Thoughts from a Thunder Fan Living in L.A.
by sammy on Apr 13, 2010 3:58 PM PDT
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Print[Bumped! Enjoy, and as always keep the conversation civil with fans of the other team. ~DF]
I have seen more than my share of both teams' play this season.
You guys should destroy us in this series. Should. Even if Bynum is out or ineffective, pounding it inside to Gasol and Odom should be enough to win the series for you. Thunder late game execution has been awful all year and I think it might actually have gotten worse recently because poor offensive schemes have been compounded by end-of-season fatigue. Besides Shawn Marion, Ron Artest plays Durant the fiercest in the league, and he really gets inside KD’s head.
Remember the 30ft airball in our first game against you with the clock winding down? That was a Jedi mind trick by Artest; Ron was playing five feet off of him and KD pussed out with a dagger attempt rather than accept the challenge presented. Scott Brooks has shown great talent as a motivator and teacher; he's accelerated the growth curve of our young roster far faster than could have been expected. While the praise is deserved, what’s often overlooked is that he’s pretty much a rookie coach himself and has shown very little in game planning for specific teams. He’s never had to face the challenge of adjusting over a playoff series. His offensive half-court sets and especially his crunch time plays out of timeouts show a frightening lack of originality (and effectiveness). There is absolutely no reason Los Angeles should lose more than one game in this series.
BUT here’s why the Thunder can maybe possibly pull off the upset or at least make this a hard fought 6-7 games:
- If the Lakers start playing sloppy for a stretch, and Kobe decides he's gonna takeover and carry the team by himself (ignoring your giant advantage in the paint), Thunder fans will rejoice. This is our dream scenario. Please, Kobe, use up as many possessions as you can going up against Thabo, and kindly ignore the Spaniard’s frantic calls for the ball.
- Russell Westbrook goes superhero on Derek Fisher. We all know he can, it’s a question of whether he will. He hasn’t been playing great lately, but there’s nothing like a little Fish D to revive a struggling point guard.
- The bench. There’s not a single bench player on your team (as long as we’re not counting Odom) that I would take over any of ours. Obviously, a healthy Bynum changes things, but if he’s no more effective than, say, DJ Mbenga, Thunder still offer way more depth than the Lakers can counter.
- Fresh legs vs apathy. The Thunder’s recent struggles have a lot to do with fatigue + their jam-packed competitive schedule. I can’t say the same for the Lakers. You guys just seem apathetic and disjointed. I can’t think of one put-it-all-together game in the last few weeks other than the Jazz win. Maybe you guys flip the switch for the playoffs. I’m hoping the switch is an illusion.
Alright guys. I’m looking to a fun series. BEAT L.A.!
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see ya in hell!!
lol jk :)
The only Dodgers AND Angels fan in SoCal.
looking forward to this series
good luck man
btw this picture sums up the Westbrook vs Fisher matchup very well:
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
by shaqfor3 on Apr 13, 2010 4:39 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Westbrook is the train, Fish is the window
Twitter feed: @dexterfishmore
by DexterFishmore on Apr 13, 2010 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Horrible analogy...
That window had much better lateral quickness than Fish.
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
by Rich Langford on Apr 13, 2010 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
yeah...
but that window doesnt have intangibles!!!
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
Great point--that was obviously charging!
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
by Rich Langford on Apr 13, 2010 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Heh, same line of thought
Kudos.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
you mean train of thought
If you have a debate with a scholar, you can win. If you have a debate with an ignorant person, you will most certainly lose.
Interchangeable phrases
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Of course it does
It took the charge head-on.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
rec'd lol
"i remember one time,we was playing basketball,and we was winning the game,it was so competitive,he broke a piece of lead from a table,and he threw it and it went right through his heart and he died right on the court" - Ron Artest on wonderful childhood memories.
lol
"I’m getting more expensive by the game" - Amare Stoudemire
by In Walks Rudy on Apr 16, 2010 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions
As a biter one time Sonic fan and life long Laker fan in Seattle...
I say destroy the Zombie Sonics. I can think of nothing more personally traumitizing in the world of basketball than for the team-that-shall-not-be-named to upset the Lakers here.
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
Oh man...and you still root for them?
Maybe the difference is I live here now and watching them leave sucked. I was at the last home game and many others that season. Watching them succeed just leaves me with an empty feeling. They left in such a bitter mess.
I grew up in LA and I didn’t have the same feelings when the Raiders moved back to Oakland, but that was certainly a different set of circumstances.
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
by Rich Langford on Apr 13, 2010 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions
I grew up going to Sonics games too... =(
I like the new thunder team, but hate their management for leaving seattle.
"The guy said NBA players are one in a million... I said, 'Man, look, I'm going to be that one in a million.'" - Kobe
"I used to steal a lot of Little Debbie cakes from the store. I got real good at it and used to steal about four a day. You have to move slow in the store, otherwise they know you're stealing. It prepared me for the league." - Ron Artest
.
I hatemanagement Schultz, Bennett, Stern, in that order.
I like Presti and the staff he’s assembled.
I would go Schultz, Schultz, Schultz, Stern, Seattle government, Bennett, Schultz
The worst part is I like the team they have assembled, too and that pisses me off.
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
by Rich Langford on Apr 13, 2010 9:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I 2nd the motion for destroy the Zombie Sonics
I thought Micheal Jordan was bad but then they took an entire team away from me. I hate them i hope they lose every game and i hope Durrant and Jeff green leave ASAP and i hope nothing but pain and depression towards there fans. nothing personal
hate hate hate hate hate hate
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
www.mybeatshop.com/czheckproductions
OKC can't keep Durant!
Let the rampant and irresponsible speculation begin: Durant will be the next great Laker.
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
by Rich Langford on Apr 13, 2010 4:56 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
As soon as Durrant is returned to me
i will have no beef, you hear that David Stern? Its either the Sonics or Kevin Durant!
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
www.mybeatshop.com/czheckproductions
i dont even like calling them zombie sonics
im just going to call them thunder because thats even more demeaning to them. let them live with the worst team name in history of sports. plus i think i would eventually be warned haha
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
www.mybeatshop.com/czheckproductions
Great point.
Thunder is stupid enough. I can’t wait ’til all the free agents leave and people stop going and the owners go broke and some one comes in to move them out of town and the headlines will say: Someone Stole Their Thunder.
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
by Rich Langford on Apr 13, 2010 9:26 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
anyone got a dollar??
i hear the ice cream man and i wanna get a Choco taco
The only Dodgers AND Angels fan in SoCal.
If Bynum comes back and is moderately serviceable, the Lakers will win in 5
OKC simply doesn’t have the size in the interior to handle Bynum, Gasol, and Odom, all of whom will be matched up against defenders significantly smaller than them. Granted, he’s going to need to get his sea legs under him, but this injury is far less severe than his previous one last year, and he normally performs well against frontcourt players can bully in the post and shoot over. Bynum will also help a lot (as in turn utter annihilation into mere dominance, but anyways) with Westbrook, as he will significantly improve our interior defense.
Also, the advantages of a deep bench become more marginalized in the playoffs because the starters are free to log big minutes with the long stretches between games, TV timeouts, and so on. OKC undeniably has a better bench by leaps and bounds beyond the Lakers, but it goes from a large advantage into a more muted one with the limited minutes the bench players will be seeing. If Bynum is able to play 25-30 minutes a game, that difference will also become less important, as it essentially means that Mbenga and Powell are limited to end-of-quarter cameos.
All that said, should be a fun series. It will be interesting to see how Durant handles the playoff pressure and Artest going all-out on him.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
No doubt an even 80% Bynum turns this match super lopsided.
We would be annihilated by a fully functioning Odom/Gasol/Bynum frontcourt. But that’s contingent on Bynum being able to punish the interior when we help off him, which I’m not convinced he’ll be able to do consistently in his present condition. Make no bones, though, the front court matchup is why you are the heavy favorites.
The point about the benches is solid, but, still, if you add up all the bench minutes played per game, it’ll still be a sizable chunk of time where our guy on the floor is better than your guy.
love your pic.
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
next question should be
how old are you?
"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O
I can't see any of your frontcourt players covering even a hobbled Bynum
It’s just a size issue. Unless you dust off Mullens, Bynum can simply overpower whoever OKC throws at him. Krstic has no chance of covering him, Collison will give up inches, and Ibaka doesn’t have the strength. And I’m not sure helping off him will benefit you, as doing so to Gasol is a Catch-22 — help too much and he’ll find cutters and Bynum with his passing (and you don’t have a player with length to bother him, especially at the four spot) and if you don’t, he’ll destroy Green all series long. Honestly though, anything Bynum does in this series is gravy. Forcing your fours to constantly guard Gasol and Odom is a much bigger problem.
And true, it’s a fair chunk of time in terms of bench minutes, but past Harden, there aren’t any matchups overwhelming enough to make that much of an impact in those limited minutes. Sure as hell wished the Lakers had something resembling the talent stacked on OKC’s bench though. Presti is the most underrated GM in the league.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
It'd just be so much easier if he wouldn't play.
Don’t you think? Yeah, like I said in the OP, you guys should destroy us. But you the way you’ve been playing lately (and not all your problems stem from Bynum’s absence), will you? I honestly have no idea; it wouldn’t surprise me at all if we get blown out in four and I’d only be mildly surprised if we won the series. The Lakers are something of an enigma to me.
Oh, and the best thing about our bench? 3 of the 4 guys are rookies. Ibaka’s only 20!
Eh, some of the problems are a result of Bynum being out
The biggest thing is the bench being rendered totally ineffective because there will be stretches in which there is no post threat (Gasol) on the floor. True, we’ve been playing horribly the last couple weeks, but at the very least, I expect execution to improve in the playoffs.
And yeah, it’s downright ridiculous the level of talent you have relative to their age and cost. If Presti plays his cards right this summer, this team is going to be absolutely stacked for the long-term.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Great freakin write up my favorite statement from this whole post was:
KD pussed out with a dagger attempt rather than accept the challenge presented.
That alone made it worth reading it. But I want to also give you kudos on mentioning Kobe and the entire team’s unwillingnes to focus on their size advantage and rather depend on Kobe’s jumper. I will NEVER understand that.
Also I know that ESPN will promote the KD vs Kobe angle but I’m not worried about KD he can get his. My biggest concern is Westbrook. Nothing kills this team more than quick PG’s that can penetrate the paint.
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Apr 13, 2010 5:51 PM PDT reply actions
I dont buy that bynum will be back
I think we will lose this series,i just hope we dont get swept,if kobe does not get 30 pts a game we have no chance with our bench scoring there 2-8 pts a game
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
www.mybeatshop.com/czheckproductions
If you guys don't shoot yourselves in the foot,
Gasol and Odom could average a combined 50 and 20. In which case, Thunder lose.
double lol
"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O
LMAO!
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Apr 13, 2010 6:06 PM PDT up reply actions
in my best Drill Sergeant voice
There will be no more of that BS around here!! Drop and give me 20 priate!
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
in the name of my video game clan
I have NO TOLERANCE for this shit.
Stu Lantz – For not being Hot Rod Hundley. Grade: A Motherfucking Superplus +.
Who do the Thunder have coming off the bench other than Harden?
Bynum comes back Odom goes to the bench which makes things easier for the rest of our bench players….they have the skill but the consistency hasnt been there….People single them out but they are a direct image of the Lakers as a whole this year inconsistent.
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
Harden is nice the rest are umm hardworkers
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
I think you're selling them short, MC
Collison’s a really underrated defender. Ibaka blocks shots and rebounds. Maynor’s a work in progress, but you could do worse in terms of a backup PG.
Those are good, solid pieces.
Twitter feed: @dexterfishmore
by DexterFishmore on Apr 13, 2010 6:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Im thinkin more along the lines of how they compare in who they are more than likely going up against
Our usual rotations even with a healthy squad dont normally include Powell or Mbenga..Phil usually leaves a Starting Big man in with the 2nd unit….Ima be super optimistic and say Bynum is back then you have a starter probably Pau and Odom on the floor together vs their bench bigs which is no contest and even vs their starting bigs its no contest…I like Harden and whoever has him needs to stay at home but other than that their bench doesnt strike any fear in me
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
not that our bench strikes fear either lol but im just saying
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
Our bench bigs >>>>>>> starters at defense
Krstic would be awful if he didn’t always seem to be in the right place. Great positioning only gets you so far, though.
Green is always a balls-out defender but he’ll get destroyed by Odom. He’s just too small; our strategy against dangerous PFs has been to front like crazy and provide immediate help on catch. Pau, with his passing skills, should be able to exploit this like crazy, but only if you get him the ball. The sequence I fear happening over and over is a Kobe entry to Pau on the low block, double-team comes and an over the shoulder flip to Odom driving straight down the middle of the lane.
Ima Big Georgetown Fan and Green is an under the radar player for you guys..
IF and this is a BIG if the Lakers play from the inside out we will have alot of success and get better shots but this team hasnt really shown an interest in continuing to feed the post over the course of a game..I hope the playoffs make that Light Bulb pop on and they all of a sudden “get it” but who knows lol
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
and to add on
Taking Bad shots against you guys is the worst possible thing we can do as it allows your youngsters to get out and run. We dont want that
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
Is Green more of a three or a four?
This always perplexed me. Does he lack the lateral quickness to guard threes? He seems an odd fit long-term at the four when you don’t have a dominant interior presence at the five.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
This is a pretty hot subject of debate among Thunder fans.
He’s a natural 3. That’s originally where we played him (with Durant at the 2). The first thing Scott Brooks when he took over last season was to move Green to the 4 and Durant to the 3. There was a lot of skepticism, but Green played surprisingly well last season at the 4. Not at an all-star level or anything, but he provided more or less league average value, which is more than a lot of us expected. Given that he showed so much last year, that’s where we kept him hoping he’d improve with an offseason to refine his game for at the 4. Instead, he started the first half of the season in a pretty bad slump – he needs to hit the three consistently in order to compensate for what he gives up inside – but he’s picked it up over the last few months.
Like I said earlier, he just too small to guard the bigger PFs, but he’s a great team defender. He’s very capable one-on-one in the high post but gets destroyed in the low post. He’ll never be a big rebounder (I can’t see him ever averaging more than 7 or so) but in the current team set up, that’s not a huge issue because Durant, Thabo, Harden, and Westbrook are all well above average rebounders for their positions, not to mention Collison and Ibaka. We have issues on the defensive glass because we’re often too small to box out the bigger, longer players (like Camby last night), but we compensate well on the offensive glass.
As for Green’s future role… I’m in the camp that wants to see him paired with a really good post- and weakside-defender (like Camby, actually – I really wish we picked him up) to see how that transforms the defensive makeup of our team. I don’t think we’ll get either, but Haywood and Camby would both be ideal. I’m personally dreaming of trading for the rights to Tiago Splitter.
.
Collison is undersized, but he’s a solid rebounder and defender. He holds position well and has been in the top-10 league-wide in +/- since forever. He also leads the league in charges taken even though he only plays like 22 minutes a game. I think Darryl Morey’s coveted him for a long time now.
Ibaka seems to get better every game. He blocks and rebounds at a really good clip and his one-on-one post defense is improving. The most encouraging aspect is he’s starting to get more involved in the offense, which opens up the floor a ton for us.
Maynor played really well in Utah, struggled for a while after the trade, but he’s back to hitting at good field goal percentage. He’s always taken care of the ball well and he makes good decisions with it.
Maynor has fallen off the map ever since being traded from Utah
What happened to him? Rookie wall? Lack of minutes to get a consistent rhythm?
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
I think Sloan's system was really perfect for him.
No one’s better at the P&R at Sloan coached players. The backup spot’s been all his since he was acquired. I’ve still got hope for him; he’s instincts are all still there. Coming in in the middle of the season probably slowed him up initially, but, like I said, he’s really picked it up over the last month or so.
this is the most favorable match up against the lakers, imo. young, inexperienced. i predict a lakers sweep.
"the man who created a legend; the legend who resurrected a franchise."
Agree that it's the most favourable
but highly doubt lakers sweep; I can see them losing at the Ford Center (insane noise level) and maybe 1 at home. Our bench really needs to step it up, regardless of how many minutes they’re played…
looking forward to the series, should be max 6 games easy win for la. go la :)
Just an ordinary 9th grade Lakers fan.
Nothing will be easy this post-season
If the Lakers don’t suffer any more injuries AND if they begin to run plays — AND execute them correctly — then I think they can take this series in 6.
It won’t be easy.
None of the Western matchups will be easy.
If we play as described, we’ll take them all without seeing a seventh game.
If we don’t play well, then I think somebody the Lakers out of their misery pretty quickly — and that could be the Thunder.
I was hoping to get the Thunder
because I think they present the greatest challenge other than Denver. The Lakers need a struggle to get to promised land again, not a cakewalk.
Magic made me a Laker fan.
i see your point
But i also …dont think they—Thunder will fast break as often in this series as they did in the regular….the pace will not favor them as much
" Kobe’s mentality is unparalleled and his love for the game transcends all"
By: eLreiEc
with all the injuries the lakers have, can the lakers still sign somebody from the d-league? i noticed boston just signed a couple of players just a few days ago.
by bobc-lakersfan on Apr 15, 2010 11:19 AM PDT reply actions
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