Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Hornets: 2011-2012 Game 12 Preview; The Hornets Are Finally No Longer Ours
by Zorgon on Jan 11, 2012 12:19 PM CST
in Gameday
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Records: Oklahoma City Thunder (9-2) at New Orleans Hornets (3-6)
Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time
Place: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: Fox Sports Network Oklahoma, Cox Sports Television
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1), KMEZ 106.7 FM
Enemy Blog(s): At The Hive, Hornets 24/7
The Hornets have an entirely new face after the off season departures of Chris Paul and David West. They're left with a lineup of good and somewhat good players, mixed together from old regimes. Their roster can go 11 deep without injuries, and it's hard determining exactly who should fit in where. In some senses, they're like the post Carmelo Denver Nuggets, with many old and new era pieces trying to fit in on a team without clear direction.
Eric Gordon appears to be the defacto leader, but he's out with a sore right knee. With him gone, surprisingly, the scoring leaders have been Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry, two guys whom I'd never have expected to lead a team. The expected defensive stalwart of the Hornets, Trevor Ariza, is out with a groin injury. Some reports are saying he could be back in action tonight, but his status is still to be determined.
Still, this roster does have certain strengths. Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman are a deadly defensive and rebounding combination down low. They don't necessarily provide a lot of offense, but they can keep the paint locked down against a team that relies on inside scoring, like Denver. They can also shoot the three really well, with Jack, Bellinelli, and Jason Smith bringing the heat.
I expect this game to be a relatively easy victory for the Thunder nonetheless. Jack is a turnover machine, and will have a few mishaps that lead to Thunder fast breaks. Without Ariza, the Hornets have no real defensive answer for Kevin Durant. Should Ariza play, I'd say the game would be a bit closer, but still over by the final minute or so. The Hornets will probably cover the Thunder big men really well, but the Thunder's offense functioned relatively well without them against Memphis. As long as our stars are getting opportunities, this one should be in the bag.
Prediction: Oklahoma City 103, New Orleans 87
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nate robinson
remember that time when i posted about nate robinson and how good he was and people were laughing at me? i told yall we shoulda kept the man…probably better then westbrook at this point, and he didnt even have a training camp…now maynors kicked. the thunder organization is trite. keep letting westbrook throw games away when durants on the team and cutting valuable guys like nate rob without giving him a chance….if we still had nate rob we’d make it to the finals easily probably win the whole thing…well see if that happens this year, doubt it
were 10-2 and the best team in the NBA
I dont think not having Nate Robinson is hurting us. I became a big fan of his and wish we would have kept him as well but the truth of the matter was he never got to play here and it was a business decision to let him go which worked out great for both sides.
BTW for those who think the best point guard in the league Russel “Honey Badger” Westbrook is terrible and holding us back, tell me WHY AGAIN WAS HE PICKED TO BE ON THE OLYMPIC TEAM?
-Kool Aid drinking Cassel Believer-
(7-9) My record of picking Chiefs games before the season
(12-4) My Chiefs before the season prediction
Thunder Win-Loss 2011-2012 record (52-14)
Western division champs
NBA Champs over Miami Heat
Really?
I have high doubts that you even watch the Thunder if you think Nate Robinson is outperforming Russell Westbrook or if you think Westbrook is throwing games away. I get that you’re a Nate Robinson fan and that’s understandable, he’s a likable guy.
He wasn’t a better fit than Maynor or Cook so there wasn’t any real reason keep him especially for what we were paying him. And the thought that the improvement from Reggie Jackson to Nate Robinson is going to take us from easily making the finals to “doubt it” is laughable. Would Nate Robinson be an improvement over Jackson in our scheme? Maybe, but not by as much as you think in my opinion.
But if you want to come in here and say, “I told you so!” like you somehow predicted that Eric Maynor was going to tear his ACL, well then good on you, you sure called that one.
by belt on Jan 11, 2012 4:15 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
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Northwest Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma City
|
47 | 19 | .712 | 0 | Won 4 |
|
Denver
|
38 | 28 | .575 | 9 | Lost 1 |
|
Utah
|
36 | 30 | .545 | 11 | Lost 4 |
|
Portland
|
28 | 38 | .424 | 19 | Lost 7 |
|
Minnesota
|
26 | 40 | .393 | 21 | Lost 2 |
(updated 5.22.2012 at 9:28 AM CDT)
Thunder Schedule
Next 5 Games
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Los Angeles Lakers
|
Wed 05/23 | TBA |
|
Los Angeles Lakers
|
Sun 05/27 | TBA |
|
@
San Antonio
|
Sun 05/27 | 7:30 PM CDT |
|
@
San Antonio
|
Tue 05/29 | 8:00 PM CDT |
|
San Antonio
|
Thu 05/31 | 8:00 PM CDT |
Last 5 Games
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Los Angeles Lakers
|
Mon 05/21 | W 106 - 90 |
|
@
Los Angeles Lakers
|
Sat 05/19 | W 103 - 100 |
|
@
Los Angeles Lakers
|
Fri 05/18 | L 96 - 99 |
|
Los Angeles Lakers
|
Wed 05/16 | W 77 - 75 |
|
Los Angeles Lakers
|
Mon 05/14 | W 119 - 90 |
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