Monthly Archives: August 2018

NTTB Thunder Rumblings -13 August 2018

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Give a listen to the new episode of the NTTB Podcast. We discuss whether Russell Westbrook is running out of excuses, review the schedule, and much more. 

Erik Horne (NewsOK) chronicling the loss of long time NBA/Thunder photographer Layne Murdoch, who passed away on August 10: “We’ve lost a friend and special member of the Thunder family,” the post reads. “Layne was among the best in the business and a fixture on the Thunder baseline for the first ten seasons. The images he captured at our games and events provide a vivid archive of our team and organization. Beyond his skills as a photographer, Layne’s smile, sense of humor and engaging personality connected him with anyone he met. He had a deep passion for his craft, our team and our city.”

Condolences to Layne Murdoch’s family and friends. Lord knows, a lot of the pictures on this website have been used without his permission. He was a technician with the camera. He could tell a story with his pictures.  Continue reading NTTB Thunder Rumblings -13 August 2018 →

NTTB Podcast – Episode 41 (The Schedule’s Out)

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IMG_4109On Episode 41 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:

  • Nina Westbrook looking a bit further along than previously thought
  • Oklahoma GOP holding an event at Paul George’s old OKC home
  • Andre Roberson running on a treadmill
  • Westbrook running out of excuses
  • Reviewing the Thunder’s schedule
  • Predicting the Thunder’s win/loss record
  • NBA News
  • NCAA rule changes
  • RIP Layne Murdoch

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Tune In under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/111153/774396-episode-41-schedule-s-out.mp3?download=true

Quick Dive into the Thunder’s 2018-19 Schedule

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russ pgAfter releasing their prime time games to begin the season, for Christmas, and for Martin Luther King Jr Day on Wednesday, the NBA finally blessed us all with the complete 82 game schedule of all the teams in the league. Further solidifying their stance on player rest and increased health, the NBA schedule makers have once again blessed teams with a schedule devoid of the four-games-in-five-nights scenario and the even scarier eight-games-in-12-nights atrocity. In addition, back-to-backs are at historic lows, with teams averaging just 13.3 back-to-backs this season (it was 14.4 last season).

The Thunder once again benefit from being in the middle of the country. Their longest road trip is just four games. In addition, they also have four 3-game road trips. They are involved in 11 back-to-back games. Two of those 11 are road/road back-to-backs. Two are of the home/home variety. Five are of the road/home variety. And two of them are of the home/road variety.  Continue reading Quick Dive into the Thunder’s 2018-19 Schedule →

NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 07 August 2018

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img_4063Berry Tramel (NewsOK) looks at the Vegas win odds: “A few things to remember. This isn’t a prediction. An NBA team or two will reach the extremes on both ends. But Vegas can’t account for that. It can’t predict that the star-studded Warriors will win 69 games. Few teams in NBA history will do that. Vegas can’t predict that Atlanta will win 14 games. Few teams in NBA history will do that. The Warriors might very well approach 70 wins again, and the Hawks might threaten the all-time worst record. But this isn’t a prediction. This is a process by which Las Vegas tries to remove as much money from your wallet as it can.”

David Aldridge (NBA.com) says Oklahoma City had the best offseason: “This is real simple: with Roberson on the court last year, OKC’s opponent offensive rating was 99.2; when he was off, it was 110.7. The Thunder was a near-elite defensive unit when Roberson played and was awful when he didn’t. His Real Defensive Plus-Minus, per ESPN.com, was 4.34, second only to Utah’s Rudy Gobert (5.06). So when Roberson ruptured his patellar tendon in late January, the Thunder’s ability to use George as a weakside defender who could freelance and use his length to create deflections and turnovers (because Roberson had the strong side absolutely locked down) went away.” Continue reading NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 07 August 2018 →

NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 06 August 2018

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Check out the new episode of the NTTB Podcast, where we christen the Westbrooks with the name of their new bundle of joy, we discuss who should start at power forward, and we discuss the LeBron James vs. Donald Trump debate.

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) looks at what Patrick Patterson can bring to the Thunder this upcoming season: “A step behind to start the year, Patterson’s role ended up being a 15-minute-per-game player, with averages of 3.9 points on an admirable 38.6 percent three-point shooting, along with 2.4 rebounds per game. In 2018-19, the Thunder and Patterson himself believe he can contribute more, not just on the stat sheet but also in terms of the team’s overall gameplay and style.”

Gallo (OKCThunder.com) chronicled the Thunder’s day at Lake Castaic in Paul George’s fishing tournament: “But then came one of the final boats, which included Nader, the newcomer to the Thunder roster who hadn’t fished before despite always enjoying the outdoors. Throughout the 6 hours on the lake, George, Westbrook and Roberson had been visible and camped out along the shore line. Nader was nowhere to be found. Turns out he and his professional partner knew Castaic’s secrets, because they brought back the limit – five bass fish – including the biggest fish of the day at 4 pounds, 12 ounces.” Continue reading NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 06 August 2018 →

NTTB Podcast – Episode 40 (A Legend Will Be Born)

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IMG_4109On Episode 40 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:

  • UCLA Thunder runs
  • Abdel Nader’s contract guaranteed
  • Who’s starting at PF
  • PG Fishing event and shaved beard
  • Steven Adams putting Reggie Jackson on blast
  • Westbrook and Nina expecting
  • TLC’s performance for Team Africa
  • Vegas Over/Under odds
  • LeBron James vs. Donald Trump

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Tune In under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/111153/768888-episode-40-a-legend-will-be-born.mp3?download=true

Weekend Programming

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Russell Westbrook, Hamidou Diallo, Terrance Ferguson, Deonte Burton, Devon Hall, and Kyle Singler took their skills to the Rico Hines Run at UCLA. Can’t wait for the season!

And not to be undone, Russell opened up the gym to some of his Thunder teammates for an unofficial pre-training camp practice. If this doesn’t get you hyped for the season, then I can’t help you. 

NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 03 August 2018

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img_4063Jerry Tipton (Kentucky Sports) on Hamidou Diallo getting used to NBA life in Oklahoma City: “I’m from New York,” he said. “So definitely any city I probably go to — unless it’s L.A. or Chicago or a couple other of those major cities — it’s going to be a little culture shock. For the most part, Kentucky prepared me for it. So I’m cool. It’s a cool city. Cool people.”

Noah Schulte (Thunderous Intentions) looks at 4 Thunder players that need to step up this season: “For the past two years they’ve been one of the shallowest teams in the league, rarely having any impact players to fill in when one of the starters goes out. Furthermore, OKC’s complete lack of three-point shooting has made their offense far too predictable to advance in the bloodbath that has become the Western Conference. Seemingly the Thunder have the right players to address those problems, but for one reason or another, those guys just haven’t come through to their potential yet.” Continue reading NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 03 August 2018 →

NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 02 August 2018

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Torrey Hart (Yahoo Sports) on Kevin Durant doing Kevin Durant things.

(Complete sidebar: I love Twitter, but sometimes, when famous people “mobilize their stans” it can get ridiculous and almost threatening. This girl put out a tweet, KD responded knowing his followers would attack, and now there are people trying to hack into her account and threatening her. For as much as Kevin Durant talks of his disdain for Donald Trump, he sure does follow his Twitter formula.)

Colin Ward-Henninger (CBS Sports) grades every team’s offseason, and he rates the Thunder pretty high. Continue reading NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 02 August 2018 →