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| 2013-2014 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
@ |
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| March 6, 2014 | ||
| US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| 8:00 PM CDT | ||
| TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma/ Fox Sports Arizona | ||
| Radio: 98.1 FM "The Sports Animal" | ||
| Enemy Blogs: Bright Side Of The Sun | ||
| Previous Meetings: November 3rd (Thunder won) | ||
| Injury Report: Thabo Sefolosha (Out), Kendrick Perkins (Out), Eric Bledsoe (Out), Leonardo Barbosa (Out), Goran Dragic (Questionable), MIles Plumlee (Questionable) | ||
| Probable Starters | ||
| Russell Westbrook | P | Goran Dragic |
| Perry Jones | SG | Gerald Green |
| Kevin Durant | SF | P.J. Tucker |
| Serge Ibaka | PF | Channing Frye |
| Steven Adams | C |
Miles Plumlee |
Tonight, the Thunder will travel to Arizona to face off with the 8th ranked team in the Western Conference. This may be a look into the future, since, this may be the first round matchup.
The Suns have been a surprise to the NBA world. After having a horrible 2012 season, Phoenix rebuilt the roster, hired a new coach, and is exceeding everyone's standards. Lead by the All Star snub, Goran Dragic, the Suns have been a threat to the West.
With newly acquired Eric Bledsoe out with injury, the Thunder will not have to worry about him. However, Dragic is a real threat. The man from across the ocean has reached new heights in his game and is now considered an elite guard. Averaging about 20 PPG, Dragic is a danger from anywhere on offense. He shoots 41 percent from 3 point land. To maintain the number one priority, Westbrook will have to step up on D. As for the Sun's alternative scorers, big man Channing Frye is a forward who has the ability to launch from behind the arc and Gerald Green serves as a complement to Dragic. The Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, are aggressive in the paint but do not stand a chance against Serge. An interesting matchup that I am excited to check out is Miles Plumlee vs. Steven Adams. Plumlee, who went from being a nobody in Indiana to a big name in Arizona, has emerged into an all around threat. He is a rising star and will serve as a test to Steven Adams, who is filling in nicely for Perkins. Plumlee leads the Suns in rebounds with 8.3 and has an intimidating presence.
I expect to see Durant absolutely destroy P.J. Tucker; over 40 points would not come as a surprise. He should count on Westbrook to get the ball in his hands, like last game against the 76ers. The Suns are not so deep on the bench so Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb should look to take advantage. Lamb needs to revive himself from his awful play lately and Jackson needs to keep up what he is doing. Adams will be matched up with another difficult task in Plumlee but I am not worried about Plumlee taking control of the game, he is not that type of player.
This win will not be as easy as the previous ones, but, it will give us a sneak preview of what the first round might look for us. Hopefully we could continue to adapt to Westbrook returning and keep this short win streak going.
The Suns' page is Bright Side Of The Sun. Enjoy the game, it should be a good one.
Prediction: Thunder 112, Suns 101
***
It's national Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week and we at WTLC want to bring it to your attention. The illness is debilitating and scary and as impacted our artist W. Bennett Berry (aka Bill Champion) directly, so anything we can do to help bring it to the forefront is time and space well invested.
You can educate yourself a bit with these links. The first is the Society's main page, and the second is a personal blog on the illness, written by Bennett's mom.
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