3/8 | G66: Oklahoma City Thunder at LA Clippers - 9:30PM CST

[NaturalThunder]

Don't get me wrong, we didn't do ourselves any favors with a piss poor first half, but the refs certainly were out to make it as difficult on us as possible.

[NaturalThunder]

I know we're a team with some seriously glaring flaws, but did we do something to piss off NBA refs this year? We've been on the wrong-end of some seriously one-sided officiating this year.

[NaturalThunder]

Wonder how often a team's three best players fouled out in a non-OT game?

And Russ and PG both fouled out on questionable offensive foul calls late in the 4th quarter of a tight game. It's like the refs had a point they wanted to prove.

[Dn4sty]

There is too much riding on the line to have this poor of officiating.

A couple of suggestions

- put a 4th official on the court
- hold officials accountable by doing more than a L2M report
- actually fine and suspend players for flopping
- give incentives for good officiating and take away big games (and playoff) games from crews who do their job poorly

[DoubleJ13]

I guess PG will lose his money tonight then since he saved it last night.

Honestly don't really have anything about this game because the refs took complete control 3 minutes in & that was that. Can't beat the refs 2 nights in a row. I guess the Nader dunk was pretty cool.

[Dn4sty]

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[Dn4sty]

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[ThunderBolt]

I look forward to Dennis schroder occasionally getting hot the fourth quarter some time because it definitely makes up for the fact that he’s an overpaid bad player.

This stretch has really taken the life out of any enthusiasm for the season. I would rather have a .002% chance of getting Zion than get beat down in the first round again.

[JustOneFix]

Beyond pathetic. The defense is basically not allowed in this league anymore. The league will do anything they can to prevent any defensive team to have any success. They just want inflated, artificial numbers.

This is horrible. I rarely speak about the refs, but this was a first degree murder. They just killed us.

[Pillendreher]

There is too much riding on the line to have this poor of officiating.

A couple of suggestions

- put a 4th official on the court
- hold officials accountable by doing more than a L2M report
- actually fine and suspend players for flopping
- give incentives for good officiating and take away big games (and playoff) games from crews who do their job poorly

These last couple of games have become borderline unwatchable. There is no consistency whatsoever with the whistle. They're just calling whatever the **** they want. For five minute stretches, they call every single bit of contact. Then they don't call anything for the next 15 minutes. Then they call everything on one team. Then they call everything on the other team. I've seen it happen to the Thunder, I've seen it happen to their opponents. At some point enough is just enough.

But you know what? At some point, these ridiculous defensive performances by our starters are just not tolerable anymore as well. Don't blame everything on the refs when it's you that doesn't box out. It's not the refs not making you rotate. It's not the refs making Adams look like Marcin Gortat.

This is the starters for every game over the last 10 (with one guy missing it's just the 4 man lineup):



Over the last 10 games, Westbrook-Ferguson-Adams has allowed 116.7 points per 100 possessions. Prior to the loss to the Wizards in January, that lineup allowed 98.1 points per 100 possessions. And it's not like we have been playing offensive juggernaut after offensive juggernaut these last four weeks or so. And hell, good defenses don't get run off the floor against good offensive teams either. But these guys have not been doing their job, at all. To illustrate that, I don't think I need any more than this: Over the last 10 games, our starters with Ferguson+our starters with Schröder have allowed 118.9 points per 100 possessions; that lineup has been responsible for 44 % of our defensive possessions. During the rest of our possessions, we have allowed 109.2 points per 100 possessions. And hell, if you just look at the Morris-Noel frontcourt, they have allowed 101.2 points per 100 possessions. It's just flat out embarassing that our bench is the unit that brings the defense, the effort, the focus and the hustle, while these guys making tens of millions are out there too stupid/lazy to defend a simple Pick and Roll.

You know how you avoid losing and giving the refs the chance to affect the outcome of the game? By not

-allowing the Pelicans to score 131 points, a team that is in disarray and basically without its best player
-allowing the Jazz to put 30+ on you in 3 out of 4 quarters
-falling behind against the Kings by 15 points in the 2nd quarter
-falling behind against the Nuggets by double digits because you can't defend them in the 2nd quarter
-allowing Philadelphia without Embiid to put 37 on you in the first quarter
-allowing the Spurs to put 24 points on you within the first 6.5 minutes of the game
-letting the damn Grizzlies pull away by double digits without their two best players and same random no-names playing heavy minutes for them
-allowing the Timberwolves to score at will for 80-90 % of the game
-allowing the Clippers to put 28 within the first 6 minutes of the game

We can't keep doing this. It's 3 minutes in and teams are already on pace for 30 to 40 point quarters. And it's always the same against every **** team.

[Pillendreher]

And the ref has a direct angle at this. Maybe we should flop more. Like Gallinari or Williams. That seems to help to get to the line.

[Pillendreher]

Prior to these last two games, the Thunder - in 11 seasons - had 10 games in which their own FTr was below .333 and the opposing FTr was at .500 or above. 10 in almost 900 regular season games. After the last two games, that number's at 12. And it's not even fouls on shots: 18 FTs because of non-shooting foul calls vs Portland last night, 24 (!) vs the Clippers. Meanwhile the Thunder combined for 18 FTs off of non-shooting foul calls in these last two games. That's 24 additional cracks at the basketfor the opposing teams. Hell, the Thunder's season high in FTs because of non-shooting foul calls is 7.

[JustOneFix]

I think Adams has to go this off season. Enough is enough. He's been outplayed tonight severly by Ivica frikkin Zubac. He can't even hold his own against 3rd tier C's anymore.

[CROklahoma]

And the ref has a direct angle at this. Maybe we should flop more. Like Gallinari or Williams. That seems to help to get to the line.

What the actual ... Are they **** mental not to see this ...

[Pillendreher]

And the ref has a direct angle at this. Maybe we should flop more. Like Gallinari or Williams. That seems to help to get to the line.

What the actual ... Are they **** mental not to see this ...

Maybe the hipcheck confuses them. They didn't get the first one right either.

[CROklahoma]

And the ref has a direct angle at this. Maybe we should flop more. Like Gallinari or Williams. That seems to help to get to the line.

What the actual ... Are they **** mental not to see this ...

Maybe the hipcheck confuses them. They didn't get the first one right either.

That is a seriously dangerous play.
I miss Kendrick and others for additional toughness.

[Old Man Game]

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Well I'm sure they'll be more favorable to us now.

[Pillendreher]

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Well I'm sure they'll be more favorable to us now.

Somebody had to say something. Donovan is not the kind of coach to do so, so it's up to the team's leaders to say something. Two games in a row they held teams well below league average shooting wise only to battle all night long against the discrepancy at the FT line. And don't get me wrong: It was their own damn fault to allow 28 points within the first 6 minutes and 22 seconds. But for the rest of the game, they had the Clippers at 44.6 eFG% (40.5 % from the field, 28.6 % from 3). Those are good numbers defensively. The bench did one hell of a job defensively, competing, giving effort. But when you play 24 minutes of basketball where the opposing team takes 28 FTs on 37 shots (.76 FTr!) and you take 3 on 52 shots, I get the frustration. They can't use it as a sort of hall-pass excuse though: The refs aren't making them miss rotations, be too slow while guarding guys or not boxing people out. The defensive struggles go deeper than teams getting unwarratend whistles.

[Old Man Game]

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Well I'm sure they'll be more favorable to us now.

Somebody had to say something. Donovan is not the kind of coach to do so, so it's up to the team's leaders to say something. Two games in a row they held teams well below league average shooting wise only to battle all night long against the discrepancy at the FT line. And don't get me wrong: It was their own damn fault to allow 28 points within the first 6 minutes and 22 seconds. But for the rest of the game, they had the Clippers at 44.6 eFG% (40.5 % from the field, 28.6 % from 3). Those are good numbers defensively. The bench did one hell of a job defensively, competing, giving effort. But when you play 24 minutes of basketball where the opposing team takes 28 FTs on 37 shots (.76 FTr!) and you take 3 on 52 shots, I get the frustration. They can't use it as a sort of hall-pass excuse though: The refs aren't making them miss rotations, be too slow while guarding guys or not boxing people out. The defensive struggles go deeper than teams getting unwarratend whistles.

There are ways of calling someone out and still doing so somewhat diplomatically. Calling officiating a "piece of ****" is going to get you even further to the wrong side of the officials.

[hardenASG13]

I think Adams has to go this off season. Enough is enough. He's been outplayed tonight severly by Ivica frikkin Zubac. He can't even hold his own against 3rd tier C's anymore.

Insane what he makes........and that people say he's a good defender.