Westbrook in straight beast mode again...

[ninjacookies]

Utah is one of the slowest paced stout defensive teams in the league. West brook drops 43 on them like it's nothing.

Definitely not championship favorites, but this man poses a scare in the early rounds. That 3rd seed is all but secured.

[seabass97166]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

Utah is one of the slowest paced stout defensive teams in the league. West brook drops 43 on them like it's nothing.

Definitely not championship favorites, but this man poses a scare in the early rounds. That 3rd seed is all but secured.

Utah is a good team. Down by 10 the entire game but just like typical NBA fashion makes their 4th quarter run and eventually takes control up by 4 with 48 secs...that is, until CHUCKY drops a 3, grabs a board...gets an AND-1, thanks for coming

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by seabass97166

Utah is a good team. Down by 10 the entire game but just like typical NBA fashion makes their 4th quarter run and eventually takes control up by 4 with 48 secs...that is, until CHUCKY drops a 3, grabs a board...gets an AND-1, thanks for coming

He's far from a great shooter, but his athletic gifts are probably only rivaled by MJ. Tons of other guys are athletic, but it doesn't translate to being able to dominate at this level.

It's amazing what a high powered motor combined with lightning speed and above the rim play can do.

[seabass97166]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

He's far from a great shooter, but his athletic gifts are probably only rivaled by MJ. It's amazing what a high powered motor combined with lightning speed and above the rim play can do.

Speaking of MJ, Westbrook now has more Triple doubles this season than MJ had his entire career.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by seabass97166

Speaking of MJ, Westbrook now has more Triple doubles this season than MJ had his entire career.

I'm convinced MJ could have averaged, or at least came very close to, a triple dub over an entire year if he was placed at the PG spot. Unfortunately we'll never know. Would have been amazing to see both these juggernauts face off at their prime.

[alias21]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

I'm convinced MJ could have averaged, or at least came very close to, a triple dub over an entire year if he was placed at the PG spot. Unfortunately we'll never know. Would have been amazing to see both these juggernauts face off at their prime.

Extremely small sample size alert ha ha. But I saw Jordan live play the hornets in 97 or 98. We were in the cheap seats and as a 13 year old kid all i did was watch jordan all game. It seemed to me he did nothing for the first 3 and a half quarters except play hard d and try to get his teammates involved. Then with six minutes left and the game close he dropped like 15 in last 6 minutes to seal it. Maybe it was self rest for the postseason but jordan didn't play extremely selfish unless he needed to play that way to win that game.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by alias21

Extremely small sample size alert ha ha. But I saw Jordan live play the hornets in 97 or 98. We were in the cheap seats and as a 13 year old kid all i did was watch jordan all game. It seemed to me he did nothing for the first 3 and a half quarters except play hard d and try to get his teammates involved. Then with six minutes left and the game close he dropped like 15 in last 6 minutes to seal it. Maybe it was self rest for the postseason but jordan didn't play extremely selfish unless he needed to play that way to win that game.

People seem to forgot he held the record for most consecutive triple doubles during a season. Not magic. Not oscar. MJ.

It's easy to get caught up in the sensationalism of a ball chucking scoring machine, but MJ's game had zero flaws. Zero. He could pretty much do whatever he wanted on the court, at any time he chose.

[alias21]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

People seem to forgot he held the record for most consecutive triple doubles during a season. Not magic. Not oscar. MJ.

It's easy to get caught up in the sensationalism of a ball chucking scoring machine, but MJ's game had zero flaws. Zero. He could pretty much do whatever he wanted on the court, at any time he chose.

I wasn't a jordan homer as a kid despite growing up in illinos in the late 80's/90's. But I was always a basketball fan. And anytime I saw him live it was crazy impressive how he held the game in the palm of his hand. It was almost a conscious decision whether he needed to take a game over or not. I realize westbrook doesn't have that option most nights.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by alias21

I wasn't a jordan homer as a kid despite growing up in illinos in the late 80's/90's. But I was always a basketball fan. And anytime I saw him live it was crazy impressive how he held the game in the palm of his hand. It was almost a conscious decision whether he needed to take a game over or not. I realize westbrook doesn't have that option most nights.

Russ' game right now can be best described as 120mph reckless abandonment.

He never was the greatest shooter, never had the greatest finess, and never had elite court vision. He's pretty much just relying on his ability to put the defense on its heels every play. Reminds me a lot of Blake his rookie season. Jumping out the gym on every possession and dominating defenses, with very little actual IQ. However, the game seems to have slowed down a lot for Westbrook this year. He still has the turnovers, but his ability to find the open man has improved dramatically over the course of the season. It's not easy when most of your teammates aren't even above average shooters, but somehow he's making it seem that way.

[alias21]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

Russ' game right now can be best described as 120mph reckless abandonment.

He never was the greatest shooter, never had the greatest finess, and never had elite court vision. He's pretty much just relying on his ability to put the defense on its heels every play. Reminds me a lot of Blake his rookie season. Jumping out the gym on every possession and dominating defenses, with very little actual IQ. However, the game seems to have slowed down a lot for Westbrook this year. He still has the turnovers, but his ability to find the open man has improved dramatically over the course of the season. It's not easy when most of your teammates aren't even above average shooters, but somehow he's making it seem that way.

Yeah I'd agree with that which is why I said earlier that I'm surprised/impressed he hasn't burnt out or hit the wall yet. It's like a better iverson in his prime but you can only do that so many years. If I was a westbrook fan I'd rather him do this when there's even a chance for a ship. Can't blame him for going all out every night but seasons like this can only shorten your career. You can't go all out for 82 games plus postseason without it catching up to you eventually.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by alias21

Yeah I'd agree with that which is why I said earlier that I'm surprised/impressed he hasn't burnt out or hit the wall yet. It's like a better iverson in his prime but you can only do that so many years. If I was a westbrook fan I'd rather him do this when there's even a chance for a ship. Can't blame him for going all out every night but seasons like this can only shorten your career. You can't go all out for 82 games plus postseason without it catching up to you eventually.

Not too worried about the burn out factor.

Today's game has changed a whole lot versus the 90's and early 2000's when it was commonplace for stars to average close to 40mpg. In fact, it was almost expected. That's why the old heads kind of shake their heads when they see coaches rest superstars for 'maintenance' purposes or on b2b's.

Westbrook is averaging a shade over 34 minutes, which is just slightly above his career average. Less minutes than Lebron this year. He's still super young. About the only thing I'd worry about is a freak injury a-la D Rose. But that can happen to pretty much anyone on any given night.

[alias21]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

Not too worried about the burn out factor.

Today's game has changed a whole lot versus the 90's and early 2000's when it was commonplace for stars to average close to 40mpg. In fact, it was almost expected. That's why the old heads kind of shake their heads when they see coaches rest superstars for 'maintenance' purposes or on b2b's.

Westbrook is averaging a shade over 34 minutes, which is just slightly above his career average. Less minutes than Lebron this year. He's still super young. About the only thing I'd worry about is a freak injury a-la D Rose. But that can happen to pretty much anyone on any given night.

I mean it's smart to rest your guys if you can. 34 minutes a game is surprising. That's a good job on the coach to keep him somewhat fresh as that's just over 70% of the game. I will admit I haven't watched many okc games or looked into the stats so figured it'd be much more than that. Okc needs to surround him with pure shooters and fundamental guys in the paint. Dudes that can rebound and play solid d. Let westbrook play his game, hit shots from the outside if he kicks it out and rebound down low if he misses.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by alias21

I mean it's smart to rest your guys if you can. 34 minutes a game is surprising. That's a good job on the coach to keep him somewhat fresh as that's just over 70% of the game. I will admit I haven't watched many okc games or looked into the stats so figured it'd be much more than that. Okc needs to surround him with pure shooters and fundamental guys in the paint. Dudes that can rebound and play solid d. Let westbrook play his game, hit shots from the outside if he kicks it out and rebound down low if he misses.

They're really one good shooter away from really making playoff noise. They were one game away from making the Finals last year, but ultimately the Durant/WB experiment just didn't work.

I really think a guy like Paul George would be a perfect fit in OKC. Excellent stretch defender, and doesn't mind taking an offensive backseat, as he's shown all year in Indiana.

Roberson just isn't a starting NBA forward. In any universe.

[alias21]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

They're really one good shooter away from really making playoff noise. They were one game away from making the Finals last year, but ultimately the Durant/WB experiment just didn't work.

I really think a guy like Paul George would be a perfect fit in OKC. Excellent stretch defender, and doesn't mind taking an offensive backseat, as he's shown all year in Indiana.

Roberson just isn't a starting NBA forward. In any universe.

George would be a great fit. As would Nokic but as a nugs fan you're not getting him without the next decade of 1st round picks. Okc or anybody with westbrook needs non selfish fundamental players and sky is the limit. I would love to see him make a finals push cause it'd be great tv but would have to build the perfect team around him

[tjforce]

Tonight was huge. Not only did he lead the Thunder to a win against the first place team in the division, but he also finished the game like very few if any other players in the league can.

He has all the momentum in the MVP race right now.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by alias21

George would be a great fit. As would Nokic but as a nugs fan you're not getting him without the next decade of 1st round picks. Okc or anybody with westbrook needs non selfish fundamental players and sky is the limit. I would love to see him make a finals push cause it'd be great tv but would have to build the perfect team around him

Unfortunately, with the current league landscape, we could be in the midst of a long-term championship monopoly between the 2 top stacked teams in each Conference.

Must like the Spurs, Pistons, and Bulls of yesteryear. Always possible one of the 2 gets dethroned, but it'll most likely take a long stretch of impeccable recruiting and a brick ton of luck.

Guys like Westbrook, Harden, Cp3, and Cousins could very well end up being the Malone, Barkley, and Ewings of yesteryear.

[sportzluvr1]

The Thunder basically added 3 players in the past week with the trade and Kanter coming off the DL. That's a huge shot in the arm to Westbrook and I'm not surprised he's playing with a newfound-resurgence in this latter part of the season. Mcdermott may've found the perfect niche to settle into and be the next Kyle Korver. Westbrook will love him.

[alias21]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

Unfortunately, with the current league landscape, we could be in the midst of a long-term championship monopoly between the 2 top stacked teams in each Conference.

Must like the Spurs, Pistons, and Bulls of yesteryear. Always possible one of the 2 gets dethroned, but it'll most likely take a long stretch of impeccable recruiting and a brick ton of luck.

Guys like Westbrook, Harden, Cp3, and Cousins could very well end up being the Malone, Barkley, and Ewings of yesteryear.

This could be true but more because of people joining up with the top players in the league as opposed to the greatness of those players. Apologies to lebron/curry/durant fans. But off season or deadlines back then weren't filled with players joining jordan for the league minimum. It was the greatness of jordan that denied malone (Pedophile) sorry cant type his name without pointing out the obvious, payton/kemp barkley ewings

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by alias21

This could be true but more because of people joining up with the top players in the league as opposed to the greatness of those players. Apologies to lebron/curry/durant fans. But off season or deadlines back then weren't filled with players joining jordan for the league minimum. It was the greatness of jordan that denied malone (Pedophile) sorry cant type his name without pointing out the obvious, payton/kemp barkley ewings

I agree. Just the landscape of free agency and player salaries these days, as well as social media allowing most players to gain a personal familiarity with each other on some bff type ish.

[alias21]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

I agree. Just the landscape of free agency and player salaries these days, as well as social media allowing most players to gain a personal familiarity with each other on some bff type ish.

Yeahh buts it's the reason eras can't compete. I can't blame anybody for adding people for the league minimum who will help your team. But it wasn't how it was in 90's. So be happy your team won with all these hired mercenaries but don't act like this is way its always been.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by sportzluvr1

The Thunder basically added 3 players in the past week with the trade and Kanter coming off the DL. That's a huge shot in the arm to Westbrook and I'm not surprised he's playing with a newfound-resurgence in this latter part of the season. Mcdermott may've found the perfect niche to settle into and be the next Kyle Korver. Westbrook will love him.

And Oladipo has been out.

Although, from what I've seen I'm not sure that the offense doesn't run better with Arbines in the lineup

[Chris P]

Here's what I find impressive and what gets overlooked to me...the number of games that have been missed by some of the more important players on this team. For a team that doesn't have a lot of offensive talent to begin with, they've survived injuries that have cost Olidipo and Kanter (basically the 2nd and 3rd best offense players on this team) multiple games, plus while Payne was here, he missed the first 30 games of the season as well. To be still 10 games over .500 despite the big injuries is definitely impressive

[CubKings]

Russ and the team are rolling right now. And Dipo has missed it all. Kanter is back

Hopefully they can move past Memphis and maybe LA. Get closer to the top and it's got to be hard to deny him the MVP. Harden hasn't done too much lately.

[Chris P]

The one criticism I've never understood from his detractors is that he doesn't care about winning and is only in it for the stats...I mean I guess you could make that point if the Thunder were an under .500 lotto team while Russ was putting up these numbers but they are WINNING and he's absolutely the reason why. You can criticize his shot selection and recklessness but to question his heart and his wanting to win is seriously the dumbest criticism I've ever heard and I can't believe people fall back on that when criticizing Russ

[tennelson55]

Originally Posted by Chris P

The one criticism I've never understood from his detractors is that he doesn't care about winning and is only in it for the stats...I mean I guess you could make that point if the Thunder were an under .500 lotto team while Russ was putting up these numbers but they are WINNING and he's absolutely the reason why. You can criticize his shot selection and recklessness but to question his heart and his wanting to win is seriously the dumbest criticism I've ever heard and I can't believe people fall back on that when criticizing Russ

It's not so much his mind, but rather his train of thought to get to winning. Russ could have passed the ball more Durant and Durant probably would have stayed in okc. He didn't want to pass it to Durant and Durant wanted to shoot more.

Russ is a fricken freight train right now and the thunder should continue to roll. I thought the jazz could beat the thunder and that gobert could protect the rim from Russ; that's a joke.