Tag Archives: Paul George

NTTB Rumblings – 08 May 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , ,

img_4063Tim Bontempts (Washington Post) looks at the biggest questions facing the Thunder this offseason: “It ended with Russell Westbrook taking 43 shots for the second time in as many years in a playoff game – both Thunder losses – and getting into confrontations with fans at halftime and after the game. It ended with Thunder Coach Billy Donovan going down with the Carmelo Anthony ship, playing the fading star with the season on the line when all evidence suggested the team would be better with Anthony on the bench.”

Albert Dadson (Hoops Habit) on the Thunder’s options for Carmelo Anthony moving forward: “Anthony wants to be more involved in the Thunder’s offense if he comes back. The problem with trying to get rid of Carmelo Anthony is the fact that he will have the final say in his status for next year thanks to a player option for the final year of his contract.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 08 May 2018 →

NTTB Rumblings – 07 May 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , ,

img_4063If you are a true Thunder fan on Twitter, than you know who Nanae Yamano is (by Kaz Nagatsuka of the Japan Times): “Sometimes nonverbal means of communication can connect you to the world. And social media makes it so much easier nowadays. Saitama Prefecture housewife and amateur artist Nanae Yamano has proven that with her cute drawings of NBA players.”

Brett Dawson (NewsOK) on how the Thunder have prepared for the cost to bring back Paul George: “In 2012, it traded James Harden rather than sign him, a move that’s been widely criticized in hindsight — and no doubt is one reason why skeptics wonder if the Thunder will pay the cost to remain competitive. But it was a younger franchise then, coming off its fourth season and third playoff appearance in OKC. It hadn’t built the equity it has now, and the financial future of the league looks different.”

The new episode of the NTTB podcast is up. Give it a listen.  Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 07 May 2018 →

Episode 32 – A Disappointing Finale

podcast, , , , , , , ,

IMG_4109On Episode 32 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:

  • A Review of Games 5 and 6
  • Disappointing season
  • Exit Interview
  • Melo drawing a line in the sand
  • Paul George saying all the right things
  • Billy Donovan back for next season
  • Sam Presti Exit Interview
  • Looking at the rest of the playoff series

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!

Thunder vs. Jazz Preview (Game 6)

Game Previews, , , , , , ,

okc logo at utah jazz

  • When: Friday, 27 April 2018 at 9:30 pm CST
  • Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
  • TV: ESPN/FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: Utah -6.5 | O/U – 207

Five Things For This Game

1. Rudy Gobert

Hidden in the euphoria of the epic 25-point comeback win in Game 5 was the fact the Thunder stunk it up offensively when a non-foul troubled Rudy Gobert was in the game. In the first half, when Utah was able to build a 15-point lead, Gobert had a defensive rating of 73.7. After the Thunder’s comeback, Gobert still remained as the only Jazz player with a defensive rating below 100 at 89.9.  Continue reading Thunder vs. Jazz Preview (Game 6) →

Jazz vs. Thunder Preview (Game 2)

Game Previews, Playoffs, , , , , , , , , ,

utah jazz vs okc logo

  • When: Wednesday, 18 April 2018 at 7:00 pm CST
  • Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: NBATV/FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -4.5 | O/U – 207.5

Five Things For This Game

1. Again, Injuries

After an incredible Thunder playoff debut, Paul George suffered a hip contusion in the 2nd quarter on a hard fall. He dusted the fall off and went on to play most of the game after that. But you could tell the injury started bothering him late in the 2nd half and he had to be taken out with about 2 minutes left in the game to receive treatment on the sidelines. Continue reading Jazz vs. Thunder Preview (Game 2) →

NTTB Rumblings – 18 April 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , , ,

img_4063Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) with a preview of Game 2: “One major area that the Thunder has pointed out in the build up to Game 2 is turnovers. Seventeen of them on Sunday led to 20 Jazz points, which helped contribute to 21 Utah fast-break points in the game. On pick-and-rolls, Thunder ballhandlers tried passes over the top and back to the weakside, only to see the ball get clipped by the long, outstretched arms of Jazz defenders.”

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 18 April 2018 →

NTTB Rumblings – 17 April 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , , , , ,

img_4063Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) on what needs to continue into Game 2: “One of the major bright spots for the Thunder on Sunday, and a development that needs to hold firm, was the play of Anthony on the defensive end and around the rim. After an early adjustment to drop the veteran forward into coverage on pick and rolls, Anthony was able to use his quickness and sleight of hand to make 3 steals and 2 blocks to go with 7 rebounds. On many occasions, Anthony was the last line of defense between the Jazz and a potential layup or a put back, and he held firm with toughness and veteran guile.”

Brad Rock (Desert News) on the Thunder being what the Jazz want to be one day: “So here we go with the country-speak: The Oklahoma City Thunder are what the Utah Jazz want to be when they’re all growed up. Trailing 1-0 in their best-of-seven series, the Jazz aren’t conceding anything. It’s just that OKC is what the Jazz want to be, i.e., a seriously strong team in a relatively underrated city.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 17 April 2018 →

NTTB Rumblings – 16 April 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , ,

img_4063Royce Young (ESPN) on Paul George’s performance in Game 1: “And in a matchup against the Jazz, a team centered on a rookie, the Thunder entered with the two best players in the series. That’s normally a pretty good indication of who should win, but with inconsistency being the buzzword that has followed the Thunder all season, nothing was clear. There was always this idea that they were built for the postseason, with top-shelf talent ready to shine when the games mattered most, but the Thunder never established anything steady. They entered the playoffs a wild card — dangerous but unknown.”

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) recaps the Thunder’s Game 1 victory: “The Thunder also couldn’t have scripted a better first possession of the game. A trap down on the baseline led to a desperate Jazz pass back into the middle of the floor, and George was there to pick it off cleanly. George was off to the races and it resulted in a Russell Westbrook 3-on-1 fast break dunk. For the next 5 minutes after that, however, nothing went right for the Thunder. Some mediocre shot selection, some mismanaged transition defense and hot shooting by the Jazz led to a quick 16-4 start for the Jazz, forcing a Thunder timeout.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 16 April 2018 →

Jazz vs. Thunder Preview (Game 1)

Game Previews, , , , , , , , , , ,

utah jazz vs okc logo

  • When: Sunday, 15 April 2018 at 5:30 pm CST
  • Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: TNT/FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -4.0 | O/U – 204.5

Five Things For This Game Continue reading Jazz vs. Thunder Preview (Game 1) →

First Round Preview vs. the Utah Jazz

Game Previews, Playoffs, , , , , , , , ,

westbrook mitchell

I’ll be honest with you. These last few days have been refreshing. I haven’t had to worry about the Western Conference standings. I haven’t had to worry about not knowing what Oklahoma City Thunder team was going to show up on a night to night basis. I didn’t have to stress about a Paul George shooting slump. Or worry about Carmelo Anthony aging exponentially before our eyes. Or any other plethora of things I’ve worried about this season.

All season long we’ve heard this would be a work in progress. That this process would take time. And with how this team was pieced together over the summer, that request for patience was not a far-fetched one. Many fans view NBA transactions like they view transactions on NBA 2K. If you put Good Player A together with Good Player B, then both players will be good on the same team. But in reality, that’s not always how it works. The process of putting three alpha dogs together and telling them to play as a team is not something that happens instantly. There’s a chemistry that needs to naturally develop, especially when you think of the other variables on the roster.  Continue reading First Round Preview vs. the Utah Jazz →