4/11 - 7PM CST | G82: Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder

[Andre Roberstan]

I don't think everyone here is terribly negative, though some are. You can be critical and not think they're a great team while still being positive of what they are good at.

In the end they finished pretty close to where I figured and were missing 30 games of Dre. Tjats pretty darn good. Now here's to a good playoffs.

Eh, I think he's actually got a point. RealGM and DT both skew kind of negative, probably due to the amount of crossover between fans.

[bondom34]

I don't think everyone here is terribly negative, though some are. You can be critical and not think they're a great team while still being positive of what they are good at.

In the end they finished pretty close to where I figured and were missing 30 games of Dre. Tjats pretty darn good. Now here's to a good playoffs.

Eh, I think he's actually got a point. RealGM and DT both skew kind of negative, probably due to the amount of crossover between fans.

when I say "some are" I meant the DT portion haha.

I think that's part of what pushed me out of dt as well. Here there are a few different voices I appreciate just for being a breath of fresh air. I don't like being a homer but in the end thos team did pretty well given Dre getting hurt and integrating new parts.

On an unrelated note Vogel fired.....get him to keep PG

[Andre Roberstan]

I don't think everyone here is terribly negative, though some are. You can be critical and not think they're a great team while still being positive of what they are good at.

In the end they finished pretty close to where I figured and were missing 30 games of Dre. Tjats pretty darn good. Now here's to a good playoffs.

Eh, I think he's actually got a point. RealGM and DT both skew kind of negative, probably due to the amount of crossover between fans.

when I say "some are" I meant the DT portion haha.

I think that's part of what pushed me out of dt as well. Here there are a few different voices I appreciate just for being a breath of fresh air. I don't like being a homer but in the end thos team did pretty well given Dre getting hurt and integrating new parts.

On an unrelated note Vogel fired.....get him to keep PG

Yeah, I had heard Vogel was on the way out a while ago (through our mutual friend with the Magic connection).

[slick_watts]

i like a lot of things with the team but they just aren't discussed as often as the controversial stuff. that's just the nature of the internet. want to talk about andre roberson? or paul george? or steven adams? all their seasons?

negative is in the eye of the beholder, anyway. early in the season when andre roberson was getting skewered, who was being negative?

[bondom34]

Yes actually. Steven is maybe in the MIP running. And if I'm totally honest the positives aren't brought up here very often at all, they have a point. Its a remarkably negative forum.

And Roberson was getting skewered for about a week. And even then it was mild.

But whatever floats your boat.

[slick_watts]

Yes actually. Steven is maybe in the MIP running.

the latest iterations of bpm / boxscore regressed metrics underrate him so much imo for a lot of the same reason westbrook gets juiced up by them: defensive rebounds. CARMELO had him more or less flattening out this season and i thought that was bizarre. adams had a fantastic season.

And Roberson was getting skewered for about a week. And even then it was mild.

he's been skewered for three seasons.

[dakomish23]

Team got in the playoffs and has HCA

Folks still miserable

[slick_watts]

Team got in the playoffs and has HCA

Folks still miserable

no one here is miserable. stop it.

[Bergmaniac]

That game was great fun to watch, LOL, neither team bothered playing D. Triple-double average is a hilariously overrated achievement IMO, but given the hype I can't blame Westbrook for going for it in a game which was never really close.

[bondom34]

Yes actually. Steven is maybe in the MIP running.

the latest iterations of bpm / boxscore regressed metrics underrate him so much imo for a lot of the same reason westbrook gets juiced up by them: defensive rebounds. CARMELO had him more or less flattening out this season and i thought that was bizarre. adams had a fantastic season.

And Roberson was getting skewered for about a week. And even then it was mild.

he's been skewered for three seasons.

I'm.not taking about bpm. Lowe had to.2nd in mip voting. Hes a great story.

And Roberson isn't getting skewered here by anyone except maybe 2 people. Russ has more people railing against him.here than Dre. That says a lot

[dakomish23]

Team got in the playoffs and has HCA

Folks still miserable

no one here is miserable. stop it.

Yeah you’re just an absolute joy

[slick_watts]

I'm.not taking about bpm. Lowe had to.2nd in mip voting. Hes a great story.

and i'm agreeing! and saying he was underrated before the season. obvious leap candidate to me.

And Roberson isn't getting skewered here by anyone except maybe 2 people. Russ has more people railing against him.here than Dre. That says a lot

andre roberson is always in the crosshairs.

remember that the best players generate the most controversy. so yes, it does say a lot that westbrook and roberson are both prime targets on the thunder.

[bondom34]

I'm.not taking about bpm. Lowe had to.2nd in mip voting. Hes a great story.

and i'm agreeing! and saying he was underrated before the season. obvious leap candidate to me.

And Roberson isn't getting skewered here by anyone except maybe 2 people. Russ has more people railing against him.here than Dre. That says a lot

andre roberson is always in the crosshairs.

remember that the best players generate the most controversy. so yes, it does say a lot that westbrook and roberson are both prime targets on the thunder.

I disagree on Roberson. Hes in the crosshairs for the same small minority every time and theyre quickly dismissed every time.

[ThunderBolt]

I don't think everyone here is terribly negative, though some are. You can be critical and not think they're a great team while still being positive of what they are good at.

In the end they finished pretty close to where I figured and were missing 30 games of Dre. Tjats pretty darn good. Now here's to a good playoffs.

Eh, I think he's actually got a point. RealGM and DT both skew kind of negative, probably due to the amount of crossover between fans.

when I say "some are" I meant the DT portion haha.

I think that's part of what pushed me out of dt as well. Here there are a few different voices I appreciate just for being a breath of fresh air. I don't like being a homer but in the end thos team did pretty well given Dre getting hurt and integrating new parts.

On an unrelated note Vogel fired.....get him to keep PG

Did George like Vogel?

[bondom34]

Eh, I think he's actually got a point. RealGM and DT both skew kind of negative, probably due to the amount of crossover between fans.

when I say "some are" I meant the DT portion haha.

I think that's part of what pushed me out of dt as well. Here there are a few different voices I appreciate just for being a breath of fresh air. I don't like being a homer but in the end thos team did pretty well given Dre getting hurt and integrating new parts.

On an unrelated note Vogel fired.....get him to keep PG

Did George like Vogel?

He was a vocal supporter publicly at least. I guess who knows behind the scenes though

[spearsy23]

when I say "some are" I meant the DT portion haha.

I think that's part of what pushed me out of dt as well. Here there are a few different voices I appreciate just for being a breath of fresh air. I don't like being a homer but in the end thos team did pretty well given Dre getting hurt and integrating new parts.

On an unrelated note Vogel fired.....get him to keep PG

Did George like Vogel?

He was a vocal supporter publicly at least. I guess who knows behind the scenes though

Even if not he'd have to have a new found fondness after a year of Donovan.

[hardenASG13]

I'm away for a couple of hours and y'all melt down on me. C'mon, guys.

slick is entitled to his opinion, even if you think it sucks. I disagree (vehemently!) with HASG13 and sleestak, but they're free to post their ideas still, just as you are free to disagree with them.

If we can't have a free and open exchange of ideas about the team that we're all ostensibly fans of (yes, slick is still a fan...I've been around him on forums for years now) then why are we here?

AP, I probably SHOULD warn you. There are reasonable arguments to be made against slick's position. If he bothers you that much put him on ignore and don't resort to ad hominem. (And slick, don't keep poking him—you've been around for ages, you know the drill. Report and move on.)

You've been a good poster and this is uncharacteristic. Official warning and 12-hour is cocked. Don't make me use it, please.

And for what it's worth, I generally agree with slick that it was obvious stat padding. Still a cool achievement, and I don't care. (although I have a sneaking suspicion he may not be recognizing the weak side player two-nining the paint, which is regular help technique)

Of course you/ others don't agree with me......ive thought the thunder were built for the Playoffs all year, which is uncool on here. Negativity and over reaction is where it's at! Seriously if you guys expect a billy Donovan coached team to bring consistent effort and accountability every night in the RS I feel bad for you, or you must all be wide eyed 10 year olds. They walk all over him, don't fear him at all. They do whatever they want, and the difference vs. Good teams was always there. Learn how this NBA thing works.

As an aside, the fact that some of you have put me on ignore, because my opinions don't agree with yours, is beyond pathetic! GO THUNDER!

I don't think everyone here is terribly negative, though some are. You can be critical and not think they're a great team while still being positive of what they are good at.

In the end they finished pretty close to where I figured and were missing 30 games of Dre. Tjats pretty darn good. Now here's to a good playoffs.

Many are terribly negative. You can critical and not think they are a great team, just been trying to give you guys proper perspective. They've been playing up/down to comp all year. They don't have a strong coach. That will happen. They have been right in the mix with everyone in the West, outside GS and Hou.
The accepted stance on them (on this board)is that they were at best a first round out, and several preferred they missed the Playoffs. All this despite them having a legit superstar, complemented by a legit all star, a very good young center, and what's left of melo (He can still get extremely hot, and go for double digit scoring quarters. There is something to be said for that). Grant developed and looked great all year. Their bench has been coming along the last month plus. Brewer has been a nice free pickup. Yet right until they beat Miami almost everyone on this board went out of their way to critique or discredit almost everything they did. From Westbrook, to melo, to George, to brewer, to the bench (here's a shocker for the over reactionary idiots, who post the bench stats every game: those guys won't play a bunch in the playoffs!) Kizz apparently is still going down with the ship that grant stinks!!

I understand being critical, and it's fine, but as I've been saying, the grass isn't greener almost everywhere else. They have a chance to do damage in the playoffs. Last year they didnt. What you confused fans have seen from this year was a veteran group, with legit stars, led by an overmatched coach with no control of that group. They weren't accountable from an effort perspective, and that was pretty clear. The results were inconsistency, and some terrible losses. The playoffs fix the effort problem. They focus will be there every game, and that too was predictable all along, making the tanking, win 1 game at most in the playoffs, every player but adams and Roberson sucks crowd (the overwhelming majority on here, and you get attacked/ignored if you think otherwise) look foolish in their over reactionary (the reg season doesn't matter that much to these guys, folks), constant, and small picture critiquing of this team. Thats no way to enjoy your favorite team, especially with what could be their best roster for the next 10 years. Its tough to see all year on here.

[spearsy23]

Of course you/ others don't agree with me......ive thought the thunder were built for the Playoffs all year, which is uncool on here. Negativity and over reaction is where it's at! Seriously if you guys expect a billy Donovan coached team to bring consistent effort and accountability every night in the RS I feel bad for you, or you must all be wide eyed 10 year olds. They walk all over him, don't fear him at all. They do whatever they want, and the difference vs. Good teams was always there. Learn how this NBA thing works.

As an aside, the fact that some of you have put me on ignore, because my opinions don't agree with yours, is beyond pathetic! GO THUNDER!

I don't think everyone here is terribly negative, though some are. You can be critical and not think they're a great team while still being positive of what they are good at.

In the end they finished pretty close to where I figured and were missing 30 games of Dre. Tjats pretty darn good. Now here's to a good playoffs.

The playoffs fix the effort problem. They focus will be there every game, and that too was predictable all along, making the tanking, win 1 game at most in the playoffs, every player but adams and Roberson sucks crowd (the overwhelming majority on here, and you get attacked/ignored if you think otherwise) look foolish in their over reactionary (the reg season doesn't matter that much to these guys, folks), constant, and small picture critiquing of this team. Thats no way to enjoy your favorite team, especially with what could be their best roster for the next 10 years. Its tough to see all year on here.

They came within two losses of completely missing the playoffs. Teams that are good enough to coast and turn it on when they want generally don't have to fight just to make the playoffs. This team is what it is, and that's mediocre. The blame falls mostly on coaching and bench play, not top end talent, which of course gives hope for the playoffs, but even just basing on the top two guys they are the third best team in the West.

[slick_watts]

You can critical and not think they are a great team, just been trying to give you guys proper perspective.

what the heck are you even talking about? this was you before the season started:

Certainly seems low, with all their big 3 having something to prove. I don't think they take many nights off from an effort standpoint, which would be the only reason they shouldn't be in the mid 50s-60 wins as long as they stay healthy.

the vegas line was 51.5. the only health issue they've had all year is a player getting injured that you insisted for months was worthless and better off not playing. you say the effort will finally be there in the playoffs, after insisting the big three won't take many nights off from an effort standpoint.

posters like bondom and others were at about 50 wins or slightly below. you berated the kevin pelton RPM projection for suggesting acquiring melo does nothing to the thunder's win projection, and may even lower it.

you and others in the original offseason thread contended that our improvements were in line (or even superior to) houston's. was that the 'proper perspective'?

give me a break.

[hardenASG13]

You can critical and not think they are a great team, just been trying to give you guys proper perspective.

what the heck are you even talking about? this was you before the season started:

Certainly seems low, with all their big 3 having something to prove. I don't think they take many nights off from an effort standpoint, which would be the only reason they shouldn't be in the mid 50s-60 wins as long as they stay healthy.

the vegas line was 51.5. the only health issue they've had all year is a player getting injured that you insisted for months was worthless and better off not playing. you say the effort will finally be there in the playoffs, after insisting the big three won't take many nights off from an effort standpoint.

posters like bondom and others were at about 50 wins or slightly below. you berated the kevin pelton RPM projection for suggesting acquiring melo does nothing to the thunder's win projection, and may even lower it.

you and others in the original offseason thread contended that our improvements were in line (or even superior to) houston's. was that the 'proper perspective'?

give me a break.

First, you have some issues buddy, going back to a pre season thread to look for an error

But really, I can be wrong about things pre season. Was everything you thought pre season 100% accurate?

Our difference.....i adjust my opinions to what I see, and can tell what I'm watching, rather than charting rebounds and noting my opinion of the ensuing possession or something, like you. My pre season thoughts about their effort were quickly disproven, as they were clearly not playing with any accountability, really on either end. The terrible losses that people over reacted to on here all season sucked, but the team played extremely sloppy in those games. When they play good, focused basketball, and show up on D, which they have against good teams, they are tough to beat. This was missed by many on this board, all season. All the analysis, critiquing of lineups that will change based on matchups and begin excluding weak links, rooting for them to miss the Playoffs, giving them no chance to win a first round series, was nonsense, and much to do about nothing. It is and always has been about the Playoffs, and I'm not sure who's playing much better than OKC right now. They could lose to Utah, or win the west. Can't ask for much more than that.