The Thunder and Spurs now have a solid 6-7 days to rest up, do some film study, and prepare game plans for a series that should be loads of fun. I can only hope that Greg Poppovich would bust out his crazy-man beard again. With James Harden on the opposite sideline, that would be phenomenal.

Thunder Player Power Rankings | Daily Thunder

Young rates and ranks each of the Thunder now that Round 2 is done. Durant and Westbrook led the way, which is encouraging because they're the Thunder's two best players. It may sound like a tautology, but a team needs its two best players to actually Be its two best players in order for the team to advance.

Thunder Show Teams How to Rebuild Through the Draft | SB Nation

Clipper Steve writes at the dot.com that the Thunder are in the midst of perhaps the greatest draft-based rebuilding project the league has ever seen. I think he's right - you're far more likely to see this kind of rebuild in the NFL than the NBA, where draft legacies can maintain both the best and the worst teams for decades.

Five Questions for WCF | NewsOK

Mayberry covers five questions that could have huge ramifications. To me, a big issue is the last one, involving Matt Bonner.

SAS-OKC WCF RTOE | Hardwood Paroxysm

The HP guys answer a myriad of questions about what to expect in the WCF. They clue in on two of the biggest key match-ups - Parker vs Westbrook and Harden vs Ginobili.

Profiles in Fandom | The Basketball Jones

As he left the dorm that night, Kevin told his roommate, "Something special is going to happen to me tonight." Kevin always said this, but something told him that he was right this time. A few hours later, water bottle filled with vodka that he stashed in one of his shorts' numerous cargo pockets now empty, Kevin was finally right.

Draft Grades: Revisiting 2007 | SB Nation

I'm sure this is a post that every Thunder fan will enjoy and every Trail Blazers fan will weep over. Never the less, history it is, because what we see today started at this particular moment.

Spurs Induced Stockholm Syndrome | Hardwood Paroxysm

I understand where Lynch is coming from. In any other year, the Spurs might be my favorite team to watch and root for. Even if the series does not go the way Thunder fans hope, they're still a great team to root for.

Magic Fire Van Gundy, Lose Key Piece of Puzzle | Sports Illustrated

Lowe argues that the Magic did themselves a disservice by jettisoning Stan Van Gundy. It was apparent that the relationship between he and Dwight Howard was fractured, but who are they going to find that is better suited to coach Howard?

Flagrant Fouls | 8 Points, 9 Seconds

The Pacers-Heat match-up is getting chippy. Wade takes a look at the flagrant fouls that transpired in Game 5 and what the league might do to get control of the situation.

T-Mac is in a Chinese Beer Commercial | Ball Don't Lie

These kinds of things really need to happen more often.

The Thunder finished Round 2 in convincing fashion, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1. The entire series was an entertaining affair, with the Thunder winning convincingly in Game 1 and Game 5 and winning it close in Games 2 and 4. Most impressive was the way that the Thunder closed out each of their wins. With the exception of the free throw fest that was Game 3, OKC always knew exactly what it was trying to do down the stretch and key players rose to the challenge. The Lakers are gone, and the Thunder receive their Round 2 grades here.

Round 1 Final Player Grades

***

KEVIN DURANT

26.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.6 BPG, 1.6 SPG, 2.8 TPG

	Grade	Comments
Zorgon's Grade		I'm giving him an A+ because there's absolutely no way he could have played this series any better. He was working for open shots while Kobe was struggling with turnaround jumpers, and he forced shots and kicked the offense into gear when he absolutely needed to. Oh, and he pretty much clinched Game 2, Game 4, and Game 5. His defense was kinda eh sometimes and he had a couple of turnovers, but screw that.
Sherman's Grade		Kevin Durant was everything you'd expect your team's leader to be - poised, unhurried, confident, and made all the right plays at the right time. Often times he was the best player on the court and you barely realized he was out there. Metta World Peace played him well defensively, and KD still shot 52% from the floor and almost 40% from 3-point range. On top of that, Durant was the key defender guarding Kobe Bryant in the 4th quarter of games, and he did a great job in keeping Kobe from stealing Games 2, 4, and 5.

RUSSELL WESTBROOK

25.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 TPG

	Grade	Comments
Zorgon's Grade		I'm lowering Westbrook's grade because of how he played in Game 3. I'm sorry, but his percentages were horrible that night, and he's pretty much the main reason why we lost that game. He wasn't attacking the rim, he was shooting too many wild jumpers before the offense was set, and over the course of the series he took a few too many threes. Of course, he had a bit of a renaissance after that and started attacking the rim for the first time in about a year, and pretty much saved the series. Still, he did miss/force a lot of shots in Game 5. So I'm putting him at B+. Really awesome play, but a couple of negatives draw him back.
Sherman's Grade		Westbrook continued his evolution as a battle-tested playoff point guard with another sensational series. The Lakers knew from the Dallas series that he was the one guy for which there was no easy answer, and despite several defensive switches, there was still little LA could do with the dynamic Mr. Westbrook. While his Game 3 struggles contributed to the loss of a winnable game, in effect his failings in that game helped him refocus on what he does so well - attack the lane, to the tune of 37 in Game 4 and 28 in Game 5. On top of that, Westbrook committed only 4 turnovers, an average of less than 1 per game.

JAMES HARDEN

15.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 2.3 TPG

	Grade	Comments
Zorgon's Grade		I think a lot of people have been semi-snubbing James Harden during this series. Sure, Westbrook and Durant took it over without him, but he's quietly made some great contributions. He just hasn't been fueling the spurts of offense he's known for, which makes him a lot less noticeable on the stat sheet. But he's gotten to the line, and kept the ball moving. What I'm really docking him for is the poor defense on Bryant later in the series. Otherwise, I'd put him up in the A column with Durant and Westbrook.
Sherman's Grade		Harden never really seemed to get on track in this series, and I am still not sure why. The Lakers bench is not deep and they do not have any great defensive players who come into the game who can handle him. Yet Harden really struggled in getting his pick and roll game going, and thus did not really serve his normal catalyst role until Game 5. Perhaps the biggest reason is that Harden struggled with fouls all series, often getting called just for jostling for position. It seemed to make him more hesitant and off-balance, and therefore not quite as effective.

More grades after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

UPDATE: The Pre-Game Festivities are here to stay, but the watch party has been canceled. However, we are trying to change their minds! Join the Facebook page and email Mayor Cornett at Mayor@okc.gov!

Via News 9:

Thunder Alley is no more, according to the mayor of Oklahoma City.

Mayor Mick Cornett says while he supports the idea of "Thunder Alley," he has decided to end the event following the shooting in Bricktown Monday night.

Cornett made the decision after talking it over with the city manager and the chief of Oklahoma City Police.

Cornett also says he hopes to create an alternative way for fans without tickets to get involved, however, no details on that have been released yet.

This news came after news of a shooting nearby in Bricktown following the Game 5 victory against the Lakers. Read the full story here and here.

But, later on, Mick Cornett was quoted as saying:

"Let’s figure it out and make the next gathering bigger and safer than ever."

And the Thunder Confirmed it on Facebook and Twitter:

You might be hearing reports of Thunder Alley shutting down. It’s not true. We are working with the City of OKC and Police Department to make some changes to ensure safety and manage crowds, but the pregame Thunder Alley party will not go away. Thanks to all Thunder fans for your incredible support.

Whew. Total Chaos was just averted. Thanks goes to the Thunder and City government for working together to keep this thing rolling.

Via News9:

A new video has surfaced of the event, this time showcasing the actual gunshots and the panic immediately following the event. Pretty scary stuff, with people running for their lives. You can see that the actual area wasn't as crowded as Thunder Alley was, but there were a lot of people in immediate danger.

Police confirmed eight people were shot; one is in critical condition while the other seven sustained non-life threatening injuries. A pregnant woman in the vicinity was not shot, but was taken to the hospital after she was injured by the jostling crowd.

Hopefully everybody survives the event. Again, this was a horrible tragedy. But we all still have a longing for Thunder Alley, and hopefully the crowd outside the arena survives to the conference finals. There will probably be new security regulations in place around Thunder Alley, but I have no doubt Thunder fans will continue to show up in droves. I just hope officials still let you bring your own food and beverages.

For an earlier post on the shooting, look here.

The Thunder completed a two year journey last night, finishing off the Lakers in five games. The game was a taut affair, just the previous three. However, the Thunder proved their mettle when the moments mattered most. Down the stretch, the Thunder got better as the Lakers got worse, and now OKC moves on while LA ponders an uncertain future.

Post Game Nuggets | NewsOK

Mayberry reminds us that it was the work of Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins on the offensive boards early in the game that helped wear down the Lakers' big men.

Thunder Advance | Daily Thunder

Young notes that the biggest sequence in the game occurred when Scott Brooks decided to leave Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in the game, but Mike Brown chose to keep Kobe Bryant on the bench. During that stretch, the Thunder essentially finished off the Lakers for good.

Too Much Thunder | ESPN

Adande writes that while the outcome was never really in doubt, we were none the less treated to a competitive series that revealed all of the ways the Thunder have surpassed the Lakers.

Behind the Box Score | Ball Don't Lie

Westbrook has taken a tremendous leap forward, but it begs the question of who has the advantage in the next round at the point position. Westbrook has yet to face the challenge of a PG as quick as he is.

Zero Hour Westbrook | The Classical

I like this post about how Rusell Westbrook fits into the OKC concept, but this idea still makes me cringe because it's the media narrative, not an actual account of what happened:

During last year’s playoffs, he threatened to derail the entire team’s working order.

Show of Hands: Harden or Wade? | Shaky Ankles

The U.S. Olympic team is coming together, so Pina asks, would you rather have James Harden or Dwyane Wade at the shooting guard position? For me, I think it comes down to how international ball is played. Perimeter shooting is more highly valuable than ability to crash into the lane and draw fouls.

Bearded Thunder Fans Make the Best Fans | SB Nation

Next year's Halloween is going to be dominated with James Harden beards and Russell Westbrook shirts.

More Offensive Geometry | Hickory High

Levy follows up his previous geometric post with a second one that looks at the entire league. He has a great comment on how the Thunder are diametrically opposed to the Spurs' brand of offense:

The Thunder are a team that found an offensive recipe completely different from the Spurs. They don't rely on an efficient balance, but instead on individual excellence.

Where Do the Lakers Go From Here? | Silver Screen and Roll

The Lakers are at an odd place in their history. On the one hand, they have a young big man who could either be a cornerstone or a killer, and on the other they have an aging semi-elite player who is past the point where he can win games by himself. And then there's Pau.

Some Surprising Stats from Heat-Pacers | 8 Points, 9 Seconds

If you need further proof that the MVP crown is sitting atop the correct head, just check out Wade's analysis here.

Stern Forms New Competitive Committee...But Why? | NY Daily News

David Stern just reorganized the NBA's competitive committee. His move however seems like he hand-picked representatives who would back his personal positions on changes for the game.

Yahoo! Sports Box Score:

For this full recap, I'll be focusing on a few key areas that the Thunder struggled with in this game, and analyzing how they could have dealt with them better. I know that the Thunder won by a good margin when it was all said and done, but in order to move past a team like the Spurs, they've got to recognize some key weaknesses.

Kobe Bryant:

Like it or not, Kobe Bryant had a fantastic game against the Thunder today. Though the Thunder won't have to deal with him until next season, it's worth taking a look at what worked for him and what didn't. It's not often that someone goes for 42 points while shooting 54% from the field, so there had to be something wrong. Recognizing what works against such a dynamic scorer will be key against guys on the Spurs like Parker and Duncan.

What Worked:

Help Defenders in the Post. When Kobe was given room on an isolation play or something similar, he was able to find success at the rim. But generally, when there was a defender waiting for him in the post, the defender was able to stop him without committing a foul.

Pressure. Kobe didn't really pass the ball tonight. Ever. He was either focused on the rim or creating a shot. So during those rare times that more than one defender would cover him, he wouldn't really make the defense pay, and would often

Thabo on Kobe within 12 feet of the basket. Thabo has the center of gravity and awareness to keep Kobe out of the paint. He only got past Thabo a couple of times, and generally when he did it was straight into heavy defense.

Forcing Kobe to shoot the three. He was 1-6 from that range, and Thunder defenders generally challenged him well out there, because he telegraphed his shots about 3-4 seconds before he shot them.

What Didn't Work:

Fast Break Defense. Every time Kobe got out on the break, he found a way to score.

Harden on Kobe. I can't tell you how many times Kobe blew right by Harden on the perimeter. Harden didn't really have the quickness or awareness to keep up with him. Plus, Harden seemed so traumatized by the foul trouble he suffered in previous games that he wasn't willing to seriously challenge any of Kobe's shots on the perimeter, often leaving him wide open.

Thabo on Kobe further than 12 feet from the basket. Like Harden, Thabo was never seriously challenging Kobe on any of his jumpers, as he didn't really have the quickness.

Any time Durant or Fisher had to defend him. Just a disaster waiting to happen. Durant's never been an exceptional one on one defender, and Fisher is far too short and slow to seriously challenge Kobe.

Below: Looking at Key Laker Runs, Awards!

Continue reading this post »

The NBA has released its Western Conference Finals schedule between the Thunder and Spurs. All start times are CST.

*If necessary

Multiple people are reportedly injured after a shooting in Bricktown Monday night just minutes after the OKC Thunder clinched game five over the Lakers.

Around 11:30 p.m. multiple gun shots were reported near Mickey Mantle Drive and Reno Avenue in downtown Oklahoma City.

Witnesses say fans were celebrating the win and walking to their vehicles when six shots rang out and two people were shot.

One man and one woman were hit, but their conditions are not known at this time.