WCQF | (4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz (5) | UTA 4-2

[InTheSabonus]

Force me to choose one guy to buy out on OKC, and these days I'm not picking Singler. That is all.

[ThunderBolt]

In shambles.

OKC has the better top talent.

Utah has the better team.

Correct summary.
Jazz probably with the better coach too. OKC fans are going to sell themselves short if they simply blame the refs.
Taking out Adams to open up the paint was a Snyder plan.

Along with the plans of the other 28 coaches that was used against us all year. Snyder is a great coach but having Adams chase people on the perimeter isn’t a new issue for okc

[slick_watts]

it's dumb plays like that which people chalk up to 'momentum' plays that great teams don't get too mucked up with.

This has been a Hallmark of Golden State the last few years. Great teams certainly do it, they just also occasionally make the shots.

stephen curry and klay thompson are different. those are legitimately good shots for their offense when they take pull up threes.

[hardenASG13]

Yeah I've touted the playoff superiority all season of this team.

Well, they aren't going to win every single game, if that's how you/ everyone interpreted this. Utah is really good. Every home team in the 4 vs. 5 and 3 vs. 6 series lost at least a game at home, Portland who everyone on here thought was head and shoulders better than OKC lost both. It does happen, and the sky isnt always falling. Teams that didnt are GSW and Houston, the best 2 teams in the league, toronto who is playing a Scott Brooks coached team that just has awful chemistry and style, and Boston who is playing milwaukee (quietly an awful team, despite the 60 minutes piece). Still like OKC in the series.

[hardenASG13]

Some bright spots/solutions going forward.

Grant has to play more, melo less. Nobody can stop him inside. This needs to happen.

Enough with the adams switching. The point where it's automatically done when the guard isn't even attacking is a good one. There is simply no need to do that.

The turnovers were really bad in this one, lots of them unforced. Utah capitalized. They need to cut those down.

Abrines looks better defensively, trust his minutes. He should play more when grant comes in for melo as he should if brewer is having an off night to offset grants lack of outside shooting.

Force feeding melo down the stretch just doesn't make sense. I wish they would put him in the corner in crunch time. They go out of their way to isolate him and there are better options (Westbrook pull up from the elbow, George going on a wild adventure trying to dribble and shoot, adams on the roll, grant.)

Mitchell hit some really tough shots. He's the complete package offensively. Seems to be by far Utah's most important player, although Gobert is seen by some as a top 10 player in the league, the best player on Utah is Mitchell.

Favors was obviously a real problem. Can live with his contested 3s, but what to do about him on the boards? Melo can't box him, grant probably can't either. Hate to go to patterson since he doesn't have the confidence to shoot a layup, but if favors is dominating like that may need pat pat to step in.

Bad game by okc, some jazz players (rubio, favors) played out of their mind, and Mitchell was phenomenal. Westbrook should just try to go for 35 imo, ditto George, enough of pretending melo is more than a streaky role player.

[ThunderBolt]

Yeah I've touted the playoff superiority all season of this team.

Well, they aren't going to win every single game, if that's how you/ everyone interpreted this.

“Must win”.

[hardenASG13]

Well, they aren't going to win every single game, if that's how you/ everyone interpreted this.

“Must win”.

Yea a win would've been huge to take control of the series. They have their work cut out now. It was a big game, of which you chose to nitpick my choice of words about the importance to defend a stance on resting Paul George, in a playoff game, with a sore hip. Man do I feel stupid.

[slick_watts]

i was thinking about this last night. can you come up with a better center - point guard defensive combination over the last 10 seasons than rudy gobert and ricky rubio? i feel like i have to be overlooking some obvious ones.

i know matt moore is convinced we do some things that bother rudy gobert, but that combination seems like the ideal one to stifle russell westbrook's forays.

[Old Man Game]

i was thinking about this last night. can you come up with a better center - point guard defensive combination over the last 10 seasons than rudy gobert and ricky rubio? i feel like i have to be overlooking some obvious ones.

i know matt moore is convinced we do some things that bother rudy gobert, but that combination seems like the ideal one to stifle russell westbrook's forays.

Paul and Jordan? Pat Bev and Jordan?

[Old Man Game]

Say we do lose this series (just entertain that for the moment) is there any scenario where you as a fan will be able to feel at least good about the loss? Or is a loss in the first round just a loss in the first round and we'll reach for the oh **** handle.

[ThunderBolt]

Say we do lose this series (just entertain that for the moment) is there any scenario where you as a fan will be able to feel at least good about the loss? Or is a loss in the first round just a loss in the first round and we'll reach for the oh **** handle.

Only if the loss results in major changes for the roster and staff

[Old Man Game]

Say we do lose this series (just entertain that for the moment) is there any scenario where you as a fan will be able to feel at least good about the loss? Or is a loss in the first round just a loss in the first round and we'll reach for the oh **** handle.

Only if the loss results in major changes for the roster and staff

That counts as reaching for the proverbial 'oh **** handle' in my book. That's sort of what I mean. Will we look at this team if it loses in the first round as fundamentally sound but just needed more time together or will we look at it as essentially broken and the loss is just proof of that.

[bondom34]

I've stopped feeling bad after losses at this point so don't really feel any particular way about the season. I figured preseason they'd likely lose in round 2 to Houston or GSW so its a round earlier. I get too stressed during games even when I'm not watching then afterward it just goes away and I don't mind the result either way. This season was bad for my health.

[Old Man Game]

I've stopped feeling bad after losses at this point so don't really feel any particular way about the season. I figured preseason they'd likely lose in round 2 to Houston or GSW so its a round earlier. I get too stressed during games even when I'm not watching then afterward it just goes away and I don't mind the result either way. This season was bad for my health.

I'm going to write you down for blowing it up. And refer to a psychiatrist.

[ThunderBolt]

Say we do lose this series (just entertain that for the moment) is there any scenario where you as a fan will be able to feel at least good about the loss? Or is a loss in the first round just a loss in the first round and we'll reach for the oh **** handle.

Only if the loss results in major changes for the roster and staff

That counts as reaching for the proverbial 'oh **** handle' in my book. That's sort of what I mean. Will we look at this team if it loses in the first round as fundamentally sound but just needed more time together or will we look at it as essentially broken and the loss is just proof of that.

This team is many things but “fundamentally sound” is not one of those things.

[NetsWorld]

Not quiet sure why people are surprised that we are 1-1, I expected Utah to win Game 2 because they are a good team who will make adjustments. To say Utah, however, is going to run away with the series is asinine. I fully expect OKC to take either Game 3 or 4 in Utah. Pressure will be on Utah to come through both games and OKC has the experience to gut one out there and they will. I see 2-2 coming back to OKC with OKC closing out in Game 6.

[slick_watts]

i don't think utah will run away with the series. i think they'll win it. my issue is with nutcases who believe that this team is like the kobe and shaq lakers and can flip a switch for the playoffs. nothing has changed in these two games, so far, and nothing is likely to change all that much. quinn snyder confidently remarked on our making contested jump shots in game 1 and he was absolutely correct.

we've had to listen to droves of thunder fans telling us that carmelo anthony was 'brought in for the playoffs' or some such nonsense. and a host of other reasons why the regular season would not be indicative of the team's playoff performance.

the jazz aren't so much better that the thunder can't win the series, even still. but it's not going to be because of some mystical playoffs powers these guys have.

[Andre Roberstan]

posted this on Reddit after the first game:

Yeah, I'd be shocked by a sweep. I think OKC wins, but Rubio will have a game where he shoots well on the midrange we're conceding to him, Favors will make some of the bunnies he missed, and the Thunder will shoot badly. Maybe 2. I'm leaning 6 games.

We got the Rubio game.

[slick_watts]

posted this on Reddit after the first game:

Yeah, I'd be shocked by a sweep. I think OKC wins, but Rubio will have a game where he shoots well on the midrange we're conceding to him, Favors will make some of the bunnies he missed, and the Thunder will shoot badly. Maybe 2. I'm leaning 6 games.

We got the Rubio game.

rubio didn't even make a mid-range shot last night. if westbrook keeps playing 20 feet off of him in the paint like the below image, rubio will make close to 40% of these threes if not more.

jazz did a lot more with favors in pnr and especially with back screens. melo got put into compromising positions as a result.

[bondom34]

If Adams gets in foul trouble in any given game its essentially game over against Favors and Gobert. They're too strong on the front court to not have a real backup center at this point.