This topic contains 10 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar Hitster 11 years, 10 months ago.

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  • #39153
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    Wavy Bagels
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    It’s mind-baffling. The Thunder are an incredible team that has made huge leaps and bounds since the 09-10 Playoffs when they recieved a heartbreaking, first round exit against the Lakers, and now, they are absolutely blowing them out. This was predicted that the OKC Thunder was to be the best, if not, one of the best teams in the NBA for years to come, but one thing continually bothers me: Their half-court offense. If you look how they play on offense, you notice that set a few screens here and there, KD  moves off the ball a bit, and with 10 seconds of a possession, either he or Westbrook (whoever has the ball) will chuck up a shot. Yet, with all that said, The Thunder is one of the best offensive teams in the league. I know having prolific scorers like KD, Westbrook, and even Harden off the bench helps, but for a team with a horrendous half-court scheme, how do they remain successful? Thoughts?

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  • #670104
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    mgreener_34
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     I don’t think their half-court offense is as bad as everyone likes to make out. They arn’t the Spurs or Celtics with the sets they run, but when you have three of the best isolation players in the NBA you’re bound to score. The pick and roll is the best play in basketball, and they have three guys who can run it flawlessly. Also I think it’s important to acknowledge the improvemnt of Ibaka’s and Sefo’s jumpshot. This gives the Big Three another weapon to kick out to at all times. 

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  • #670108
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    Tongue-Out-Like-23
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    Man, I hope we get to see a Heat v Thunder match-up!  That would be the most exciting series in years!

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  • #670113
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    UNCbasketballbum
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    yeah it would, 4 of the most athletic players in the world, flying up and down the court. 

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  • #670117
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    joecheck88
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     You want to see bad offense? See LA Clippers. At least OKC has movement and different people handle the ball. They have good shooters. They don’t have a low post game but they make up for it with their relentless attacking of the rim. This is just a special team and we need to appreciate them because this team may not look like this forever with all the talent they have needing to be paid. Just enjoy the ride.

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  • #670125
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    SportsNinja
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    I really hope they can keep this team together. It seems to me that most people around the country root for them. They are fun to watch, come from a small market, have a couple of great players, and don’t have any history to make anybody hate them. Some people say Westbrook isn’t a true pg, but I think he is a perfect fit for this team. This is like a fantasy team. One of the best, if not the best, scoreres in the league and an extremely athletic and talented pg that can do anything on the offensive side. They have solid defenders at key positions, and very talented role players, including the best shot blocker in the league. They have a great bench that includes the best 6th man and depth at the 5 which is rare.

    They are fun to watch and extremely young. If they don’t stay together it will be disappointing because I think they are a perfect fit for one another. I am a Kings fan and OKC’s on the court chemistry reminds me of their best teams 10+ years ago. I like a lot of the individual players, but they are even more impressive as a team. I can’t believe I even like Ibaka considering he has to average 12 blocks a game against Sac. 

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  • #670140
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    NYK2010
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    A lot of teams in the NBA are perimeter teams for the most part.

    Westbrook did post up but OKC can beat you in many ways and in 5 playoff games the lowest they’ve scored is 95 pts.

    They do rely on the jumper a lot but some of that has to do with the opponent L.A. has 2 7 foot Centers that block shots and clog up the paint.  Most teams don’t have that Duncan isn’t the same player he used to be.  Miami has no real inside presence and same goes for Philly.  Boston has KG who’s playing at an elite level but he doesn’t have much help inside and I wonder how long he can keep this up.  Hibbert is a legit shot blocker and 7 feet plus but Indy like most other teams doesn’t have the offense to keep up with OKC.

    Durant should post up since he has so much length but hey if the game plan is working I wouldn’t change it too much.

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  • #670157
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    jerb2011
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     Thunder GM Sam Presti said he has been putting money back and restructuring the contracts of players like Nick Collison (who went from making $13 mil to $3 mil) to keep Harden, Ibaka, and Maynor in OKC. I’m really impressed with the way he is building this team, just like the Spurs when he was their GM years ago and put Duncan, Ginobli, and Tony Parker together forever it seems like

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  • #670164
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    joecheck88
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     Sam Presti is a genius but it’s going to be very hard to keep them all happily paid. Durant and Westbrook are maxed or close to it. Harden and Ibaka are at about 10 mil per year per player at worst. Perkins got a 36 mil deal for 4 years. That’s a 9 average, I don’t know how it’s constructed though. I’m not saying it can’t be done but it sure is going to be tough. Especially if a team throws a big offer sheet to Harden when he is eligible. I don’t think it would be wise for him to take an extension from OKC because it won’t be max. Unless he really doesn’t care about the extra money. Idk, like I said though, I’m going to enjoy them for the time being. 

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  • #670211
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    WolfRob
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     What Presti has done with the players is unbelievable, but don’t forget him hiring Scott Brooks. He is the man that balances all of that offensive talent, I honestly think what he has done is incredible. His isolation heavy offense is perfect for that team. I love it

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  • #670229
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    Hitster
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     Sam Presti has not just drafted well, he has also assembled a good set of veterans for Coach Brooks to use, I agree that the Nick Collinson contract was a great idea to free up cap space to renew the younger guys going forward. Also there is the championship experience that has been brought in with Perkins, Nazr and more recently Derek Fisher, these guys are perfect to surround the big 3 with at crucial moments plus through in Collinson and there is a great veteran core to use down the stretch.

    The thing I like about the Thunder is they compliment each other well, you could say maybe stop the big 3 from scoring and they will struggle but this never really seems to happen as the other guys often make up for it on defence. This makes the likes of Durant and Westbrook work harder as they know the other guys are all playing hard and the rest of the team see the big 3 willing to do some dirty work so they appreciate that.

    The Thunder will have a few contracts to renew but good play off runs should help pay for that and they can probably carry a slightly higher cap if they are really in contention.

    Scott Brooks spends a lot of time on defence and has a former All defensive player as an assistant in Maurice Cheeks so these guys really know how to shut down the opposition.

    The Thunder reached the Conference Finals last year and could well do so again but the big test will be can they take the next step and reach the NBA Finals and then the further step of winning it. I’ll start making predictions that teams should win titles but this Thunder line up has the ability to reach an NBA Final either this year or in the next couple of seasons what they then do is up to them.

     

     

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