Jolt Country

I would enjoy seeing Keith Olbermann stare straight into the camera as he admonished the new Thunder mascot, just totally freaking out, going, "RUMBLE! YOU CAN NOT MISS THOSE DUNKS! YOU CAN NOT MISS THEM!"

Also, since this will be the only basketball thread this season, here is the best writing Bill Simmons has done in a long time:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/090227

(By the way, nice work on the part of ESPN, who put the blurb to the story on their front page, but no frigging link. There really needs to be a tell-all book, not of ESPN, but of what the fucking website meetings for ESPN, sorry, espn.go.com, are like. Every single week it seems that they invent a new kind of Web 2.0-stupid.)

Last night going in to half time, the Thunder was down 38-62. Turns out the Lakers are really, really good.

Just got back from another Thunder game. Beat the Indiana Pacers, which isn't all that impressive this year as the Pacers have won about a third of their games, but whatever, a win is a win. That takes us to 20-16, not bad for, you know, The Thunder, considering last year we were 23-59. Kevin Durant is turning in to our Chris Paul.

I am going to see the Nuggets on Wednesday with the Milker. The Milker will probably post something hurtful in this thread.

The Thunder has done better in the playoffs than I expected against the Lakers. I figured we would be out in 4 games, 5 tops. Friday will be game six. So far in the series we've won both home games (2) and lost all the away games (3). The Thunder not only beat, but seriously embarrassed the champs in game 4, beating them by 20+, so I assumed we had a good ass kicking coming our way in game 5 (and we got one). Game six is back in OKC so we'll see if the hometown can cheer them to another victory.

It's a good feeling when your team wins its home games. You get to think that just possibly, your town is on the right track: warm and supportive to the hometown 9 (or in this case, 5) and a hostile, xenophobic, Rise-of-the-Triadesque environment for outsiders. I believe in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Plus, Kobe and Artest are enormous pricks. What an unlikable team.

Ugh. Lost by 1 point (at 0.5 seconds) in game 6. Sucks.

Although, I think taking the defending champs to game six in the playoffs lets everyone know, "we're here."

GOOD GOD. Just got back from the Thunderdome where the fam and I watched the Thunder absolutely disassemble the Sacramento Kings with a final score of 126-96.

Check out this link and click on the "first half highlights" video:

http://www.nba.com/games/20110215/SACOKC/gameinfo.html

The game started with Russel Westbrook running right through the King's defense and scoring a giant one-handed jam that set the tone for the night. If you watch that short highlight video, you'll see essentially every single starter either dunking on the Kings or involved in an alley-oop. The last play (the lob-to-bounce-to-dunk) was sick.

I realize beating the 13-38 Kings of today isn't quite the same as beating the Kings of yesteryear, but damn the 4th ranked Thunder looked good tonight.

It's a shame that the 2011-2012 season will be marred by the strike and a shortened schedule, as the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently ranked #1 in the Western Conference.

If you aren't familiar with Kevin Durant ... watch this.

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Due to the NBA's shortened season, several (twelve) teams this year were scheduled to play back-to-back-to-back games (BTBTB). The OKC Thunder was one of those lucky twelve teams, and tonight was the third game of their BTBTB series. Seeing as though we're up 25 in the 4th quarter, I'd say it's safe to say we won all three games.

Compared to some other teams, our BTBTB was pretty laid back. Friday night we played the Houston Rockets. At one point in the third we were up by 25, far enough ahead that were were able to bench most of our 2nd string and actually put in people I've never seen before. Resting your starters is nice when playing three back to back games. The Thunder beat the Rockets by 15 Friday night, and beat them by 1 point in a much closer game in Houston Saturday night.

Tonight was the third game in the Thunder's BTBTB series, where OKC KO'ed San Antonio, again holding a 25 point lead for much of the game and coasting near the end, winning by 12.

The Thunder are off tomorrow and then have back to back games Tuesday and Wednesday. This year's compressed schedule is a killer both for teams and fans!

ALL teams don't have back to back to back games? I feel that's incompetent on the part of the NBA schedule makers.

It was actually incompetent research on my part. Turns out all 30 teams actually DO have BTBTB games scheduled this year. It's 12 teams that have TWO of them this year. Fortunately the Thunder is not one of those twelve.

All BTBTB stretches are not created equally, however. For example, the Pacers get Washington, Phoenix and Milwaukee for theirs, while Denver gets the Clippers, the Lakers, and Portland (away, home, away).

I believe after winning all 3 BTBTB backs, the Thunder also won their BTB games, and are currently leading the New York Knicks by 10 in the 2nd quarter.

The OKC Thunder are still ranked #1 in the western conference. The Lakers are #2. Reigning champions the Dallas Mavericks are #8. We have enjoyed pounding their faces in.

EDIT: When I said the Thunder were beating the Knicks by 10 in the 2nd, I meant to say by 30 in the 3rd. Brutal!

OKC vs DENVER starting NOW!!

The first quarter was close, but in the second quarter the Nuggets had pulled ahead by 12. I was feeling pretty bad about this one. The Thunder made a run in the third but the Nuggets pulled back ahead. With 9 left in the fourth the Nuggets were up by 8 ... and that's when the Thunder turned up the head. Thanks to Westbrook's dunks, KD's 3s, and "shot blocka" Serge Ibaka (who ended up with a triple double), the Thunder made a comeback and tied up the game to send it into overtime. In OT the Nuggets fought hard, but the Thunder fought harder. With Ibaka's 11th shot block, the Nuggets were denied access to the hoop and the Thunder won by six in OT, 124-118.

Both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbook scored 40+ points; the last time that happened was in 1996, by Jordan and Pippen.

The Thunder are in the middle of a five-game home streak. They pounded the Golden State Warriors by 25 the night before last, and eeked out a win tonight against the Nuggets. Tomorrow we face the Hornets, and then we have two brutal back to back games against the Celtics followed by the Lakers.

pinback wrote:I thought we all agreed that singular names for professional teams were acceptable only for second- and third- rate sports like Arena Football, Slamball, and the WNBA. Didn't we agree on that?

I think the Washington Redskins, <s>Oakland</s> <s>Los Angeles</s> Oakland Raiders, <s>Los Angeles</s> St. Louis Rams, <s>Baltimore</s> Indianapolis Colts etc. would disagree.

I'm not sure, but I think all American football teams have single word names. In fact I just looked it up in Wikipedia; all National Football League teams have single names (excluding the city of franchise.)

You later seemed to restrict this to Basketball teams but your statement at this point is not so limited.

Tdarcos wrote:

pinback wrote:I thought we all agreed that singular names for professional teams were acceptable only for second- and third- rate sports like Arena Football, Slamball, and the WNBA. Didn't we agree on that?

I think the Washington Redskins, <s>Oakland</s> <s>Los Angeles</s> Oakland Raiders, <s>Los Angeles</s> St. Louis Rams, <s>Baltimore</s> Indianapolis Colts etc. would disagree.

I'm not sure, but I think all American football teams have single word names. In fact I just looked it up in Wikipedia; all National Football League teams have single names (excluding the city of franchise.)

SINGULAR NAMES, KNEEBOY!! Not SINGLE WORD names. SINGULAR names:

The HEAT.
The WILD.
The DOUCHEBAG.
ET FUCKING CETERA.

God DAMMIT why do you never understand anything.

Flack wrote:Both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbook scored 40+ points; the last time that happened was in 1996, by Jordan and Pippen.

So what's the contract situation look like for Durant? When does he become a free agent?

By the way, I thought it seemed very easy to get to a Thunder game. Your description of it made it seem like you could get there in less than an hour and get home in less than an hour. Did I make all that up, or is that true??!

By the way, I never want to hear about the Knicks or Lin again. I COULD NOT POSSIBLY GIVE A SHIT. Wow, the Knicks have a good player for the first time since I moved to Colorado, great, amazing, good for them. This is why all NY teams should be terrible forever.

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:So what's the contract situation look like for Durant? When does he become a free agent?

By the way, I thought it seemed very easy to get to a Thunder game. Your description of it made it seem like you could get there in less than an hour and get home in less than an hour. Did I make all that up, or is that true??!

Last year Durant signed a five year contract that started this season. Westbrook also had his contract extended this year for another five years (for $80 million). The two contracts will probably hurt us financially, but we've had decent luck plucking these unknown guys from the Congo and players out of high school, so it looks like we'll have to keep doing that for a few years.

As for getting to and from games ... well I moved a few miles north now but from the old house, yes. When I had season tickets, we would leave the house at 6pm to ensure we had parked by 6:40/6:45, something like that. That would give us enough time to get some snacks or food and find our seats and all that. Obviously, finding parking takes longer than leaving did. We could easily make it home within 30 minutes after a game ended.

We didn't go in on season tickets this year which was kind of a mistake as every game has been sold out. You can get tickets still but it's more of a pain in the ass.

In the 300s section, tickets are still $10 and parking is still $5, give or take.