Thunder-centric article here, but good read and lots of Spurs tidbits.
Read more: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-...er-last-seasonEvery once in a while, a team comes around that challenges for the le and accomplishes more by not winning it -- something people talk and argue about can have more of a lasting effect than actually accomplishing your goal.
For instance, what would you say about the Spurs? They're great? We've kind of covered that, right? Is there any new marrow to suck from the bones of their consistent, unending, and unfathomably admirable success?
No one's arguing how to fix the Kings. They'll mock the Kings. But no one's talking about how to fix them. Well, we will, but that's not until their offseason report later this month.
But one team people love to argue about, a team that drives the conversation of sports and about whom everyone has an opinion?
The Oklahoma City Thunder.
Uninspired coaching? Ball-dominance by two of its players? Over-reliance on key veterans (who are no longer there) instead of developing young talent? Massive logging of minutes on its stars throughout the season? A chintzy ownership that forced their third star to be traded for dimes on the dollar?
This about sums it up.
Now Durant has abdicated his Team USA responsibilities.
Go figure!
Can you spell "P a u l G e o r g e"?
that's not what the article is saying tho backed up with some legit points
Far more concise than the article but equally impressive analysis, imo.
Spurs
That article brings nothing tbh. They do miss harden. Brooks isn't a good coach just because the team had a good record. Of course the 2nd best team in the league will also be good near the end of games within 2 points...
The thing for the Spurs to worry about is whether the Thunder will unite after last season like the Spurs did after the Miami loss and come back with renewed dedication. The psychology of winning is as important as BB talent.
If they get their minds right they only need a few squad tweaks, a healthy team in the playoffs, and some luck to be right there next June.
Well damn, what are the excuses for the rest of the league outside of San Antonio and Miami? For every problem with the Thunder, you can find two for any team in the league other than the Spurs.
This is absurd. The Thunder were the 2nd best team in the NBA this season, and if Durant makes a wide-open 3 in game 6, the Thunder and Spurs play a game 7 that's up for grabs. And there's no doubt in my mind the Thunder would have gone on to beat the Heat in the Finals if they had managed to win a game 7.
The Thunder have a GREAT team. Westbrook and Durant are two of the league's top five players. Ibaka is a top 15 player, and the league's best defender. And the Thunder have great role players. There was and is NOTHING wrong with them. The Spurs were simply the better team, and it's an insult to suggest what the Thunder's problem was. I hate how people do this. Blame the loser instead of giving credit to the winner.
And by the way, Matt Moore is a moron. He hates the Spurs and constantly assigns blames to other team's flaws to justify why his predictions fell apart. He's a hack writer. Check how many misspelled words are in his articles. He's plain-out unprofessional.
I really don't see that happening. I think there is a big divide between the locker room and ownership. How can you bust your ass for a cheapskate organization? They traded away an all NBA guard for scraps and pieces. They intentionally drafted a second rounder at 29 so he would sign a d-league contract and not count on their cap. I think Durant is a goner, first chance he gets.
I'm not entirely sure that the Thunder would have won the le last year even if they'd beaten us. Playoffs are in a large part about matchups, and the Thunder don't match up well with the Heat (or the Cavs now, either). Lebron is a good enough athlete that he can disrupt almost any player's game. With the Thunder, disrupting Durant's game really is a huge hit to their offense. Meanwhile, the Thunder have no one who can check Lebron the way Green or Leonard can.
Bosh/Love are both decent enough outside shooters that they can draw Ibaka out of the paint the same way Bonner did for us. That basically leaves Westbrook to outscore Lebron (who has no lockdown defender on him) and Wade/Irving.
We didn't have those problems with a Lebron team in-part because even if he locks down Parker, our offense can run without much of a hitch. The Thunder are a bit more challenging for us because all their best players are great athletes with strong mid-range games (shots the Spurs are more willing to concede to most teams).
great point, i see what you're saying and it's certainly of concern. but i think the spurs situation was heightened by the fact they were literally 1 bounce away from winning the Finals, OKC was competing, but couldn't force a game 7, never really "had it in the bag" like the spurs did but it was pretty close, and it was only the WCF, not the NBA Finals
Still missing the personnel at OKC to get it done imho too. morrow, lamb, and pjIII are not all going to bust out imho. Adams may, however, but will that be enough? Spurs can go deep and OKC looked thin in the WCF last season even with ibaka back.
You apparently didn't read the entire article, which he spends debunking the typical "problems" that the Thunder had, and concludes that the Thunder are a good team that got beaten by a better team in the Spurs.
There was a comment I found interesting...
In '05 and '07, the Spurs offense was basically lots of 4-down to Tim with the occasional kick to the wings or the upper 3-point line. Now the offense is a maddening mix of screens and passes until someone gets open.For better or worse, the Thunder's wagon is hitched to the tandem of Durant and Westbrook. Both of those men have settled into their game. They won't make any drastic changes now. What Oklahoma City has from KD and Russell is what they'll have from them in two years, in five years, and even in ten, should they play that long.
In other words...Tim/Tony/Many didn't just "settle into their game". They did what was required to evolve and win again.
Meanwhile, OKC seems to be stuck in the iso-ball mentality.
And people blame Scott Brooks for letting those two play their game. If I was the Thunder coach, I'd allow those two to do their thing and dominate too. Ridiculous.
Eh, Im not seeing it. Dont want to underestimate them but its how I feel. Have they made any off season moves?
Honestly, I think the Heat would have smoked OKC in the Finals. James can beat the Thunder by himself, and Bosh would have had a much easier match-up. The Heat were also a lot smarter of a team than OKC.
The Spurs were the better team. They are the most talented team in the league. But the Thunder really did have huge issues that will hurt them going forward. And it's not like they really got better. They're relying on their young players developing, but that hasn't happened to the extent they were hoping for. Their Big Three and Adams have gotten better, but a lot of guys like Lamb, PJIII and even Jackson are the same players they were the year before. They're not going to be the youngest and most athletic team for much longer.
They lost their best perimeter defender. They drafted a second rounder at 29 in order to not have to pay him.
People here seem to forget that OKC was one Serge Ibaka injury away from potentially winning that series against us. I wouldn't be surprised if revenge fuels them to new heights next season, the way Game 6 did for us this season.
Could have, should have, would have won't win you in the NBA. The Thunder will only go as far as Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka can take them, unless someone of the group of Jackson, Lamb or Adams becomes a star and dependable 3rd scoring option. The fact that Ibaka has settled into being a "stretch 4" when his physical gifts suggest he's more than that is what is holding them back the most, IMO. He needs to become a near 20-10 guy and develop one or two reliable moves in the post. He's still way too reliant on Westbrook, and to a lesser extent Durant, to help create his offense.
I doubt it. I think the Heat match up too well with OKC. LeBron locks down Durant, and if WB starts to go off they switch. Miami had a lot of physical bodies to throw at either player, their entire defensive scheme is perfectly suited to stopping one or two scoring threats. The Spurs beat the Heat because they put 5 guys on the floor who could hurt them and Miami couldn't play it's cheat (like a football cheat) defense to slow down penetration.
It's the old system vs. the new, which Midnight Pulp and I have been touching on. Old system - superstar ISO ball. The Heat are built to smash it. New system - Constant movement and dual purpose screens with excellent ball handlers and fast players who can shoot from everywhere on the court and still get back to play D. Kawhi is the perfect blueprint for that system (LeBron is the elite prototype), and it's going to change the way the NBA is played. This evolution of centers falling behind because they are slow is no accident -- and it's going to continue as the pace of the game evolves.
Lol, even with Ibaka they only split 2-2 against us and that was with some suspect as officiating in games 3, 4, and 6, his health was irrelevant in our win over them. They couldnt do in our house, healthy or not we still wouldve been up 2-0.
Heat would have beaten the Thunder. Bad matchup for them.
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