Tag Archives: Paul George

NTTB Rumblings – 01 February 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , ,

img_4063Fred Katz (Norman Transcript) on this latest stretch of games for the Thunder which has been particularly grueling: “The Thunder are in the midst of a brutal portion of the schedule. They change time zones between five consecutive games — with four of those contests making up a couple of back-to-backs. It’s hectic enough that coach Billy Donovan has decided to forego a couple of morning shootarounds, doing so before Tuesday’s eventual loss at the Washington Wizards and and before Thursday’s game at the Denver Nuggets.”

Colin Ward-Henninger (CBS Sports) on the possible teams vying for Greg Monroe’s services: “Go ahead, try to name the Thunder’s backup center. Trick question … they don’t have one. Jermai Grant has been filling in at center for the second unit, but at 6-foot-8, 203 pounds, he’s not exactly an earth-mover out there. The lineup of Grant, Paul George, Alex Abrines, Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson has a net rating of minus-33.6 in 85 minutes this season — not good.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 01 February 2018 →

NTTB Rumblings – 31 January 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , ,

img_4063

Bruce Jenkins (San Francisco Tribune) on the Thunder being a contender to dethrone the Warriors: “That was the goal in OKC, but it simply wasn’t working. Only when a clear decision was made — this is Westbrook’s team, and he will rule the offense — did this team elevate itself into relevance. “I think the fact that Russ is just playing, not trying to defer to anybody, just letting us play off him — we needed that,” George told reporters recently. “We need that Russ out there. Let the rest of us figure it out.”

A very informative article by Eric Pincus (Bleacher Report) on the Thunder’s future salary cap implications: “With George, along with Westbrook at $35.4 million, center Steven Adams at $24.2 million, Roberson at $10 million and Anthony at $27.9 million (with an early termination option), the Thunder could be looking at paying between $250 and $300 million for their roster. Should Anthony opt out, that would help solve the team’s budget crisis, but that doesn’t appear likely.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 31 January 2018 →

Thunder @ Wizards preview (Game 51 of 82)

Game Previews, , , , ,

okc logo atWashington-Wizards

  • When: Tuesday, 30 January 2018 at 6:00 pm CST
  • Where: Capital One Arena, Washington D.C.
  • TV: FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -2.5 | O/U – 219

The Set-Up: Consistency was something the Oklahoma City Thunder struggled with early in the season. They’d play like the best team in the world against the likes of the Golden State Warriors, but then lose by 15 to the struggling Dallas Mavericks. The talent on this team is evident, that is for certain. But it’s a talent that consists of veteran alpha scorers. Guys who tend to get bored when the level of competition on the opposite end of the court is not on par with them.  Continue reading Thunder @ Wizards preview (Game 51 of 82) →

NTTB Rumblings – 30 January 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , , ,

img_4063Tamberlyn Richardson (Thunderous Intentions) on Joel Embiid’s maturation process (after posting a picture of him dunking on Westbrook post-loss): “His peers voted Kristaps Porzingis ahead of him to start in the All-Star Game, so either they feel the unicorn was more deserving, or they take issue with his trolling.  Both players are exceptional, but it’s doubtful a majority of GMs would pick Porzingis before Embiid, unless they think he’d be a better chemistry fit.”

I don’t think LaLa Anthony will be signing a long-term contract in Oklahoma City.

Jamie Cooper (Dime Magazine) interviews Paul George on a wide variety of subjects: “But honestly, he doesn’t take anything. It’s a natural energy that he has. He’s just an energetic guy, from practices to playing games. I knew who he was as a competitor, but he wants to win at all costs, and he goes hard like that every day. So, it’s great to be alongside a guy like that.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 30 January 2018 →

NTTB Rumblings – 29 January 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , , ,

img_4063

Kevin Pelton (ESPN) on how big the fallout could be from Andre Roberson’s injury: “A number of statistics point to Roberson’s value at the defensive end of the court. According to NBA Advanced Metrics, the Thunder have allowed 11.8 more points per 100 possessions this season with Roberson on the bench. And when Roberson missed 10 games earlier this season, mostly with tendinitis in the patellar tendon he injured Saturday, Oklahoma City’s defense wasn’t the same. The Thunder allowed opponents to score 2.8 percent more efficiently than their usual offensive rating in those 10 games, as compared to holding them 3.2 percent below their typical efficiency with Roberson.”

Des Bieler (Washington Post) with a recap of the Thunder/Wizards game: “Later in the game, OKC’s Paul George made a valiant attempt to exact revenge on Westbrook’s behalf — “I was trying to finish that one,” he said after the game — by throwing down a titanic jam. George failed, but he earned a trip to the free throw line and, one would imagine, his teammate’s gratitude.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 29 January 2018 →

Thunder beat the Sixers 122-112 on the second night of a back to back

Game Recaps, , , , , , , ,

sixers-thunder-1513279805

Box Score

With their minds on their fallen comrade and playing their third game in four nights, the Oklahoma City Thunder took to the court on Sunday with heavy legs and heavier hearts. If their previous meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers was any indicator, the Thunder knew this would be a 48 minute (or 63 minute) kind of game.

A lot of the first quarter was focused on the interactions between Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook, who had a little bit of a spat at the end of their first meeting in Philadelphia earlier this season. It didn’t disappoint early on as Embiid had a clean drive to the basket after losing Steven Adams on the perimeter and had only Westbrook in between himself and the basket. Westbrook tried to take a charge, but Embiid went up and created a poster. The rest of the first quarter was back and forth affair with the Thunder taking a two point lead heading into the second. Paul George paced the Thunder in the first frame with 13 points on 4/8 shooting from the field. Continue reading Thunder beat the Sixers 122-112 on the second night of a back to back →

NTTB Podcast (Episode 25) – Get Well, Andre

podcast, , , , , ,

IMG_4109On Episode 25 of the NTTB podcast,we discuss the following topics:

  • The Impact of Andre Roberson’s Injury
  • Line-up Changes
  • Trade Possibilities
  • Week in Review – Wins against Brooklyn, Washington, and Detroit
  • Paul George in the All-Star Game
  • PG’s quotes on his upcoming free agency decision
  • NBA News

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 under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

NTTB Rumblings – 26 January 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , ,

cropped-nowthatsthunderbasketball_sheriffbadge1.jpgRoyce Young (ESPN) on the slight that may have motivated Russell Westbrook in the Wizards game: “That’s cool, man, that’s good, man, they finally got the teams figured out,” he said. Then from his nearby locker, Carmelo Anthony yelled out, “Tell ’em how you really feel!” Westbrook smiled and laughed. “But I see I was the last pick on the list — I was just trying to figure out how …” Westbrook said, referring to a list tweeted out by James.”

Local innovators now have the opportunity to be sponsored by the Thunder for their start-ups: “The flagship program for the space is a partnership with StitchCrew, an Oklahoma City company that seeks to foster technology-driven entrepreneurs in getting their ideas off the ground and ready to be venture-backed. The company will host an accelerator batch at the Thunder Launchpad this spring, giving a class of startup founders in all industries the space, resources and mentors they need to introduce their ventures to investors.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 26 January 2018 →

Wizards vs. Thunder preview (Game 48 of 82)

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

Washington-Wizards vsokc thunder

  • When: Thursday, 25 January 2018 at 7:00 pm CST
  • Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: TNT
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -5.0 | O/U – 213

The Set-Up: There’s a purveying thought in the NBA that the mark of a good team is taking care of business at home, beating the teams you are supposed to beat handily, and winning some of the games against the teams either at your level or above you. While that all may be true, one of the “shhhhh, it’s a secret” signs that you are a good team is the ability to coast through much of a game against an inferior opponent and then completely snatch their heart out at the end of the game. Continue reading Wizards vs. Thunder preview (Game 48 of 82) →

NTTB Rumblings – 25 January 2018

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , , ,

cropped-nowthatsthunderbasketball_sheriffbadge1.jpgRoyce Young (ESPN) on how Westbrook’s support of Paul George’s All-Star snub may be influencing future decisions: “We were actually joking before he went up there, and I’m like, ‘Nah, Russ, man, just let it go, let it go Russ. It is what it is, I wasn’t picked,’ and he was like, ‘Nah, man, P, that’s messed up. I’m gonna tell them something about that,'” George said.”

Nick Friedell (ESPN) on Westbrook throwing Damian Lillard a little All-Star shade: “I respect Russ a lot, so it was kind of disappointing to see him say that,” Lillard said prior to Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Because he’s played against me, he’s played against our team, he knows what I’ve accomplished. Not just this year, but over my career. So it was a little bit disappointing, but I know that I earned my spot this year. And that’s pretty much what it is: I earned my spot.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 25 January 2018 →