDER!!

[tesseractive]

:tu

[stxspurs]

welcome....i concur its gonna be damn good series

[DespЏrado]

The thunder have a hell of a team, I sure as hell hope they aren't up to beating the spurs just yet. They will someday, just hoping we can ride on experience and player conditioning at least one more year.

[ThunderObsessed's]

My first post here, my thoughts on the upcoming series.

- Westbrook vs Parker, this matchup should be a huge part of who wins this series. Parker ate OKC's lunch the last 2 games, but Thabo didn't play. Parker is tough to guard, hopefully Westbrook can make it tough on him.

- Thabo vs Green, kinda similar players, but Green is better offensively.

- Durant vs Leonard, from what i've seen Leonard is a pretty good defender. KD has faced Marion and Artest, two of the better ones. KD is gonna need some monster games for OKC to win this series.

- Ibaka vs Diaw, Diaw can stretch the floor and bring Ibaka away from the rim and hurts his shot-blocking.

- Perk vs Duncan, Perk did a very solid job on Bynum who is a handful, but Duncan looks like he found some youth, looks 27 again.

- Manu vs Harden, some say Harden is Manu 2.0, looking forward to seeing those two go at it this series.

- Spurs probably have the advantage the rest of the bench. I hope to god Brooks doesn't use the whole bench vs SA or it's gonna be a blowout. Two of RW, KD, Harden need to be on the floor at all times or can't sit for too long.

- Pop has a big advantage over Brooks.

I think Spurs win in 6 or 7, we needed HCA imo to win this series, so even if we do steal a game at SA, they are more then capable of doing the same. So they'd need to win 2 games at SA, tough task.

Best of luck.

GO THUNDER!!

Good post! Thunder's only shot is to win one of the first two games in San Antonio and win our home games because we aren't beating the Spurs four straight or winning a game seven in San Antonio.

[KD4MVP]

The thunder have a hell of a team, I sure as hell hope they aren't up to beating the spurs just yet. They will someday, just hoping we can ride on experience and player conditioning at least one more year.

It would certainly be one hell of a ride to the Finals, if they beat the Spurs, going through Dallas, LAL, and the Spurs to get there.

I'd have no ill towards the Spurs if they won, got a hell of a team. I think whoever wins this series wins the title.

[KD4MVP]

Good write up. Anyone who says Harden is Manu 2.0, needs to quit doing crack. Harden is going to be a great player, no doubt. But most people are overrating Harden a bit, and it's becoming so fucking annoying

LOL, he reminds a lot of players of Manu with his play-making ability. I think if he's the #1/2 option on a team he would average 20/5/5. He's a little overrated by some, but i love his game.

Jeff-Van Gundy has a man-crush on the guy.

[jestersmash]

If Thunder beat the Spurs, they will have beaten 3 of the past 4 champions on their way to the Finals (1. Dallas '11, 2. Lakers '10, '09, 3. Celtics '08, 4. Spurs '07)

[KD4MVP]

Good post! Thunder's only shot is to win one of the first two games in San Antonio and win our home games because we aren't beating the Spurs four straight or winning a game seven in San Antonio.

I was gonna write that in too.

We MUST win one of the first 2 to win the series b/c it would be hard to hell to beat them 4/5 if we go down 0-2, the odds are against us if that happens.

As for a Game 7, i'd rather lose in 5 then lose in a Game 7, that would be a kick in the family jewels. Work so hard the whole series, then lose in a Game 7, heart-breaking.

I hope like heck Brooks doesn't use Fish, Harden, Cook, Collison, Nazr for stretches, makes no sense. Or to use Fisher for extended periods, i'd use Cook/Thabo when we go with KD at the 4 to spread the court.

For whatever reason, Brooks loves to use Fisher when he's useless except for a few open 3's, and other things.

[jestersmash]

Plenty of Spurs fans agree with the Manu-Harden comparison.

Randy Watson is what we call a "GNSF" around these parts. Grey name. Low post count. Butthurt takes when people aren't slobbering over one of his favorite (I presume) players (Manu).

I wouldn't pay much attention to him.

[ThunderObsessed's]

Good write up. Anyone who says Harden is Manu 2.0, needs to quit doing crack. Harden is going to be a great player, no doubt. But most people are overrating Harden a bit, and it's becoming so fucking annoying

Harden is 22 and still learning. At his current pace, He can be every bit as good as Ginobili by the time he reaches his 30's. Keep in mind, Ginobili wasn't Ginobili when he stepped foot on an NBA court when he was 27 (?) The comparison comes from the roles they play on their respective team, not to insinuate one's equal or better than the other.

[-21-]

Welcome!

I agree, this is gonna be great series. BTW, you OKC fans are really nice.

[Blake]

Nah.

Spurs in 5.

[siraulo23]

If Thunder beat the Spurs, they will have beaten 3 of the past 4 champions on their way to the Finals (1. Dallas '11, 2. Lakers '10, '09, 3. Celtics '08, 4. Spurs '07)

spurs dallas lakers have represented the west in the finals for a while now,

well thunder have beaten the lakers, mavs, lets hope they need another year or so to get to the nba finals :lol

[KD4MVP]

Nah.

Spurs in 5.

If they win the first 2 games, most likely.

If not, then, OKC in 6, or Spurs in 7.

[Obstructed_View]

Anyone who says Harden is Manu 2.0, needs to quit doing crack. Harden is going to be a great player, no doubt. But most people are overrating Harden a bit, and it's becoming so fucking annoying

The best comparison you can make for Harden is Manu, and Harden is right on track with where Manu was in year 3, stat wise. Despite the statistical advantage this year, I give Manu an edge over him on potential and intangibles, but Harden's probably just as likely to blow up as Manu is at this point.

[FromWayDowntown]

If I were an OKC fan, I'd be praying that Fisher's deal with the Devil, which allows him to be one of the foremost Spurs killers in big moments, hasn't run out.

Oh, and with a two point lead and less than 10 seconds to go, if Joey Crawford is on the floor, I'd just tell Fisher to run to whoever has the ball and tackle the guy. It's a pretty safe bet there won't be a call.

[FromWayDowntown]

Keep in mind, Ginobili wasn't Ginobili when he stepped foot on an NBA court when he was 27 (?)

I'm not sure about the notion that Ginobili wasn't Ginobili in 2003. He wasn't the scorer that he ultimately became, but he was closing big games for a strong Spurs team as a rookie and making the sorts of plays that have defined him throughout his career.

[Poolboy5623]

You can compare 2 players(manu & harden) and be referring to style of play over accomplishments...obviously manu has accomplished more, he's 69 years old! There style is similar for sure but manu is a far better passer..with that said Spurs in 5.. maybe 6

[Poolboy5623]

...yeah I'd say manu is better defensively also...OK, maybe its not the best comparison but they are both left handed.

[diego]

The best comparison you can make for Harden is Manu, and Harden is right on track with where Manu was in year 3, stat wise. Despite the statistical advantage this year, I give Manu an edge over him on potential and intangibles, but Harden's probably just as likely to blow up as Manu is at this point.

for me the harden comparison only works because of the driving ability / 3pt shooting, and obviously that they're lefties. I just havent seen harden make passes like manu does, or making huge defensive plays like manu does.

or did? this series, if manu doesnt wake up harden will out play him. at this point harden is definitely a better scorer, because he can drive like manu did when he was younger and so he gets to the line like manu did when he was younger. manu will have to outplay him with good playmaking and intangibles. harden can accomplish more than manu in his career if he can stay healthy unlike manu, but still in terms of style of play i'm not sure he's the best comparison.

[ThunderObsessed's]

I'm not sure about the notion that Ginobili wasn't Ginobili in 2003. He wasn't the scorer that he ultimately became, but he was closing big games for a strong Spurs team as a rookie and making the sorts of plays that have defined him throughout his career.

I was talking about the player Ginobili would become. He didn't step into the league and dominate. Of course, he was still a good player, but not the closer like he is now. He was probably the fourth option behind Duncan, Parker and Jackson. And wasn't he benched several times for getting too cute with the basketball? Ginobili's heart, determination and fearlessness have never been in question. He's still one of the greatest 6th men in league history.

[phyzik]

There's a reason the Thunder is such a good team... They moddled themselves after the Spurs almost to perfection... except they dont have the bench the Spurs got right now. Having Sam Presti doesnt hurt either, the guys a genius as a scout.

KD will probably figure out Leonard after a game or two... he is too good to be shut down by a rookie, regardless of how Kahwi is playing. I think KD will see alot of different bodies on him in this series to try and trip him up a bit.

Harden definately reminds me of Ginobili.... I actually think, unless Manu finds another gear, Harden will out-work Manu this series. Manu just hasnt been "Manu" since the playoffs started. Hopefully this is the series he breaks out of his slump. He's shown flashes here and there but just hasnt been able to sustain it.

I really dont see Brooks having an option in regards to playing some of his bench.... The spurs ball movement will have OKC working extremely hard, he's gonna have to spell some guys at some point and thats when the Spurs will take over IMHO. Spurs bench is gonna win this one in the long haul.

[KD4MVP]

There's a reason the Thunder is such a good team... They moddled themselves after the Spurs almost to perfection... except they dont have the bench the Spurs got right now. Having Sam Presti doesnt hurt either, the guys a genius as a scout.

KD will probably figure out Leonard after a game or two... he is too good to be shut down by a rookie, regardless of how Kahwi is playing. I think KD will see alot of different bodies on him in this series to try and trip him up a bit.

Harden definately reminds me of Ginobili.... I actually think, unless Manu finds another gear, Harden will out-work Manu this series. Manu just hasnt been "Manu" since the playoffs started. Hopefully this is the series he breaks out of his slump. He's shown flashes here and there but just hasnt been able to sustain it.

I really dont see Brooks having an option in regards to playing some of his bench.... The spurs ball movement will have OKC working extremely hard, he's gonna have to spell some guys at some point and thats when the Spurs will take over IMHO. Spurs bench is gonna win this one in the long haul.

Well said, i agree on the last part.

We're gonna need our role players to have a big series, namely Ibaka, Sefolosha, Cook, Fish, Collison, etc at least scoring wise. Spurs bench is a legit 10-11 deep, it's scary.

[PublicOption]

My first post here, my thoughts on the upcoming series.

- Westbrook vs Parker, this matchup should be a huge part of who wins this series. Parker ate OKC's lunch the last 2 games, but Thabo didn't play. Parker is tough to guard, hopefully Westbrook can make it tough on him.

- Thabo vs Green, kinda similar players, but Green is better offensively.

- Durant vs Leonard, from what i've seen Leonard is a pretty good defender. KD has faced Marion and Artest, two of the better ones. KD is gonna need some monster games for OKC to win this series.

- Ibaka vs Diaw, Diaw can stretch the floor and bring Ibaka away from the rim and hurts his shot-blocking.

- Perk vs Duncan, Perk did a very solid job on Bynum who is a handful, but Duncan looks like he found some youth, looks 27 again.

- Manu vs Harden, some say Harden is Manu 2.0, looking forward to seeing those two go at it this series.

- Spurs probably have the advantage the rest of the bench. I hope to god Brooks doesn't use the whole bench vs SA or it's gonna be a blowout. Two of RW, KD, Harden need to be on the floor at all times or can't sit for too long.

- Pop has a big advantage over Brooks.

I think Spurs win in 6 or 7, we needed HCA imo to win this series, so even if we do steal a game at SA, they are more then capable of doing the same. So they'd need to win 2 games at SA, tough task.

Best of luck.

GO THUNDER!!



I have always had respect for the Seattle Supersonics.

[Brutalis]

Westbrook and Parker cancel each other out. And when you compare the rest of the field I feel really damn confident. A lot more so than I would be vs the Lakers.

[KD4MVP]

Westbrook and Parker cancel each other out. And when you compare the rest of the field I feel really damn confident. A lot more so than I would be vs the Lakers.

I think matchup wise, the Lakers were the toughest for LA b/c of their size inside, now they are gone.

That's probably the one flaw SA has that could be exposed, everyone else in the playoffs doesn't really have a great inside game.

Agree that TP/RW cancel each other out pretty much.

[therealtruth]

I think matchup wise, the Lakers were the toughest for LA b/c of their size inside, now they are gone.

That's probably the one flaw SA has that could be exposed, everyone else in the playoffs doesn't really have a great inside game.

Agree that TP/RW cancel each other out pretty much.

The Spurs matched up just fine with the Lakers due to Splitter and Diaw.

[Sean Cagney]

The Spurs matched up just fine with the Lakers due to Splitter and Diaw.

...............

[spursmike.]

Spurs in 4