Oklahoma City Thunder record Archives - SportzBonanza SportzBonanza Fri, 13 Apr 2018 06:33:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Thunder’s Russell Westbrook Averages a Triple-Double for a Second Consecutive Season https://sportzbonanza.com/thunders-russell-westbrook-averages-triple-double-second-consecutive-season/ Fri, 13 Apr 2018 06:29:04 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=2794 Russell Westbrook in 2017Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has done it again! The 29-year-old entered the Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies 16 rebounds shy of averaging another triple-double in the season, and he got them in just 22 minutes on the court. With this feat, Westbrook became the first player in […]

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Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has done it again! The 29-year-old entered the Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies 16 rebounds shy of averaging another triple-double in the season, and he got them in just 22 minutes on the court. With this feat, Westbrook became the first player in the NBA history to average a triple-double in two consecutive seasons. He finished the 2017-18 season averaging 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.2 assists.

In the Thunder’s final two games, against the Miami Heat and the Grizzlies, Westbrook needed to get 34 rebounds in order to average another triple-double through the season. After he grabbed 18 boards in the win against the Heat, there was no doubt that he will get what he needs in the last game of the 2017-18 regular season. Interesting thing was that Westbrook didn’t have a triple-double in the game against the Grizzlies since he ended up with 20 rebounds, 19 assists, and only 6 points.

I’m very, very thankful and blessed to go out and compete,” – said Westbrook after the game. “Like I’ve said many, many times, I don’t take this game for granted, I don’t take going on the floor competing for granted, and God got something planned for me, man, nobody can stop it, and I always continue to follow his faith and stay faithful and stay strong and continue to do what I’m doing.

In the 2016-17 season, during his MVP campaign, Russell Westbrook became only the second player in the history of the NBA to average a triple-double after Oscar Robertson did it in 1961–62 (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists). Russell Westbrook also broke Robertson’s record for most triple-doubles in a season (41) by getting 42 of them.

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Paul George “Can Definitely See” Himself Staying with Oklahoma City Thunder https://sportzbonanza.com/paul-george-can-definitely-see-staying-oklahoma-city-thunder/ Sat, 07 Apr 2018 06:30:38 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=2727 Paul George with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018Although the Oklahoma City Thunder is struggling at the moment and even might miss the postseason (which is unlikely), Paul George is still considering sticking with the team after he becomes a free agent in the summer. “As I told Rachel [Nichols], I can see myself being here,” – said George on Friday. “I’ve been […]

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Although the Oklahoma City Thunder is struggling at the moment and even might miss the postseason (which is unlikely), Paul George is still considering sticking with the team after he becomes a free agent in the summer.

As I told Rachel [Nichols], I can see myself being here,” – said George on Friday. “I’ve been happy here, I’ve been happy with the organization, happy with my teammates. Our record is not what we want it to be, but I think I’ve enjoyed just learning and being around these guys. So my answer is still the same. I’m not going to let the playoffs or how we finish this season persuade or indicate where I’m going to this offseason. I’m going to put everything into this and again, I can definitely see myself being here.

Oklahoma City Thunder is currently the 6th seed in the Western Conference, but with only one game ahead of Denver Nuggets who are sitting at the 9th spot in the standings. What worries the OKC fans is the fact that the team has lost four games out of the last five and has two difficult matchups in their next three games against Houston Rockets and Miami Heat.

This is our first year together. This is year one for this group,” – George added. “We’ve got a chance to win it all, but realistically it takes time for things to build and chemistry to mesh. Just for everybody to be on the same page. So this wasn’t a championship or bust coming into this for me. It was just an opportunity to see what it’s like being here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it’s been that. It’s been a lot of love here.

Paul George has been averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Thunder in the current season.

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Carmelo Anthony Guarantees That Oklahoma City Thunder Will Be in the Playoffs https://sportzbonanza.com/carmelo-anthony-guarantees-oklahoma-city-thunder-will-playoffs/ Thu, 29 Mar 2018 07:24:46 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=2634 Carmelo Anthony with the US Men's basketball team in 2016.Oklahoma City Thunder is currently sitting as the fourth seed in the NBA Western Conference, but their playoff spot still isn’t secured. The Western Conference has been wild this season, with three and a half games difference between the Thunder on the fourth spot and Los Angeles Clippers who are currently sitting at the ninth […]

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Oklahoma City Thunder is currently sitting as the fourth seed in the NBA Western Conference, but their playoff spot still isn’t secured. The Western Conference has been wild this season, with three and a half games difference between the Thunder on the fourth spot and Los Angeles Clippers who are currently sitting at the ninth spot. If you ask Carmelo Anthony, however, there is no doubt that the OKC will make the postseason.

We’ll be there. We’ll be there,” – said Anthony on Wednesday. “I think we’re confident enough to know that we’ll be there. Where? We’ll see when that time comes, but I believe we’ll be there. It’s something we planned on doing when we put this team together. It’s something at the beginning of the season, this is what we were looking forward to. This is why we put this team together.

Oklahoma City Thunder has been playing hot and cold in this season, starting 8-12 but managing to have a best fourth record in the NBA since December. Still, they will likely finish under 50 wins, something no one expected from the OKC at the start of the season, when they paired Carmelo Anthony and Paul George with the reigning MVP in Russell Westbrook.

I think the expectations were put on us,” – said Anthony. “Yeah, of course, we wanted to have a better record at this point in the season with the team that we have, but our expectations were to be the best team we could be with the understanding we have the opportunity to do something great. And we have an opportunity to make a run in these playoffs and potentially play for a championship.

If Anthony wants to make good on his word and Oklahoma City Thunder wants to clinch home-court advantage in the first round, they will have to really work for it in the remaining seven games, with five of them coming against teams above .500.

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Opinion: Can Oklahoma City Thunder challenge the Warriors? https://sportzbonanza.com/opinion-can-oklahoma-city-thunder-challenge-the-warriors/ Sun, 21 Jan 2018 07:00:48 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1991 Russell Westbrook in 2017We are halfway through the 2017-18 NBA season (few games removed) and there is a sense that we are about to watch the same story for the second year in a row. Despite experiencing one of the most exciting NBA offseasons ever, we have the Golden State Warriors as even bigger favorites than a year […]

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We are halfway through the 2017-18 NBA season (few games removed) and there is a sense that we are about to watch the same story for the second year in a row. Despite experiencing one of the most exciting NBA offseasons ever, we have the Golden State Warriors as even bigger favorites than a year ago. However, some people believe the Oklahoma City Thunder is maybe the only team that could give the Warriors trouble in the Western Conference. That’s due to their big move: once again they got themselves a Big 3 with Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. But, were the OK3 put together too fast?

The Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the most inconsistent teams in the league when it comes to the quality of the game they are showing. In some moments they are looking like they are invincible, and in others, like they don’t belong in the NBA at all. After an ugly star in which they were 4-7 and lost to teams like Sacramento Kings, the Thunder picked up the pace and won three straight before going into a slump again. Now they find themselves on the 5th spot in the Western Conference and with four games behind the Timberwolves. Not the place Thunder wants to be, but there is a bit promise. Is that promise enough, and can the Thunder challenge the Warriors and go for the title? Yes, but too many things have to align in order for this to happen.

First, Russell Westbrook has to know when to stop shooting. That was a major issue with Westbrook’s game this season. When the shot isn’t falling, he forces it and wastes a lot of good possessions in an attempt to score a bucket. Persistence is one of the things that makes Westbrook one of the best basketball players but also can be his biggest nemesis. He tends to hog the ball too long and it’s like he sometimes forgets that he has two All-Star caliber players alongside him. You can put Westbrook alone with a group of G-League guys and he will get you a win or two in the playoffs, but the Thunder fans are expecting much more.

Paul George has been a crucial player for Thunder on the defense and one of the reasons why the team is ranked 3rd in Team Defensive Efficiency in NBA. But, like all the OK3 members, he often struggles with an offense like he doesn’t know when it’s the right time to take over. Whether it’s too much respect for Westbrook and Anthony, or something completely else, George has to know when to be a man and prove why he is one of the best two-way players in the game.

Melo can drop 50 on a night without breaking a sweat. But, Thunder doesn’t need him to do that. Carmelo Anthony needs to do what he has been doing in the last month. Pick his shots, cut down on the iso ball and trust his teammates that they will give him the ball at the best moment possible.

Watching the rest of the Thunder players, you can get a feeling that their performance tends to mimic one of their stars. When Westbrook, PG13, and Melo are having fun, the rest of the team follow. When they are having a bad night, the rest of the team becomes even worse. If they don’t start picking up the slack when the things are going north for OK3, they’ll never be able to elevate Thunder as a title contender. The best hope for the Thunder fans is that everything bad so far was just a side-effect of getting together.

The OK3 was put together too fast and was given too much of a task to complete on such a short notice. The Thunder players were repeating through the season that they are figuring things out, and they may do so, but it will be too late when the Warriors get in their way. The only hope for Thunder to get a title is to have George and Melo stay another season and they make a run next year. This year they can only give the Warriors a good run for their money.

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Oklahoma City Thunder Shows That They Can Play in 107-79 Win over Utah Jazz https://sportzbonanza.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-shows-that-they-can-play-in-107-79-win-over-utah-jazz/ Fri, 22 Dec 2017 11:19:22 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1774 Russell Westbrook in 2017For too many times this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has struggled to win close games. In the Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, however, it wasn’t even close. OKC has started the game with excellent defense and held back the Jazz at nine points while scoring 25. At the halftime, Thunder was up 16 […]

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For too many times this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has struggled to win close games. In the Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, however, it wasn’t even close. OKC has started the game with excellent defense and held back the Jazz at nine points while scoring 25. At the halftime, Thunder was up 16 points, but that wasn’t something to take lightly when knowing that in 14 of their previous 16 games, OKC was outscored in the third quarter.

This time, there were no such hiccups. Russell Westbrook took the backseat after scoring 20 at the halftime and let Paul George and Carmelo Anthony take care of business. The newcomers to the Thunder squad responded to the task and bagged 10 points each in the third quarter, making the rest of the game an easy stroll.

It’s challenging, but it’s something that, if we consider ourselves being a great team, becoming a great team, that’s a step we have to take,” – said Anthony. “Coming out in that third quarter, knowing that we can’t let up, learning how to take it up another level coming out of halftime — it’s something that we’re getting better at.

In Jazz’s defense, they were without their star player Rudy Gobert and explosive rookie Donovan Mitchell. They were led by Rodney Hood, who scored 17 points.

Considered as one of the teams that could challenge the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference, the Thunder has done almost nothing to justify it. Entering in the game against the Jazz, they were at .500, but for the team with so much star power, that was considered bad. Wednesday’s game proved that the team has a great potential and showed what they can look like if everything is going their way. Now it’s on them to show that they can play like this when everything isn’t so smooth.

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Oklahoma City Thunder Players are Angry after Losing Again According to Carmelo Anthony https://sportzbonanza.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-players-are-angry-after-losing-again-according-to-carmelo-anthony/ Thu, 30 Nov 2017 07:03:51 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1605 Carmelo Anthony with the US Men's basketball team in 2016.Things are not looking great for the Oklahoma City Thunder early on. After a win against the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors, Thunder has lost to Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and most lately have been blown out by the Orlando Magic. It is important to note that the Magic entered the game against the […]

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Things are not looking great for the Oklahoma City Thunder early on. After a win against the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors, Thunder has lost to Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and most lately have been blown out by the Orlando Magic. It is important to note that the Magic entered the game against the OKC with nine straight losses. Something like this shouldn’t suppose to happen to a team that has Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony.

On Thursday Anthony decided to speak out and said that the OKC’s players are not frustrated with the losses; they are just angry.

Nobody is moping around, nobody is frustrated. I think guys are angry. I think guys are pissed,” – said Anthony. “That just comes from your competitive nature, wanting to win games — understanding what we have over here, the talent level that we have over here and not being able to put it together right now. So that’s where the anger comes in at.

Anthony added that he has been on the teams that were frustrated because of the losses, but that he doesn’t feel like that’s the case with the Thunder.

The team’s biggest star and reigning NBA MVP, Russell Westbrook decided to take the blame for team’s bad performances.

It just started with a sense of urgency, man,” – said Westbrook. “And that starts with me. It’s my responsibility to make sure we’re ready to play, we’re ready to play on both sides of the ball. To get us out of this funk, we’ve gotta lock-in. I take ownership of everything that’s going on because I’ve been here and those standards that we set here in Oklahoma City, I have to set them and set examples. It starts with me and we’re gonna turn this thing around.

The Thunder hasn’t been awful, but they have been far from good so far. The team that has three All-Stars currently has an 8-12 record and ranks 22nd in the offense. On the positive note, they are still the 3rd best defensive team in the league.

Thunder players are hopeful that they can turn this around, but not everyone shares their confidence.

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Oklahoma City Thunder Held a Team Meeting after 4th Straight Loss https://sportzbonanza.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-held-a-team-meeting-after-4th-straight-loss/ Fri, 10 Nov 2017 12:26:45 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1476 Russell Westbrook in 2017Cleveland Cavaliers had one and now the Oklahoma City Thunder also decided to try and end their losing streak by holding a team meeting. Although the Thunder with a new Big 3 in reigning MVP Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony supposed to be one of the best teams in NBA, their performance so […]

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Cleveland Cavaliers had one and now the Oklahoma City Thunder also decided to try and end their losing streak by holding a team meeting. Although the Thunder with a new Big 3 in reigning MVP Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony supposed to be one of the best teams in NBA, their performance so far doesn’t show it. After losing to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, the team has a 4-7 record now, being defeated in all of their three away games. That’s why the team decided to talk it over.

It was just good to get everything out on the table,” – said Paul George about the meeting. “Especially where we’re at right now, it’s no good if we’re bottling it up. Because then we could carry it over to the next game and the next game. Just leave everything out in the open.

This wasn’t the start of the season that Oklahoma City Thunder fans have been hoping for. Certainly, it isn’t the start the Thunder players expected.

I don’t think it’s frustration among ourselves,” – commented backup PG Raymond Felton. “It’s just frustration about losing. We got a lot of guys who hate to lose, a lot of guys who are big competitors. That’s a good spirit to have. I’ll take that all day. If we’re not frustrated, then that’s a big problem.

The Thunder will have a chance to redeem themselves when they face the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The Clippers will come to Oklahoma without some important players like Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari, and Milos Teodosic, who are all out with injuries.

That’s the beauty of this league and having so many games.” – said Carmelo Anthony. “I know we complain about back-to-backs but sometimes the back-to-backs are in our favor as players because you get to put that game behind you.”

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ersion="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> Oklahoma City Thunder record Archives - SportzBonanza SportzBonanza Fri, 13 Apr 2018 06:33:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Thunder’s Russell Westbrook Averages a Triple-Double for a Second Consecutive Season https://sportzbonanza.com/thunders-russell-westbrook-averages-triple-double-second-consecutive-season/ Fri, 13 Apr 2018 06:29:04 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=2794 Russell Westbrook in 2017Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has done it again! The 29-year-old entered the Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies 16 rebounds shy of averaging another triple-double in the season, and he got them in just 22 minutes on the court. With this feat, Westbrook became the first player in […]

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Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has done it again! The 29-year-old entered the Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies 16 rebounds shy of averaging another triple-double in the season, and he got them in just 22 minutes on the court. With this feat, Westbrook became the first player in the NBA history to average a triple-double in two consecutive seasons. He finished the 2017-18 season averaging 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.2 assists.

In the Thunder’s final two games, against the Miami Heat and the Grizzlies, Westbrook needed to get 34 rebounds in order to average another triple-double through the season. After he grabbed 18 boards in the win against the Heat, there was no doubt that he will get what he needs in the last game of the 2017-18 regular season. Interesting thing was that Westbrook didn’t have a triple-double in the game against the Grizzlies since he ended up with 20 rebounds, 19 assists, and only 6 points.

I’m very, very thankful and blessed to go out and compete,” – said Westbrook after the game. “Like I’ve said many, many times, I don’t take this game for granted, I don’t take going on the floor competing for granted, and God got something planned for me, man, nobody can stop it, and I always continue to follow his faith and stay faithful and stay strong and continue to do what I’m doing.

In the 2016-17 season, during his MVP campaign, Russell Westbrook became only the second player in the history of the NBA to average a triple-double after Oscar Robertson did it in 1961–62 (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists). Russell Westbrook also broke Robertson’s record for most triple-doubles in a season (41) by getting 42 of them.

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Paul George “Can Definitely See” Himself Staying with Oklahoma City Thunder https://sportzbonanza.com/paul-george-can-definitely-see-staying-oklahoma-city-thunder/ Sat, 07 Apr 2018 06:30:38 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=2727 Paul George with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018Although the Oklahoma City Thunder is struggling at the moment and even might miss the postseason (which is unlikely), Paul George is still considering sticking with the team after he becomes a free agent in the summer. “As I told Rachel [Nichols], I can see myself being here,” – said George on Friday. “I’ve been […]

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Although the Oklahoma City Thunder is struggling at the moment and even might miss the postseason (which is unlikely), Paul George is still considering sticking with the team after he becomes a free agent in the summer.

As I told Rachel [Nichols], I can see myself being here,” – said George on Friday. “I’ve been happy here, I’ve been happy with the organization, happy with my teammates. Our record is not what we want it to be, but I think I’ve enjoyed just learning and being around these guys. So my answer is still the same. I’m not going to let the playoffs or how we finish this season persuade or indicate where I’m going to this offseason. I’m going to put everything into this and again, I can definitely see myself being here.

Oklahoma City Thunder is currently the 6th seed in the Western Conference, but with only one game ahead of Denver Nuggets who are sitting at the 9th spot in the standings. What worries the OKC fans is the fact that the team has lost four games out of the last five and has two difficult matchups in their next three games against Houston Rockets and Miami Heat.

This is our first year together. This is year one for this group,” – George added. “We’ve got a chance to win it all, but realistically it takes time for things to build and chemistry to mesh. Just for everybody to be on the same page. So this wasn’t a championship or bust coming into this for me. It was just an opportunity to see what it’s like being here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it’s been that. It’s been a lot of love here.

Paul George has been averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Thunder in the current season.

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Carmelo Anthony Guarantees That Oklahoma City Thunder Will Be in the Playoffs https://sportzbonanza.com/carmelo-anthony-guarantees-oklahoma-city-thunder-will-playoffs/ Thu, 29 Mar 2018 07:24:46 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=2634 Carmelo Anthony with the US Men's basketball team in 2016.Oklahoma City Thunder is currently sitting as the fourth seed in the NBA Western Conference, but their playoff spot still isn’t secured. The Western Conference has been wild this season, with three and a half games difference between the Thunder on the fourth spot and Los Angeles Clippers who are currently sitting at the ninth […]

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Oklahoma City Thunder is currently sitting as the fourth seed in the NBA Western Conference, but their playoff spot still isn’t secured. The Western Conference has been wild this season, with three and a half games difference between the Thunder on the fourth spot and Los Angeles Clippers who are currently sitting at the ninth spot. If you ask Carmelo Anthony, however, there is no doubt that the OKC will make the postseason.

We’ll be there. We’ll be there,” – said Anthony on Wednesday. “I think we’re confident enough to know that we’ll be there. Where? We’ll see when that time comes, but I believe we’ll be there. It’s something we planned on doing when we put this team together. It’s something at the beginning of the season, this is what we were looking forward to. This is why we put this team together.

Oklahoma City Thunder has been playing hot and cold in this season, starting 8-12 but managing to have a best fourth record in the NBA since December. Still, they will likely finish under 50 wins, something no one expected from the OKC at the start of the season, when they paired Carmelo Anthony and Paul George with the reigning MVP in Russell Westbrook.

I think the expectations were put on us,” – said Anthony. “Yeah, of course, we wanted to have a better record at this point in the season with the team that we have, but our expectations were to be the best team we could be with the understanding we have the opportunity to do something great. And we have an opportunity to make a run in these playoffs and potentially play for a championship.

If Anthony wants to make good on his word and Oklahoma City Thunder wants to clinch home-court advantage in the first round, they will have to really work for it in the remaining seven games, with five of them coming against teams above .500.

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Opinion: Can Oklahoma City Thunder challenge the Warriors? https://sportzbonanza.com/opinion-can-oklahoma-city-thunder-challenge-the-warriors/ Sun, 21 Jan 2018 07:00:48 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1991 Russell Westbrook in 2017We are halfway through the 2017-18 NBA season (few games removed) and there is a sense that we are about to watch the same story for the second year in a row. Despite experiencing one of the most exciting NBA offseasons ever, we have the Golden State Warriors as even bigger favorites than a year […]

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We are halfway through the 2017-18 NBA season (few games removed) and there is a sense that we are about to watch the same story for the second year in a row. Despite experiencing one of the most exciting NBA offseasons ever, we have the Golden State Warriors as even bigger favorites than a year ago. However, some people believe the Oklahoma City Thunder is maybe the only team that could give the Warriors trouble in the Western Conference. That’s due to their big move: once again they got themselves a Big 3 with Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. But, were the OK3 put together too fast?

The Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the most inconsistent teams in the league when it comes to the quality of the game they are showing. In some moments they are looking like they are invincible, and in others, like they don’t belong in the NBA at all. After an ugly star in which they were 4-7 and lost to teams like Sacramento Kings, the Thunder picked up the pace and won three straight before going into a slump again. Now they find themselves on the 5th spot in the Western Conference and with four games behind the Timberwolves. Not the place Thunder wants to be, but there is a bit promise. Is that promise enough, and can the Thunder challenge the Warriors and go for the title? Yes, but too many things have to align in order for this to happen.

First, Russell Westbrook has to know when to stop shooting. That was a major issue with Westbrook’s game this season. When the shot isn’t falling, he forces it and wastes a lot of good possessions in an attempt to score a bucket. Persistence is one of the things that makes Westbrook one of the best basketball players but also can be his biggest nemesis. He tends to hog the ball too long and it’s like he sometimes forgets that he has two All-Star caliber players alongside him. You can put Westbrook alone with a group of G-League guys and he will get you a win or two in the playoffs, but the Thunder fans are expecting much more.

Paul George has been a crucial player for Thunder on the defense and one of the reasons why the team is ranked 3rd in Team Defensive Efficiency in NBA. But, like all the OK3 members, he often struggles with an offense like he doesn’t know when it’s the right time to take over. Whether it’s too much respect for Westbrook and Anthony, or something completely else, George has to know when to be a man and prove why he is one of the best two-way players in the game.

Melo can drop 50 on a night without breaking a sweat. But, Thunder doesn’t need him to do that. Carmelo Anthony needs to do what he has been doing in the last month. Pick his shots, cut down on the iso ball and trust his teammates that they will give him the ball at the best moment possible.

Watching the rest of the Thunder players, you can get a feeling that their performance tends to mimic one of their stars. When Westbrook, PG13, and Melo are having fun, the rest of the team follow. When they are having a bad night, the rest of the team becomes even worse. If they don’t start picking up the slack when the things are going north for OK3, they’ll never be able to elevate Thunder as a title contender. The best hope for the Thunder fans is that everything bad so far was just a side-effect of getting together.

The OK3 was put together too fast and was given too much of a task to complete on such a short notice. The Thunder players were repeating through the season that they are figuring things out, and they may do so, but it will be too late when the Warriors get in their way. The only hope for Thunder to get a title is to have George and Melo stay another season and they make a run next year. This year they can only give the Warriors a good run for their money.

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Oklahoma City Thunder Shows That They Can Play in 107-79 Win over Utah Jazz https://sportzbonanza.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-shows-that-they-can-play-in-107-79-win-over-utah-jazz/ Fri, 22 Dec 2017 11:19:22 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1774 Russell Westbrook in 2017For too many times this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has struggled to win close games. In the Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, however, it wasn’t even close. OKC has started the game with excellent defense and held back the Jazz at nine points while scoring 25. At the halftime, Thunder was up 16 […]

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For too many times this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has struggled to win close games. In the Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, however, it wasn’t even close. OKC has started the game with excellent defense and held back the Jazz at nine points while scoring 25. At the halftime, Thunder was up 16 points, but that wasn’t something to take lightly when knowing that in 14 of their previous 16 games, OKC was outscored in the third quarter.

This time, there were no such hiccups. Russell Westbrook took the backseat after scoring 20 at the halftime and let Paul George and Carmelo Anthony take care of business. The newcomers to the Thunder squad responded to the task and bagged 10 points each in the third quarter, making the rest of the game an easy stroll.

It’s challenging, but it’s something that, if we consider ourselves being a great team, becoming a great team, that’s a step we have to take,” – said Anthony. “Coming out in that third quarter, knowing that we can’t let up, learning how to take it up another level coming out of halftime — it’s something that we’re getting better at.

In Jazz’s defense, they were without their star player Rudy Gobert and explosive rookie Donovan Mitchell. They were led by Rodney Hood, who scored 17 points.

Considered as one of the teams that could challenge the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference, the Thunder has done almost nothing to justify it. Entering in the game against the Jazz, they were at .500, but for the team with so much star power, that was considered bad. Wednesday’s game proved that the team has a great potential and showed what they can look like if everything is going their way. Now it’s on them to show that they can play like this when everything isn’t so smooth.

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Oklahoma City Thunder Players are Angry after Losing Again According to Carmelo Anthony https://sportzbonanza.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-players-are-angry-after-losing-again-according-to-carmelo-anthony/ Thu, 30 Nov 2017 07:03:51 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1605 Carmelo Anthony with the US Men's basketball team in 2016.Things are not looking great for the Oklahoma City Thunder early on. After a win against the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors, Thunder has lost to Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and most lately have been blown out by the Orlando Magic. It is important to note that the Magic entered the game against the […]

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Things are not looking great for the Oklahoma City Thunder early on. After a win against the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors, Thunder has lost to Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and most lately have been blown out by the Orlando Magic. It is important to note that the Magic entered the game against the OKC with nine straight losses. Something like this shouldn’t suppose to happen to a team that has Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony.

On Thursday Anthony decided to speak out and said that the OKC’s players are not frustrated with the losses; they are just angry.

Nobody is moping around, nobody is frustrated. I think guys are angry. I think guys are pissed,” – said Anthony. “That just comes from your competitive nature, wanting to win games — understanding what we have over here, the talent level that we have over here and not being able to put it together right now. So that’s where the anger comes in at.

Anthony added that he has been on the teams that were frustrated because of the losses, but that he doesn’t feel like that’s the case with the Thunder.

The team’s biggest star and reigning NBA MVP, Russell Westbrook decided to take the blame for team’s bad performances.

It just started with a sense of urgency, man,” – said Westbrook. “And that starts with me. It’s my responsibility to make sure we’re ready to play, we’re ready to play on both sides of the ball. To get us out of this funk, we’ve gotta lock-in. I take ownership of everything that’s going on because I’ve been here and those standards that we set here in Oklahoma City, I have to set them and set examples. It starts with me and we’re gonna turn this thing around.

The Thunder hasn’t been awful, but they have been far from good so far. The team that has three All-Stars currently has an 8-12 record and ranks 22nd in the offense. On the positive note, they are still the 3rd best defensive team in the league.

Thunder players are hopeful that they can turn this around, but not everyone shares their confidence.

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Oklahoma City Thunder Held a Team Meeting after 4th Straight Loss https://sportzbonanza.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-held-a-team-meeting-after-4th-straight-loss/ Fri, 10 Nov 2017 12:26:45 +0000 https://stagingspb.wpengine.com/?p=1476 Russell Westbrook in 2017Cleveland Cavaliers had one and now the Oklahoma City Thunder also decided to try and end their losing streak by holding a team meeting. Although the Thunder with a new Big 3 in reigning MVP Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony supposed to be one of the best teams in NBA, their performance so […]

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Cleveland Cavaliers had one and now the Oklahoma City Thunder also decided to try and end their losing streak by holding a team meeting. Although the Thunder with a new Big 3 in reigning MVP Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony supposed to be one of the best teams in NBA, their performance so far doesn’t show it. After losing to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, the team has a 4-7 record now, being defeated in all of their three away games. That’s why the team decided to talk it over.

It was just good to get everything out on the table,” – said Paul George about the meeting. “Especially where we’re at right now, it’s no good if we’re bottling it up. Because then we could carry it over to the next game and the next game. Just leave everything out in the open.

This wasn’t the start of the season that Oklahoma City Thunder fans have been hoping for. Certainly, it isn’t the start the Thunder players expected.

I don’t think it’s frustration among ourselves,” – commented backup PG Raymond Felton. “It’s just frustration about losing. We got a lot of guys who hate to lose, a lot of guys who are big competitors. That’s a good spirit to have. I’ll take that all day. If we’re not frustrated, then that’s a big problem.

The Thunder will have a chance to redeem themselves when they face the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The Clippers will come to Oklahoma without some important players like Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari, and Milos Teodosic, who are all out with injuries.

That’s the beauty of this league and having so many games.” – said Carmelo Anthony. “I know we complain about back-to-backs but sometimes the back-to-backs are in our favor as players because you get to put that game behind you.”

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