2014 Playoffs - Western First Round - (2) Thunder vs. (7) Grizzlies

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

Man, say what you will but I hope our team never turns into the boring brand that Memphis is representing. Sure, their defense is spectacular and it might get them past the first round; however, their play is boring as hell man.

Saying all this, I sure as hell wouldn't mind a Tony Allen in our squad. If there is a way to acquire him when his contract expires, we'd be set for a nice run. He's possibly the best individual defender I've seen since Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier in his prime days.

Memphis though (yack)...I hope Thunder comeback somehow. Durant and Westbrook need to learn to utilize their big men more. I mean come on they are constantly double teamed leaving Ibaka and Perkins open all the time. Hell, even Sefolosha is a hell of a 3 point shooter who was open plenty of times today. Durant especially forced way too many shots today. 0-8 from 3? Too much Kevin...too much.

 

[kingsnation]

Man, say what you will but I hope our team never turns into the boring brand that Memphis is representing. Sure, their defense is spectacular and it might get them past the first round; however, their play is boring as hell man.

Saying all this, I sure as hell wouldn't mind a Tony Allen in our squad. If there is a way to acquire him when his contract expires, we'd be set for a nice run. He's possibly the best individual defender I've seen since Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier in his prime days.

I'd rather be boring and good than flashy and crappy.

Tony Allen is a beast for sure, but personally I'd rather have Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi is just about even with Tony defensively, maybe better. On top of that, Kawhi is way younger, has superior offensive game and is more level-headed. Kawhi never would've fouled Westbrook at half-court with less than a second left.

 

[mac]

Man, say what you will but I hope our team never turns into the boring brand that Memphis is representing. Sure, their defense is spectacular and it might get them past the first round; however, their play is boring as hell man.

Saying all this, I sure as hell wouldn't mind a Tony Allen in our squad. If there is a way to acquire him when his contract expires, we'd be set for a nice run. He's possibly the best individual defender I've seen since Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier in his prime days.

Memphis though (yack)...I hope Thunder comeback somehow. Durant and Westbrook need to learn to utilize their big men more. I mean come on they are constantly double teamed leaving Ibaka and Perkins open all the time. Hell, even Sefolosha is a hell of a 3 point shooter who was open plenty of times today. Durant especially forced way too many shots today. 0-8 from 3? Too much Kevin...too much.

I now understand why there are so many Isaiah Thomas fans. Who wants a defensive team that can get you AT MOST to the second round of the playoffs, a place we've practically lived in for the last 30 years!

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Man, say what you will but I hope our team never turns into the boring brand that Memphis is representing. Sure, their defense is spectacular and it might get them past the first round; however, their play is boring as hell man.

Saying all this, I sure as hell wouldn't mind a Tony Allen in our squad. If there is a way to acquire him when his contract expires, we'd be set for a nice run. He's possibly the best individual defender I've seen since Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier in his prime days.

Memphis though (yack)...I hope Thunder comeback somehow. Durant and Westbrook need to learn to utilize their big men more. I mean come on they are constantly double teamed leaving Ibaka and Perkins open all the time. Hell, even Sefolosha is a hell of a 3 point shooter who was open plenty of times today. Durant especially forced way too many shots today. 0-8 from 3? Too much Kevin...too much.

did you not watch the finals between heat and okc? OKC is a jump shooting team because they don't have a low post presence!! i mean c'mon look at their roster and ask yourself who can they throw the ball to in the low post and say get us a bucket big fella. (maybe steven adams.)

perk? iblocka? i've never seen those 2 as a low post threat.

 

[Kingster]

OKC would win this series if they got the ball to Durant more, despite the lack of low post presence. I saw a ton of sticky-glue on the hands of the OKC players last night.

 

[upinsmoke]

Heads will role if Memphis knocks out OKC in the 1st round for the second time. Durant is a terror and Westbrook does what he does but if you really look at their roster it's clear that Harden trade hurt them bad. Jump shooting teams who are not hitting can look bad come playoff time and i think that combined with the Grizzlies defense has the smell of a upset. If OKC gets knocked out early maybe they can be a trade partner for Landry just a thought.

 

[jalfa]

Heads will role if Memphis knocks out OKC in the 1st round for the second time. Durant is a terror and Westbrook does what he does but if you really look at their roster it's clear that Harden trade hurt them bad. Jump shooting teams who are not hitting can look bad come playoff time and i think that combined with the Grizzlies defense has the smell of a upset. If OKC gets knocked out early maybe they can be a trade partner for Landry just a thought.

they're probably going to have their eyes set quite a bit higher than that, I'm afraid. especially considering the amount of assets they have. but yeah, something would to happen, and it'd start with Brooks.

 

[upinsmoke]

they're probably going to have their eyes set quite a bit higher than that, I'm afraid. especially considering the amount of assets they have. but yeah, something would to happen, and it'd start with Brooks.

Well lets take a look at their assets via shamsports.http://data.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/thunder.jsp

The first thing that jumps out to me is Sefolosha's expiring and Perkins has one more high salary year. So assuming they're going to re-sign Thabo it's a steep fall off after that. So unless they actually trade Westbrook for a big which is risky or trade Ibaka which would be disastrous I don't see to many assets where other GM's are blowing up their phone.
Landry for Perkins works straight up but they will have to throw in a pick at least IMO (29th). They had a good thing going when they had J. Green and Harden as 6th man but it worked for them.

 

[jalfa]

Well lets take a look at their assets via shamsports.http://data.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/thunder.jsp

The first thing that jumps out to me is Sefolosha's expiring and Perkins has one more high salary year. So assuming they're going to re-sign Thabo it's a steep fall off after that. So unless they actually trade Westbrook for a big which is risky or trade Ibaka which would be disastrous I don't see to many assets where other GM's are blowing up their phone.
Landry for Perkins works straight up but they will have to throw in a pick at least IMO (29th). They had a good thing going when they had J. Green and Harden as 6th man but it worked for them.

They have two firstrounders and a host of young talent (Lamb, Jackson, Jones, Roberson and Adams). With that you could do oh so much better han Landry, who, at this point, has to be considered a toxic asset. They could easily make a move for someone like Asik or Thad Young, for instance. Landry is ours untilnhe proves he can play. Nobody is dumb enough to touch that contract.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Man the Thunder just cannot handle the Grizzlies. They have no low post presence. Their offense is one of two things.. Westbrook bringing it up and dribbling around and then shooting a terrible shot... Or Durant dribbling it up and usually shooting a terrible shot. Hardly any passing from anyone. They need a new offense.

 

[mac]

Man the Thunder just cannot handle the Grizzlies. They have no low post presence. Their offense is one of two things.. Westbrook bringing it up and dribbling around and then shooting a terrible shot... Or Durant dribbling it up and usually shooting a terrible shot. Hardly any passing from anyone. They need a new offense.

Same can kinda be said about the Grizzlies though. Z-Bo has been completely ineffective against Ibaka/Perkins and Mike Conley is also having a tough time. Both teams have arguably been winning their games on the defensive end (a concept we're not very familiar with)

 

[KingMilz]

Same can kinda be said about the Grizzlies though. Z-Bo has been completely ineffective against Ibaka/Perkins and Mike Conley is also having a tough time. Both teams have arguably been winning their games on the defensive end (a concept we're not very familiar with)

It's only Perkins whoever Perkins guards struggles to score, Gasol has been schooling Ibaka plus Z-Bo has been getting mugged relentlessly without any foul calls.

Honestly I really believe if you replace Prince with a healthy Quincy Pondexter the Grizz at worst are 3-1 up his shooting/athletic ability and defence would make a huge difference to this team, the extra 3 point threat is exactly what they need.

 

[mac]

It's only Perkins whoever Perkins guards struggles to score, Gasol has been schooling Ibaka plus Z-Bo has been getting mugged relentlessly without any foul calls.

Honestly I really believe if you replace Prince with a healthy Quincy Pondexter the Grizz at worst are 3-1 up his shooting/athletic ability and defence would make a huge difference to this team, the extra 3 point threat is exactly what they need.

That's not true. Ibaka has made a pretty big difference with his shotblocking. But then again, excuse me if I don't consider you an objective source on Serge Ibaka, seeing as you think he's the most overrated player in the NBA. Agree with Z-Bo getting mugged without foul calls.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Kevin Collabro is calling the Thunder game, in Oklahoma City, on NBA TV. I wonder if that is awkward for him?

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

wow. OKC just lost by a .1 second differential

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

too bad cause the refs had it wrong

They should have had 3.0 seconds on the shot clock not 2.9. There's the .1 second differential. Not a coincident that that's how much extra they needed.

Memphis: The ugliest team in NBA history.
Teams like Memphis are the ones that are practically ruining the excitement of the NBA.
The only thing they have going for them is being an underdog in every series they have ever played and will play.
Ugly but gotta respect Tony Allen for all the work he has done on Durant and all the loose balls that he's won for them. All 3 of the wins are due to Big Tony. If we had Tony Allen on our team, I can guarantee that Malone wouldn't be crying for defense no more.

BTW, OKC coach is a blatant moron. With the type of talent on his squad, a better coach should easily win the championship with them. There's no discipline in the team. Durant and Westbrook taking ridiculous and forced shots. But here's where it gets worse...you have guys like Jackson, Ibaka and Butler who are taking forced shots. I understand if your star players are doing it because they are the main offensive option but come on....
Horrible coach because of the lack of tactical plays down the stretch and lack of discipline. His team had no timeout for the last 2 minutes in the 4th. COME ON. What kind of moronic coach does that LOL They got lucky with Westbrooks genius defense.

If Popovich coached these guys, this would be their 3rd year in a row winning a championship.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Wha???

People who hate the Grizzlies hate basketball; those guys are great!

 

[PurpleHaze]

Memphis grinded (their style) chewed and spit out OKC on Thunder home court tonight. Westbrook might have had worst triple double performance in playoff history. 30/10/13 but bricked and bricked again and again shooting 10-31,1-7 from the arc. Durant was just as bad or worse tonight and if he leads Thunder team to 1st round elimination - that's your league MVP!? Memphis D was stifling all night with 11 steals to OKC 2. Griz had just 9 TO but forced 17. Memphis might win ugly but pretty OKC is looking worse for wear now down 3-2.

 

[kingsnation]

too bad cause the refs had it wrong

They should have had 3.0 seconds on the shot clock not 2.9. There's the .1 second differential. Not a coincident that that's how much extra they needed.

Memphis: The ugliest team in NBA history.
Teams like Memphis are the ones that are practically ruining the excitement of the NBA.
The only thing they have going for them is being an underdog in every series they have ever played and will play.

I think you're confusing "ugly" with "playoff-built team."

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

Lets face it...People like teams like OKC and Warriors. Nobody wants to watch a grind team. Just like many people don't enjoy watching Rafael Nadal in tennis because he's a boring grinder/defensive player.

 

[Tetsujin]

Lets face it...People like teams like OKC and Warriors. Nobody wants to watch a grind team. Just like many people don't enjoy watching Rafael Nadal in tennis because he's a boring grinder/defensive player.

Just because most of the unwashed masses doesn't like something doesn't mean it's bad. No one watches Hannibal and it's the best show on TV. Public adulation and being built for success are two different things entirely.

 

[Hadlowe]

Memphis grinded (their style) chewed and spit out OKC on Thunder home court tonight. Westbrook might have had worst triple double performance in playoff history. 30/10/13 but bricked and bricked again and again shooting 10-31,1-7 from the arc. Durant was just as bad or worse tonight and if he leads Thunder team to 1st round elimination - that's your league MVP!? Memphis D was stifling all night with 11 steals to OKC 2. Griz had just 9 TO but forced 17. Memphis might win ugly but pretty OKC is looking worse for wear now down 3-2.

Tony Allen has been getting away with a ton of fouls on Durant all series long. He's smart about it, grabbing jersey away from refs, slapping those long arm, etc. If the refs were calling it square, he'd foul out in the first five minutes of each game.

Mostly I'm okay with it. Durant is kind of a living cheat code in basketball.

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

Tony Allen has been getting away with a ton of fouls on Durant all series long. He's smart about it, grabbing jersey away from refs, slapping those long arm, etc. If the refs were calling it square, he'd foul out in the first five minutes of each game.

Mostly I'm okay with it. Durant is kind of a living cheat code in basketball.

Aka Bruce Bowen, Rick Fox, James Posey, Shane Battier and all other all-star defensive players do the dirty tactics
Fisher did it a lot in his prime. Especially on Bibby...

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

Just because most of the unwashed masses doesn't like something doesn't mean it's bad. No one watches Hannibal and it's the best show on TV. Public adulation and being built for success are two different things entirely.

According to who? You? That's a biased statement.

Unfortunatley public adulation is what fuels sports. There wouldn't be a fan base if there wasn't interesting teams. The NBA almost went extinct if it wasn't for Jordan, Bird, and Johnson to bring it back to life and then Kobe, Shaq, Malone and now Durant and LBJ.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Memphis: The ugliest team in NBA history. Teams like Memphis are the ones that are practically ruining the excitement of the NBA.

BTW, OKC coach is a blatant moron. With the type of talent on his squad, a better coach should easily win the championship with them. There's no discipline in the team.If Popovich coached these guys, this would be their 3rd year in a row winning a championship.

I don't like "excitement" of jacking 3 after 3 brick after brick which is mostly OKC style with no consistent post up game. Heck most of the league has gone gaga with 3 after 3 jacked - stupid for the most part IMO. A defensive minded team which is after all what Malone wants Kings to be and is my preference with dominant Big Cuz post game keys to our resurgence.

Scott Brooks is overrated as head coach in NBA - well, actually he's not really rated at all. He's proving to be little more than rah, rah, cheerleader. When they show him in time-outs he's mostly - lets' go guys! keep fighting! Very little apparent strategy or in your face like Pop or other top coaches. Not unlike Pacers Coach Vogel and if his team or OKC gets eliminated in first round I bet one or both are fired.

 

[Tetsujin]

According to who? You? That's a biased statement.

Unfortunatley public adulation is what fuels sports. There wouldn't be a fan base if there wasn't interesting teams. The NBA almost went extinct if it wasn't for Jordan, Bird, and Johnson to bring it back to life and then Kobe, Shaq, Malone and now Durant and LBJ.

Yes, the big names are important and of course fan bases are important but, at the end of the day, having a strong, well-executed game plan wins the day.

More people liking something doesn't mean it's better. Transformers 3 brought in tens of millions of viewers. That doesn't mean it's a better movie than the arthouse French movie about high schoolers boning and smoking cigs in black and white (though in that case it probably is). Memphis is employing a tried and true method for victory. Grind-it out defense, a smashmouth power game. You may not like it but I'm pretty sure the fans of Memphis, the Bad Boy Pistons, and many successful teams since and before them don't mind.

 

[rainmaker]

Scott Brooks is overrated as head coach in NBA - well, actually he's not really rated at all. He's proving to be little more than rah, rah, cheerleader. When they show him in time-outs he's mostly - lets' go guys! keep fighting! Very little apparent strategy or in your face like Pop or other top coaches. Not unlike Pacers Coach Vogel and if his team or OKC gets eliminated in first round I bet one or both are fired.

Brooks is a questionable coach, his offensive system is poor, but what's shown on tv during timeouts means nothing. Networks aren't going to divulge/air strategy to the masses.

 

[VF21]

According to who? You? That's a biased statement.

 

[Mass]

Lets face it...People like teams like OKC and Warriors. Nobody wants to watch a grind team. Just like many people don't enjoy watching Rafael Nadal in tennis because he's a boring grinder/defensive player.

Don Nelson, is that you?