2024-2025 OKC Thunder Games Thread

[bbms]

for you that love the two big lineups, you'll see a lot of that this series

unless pacers play hartenstein off the court, mark will play two bigs as long as he can

how pacers rebound?

that's the question going through marks mind at the moment. and it's a good question

Looks like you were mistaken. Mark went away from winning by going small in game 1. Will Mark wake up and go big in game 2 to tie the series or is Mark going to be committed to abandoning OKC's advantage to play into Indy's strength?

i was very surprised

it's definitely questionable

i thought mark would use a more varied attack

[bbms]

Siakam and haliburton were trash and we still lost

which is normal. everybody is bad vs this defense. do you expect them to be any good in this series?

[Dadouv47]

Siakam and haliburton were trash and we still lost

which is normal. everybody is bad vs this defense. do you expect them to be any good in this series?

I think Siakam can be a probem yeah. I still think he will likely have a 30pts game in this series.

[kdthunderup]

Chet was uncharacteristically bad yesterday. I know the Pacers forced him to defend in more space than he has had to for the playoffs so far but he just struggled to make any impact on the game. I’m not sure if he tweaked his hip, was sick or woke up on the wrong side of the bed but he has to step the **** up and be more dominant than fkn Obi Toppin if we want to win this series.

We can blame Mark for going micro small but if Chet was having a good game I doubt he would have forced those lineups as much.

[Dadouv47]

Chet was uncharacteristically bad yesterday. I know the Pacers forced him to defend in more space than he has had to for the playoffs so far but he just struggled to make any impact on the game. I’m not sure if he tweaked his hip, was sick or woke up on the wrong side of the bed but he has to step the **** up and be more dominant than fkn Obi Toppin if we want to win this series.

We can blame Mark for going micro small but if Chet was having a good game I doubt he would have forced those lineups as much.

don't member exactly but a Thunder fan posted Chet/JDub stats in playoff wins and in playoff loses and the gap is crazy. We need those two guys to perform. I can see Chet struggling a bit because Pacers interior defense is underrated but nothing justify how bad he was yesterday.

[Dadouv47]

Read on Twitter

[Dadouv47]

Win or lose I really hope we are going to move a piece in the offseason because we thought we could rely on some guys (Joe, Wiggins) but we can't. Pacers bench players are way more reliable. Still think the series will come down to whether Chet and JDub can step up or not but our depth isn't as deep as we thought.

[Old Man Game]

If you fancy a laugh (and aren't easily offended). Also if you want to see all the various ways our vaunted defense screwed up defending this team.

Watch on YouTube

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER destroying, ruining, killing life on earth coachin...
https://youtu.be/iShpJMXHYLg?si=-EC0dj3rTrARtw7D

[Kizz Fastfists]

If you fancy a laugh (and aren't easily offended). Also if you want to see all the various ways our vaunted defense screwed up defending this team.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER destroying, ruining, killing life on earth coachin...
https://youtu.be/iShpJMXHYLg?si=-EC0dj3rTrARtw7D

I approve of this message. Can we get the government to round up Sam and Mark, the terrorists, and ship them to Guantanamo Bay?

[Woerzboerg]

Win or lose I really hope we are going to move a piece in the offseason because we thought we could rely on some guys (Joe, Wiggins) but we can't. Pacers bench players are way more reliable. Still think the series will come down to whether Chet and JDub can step up or not but our depth isn't as deep as we thought.

Our depth is very good for the RS but not for the playoffs, apparently. Would still like a move for Cam Johnson, who could help us with his 3 point shooting.

[Dadouv47]

Win or lose I really hope we are going to move a piece in the offseason because we thought we could rely on some guys (Joe, Wiggins) but we can't. Pacers bench players are way more reliable. Still think the series will come down to whether Chet and JDub can step up or not but our depth isn't as deep as we thought.

Our depth is very good for the RS but not for the playoffs, apparently. Would still like a move for Cam Johnson, who could help us with his 3 point shooting.

yup but since only the playoffs matters, gotta get rid of players that are not going to help us.

[Dadouv47]

Shai having only 3 assists and OKC 13 is the most important stat to me of game 1. Shai gets 7 to 9 assists in OKC good games in those POs. Shai could have done better moving the ball but it also shows that Chet/JDub were beyond terrible. I also think that's the kind of game of after Q1/first half a veteran coach tells his team to stop rushing shots and make that extra pass despite us leading by a good margin.

The rebound disparity is an issue but if u take into account that OKC had 16 more shots and played 7 minutes without any big on the floor is something that can be fixed (if our coach learns from his mistakes of not going with any big anymore because it's a gift to Siakam).

We rely too much on JDub and Chet anyway. There's no miracle. We can blame our coach or Dort when it's convenient (and Daigneault deserves some blame for game 1) but they are the biggest factors and we are not winning if they can't step up.

[Woerzboerg]

Win or lose I really hope we are going to move a piece in the offseason because we thought we could rely on some guys (Joe, Wiggins) but we can't. Pacers bench players are way more reliable. Still think the series will come down to whether Chet and JDub can step up or not but our depth isn't as deep as we thought.

Our depth is very good for the RS but not for the playoffs, apparently. Would still like a move for Cam Johnson, who could help us with his 3 point shooting.

yup but since only the playoffs matters, gotta get rid of players that are not going to help us.

I would trade Joe, Dieng and Jones (and Pick #15 and Utah Pick 2026) for a good shooting-wing, prefarebly Cam Johnson. Keep Wiggins and KWill, their contracts are just too good, you need some good 11th/12th men for the RS. Then you have two open rosterspots, one I'd use to pick a rookie at #24, the other one I would either give to Brenden Carlsen or I'd look for some veteran PG (best case would be Chris Paul).

[bbms]

Shai having only 3 assists and OKC 13 is the most important stat to me of game 1. Shai gets 7 to 9 assists in OKC good games in those POs. Shai could have done better moving the ball but it also shows that Chet/JDub were beyond terrible. I also think that's the kind of game of after Q1/first half a veteran coach tells his team to stop rushing shots and make that extra pass despite us leading by a good margin.

The rebound disparity is an issue but if u take into account that OKC had 16 more shots and played 7 minutes without any big on the floor is something that can be fixed (if our coach learns from his mistakes of not going with any big anymore because it's a gift to Siakam).

We rely too much on JDub and Chet anyway. There's no miracle. We can blame our coach or Dort when it's convenient (and Daigneault deserves some blame for game 1) but they are the biggest factors and we are not winning if they can't step up.

to me the two most important stats are:

last game was the highest turnover rate game by the pacers all season
last game was the fewest points off open court turnovers by the thunder this season
(per zach lowe show)

fact that both stats happened in the same game is crazy

it also tells how much the thunder's half court needs to improve in this series.

i believe a two big lineup can help by generating extra possessions on offense (offensive rebounds), putbacks and big on big action

mark d tried to fix something that wasn't broken and now he created a very awkward spot for himself and the thunder.

definitely they overthinked the situation

[Dadouv47]

Shai having only 3 assists and OKC 13 is the most important stat to me of game 1. Shai gets 7 to 9 assists in OKC good games in those POs. Shai could have done better moving the ball but it also shows that Chet/JDub were beyond terrible. I also think that's the kind of game of after Q1/first half a veteran coach tells his team to stop rushing shots and make that extra pass despite us leading by a good margin.

The rebound disparity is an issue but if u take into account that OKC had 16 more shots and played 7 minutes without any big on the floor is something that can be fixed (if our coach learns from his mistakes of not going with any big anymore because it's a gift to Siakam).

We rely too much on JDub and Chet anyway. There's no miracle. We can blame our coach or Dort when it's convenient (and Daigneault deserves some blame for game 1) but they are the biggest factors and we are not winning if they can't step up.

to me the two most important stats are:

last game was the highest turnover rate game by the pacers all season
last game was the fewest points off open court turnovers by the thunder this season
(per zach lowe show)

fact that both stats happened in the same game is crazy

it also tells how much the thunder's half court needs to improve in this series.

i believe a two big lineup can help by generating extra possessions on offense (offensive rebounds), putbacks and big on big action

mark d tried to fix something that wasn't broken and now he created a very awkward spot for himself and the thunder.

definitely they overthinked the situation

yeah but u won't have as many turnovers with two bigs.

Indy did very well against two big men against Cleveland/Knicks and they struggle more against elite defensive guards. I don't think that was a mistake.

Feel like we are way too much result/oriented. Many fans asked for going small in the Minny series already because the advanced stats showed how better we are playing small. If OKC had a decent offensive game from JDub/Chet nobody would even question going small (when I say going small I mean going with one big, not 0).

OKC was playing 40+ minutes with only one big against the Wolves and that was the best basketball we played in the postseason by a big margin.

[bbms]

Shai having only 3 assists and OKC 13 is the most important stat to me of game 1. Shai gets 7 to 9 assists in OKC good games in those POs. Shai could have done better moving the ball but it also shows that Chet/JDub were beyond terrible. I also think that's the kind of game of after Q1/first half a veteran coach tells his team to stop rushing shots and make that extra pass despite us leading by a good margin.

The rebound disparity is an issue but if u take into account that OKC had 16 more shots and played 7 minutes without any big on the floor is something that can be fixed (if our coach learns from his mistakes of not going with any big anymore because it's a gift to Siakam).

We rely too much on JDub and Chet anyway. There's no miracle. We can blame our coach or Dort when it's convenient (and Daigneault deserves some blame for game 1) but they are the biggest factors and we are not winning if they can't step up.

to me the two most important stats are:

last game was the highest turnover rate game by the pacers all season
last game was the fewest points off open court turnovers by the thunder this season
(per zach lowe show)

fact that both stats happened in the same game is crazy

it also tells how much the thunder's half court needs to improve in this series.

i believe a two big lineup can help by generating extra possessions on offense (offensive rebounds), putbacks and big on big action

mark d tried to fix something that wasn't broken and now he created a very awkward spot for himself and the thunder.

definitely they overthinked the situation

yeah but u won't have as many turnovers with two bigs.

Indy did very well against two big men against Cleveland/Knicks and they struggle more against elite defensive guards. I don't think that was a mistake.

Feel like we are way too much result/oriented. Many fans asked for going small in the Minny series already because the advanced stats showed how better we are playing small. If OKC had a decent offensive game from JDub/Chet nobody would even question going small (when I say going small I mean going with one big, not 0).

OKC was playing 40+ minutes with only one big against the Wolves and that was the best basketball we played in the postseason by a big margin.

i'm not result oriented. i'm not a particular fan of two bigs lineups but out of all matchups, this might have been the best one to experiment with them. i guess they overthought it and predicted that two bigs would be run off the floor before indiana was actually able to run them off.

i don't like this change. it withdraws themselves to actually collect data from it. weird decision making imo.

[Dadouv47]

to me the two most important stats are:

last game was the highest turnover rate game by the pacers all season
last game was the fewest points off open court turnovers by the thunder this season
(per zach lowe show)

fact that both stats happened in the same game is crazy

it also tells how much the thunder's half court needs to improve in this series.

i believe a two big lineup can help by generating extra possessions on offense (offensive rebounds), putbacks and big on big action

mark d tried to fix something that wasn't broken and now he created a very awkward spot for himself and the thunder.

definitely they overthinked the situation

yeah but u won't have as many turnovers with two bigs.

Indy did very well against two big men against Cleveland/Knicks and they struggle more against elite defensive guards. I don't think that was a mistake.

Feel like we are way too much result/oriented. Many fans asked for going small in the Minny series already because the advanced stats showed how better we are playing small. If OKC had a decent offensive game from JDub/Chet nobody would even question going small (when I say going small I mean going with one big, not 0).

OKC was playing 40+ minutes with only one big against the Wolves and that was the best basketball we played in the postseason by a big margin.

i'm not result oriented. i'm not a particular fan of two bigs lineups but out of all matchups, this might have been the best one to experiment with them. i guess they overthought it and predicted that two bigs would be run off the floor before indiana was actually able to run them off.

i don't like this change. it withdraws themselves to actually collect data from it. weird decision making imo.

I like the change but not the timing of it. Should have game 5 against Minny IMO like myself and many many fans asked for it.

Problem is trying to fix a "problem" and likely causing a bigger one. Our defense had an elite first half and we were just struggling offensively. Don't know what two big line up will provide.

[Kizz Fastfists]

Indy did very well against two big men against Cleveland/Knicks and they struggle more against elite defensive guards. I don't think that was a mistake.

In the two games the Knicks started KAT as the only big they lost. In the four games they started Robinson and KAT they won half of them. Going big was the only thing that gave them a chance, but they were already down 2-0 before they realized this. Mark is just emulating what got the Knicks beat and Thibs fired. I said going back to before the '23-'24 season OKC needed to go big with Chet as the starting PF and a legitimate starting center. OKC does that and they get to the Finals. If they abandon it they will lose in the Finals. If the starting lineup is not SGA-Dort-JDub-Chet-IH then OKC loses game 2 and the Finals.

If you would like to argue it doesn't matter and OKC lacks the talent without a consolidation trade then feel free to do so and come to the dark side where we know Presti never maximizes his roster. Just go ahead and put it on Presti incompetence. I won't be able to argue against it. However, given what this roster accomplished in the regular season it showed they are capable of winning the Finals. They won't do it by trying to be a small ball team and pretending JDub is Draymond because that is not who this team is. This team bullies their opponents with size, length, speed and aggression. You remove your size and you give up the paint. You give up the paint and you lose. Game 1 was the Dallas series all over again. Go small and go home crying about internal development and the future is bright and blah blah blah. Go big and take home the trophy.

[Dadouv47]

Indy did very well against two big men against Cleveland/Knicks and they struggle more against elite defensive guards. I don't think that was a mistake.

In the two games the Knicks started KAT as the only big they lost. In the four games they started Robinson and KAT they won half of them. Going big was the only thing that gave them a chance, but they were already down 2-0 before they realized this. Mark is just emulating what got the Knicks beat and Thibs fired. I said going back to before the '23-'24 season OKC needed to go big with Chet as the starting PF and a legitimate starting center. OKC does that and they get to the Finals. If they abandon it they will lose in the Finals. If the starting lineup is not SGA-Dort-JDub-Chet-IH then OKC loses game 2 and the Finals.

If you would like to argue it doesn't matter and OKC lacks the talent without a consolidation trade then feel free to do so and come to the dark side where we know Presti never maximizes his roster. Just go ahead and put it on Presti incompetence. I won't be able to argue against it. However, given what this roster accomplished in the regular season it showed they are capable of winning the Finals. They won't do it by trying to be a small ball team and pretending JDub is Draymond because that is not who this team is. This team bullies their opponents with size, length, speed and aggression. You remove your size and you give up the paint. You give up the paint and you lose. Game 1 was the Dallas series all over again. Go small and go home crying about internal development and the future is bright and blah blah blah. Go big and take home the trophy.

I remember you saying earlier this season than Chet was a natural PF but I'm sorry but advanced stats are showing that OKC is way way better with Chet as the 5 and we were underperforming a lot with him as a 4. Chet as the 5 is our best line up from advanced metrics both during regular season and in the playoffs and by a WILD margin it's not even a debate and it's bad faith to say or even think otherwise. Now If you tell me that you think it's better two big against Indy for match up purpose then it's another story but I would still disagree.

Also your "go small and you go home" take is stupid since OKC went to the finals by going "small" in the WCF since Hart and Chet played like 5-6 minutes together per game.

We were already playing with one big late in the Denver series and during all Minny series anyway so the only argument to blame Coach D is that switching our starting 5 so late in the playoffs is killing the habit of starting with Hartenstein and Cason/Caruso coming in after some minutes from the bench which can lead to some extra pressure to a guy like Cason and maybe to Chet as well. I think those habits matters even more for young players. That's what I didn't like about making a starting 5 change this late and I wanted this to happen wayyyy earlier in the playoffs so it definitely was a risk to make this change now instead of just starting with Hart and put him on the bench after 4-5 minutes like we used to do.

[Dadouv47]

Our two big man line up has a 4.7 NETrating during those playoffs...way less than some mix of one big like the starting 5 from game one with +31. The same line up with Hartenstein instead of Chet has +34. Small sample size from those line ups but overall our offense is always much better with only one big and that match the advanced stats from the regular season.