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BOSTON CELTICS at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
• Record: 4-4
• Standing: #
• http://www.nba.com/games/20171103/BOSOKC
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SUMMARY
BOXSCORE
OKC:

BOS:

Thunder Upcoming 3

HIGHLIGHTS

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| NBA.com | | Thunder.com | | ESPN.com/NBA

Just horrid, especially after probably the best half of the season.

Look at the adjustments Stevens made after half time

Then look at what Donovan 'did'

Then look at the score.

That about sums it up.

Still Adams but don't know what happened during second half. I don't know if I should blame Adams, the other players or Billy. They didn't make any play for him during second half, and it's something that happened last few games as well. Is Adams tired during second half? Or opponents always making GREAT adjustments on him? Every game it's the same. So I guess something is wrong with the way we play...

Lots of issues with this team right now. Felt like they were coasting in the 2nd half. Lack of effort and mental lapses cost us this game.

If this team falls apart in the offseason, will dononvan still be here? I just want him gone.

This team just isn't that good. I had 52 or 53 wins preseason, and that seems too high.

Knrstz wrote:If this team falls apart in the offseason, will dononvan still be here? I just want him gone.

Only way I see donovan getting canned is if we underperform and lose melo and PG. That's what it'll take.

Stings extra bad when you watch Horford turn into Steph Curry, knowing damn well he should have been in our jersey.

The thing about losing PG is I don’t think I’ll be crushed. I like him a lot but he’s not even close to the level of player who takes over during games. I’m not even sure he’s better than Oladipo.

Two fairly evenly-matched teams. Boston wasn't as bad as they showed in the 1H, and same for OKC in the 2H.

Like other's have mentioned, the X-factor was Brad Stevens > Billy D

westbrook plays like winning a basketball game happens in fourth quarters. at the end. like only a few key possessions matter. this is the 2nd game this season where his poor, unfocused play on both ends derailed us (1st minnesota game). he also had the same problems against the bucks, but we were saved by dre's shooting spree or that game would have been single digits in 3Q.

winning games happens every possession and they are all equally important. i'm not one to psychoanalyze, but it seems to me like westbrook believes that with his all star teammates it's ok to throw away a few possessions here are there going for something spectacular because it can be made up later 'when it counts'.

melo is a problem who will be exploited like this by good teams. stevens kicked donovan in the nuts by going small and donovan can't just bench melo as a counter.

So far this season :
Negative :
- PG13 struggling so much on the offensive end
- Westbrook playing really bad. He looks physically limited on some offensive plays.
- Donovan being Donovan
- Don't know what is wrong between Donovan and Roberson...

Melo being Melo. Didn't expect more (or less). Some great offensive nights, some chocking.

Positive :
- Steven Adams
- Relatively good second unit
- Raymond ''best fat in the world'' Felton
- Grant showing some improvements (still limited though)

I think the potential is still here, and we still have time to figure it out. I'm just more concerned about having some locker room personalities to give some wake up call to the players, because Donovan won't do it. So yeah coaching is the main issue. Our ceiling is still high (some quarters/halves that showed we can be great both on defense and offense).

Interesting comments that Kyrie made today about playing for am intellectual coach. What do you think Russ would be like if he had a guy like Stevens or Popovich for his entire career? It’s kind of sad when you think about it.

I'm not sure we'll win more games this year than we did last year. We've yet to beat anyone worth a damn.

Well, we were making small improvements every game before this ...no show in the second half.

But yeah, we still need to beat a good team. Winning @Portland would be a good way to start (not going to bet a penny on OKC )

Russ is probably not 100%. They may admit that, if they feel a need.

Ride those knees for 5 super expensive years.

jambalaya wrote:Russ is probably not 100%. They may admit that, if they feel a need.

Ride those knees for 5 super expensive years.

That's exactly why I think we should play him less minutes for a while. It's not good for the long term and it's not like he's helping us so much right now.

Terrible second half. Sadly I don't think they got through the refs letting things go on the inside. Russell and Melo that is. And the team played like the game was over in the 2nd half, and that's the biggest issue. The defense went to sh*t, and it affected the offense as well in terms of allowing them to get easier shots. Sloppy basketball, and they just allowed Horford and Kyrie to go off with little resistance.

Lazy defense, allowing mismatches that were exploited over and over again. Allowing Adams on Kyrie, and no resistance behind him. Leaving Horford wide open.

This team's metrics on both ends suggest they are an elite team. Along with the talent on paper. They've gotta close out tough games against GOOD teams. And I'm sorry, but that starts with Westbrook. The sloppy play in term of turnovers and rushed offense is a mess. Last year 5 turnovers was acceptable due to his responsibilities. He needs to stay aggressive, but that number has to come down.

On the one hand at least the Thunder haven't lost to any bad teams yet. Boston is probably the best eastern conf team at the moment. Yeah Cavs are good, but Lebron has to put up 57 pts for a win.

On the other hand, this team can't beat really good teams. They started off well, but the offense and defense died in the second half. Reminds me of the Thunder team a few years ago where I felt better about winning if they were behind rather than ahead.

I wish this team had a real coach. I really do.