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Thunder Fan Confidence Poll
Last tallied on 09/01.
Northwest Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denver
|
53 | 29 | .646 | 0 | Lost 1 |
|
Utah
|
53 | 29 | .646 | 0 | Lost 4 |
|
Oklahoma City
|
50 | 32 | .609 | 3 | Lost 2 |
|
Portland
|
50 | 32 | .609 | 3 | Lost 2 |
|
Minnesota
|
15 | 67 | .182 | 38 | Lost 7 |
(updated 9.2.2010 at 4:09 PM CDT)
FIBA Worlds: Games To Watch/Open Thread 2.9.10
by Zorgon on Sep 2, 2010 5:36 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
1 comment
Hey! Check out a rewind of Yesterday's Action below!
Feel free to post your thoughts about the games in the comments section.
We're in the final day of FIBA Group play (finally), and some groups are decided, but some groups still have things to sort out. Notably, Group A will have a championship game of sorts between Serbia and Argentina, while 2nd place needs to be decided between Greece and Russia in Group C, 3rd Place needs to be decided between Australia and Angola in Group A, and Group C has 3 teams that could potentially take the 4th spot. If this all seems confusing, check out the full schedule of events here and/or the standings here.
Note: This is a general guide to the games of today, and shouldn't necessarily be taken as a command to watch every single game on the list. Rather, think of it as a friendly introduction to international basketball, allowing you to more easily select a game to watch that suits your viewing style from the best games available. Also, the previews below are just meant to be short blurbs of why you should watch the game. Don't take it as in-depth analysis. For that, go to my previews of the respective groups.
Team Thunder:
Team USA (Durant, Westbrook) vs. Tunisia
Time: 8:30 AM Central Standard Time
Network: ESPN 2
Analysis/Prediction: If Iran was a walkover game, then this is a stompover game. This will be absolutely no contest at all. Unless you're a hardcore fan of USA Basketball, I wouldn't wake up early for this one.
Serbia (Krstic) vs. Argentina
Time: 11:00 AM Central Standard Time
Network: NBATV
Analysis/Prediction: This is a battle for the title of Group B, and it should be an exciting one. Serbia proved they're a force to be reckoned with when they have Nenad Krstic against Australia, and Argentina has struggled a bit but managed to remain undefeated. Even though I predicted Argentina to win the division, I'll predict a narrow Serbia win here, because Argentina has looked really weak so far.
Germany (Pleiss) vs. Jordan
Time: 1:30 PM Central Standard Time
Network: ESPN 3 Only
Analysis/Prediction: Both teams are eliminated from Group A, so this will merely be a 5th place showdown. Germany is the better team, and should win by 10. Hopefully, you'll get a good look at Pleiss here, as Jordan doesn't have some sort of dominant defense in the paint like some other teams.
Below: 4 Other Games You Should Watch!
FIBA Worlds: Team USA/Team Thunder Recap 1.9.10
by Zorgon on Sep 2, 2010 4:58 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
0 comments
In the second to last day of group action, several fates were decided. In Group A, Germany and Jordan were eliminated, in Group B, Iran and Tunisia were eliminated, and in Group D, Lebanon and Canada were eliminated. Meanwhile, Team USA clinched Group B, Turkey clinched Group C, and Lithuania clinched Group D. For the full current group standings, go here.
Team Thunder Recaps:
I could go back, watch this game, and tell you how it broke down. But, who really cares? This game was over the moment it started, and Westbrook and Durant had limited minutes. I know, this is a Thunder blog, and we should focus on Thunder players. But I think that words (and my limited time in watching games) are better spent at this point previewing potential opponents. Team USA clinches Group B, Iran is eliminated from the playoffs.
Serbia destroys Australia, 94-79
In Krstic's first game back from the chair throwing incident, he turned out to be just the X-Factor Serbia needed in order to be among the elite of Group A. He had 14 Points and 10 Rebounds. Meanwhile, Teodosic did a good job of sealing the game for Serbia late in the fourth quarter,and Australia used a very balanced scoring attack. Serbia moves to 3-1 and will play Argentina tomorrow, while Australia will play Angola tomorrow for third place.
A game that I truly regret missing. Tibor Pleiss had a horrible game, with only 2 Points and 4 Rebounds on 1 of 4 Shooting, but, as I predicted, the quick game of Angola proved to be the ultimate downfall of the German team of stiffs. Unfortunately for Thunder fans, due to this loss, Germany will not advance to the knockout stage of the tournament, but you still have one chance to see him tomorrow against Jordan.
Below: 3 Games You Might Have Missed!
FIBA Worlds: Games To Watch/Open Thread 1.9.10
by Zorgon on Sep 1, 2010 8:10 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
0 comments
Hey! Check out a rewind of Yesterday's Action below!
Feel free to post your thoughts about the games in the comments section.
This will be an intense day of action, as some teams battle for positioning and other teams fight to avoid elimination. If there was any time to start watching the FIBA World Championship, it would be now. There are games not listed here though that have the potential to be huge upsets and where smaller-time teams are fighting for that 4th spot, so feel free to look here for the full schedule of today's games. (Subtract 8 hours to get the time in CST.) Also check here for up to date group standings.
Note: This is a general guide to the games of today, and shouldn't necessarily be taken as a command to watch every single game on the list. Rather, think of it as a friendly introduction to international basketball, allowing you to more easily select a game to watch that suits your viewing style from the best games available. Also, the previews below are just meant to be short blurbs of why you should watch the game. Don't take it as in-depth analysis. For that, go to my previews of the respective groups.
Team Thunder:
Team USA (Durant, Westbrook) vs. Iran
Time: 11:00 AM Central Standard Time
Network: ESPN
Analysis/Prediction: It will be interesting to see how Hamed Haddadi matches up against Team USA's bigs, and to see if he can give them fits like Tiago Splitter did. But, he can't do it alone, and this should be a easy win for Team USA. They'll win by about 25.
Serbia (Krstic) vs. Australia
Time: 8:30 AM Central Standard Time
Network: ESPN 3 Only
Analysis/Prediction: Australia has been a bit of an enigma in the tournament so far, crushing Germany, almost beating group Favourite Argentina, and then almost losing to group punching bag Jordan. But I think with Krstic coming back off of his suspension, Serbia should be able to handle Australia quite well. I expect them to win by about 10.
Germany (Pleiss) vs. Angola
Time: 11:00 AM Central Standard Time Network: ESPN 3 Only Analysis/Prediction: Germany was stomped by quick guards on Australia's part, so, by my calculations, they should get creamed by Angola here. I know it's probably not the most likely thing to happen, but this is the type of team Angola was designed to defeat. Realistically, I think Angola will win by about 10. But I could be totally wrong. Below: 3 Other Games to Watch, What's on TV!
FIBA Worlds Recap 31.8.10
by Zorgon on Sep 1, 2010 7:34 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
2 comments
All of the Thunder players were out of action today, so here's a quick rundown of what happened in Groups C and D yesterday.
It was a strange first quarter, as France got off to a really bad start, missing layups and threes alike. This led to an early lead for Canada, but France started charging right back by utilizing Batum and Gelabale's athleticism inside. France would have led at the end of the quarter, but Canada found ways to score, whether it be hitting a tough three or nailing an insane teardrop layup.
The second quarter stayed was a see-saw affair, abut it's amazing that Canada managed to stay in the game. Most of their players (aside from Jermaine Anderson) were unremarkable on offense, but all of them managed to make at least one play that helped them keep pace with France. And on defense, Joel Anthony was the reason that France was unable to run up the score. On every play, whether the French scored was entirely dependent on him. If he was drawn out of the paint, the French made an easy layup. If he stayed in the paint, the French were usually stopped with ease. Again, the teams were deadlocked at the half.
The third quarter was one of some fluctuation, but in general, the see-saw affair continued. About halfway through the quarter, Joel Anthony came out of the game, and it opened up the lane for both teams' guards to come in and wreak havoc. Both teams scored both inside and outside while Anthony was out, but when Anthony came back in the game turned back into a half-court, defensive grind.
Below: The Fourth Quarter, Turkey Goes 3-0, Spain Falls Again, Other Games.
FIBA Worlds: Games To Watch/Open Thread 31.8.10
by Zorgon on Aug 31, 2010 5:42 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
3 comments
Hey! Check out a rewind of Yesterday's Action below!
Feel free to post your thoughts about the games in the comments section.
All of the Thunder players and their respective teams will be out of action today, so here's a quick look at what's on TV and some other games to watch.
Note: This is a general guide to the games of today, and shouldn't necessarily be taken as a command to watch every single game on the list. Rather, think of it as a friendly introduction to international basketball, allowing you to more easily select a game to watch that suits your viewing style from the best games available. Also, the previews below are just meant to be short blurbs of why you should watch the game. Don't take it as in-depth analysis. For that, go to my previews of the respective groups.
What's on TV?
France vs. Canada
Time: 10:30 AM Central Standard Time
Network: NBATV
Analysis/Prediction: A clash between the team that upset Spain and Canada, who has so far been a huge disappointment, losing to both Lithuania and Lebanon. If Canada wants to advance, this game is a must win, as they'll be able to beat New Zealand on Thursday, but will have huge trouble against Spain on Friday. France will attempt to get to 3-0 and secure the #1 spot for Group A. I'd expect a 10-15 Point win for France though, as Canada is massively under-talented, having only a couple NBA players (Joel Anthony, Andy Rautins) and one former NBA player (Denham Brown), with the rest of the team being a mix of Euroleague role players. France, meanwhile, has the tools and talent to beat anybody.
Spain vs. Lithuania
Time: 1:00 PM Central Standard Time
Network: NBATV
Analysis/Prediction: Lithuania is a force to be reckoned with, and they could no doubt cause some problems for Spain here, as they still have the potential to win the group. Expect Lithuania to keep the ball mostly on the perimeter offensively, while Spain will look to utilize the paint. As Lithuanian Centers aren't exactly known for their defensive acumen, I'll give the slight edge to Spain.
Below: Other Games!
FIBA Worlds: Team USA/Team Thunder Recap 30.8.10
by Zorgon on Aug 31, 2010 5:08 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
0 comments
We're in Day 4 of the 2010 FIBA World Championship, and it was a great day of action, especially for Team USA, as they faced their first legitimate opponent of the tournament: Brazil.
Team USA Defeats Brazil, 70-68
The first quarter was one of absolute beauty. It was basketball as it was meant to be played. Two versatile offenses going at it and consistently getting the right shots. Even when there was a miss, the off-ball movement was superb. But, the Team USA's side of things, it was all about Kevin Durant. He scored 9 of Team USA's 22, and he did it from deep, showing that Team USA wasn't afraid to divert from their all fast-break gameplan. And their diversion from this gameplan worked well, until they tried to go back to it late in the quarter. The result was 2 bad turnovers, two threes from Barbosa, an open dunk by Splitter, and a 6 Point Brazil lead going into the second.
In the second quarter, it continued to be a mostly even game, with the US having a slight upper hand near the end as they played good perimeter defense and were able to score in the inside once Tiago Splitter was taken out.
Brazil continued their success into the third quarter, mostly via going to Tiago Splitter in the paint. Coach K decided he had enough of that, though, so he brought out his secret weapon- Tyson Chandler. Chandler proceeded to provide a complete lockdown of Splitter in the paint, forcing Brazil to eventually go back to Marchado and Barbosa for scoring. For a while in the third, it really looked like KD was languishing out there though. He had played all game, and was committing stupid mistakes and missing easy shots. He made a couple towards the end, but you have to question whether he should have gotten a few minutes of rest. Nevertheless, Team USA emerged from the third quarter with the lead, 61 to 59.
If you separated the highlights from the lowlights in the fourth quarter and combined them into two separate reels, after watching both of them you'd have a hard time believing that they came from the same quarter of basketball. Both teams were playing superb defense, and nobody was getting open shots. Thus, you had lots of opportunities for players to create imaginative ways to put the ball in the hoop, but few of those opportunities actually went in.
Below: Thrilling Finish Magnificently Portrayed in Words, Today's Other Action!
FIBA Worlds: Games To Watch/Open Thread 30.8.10
by Zorgon on Aug 30, 2010 6:19 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
5 comments
Hey! Check out a rewind of Yesterday's Action and a Preview of Group C below!
Feel free to post your thoughts about the games in the comments section.
We're in the 3rd Day of the FIBA World Championships, and action is going to slow down for the next couple of days, so every team will get a day off. Today, only groups A and B will play, while Groups C and D will play on Tuesday. That means that Team USA, Germany, and Serbia will all play, but there's only 3 other games that will be played. So look below for a complete list of today's action.
Note: This is a general guide to the games of today, and shouldn't necessarily be taken as a command to watch every single game on the list. Rather, think of it as a friendly introduction to international basketball, allowing you to more easily select a game to watch that suits your viewing style from the best games available. Also, the previews below are just meant to be short blurbs of why you should watch the game. Don't take it as in-depth analysis. For that, go to my previews of the respective groups.
Thunder Team Games:
Team USA (Durant, Westbrook) vs. Brazil
Time: 1:30 PM Central Standard Time
Network: ESPN (Replay at 10 PM on ESPN 2)
Analysis/Prediction: Easily the best game of the day. This one will determine who comes out as the champion of Group B, and it's bound to be the most competitive game Team USA will play until next week. Brazil, a team with an excellent post presence and good shooters on the outside, will face team USA, who is extremely fond of driving it inside. It will be interesting to see how well the US breaks through the wall of Brazilian defense. But still, in all likelihood, Team USA will win this one by about 5 or so. Brazil will save its' real bite for later, when it really matters.
Germany (Pleiss) vs. Australia
Time: 11:00 AM Central Standard Time
Network: NBATV
Analysis/Prediction: Germany will be looking to secure it's second win in order to advance out of the group here, while Australia will be doing the same. Germany still gets to face Iran though, so Australia is in more of a pinch, as they could very well lose against a stacked Serbian team and the running Angolans. Since I predicted Australia to advance out of the group, I'm sticking with them, even though Germany has had a good run so far.
Below: Serbia, and the Other 3 Games!
Keeping Up with the 2010 FIBA World Championships: Group C
by Zorgon on Aug 30, 2010 5:43 AM CDT
in FIBA World Basketball Championships 2010
0 comments
Okay, I know that technically we're two days in. But since I don't want a half-written article to go to waste, I'm releasing my preview of Group C. Also included will be how the team has done so far, and how they compare to my prediction. The preview is also a useful tool for getting to know any team that you might not be familiar with. So, without further ado, here's my preview of Group C:
#6. Cote d'Ivoire (The Ivory Coast)
FIBA World Ranking: 40th
Qualified Via: Placing 2nd at the FIBA African Championships
Performance at the 2006 Worlds: Did Not Qualify
Performance at the 2008 Olympics: Did Not Qualify
Thunder Connection? There are no NBA players from this country, so finding a connection here is near impossible.
NBA Players? None.
The Shakedown: These guys haven't been very successful in FIBA Africa since the 80s, so it was a huge surprise to see them in the silver medal game. They didn't get there by a sudden influx of talent or anything like that. Rather, they got in via good coaching and a solid gameplan, using a fast paced and inside-focused game offensively, and a tough, quick, and hard nosed game defensively. This success can be attributed to Swiss coach Randoald Dessarzin, who started coaching the team last year. Still, their hopes are slim to none when one thinks of their potential success in the FIBA World Championship. They got a tough Group draw, as Group C is probably the most talented from 1 to 5, and their roster consists of college players and players on second-rate European teams. They'll be fun to watch for about 5 minutes, but it would take a true miracle to see this team succeed here.
Video: FIBA Africa Final vs. Angola, Official FIBA Team Profile
Non-NBA Players to Watch For: Mouloukou Diabate, a high-scoring guard who recently has tried to emphasize his passing game. Guy Edi, a shooting guard from Midlands College. Charles Abouo, a high scoring and athletic forward who sparingly plays for Brigham Young. Mohamed Kone, a solid double-double man who plays in Turkey. Pape-Phillipe Amagou, the best scorer on the team who is fond of shooting it from beyond the arc.
Current Record: 0-2
Shakedown Update: The original shakedown was basically correct. While it's nice to think that good coaching and teamwork can get you anywhere, it really can't. This team got totally crushed by Turkey in the opening game, and was handily defeated by China yesterday. With upcoming games against Russia, Greece, and Puerto Rico, thoughts of a win are doubtful, unless Puerto Rico totally collapses between now and their matchup with Cote 'd Ivoire.
Hopes of a Gold Medal: Worst hopes in the entire tournament, I'd say.
Below: The Top 5!
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