The 2nd round I would have to think more about that. But you may be right though. I would probably lean more towards the Pelicans. Anthony Davis would be in Harden's position last year and would probably run out of gas at that point. Especially if they had a harder 1st round series go long and the Rockets take quick care of the team they play. These teams though are all very close to each other. So playing a team without Cousins or Kawhi Leonard may be the best bet overall.
I seriously don't understand peoples irrational fear of the Thunder. What has Westbrook ever accomplished without Durant that makes them so damn intimidating? They win a few games, and people think they've figured it out, then they lose a few. They are what they are, a 45-50 win team
Personally i'd say it's more about facing the easiest match up possible rether than fear of them. In the end they're still a very long, athletic and strong team, even without Roberson. You just don't want to underestimate that. That's a big reason why they were up 3-1 against the Warriors, it wasn't for some random reason. Sure, their game sucks and it's probably what will cost them an elimination at some point, but yeah, if i can pick up a team to face in the first round i'd gladly take the Clippers or Pelicans, and let the Warriors handle OKC, cause even if you beat them there's a chance you'll burn a toon of energy in that match up, which is probably what happened last season btw.
Anyone else nervous about tonight? Our winning streak on the line, against this so called triple threat. I really hope we do aite.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-sign-lebron-james-plus-10-burning-questions/ Did the Thunder lose Paul George the moment that Andre Roberson got hurt? It isn't always obvious when a moment completely changes a franchise's trajectory. On March 5, then-Blazers swingman Wesley Matthews crumpled to the floor with a ruptured Achilles. Portland was hoping to make a deep playoff run, but instead was eliminated in five games in the first round, setting the stage for a drastic roster overhaul. LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the Spurs, Matthews signed with the Mavericks, Robin Lopez signed with the Knicks and Nicolas Batum was traded to the Hornets, leaving Damian Lillard as the only returning member of the Blazers' starting five. If George walks, then the Roberson injury could be seen similarly. Oklahoma City has not been able to sustain its dominant defense with only one all-world wing defender, and there's no guarantee it will make any noise in the postseason. The worse they fare, the harder it will be to re-sign George.
Nope...they lost George the moment the trade was announced. He was never staying there or in Indiana.
The Matthews parallel is a good call back. I remember when that happened and wondered about LMA since it felt like he was waffling. Not sure what George does. I think "right now" he likes being on OKC and Westbrook as an alpha teammate. If OKC falls short in the playoffs, he will have to take a hard look at the sustainability of OKC over his next contract. Feels like 50/50 right now to me.
u summed it up nicely Vivi Am I scared or worried about OKC? Hell no, but they are still a tougher and more dangerous matchup than Portland, Minny, New Orleans, LAC, Denver, and San Antonio with Kawhi not healthy. The Rockets will beat them in 5 or 6, but they could make it a tough 5 or 6 game series. I’d rather face those other teams because they will be easier to beat, but nobody should be scared of OKC. The Rockets are on another level in comparison to them.
PG is leaving unless OKC makes a surprise splash in the playoffs. He never chose OKC, he was traded there. Why would he have any loyalty to them? They're struggling to compete and one of their best role players unfortunately just had a career-changing injury. If they fail to make the playoffs he'll probably write off re-signing there completely. He's LA bound and will try to recruit Lebron. Just watch.
... and I wonder how much the improved play by the Lakers will play a role as well. If he really has that kind of tie to his roots in Los Angeles, I could see him bailing this offseason. STILL, it's always hard to imagine a max free agent walking away from even a few extra dollars. OKC needs to figure out their Carmelo situation. He's starting to remind me of Golden State and David Lee.
The Thunder have 16 games remaining on the schedule -- four of them should be gimmes against lottery teams (Phoenix, Sacramento, Atlanta, Memphis). The other 12 are against teams in the playoffs or in the playoff hunt.
Two of those gimme teams they just recently played, @phx they were down double digits second half and pulled it out, against SAC it took a buzzer beating 3 from Russ. @GSW twice within a few weeks they win by 20 points and then get blown out by 30+. This team plays with great volatility and I wouldn't say anything is a gimme. OKC is the most unpredictable team I have seen in over a decade. Westbrook plays with a lot of emotion, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The one thing this team is lacking is a level headed veteran leader to keep them calm. Losing a game or two that they should win I think will end their season.
Hilarious how the season ending injury of a role player dooms the Thunder season. Be like the Rockets collapsing from losing EGo. Just lol.
They balance those four games against tanking teams by playing the top four, 3 away (@ Toronto, Boston and Houston) and face the Warriors at home. That stretch of 11 games against playoff teams could really take them out of the playoff, they are just one loss ahead the Jazz. Looking at their past 10 games, they only managed to beat tanking teams, and it wasn't easy for them. Thunder are playing trully bad basketball not only on offense, their D yesterday was atrocious. It wasn't awful only individually (Melo and WB don't even bother to try), but their defensive game plan against us was worth of pitty. George did a good overall job aginst James and we still ran them out of the court. Their trap D out of the pick and roll wasn't the reason James got that 10 turnovers, on the contrary, he was getting rid of the ball quickly and Tucker made the right play after that. That's not the way teams should defende us, specially if you have a ball watching guard not rotating, waiting for defensive rebounds. Maybe I'm one of the few, but I'd rather face them in the first round than the Nuggets (Millsap is back) or the Jazz. Westbrook in the playoffs is always exposed. I'm pretty confident we'd beat them in 5, without much sweat.
Exactly what can they do? Is his NoTrade Clause in effect (Did waving it to come to OKC mean he waved it completely?) He *Will* Opt in cause of all the money Rocket River
