Pelican Watch, Episode 2: Why You Are Now a Suns Fan

We all became some Memphis Grizzlies fans last night and thank goodness because it paid off. It is almost painful to think of cheering for the Grizzlies considering all of the Thunders previous run ins with them in the playoffs. Last night though we were needing some grind house magic.
The Pelicans showed up in Memphis and showed their biggest weakness. They are 1 player deep. At the end of the day the Pelicans will go as far as Anthony Davis will take them. He played poorly last night getting suffocated by the interior defense of the Grizz. The Pelicans only mustered 74 points.
New Orleans that fell to dead even with OKC Thunder for the 8th place. The Pelicans however own do own the tie breaker so still control their own destiny. With 4 games left for both teams the Pelicans control on their destiny, if they win the same amount of games as the Thunder they are in.
If the Thunder hope to get in they need a collection of 5 Thunder wins and New Orleans losses. (example 2 Thunder wins and 3 NOLA losses or 4 Thunder wins and 1 NOLA loss) These odds are still possible but at the end of the day we may look back to the Golden State game for the Pelicans that put them in.
Pelicans Watch comes at you again on Friday when they face off against... the Phoenix Suns. To answer your question yes. You are going to be a Suns fan Thunder Nation. Pull out that purple and orange, your playoff hopes rely on it.

Pelican Watch, Episode 1: Why You Should be Terrified

Well. Well. Well. Here we are.
Due to some tough losses of the Oklahoma City Thunder we are suddenly on red alert. I have been placed on the extremely important job of Pelican Watch, breaking down the team's performance as we close in on the end of the regular season. The games at this point are almost too vital.
The Thunder fell to the Spurs again tonight and went into the game with a .5 lead on the Pelicans. Well we all counted our blessings tonight as the Thunder game ended because we knew the Pelicans had Golden State, one of the most lethal teams in the NBA.
I don't think the red hot Pelicans cared... The Pelicans closed out with some great 4th quarter play from their superstar Anthony Davis. Steph CUrry out played by Davis and missing a shot at the end of regulation to tie it. Davis finished with 29 and looked the part of a top 5 NBA team.
Now. Thunder fans let me warn you. Don't look past this game for the Pelicans. I was assigned to watch it and I was honestly impressed with the team in every way. They made a great team work for everything they got on the offensive. I know you look at the 100 points given up and think they didn't play great defense but take into consideration that Golden State is one of the most unstoppable teams offensively of all time. I mean that. Look it up.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. This Pelicans team is nothing to look over. With just 4 games left and the Pelicans owning the tie breaker the chances of the Thunder falling completely out of the playoff race is a real possibility.
Pelican watch will continue tomorrow night at Memphis stay tuned for episode 2!
...Maybe we should start trying to figure out who the starting quarterback is at OU? It might be football season before we know it.

Scott Brooks. The Best Worst Coaching Job in NBA History

I mean really. That headline says it all. In a season that is just completely plagued with injuries and roster changes its hard to really put the blame on coach Brooks. Yet we kind of do blame him that the Mavericks managed to score 135 points in 4 quarters against the OKC Thunder. Yes, arguably the best 3 defenders on their roster are hurt and that is the main reason the Thunder are struggling so much on that end of the floor. 135 though is just too big of a number, holding Coach Brooks with a grain of salt this season might be too relaxed of a look. I mean really.

He has some very impressive players on this roster and maximized a team's offensive capacity. It would be hard to argue they could be scoring the ball at any better of a rate. He has elevated someone who is labeled as inconstant and a hot head into a real MVP candidate saying all the right things. However maybe fielding one of the worst defenses in NBA history for the past month might be a little too much to over look.

The Phoenix Suns during Nash's MVP seasons were known as a team that was going to out score you sprinting up and down the floor. They played  NO defense. During Nash's 2 MVP seasons they only gave up over 130 twice in 4 quarters of play. I mean really. If that doesn't tell you how bad the Thunder's defense was then I don't know what else to share with you honestly. That is all I got.

The Thunder can't just keep giving Brook's a pass for just giving up on one end of the floor. I don't expect the Thunder to keep teams under 100 points. I would be content with 110. I am one of the few Thunder followers that was okay with the Lakers game where LA scored 117. The Thunder can score 125 with the way they are playing, credit to Westbrook, Kanter, and Brooks. They can over come that. They WILL NOT be able to overcome 135 consistently, maybe once heck even twice but not.

No one expects the Thunder to move past the first round against Golden State. Getting swept and giving up an NBA record in points probably won't sit well with Thunder Nation.

Looking at Brooks as a coach that has pulled the best out of his players this year and gotten every inch he can with a depleted roster is completely accurate.

Saying Brooks is proving that he is never going to be an X's and O's coach and struggles getting his team to focus on the defensive end is also a fair take away. We have seen this year that Brooks is completely at the mercy of his super stars and doesn't have a real say so in the locker room has shown through this year. The man has the vote of Russell and Kevin, and will be here as long as they are.  He however doesn't have the keys to the car. Kevin has them and Russell has got the spare.

I don't think Brooks will ever get a copy.

Panic Meter: Thunder are on the radar

The Oklahoma City Thunder sit exactly 3.5 games up on the Phoenix Suns for the 8th spot in the west. OKC has 10 games left to put their stamp on the 2014-2015 season and everything will be at a close. When thinking though these last 10 games all vary in importance and so the conversation came up, which games can you not afford to lose?

Thus the Panic Meter was born. We are going to break down each individual game left on the Thunder's schedule and give you a panic rating of 1-10 if the Thunder lost. 1 being all is well its just another game and 10 being we need to throw water on the Peake and get Scott Brooks a safe house. Lets start with the next game up on the Thunder's schedule.

March 28th 

@ Utah Jazz

Panic Meter: 5

The coming home party of sort for Enes Kanter will be a game the Thunder should close out in style. The Utah Jazz at this point are playing for nothing more than pride and the contracts that may be for certain players at the end of the year. They have been really hot lately, especially at home. Utah is also the #1 team in the NBA in defense. For the Thunder losing this game would not be an end of the world experience contrary to what you may think. Losing to a team that has 'nothing to lose' happens in the NBA more than most think. Yes, a loss to a non playoff team wouldn't look good but there is a chance that in a game like this Kanter, Westbrook, and Waiters see less minutes. The worst case scenario would be to lose a close game. If you lose to Utah lets hope its because Russell played 23 minutes and they blew us out. If they simply out execute us down the stretch and Russell played his full 36 we may have a red flag.

March 29th
@ Phoenix Suns
Panic Meter: 10

Do we really need to spell this one out for you? With Thunder still not locked into that 8th spot in the west a game like this could be huge. If the Thunder drop this game it would bring the Phoenix Suns an entire game closer in the standings to taking over that 8th spot. Be alarmed OKC, those last minute trades the Phoenix Suns pulled off actually seem to be working right now. Phoenix is still a no joke team and shouldn't be taken lightly. Dropping a game here could cost the Thunder a playoff birth and buy them a spot in the lottery.

April 1st

Dallas Mavericks

Panic Meter: 7

We all remember that confusing lost in Dallas just a few weeks ago. This is when the Thunder can prove they are a better team than the Dallas Mavericks and even take a step to getting the 7th seed. Thunder only 3 games back from Dallas and a win here would put them 2 games back. With a wish on a star and some luck you think you could find a great chance to being the 7th seed and taking all this drama out all together of making the playoffs. Making a statement though that a team has to play you every night and 1 win doesn't speak volumes about a team over another.

April 3rd

@ Memphis Grizzlies

Panic Meter: 3

We all expect to see our best effort against the Grizzlies but we know that we really might expect a

loss here. It wouldn't be the end of the world and win would go a long way for a team's confidence. We however wouldn't be surprised to see us lose in the grind house. There would be no need for alarm because we can assume with Ibaka out and Durant out we may be lacking a scoring punch and buckets against the Grizz are already impossible to come across. Just chalking this one up to injuries and bad match up wouldn't be surprising and wouldn't cause much need for alarm. Memphis is just good.


April 5th
Houston Rockets
Panic Meter: 8

Why yes you could use the same argument I used above for the Houston Rockets. They are a better team and yes they have less injuries. They fully should win. I however think down the stretch teams fighting for a playoff spot should have extra emotion and want to win a rivalry game. And to be clear this is a rivalry game. When it comes to every game counting so much in the last stretch of games you have to also hope that your team can close out every game at home. Playoff basketball as we all know is a completely different animal and home games should be something that we hold as vital as Thunder fans. OKC finishes 4 of their last 6 at home and against some good opponents but we should still expect to see good plays and constant wins. Rivalry game, home court, and playoff lives should allllllll equal a Thunder hard fought victory, anything less than that should have people up in arms at this point in the year.

April 7th

San Antonio Spurs

Panic Meter: 6

When it comes to the Spurs you honestly never know what to expect. Hopefully at this point with 5
games left the Thunder have locked up the 8th seed or put themselves in competition for the 7th seed. This could be a huge game for them closing out the year if they want the 7 seed. However, if we lost to the Spurs who may be fighting for the 6th seed or 5th seed who would really shocked by that? I mean 39 point loss again might make some people call for Scott Brook's job. I don't think we will see that again but by no means is this going to be a make or break game for the Thunder as long as they handle the first part of this set of games.

April 10th
Sacramento Kings
Panic Meter: 9

When you get a give me game like this at home. You have to take it. Now with the Boogie Cousins you have to be ready to earn it but the Kings haven't played defense all year. The Thunder should be able to handle teams like the Kings and rack this one up as win to close out the season. It is safe to say at this point the Thunder won't have the 8th seed locked up yet so there is no need to think that anyone will be sitting for rest. They will need this game as an easy win to take them over the hump in finally putting the Suns/Pelicans to bed. These games at home against a bad team should always be wins.



April 12th
@ Indiana Pacers
Panic Meter: 4

Now, I am a firm believer that the Thunder  at this point will be 6-1 in this final stretch (1 loss @ Memphis). If my prediction is true then you can assume that the Thunder have finally locked up the 8th seed with their win over the Kings. They will put all their key players on a minute restriction and at this point the Pacers will be on a final playoff push. This game will mean FAR more for the Pacers than they Thunder. I actually think the Thunder move to 7-1 on this game even with their lack of Westbrook minutes. The Pacers are struggling to score and aren't good on the defensive end. The Thunder with their loaded bench should be able to handle the Pacers best shot in a game in Indiana.

April 13th

Portland Trailblazers

Panic Meter: 2

Portland is a good team and will be trying to ensure that they get into the 3rd seed in the playoffs.
They WANT Dallas in the first round (Dallas may be the 5th seed with the easiest remaining schedule) and will be doing their best to pass Houston to get their match up they think suits them best in the first round. Again, I think the 7th seed is too far out of reach but the 8th is all locked up. This game will almost mean nothing to the OKC Thunder. Talking about match ups though I think the Thunder will do their best to remain in the 8th because the Warriors is FAR better of a match up than Memphis. This loss might be the best thing for OKC this year. However if the Thunder have dropped a few more games than I expect then this game could be for their playoff life. That would bump this game up all the way to a 10 pretty quickly.

Apri 15th

@Minnesoda Timberwolves

Panic Meter: 10

Before you call me a hypocrite about making all the previous games so low on the panic scale because of making the argument that we will have the playoff spot all locked up but the labeling this

a 10 hear me out.

YOU DON'T LOSE TO THE TIMBERWOLVES. PERIOD.

I shouldn't have to explain this one. 

MVP Race Tighter Than Ever

James Harden. Steph Curry. LeBron James. Russell Westbrook.

Let the argument begin.

Have you turned on your TV? Have you listened to your radio? Have you opened up your browser? Did you ever find the right answer, I know I haven't. When looking to the MVP race the candidates all have a right to claim a piece of the title. How do you choose who is the most valuable player in the  NBA? Lets take a look at every player in the hunt and see who deserves our casting of the vote.

James Harden
Season Averages: 27 points per game, 7 assists, 5 rebounds

James Harden Cookin'

 Houston Rockets have a record of 47 wins and 23 losses and currently sit 3rd in the stacked Western Conference. The Rockets have ran most of the season with out the man in the middle named Dwight Howard. James Harden though found himself carrying his team almost with out missing a beat. Harden is second in the league in the scoring. The absence of Dwight Howard but the still great record speaks volumes to the greatness that James Harden has put together this year. At times it looks like myself, my 12 year old brother, my 48 year old dad, and my 50 year old mother could be the other people on the floor and Harden could still find a way to score. James leads the NBA in free throw attempts and has been the entire Rocket scoring threat all season.

Clearly James Harden deserves the MVP.

Steph Curry
Season Averages: 24 points per game, 8 assists, 4 rebounds

Welcome to the Steph Curry Show

Golden State Warriors have been arguably the best team in the NBA all year and sit on top of the great Western Conference with a 57-13 record. They very easily are going to have the greatest record in the NBA. Steph clearly the best player on the best team. What more do you need? Okay, well if you need more you got it. This season of all the other MVP candidates above Steph's team has the largest margin of victory and therefore has the least amount of minutes played by a large margin. He is still putting up almost equal numbers. There is something to be said for leading your team to one of the most dominating offense and defense teams in NBA history. Steph Curry has been the Michael Jordan of this year for his version of the 1996 Bulls.

Clearly Steph Curry deserves the MVP.

Lebron James
Season Averages: 26 points per game, 7 assists, 6 rebounds

The name we have all gotten used too: Lebron James

Man. Do we ever get sick of talking about this guy? It is almost sickening to think that we have just gotten so used to him being so great. We are taking one of the greatest players of all time for granite. I mean really. The man has taken team after team to the tops of their conference and we just kind of look over it. Lets look at LeBron's season, he has taken a team that has under achieved in every way from Kyrie Irving to Kevin Love and taken them to the next level. He has put them 2nd in the Eastern Conference while trying to figure out how to make it all work. Leading the charge in every single way possible, defense to offense to cheerleader and I think he even fills up the water jugs before games. LeBron single handily took a tanking franchise and put them with a great chance to win the NBA Championship.

Clearly LeBron James deserves the MVP.

Russell Westbrook
Season Averages: 28 points per game, 9 assists, 8 rebounds

Russell Westbrook holsters the shooters

Sometimes its not when you show up, but how you show up. I mean lets look at this. Russell Westbrook missed some early time due to a hand injury but since he has returned the man has been on a mission. The Thunder have essentially gone all season without KD and started off the season behind due to injury. They have also made trades and dealt with injuries at almost every single position. There has been one consistent factor though. Russell. Leading the Thunder into the 8th spot with all these distractions. He has put up incredible numbers this season and putting up triple doubles faster than I can write about them. It would be hard for me to look you in the eye and say he hasn't been the best player in the NBA. He has seemed to will his team to wins almost on a nightly basis. I find it amazing though that the harsh criticism is still surrounding Westbrook. Needless to say, the Thunder would be competing for lottery odds without him.

Clearly Russell Westbrook deserves the MVP.

So Who Gets My Vote?

Well damn. Good question. I think at any point this year you could vote for anyone on this list. If Anthony Davis had been healthy this year you could add him with the year his having. So I can't honestly say but I can tell you I think will. 

I fully expect James Harden to be lifting that trophy.

Who knows though if that is the right answer, I know I don't think it is.

Rose Return. Part 3.

Derrick Rose held a press conference yesterday and seemed that it came at the perfect time. The Bulls were 3-4 (soon to be 3-5 with a loss that night) and were struggling more on the offensive end then they seemed too all season. The Bulls don't seem to have a very strong scoring back court with Aaron Brooks, Tony Snell, and Kirk Hinrich. This has allowed teams to play the Bulls with the paint packed in leaving it extremely difficult for Noah and Gasol to find their offensive flow.

Rose says that he feels confident that he will return before the playoffs. And that is the part where I smiled. Rose returning with also the addition of Butler coming back and Gibson the Bulls become a harsh foe again in the East.

Rose may be having a disappointing return thus far in the year. Shooting just 28% from 3 point land, 36% overall... but that isn't the point. In the games Rose has played the Bulls are 32-15. That is a win percentage of a shade of 66%. That would put them comfortably in second in the east and competing for 3rd in the west. Needless to say Rose helps the Bulls win games.

7-10 without Rose this season shows how vital he is to the team. Rose has carried the Bulls over some of the toughest opponents this year by himself, i.e. Clevleand before the All-Star Break and Golden State at Oracle Arena a few weeks before that. Derrick showed this year that he is still waht he used to be in at least one way. A big time player in big time games. Yes he shot 3-31 against Orlando, and yeah he had 11 turnovers against the Timberwolves. The Bulls won those games in spite of his poor play.

The Bulls have to have big game Derrick in the post season and needs what he has always brought to the table. Defense, attacking the rim, and letting other guy play their game around him. With out Rose in the offense I would rather just skip this post season. 

Can anything really stop Russell Westbrook? Tom Thibodeau might be the only one who can.

We have all seen some pretty incredible things in the sports world. I have seen Michael Jordan win 6 titles. I have seen Allen Iverson take a team of nobodys the championship on his own back. I have seen Kobe score 81. And now. I have seen Russell Westbrook put up triple doubles in a record number. I obviously wouldn't say that this streak comes anywhere close to Jordan's championships or Iverson's title run... but I would say this has been one of the more impressive streaks in the last 10 years.

Can anything stop the masked hero that is Russell Westbrook? The man has been tearing up teams since his return and simply been racking up stats with ease. He is leading the league in scoring, top 5 in assists, second in steals, and number one in the NBA in usage percentage. All this to say. The man is incredible... and he kind of looks crazy scary in that Bane mask.

Looking forward there is honestly no reason to ever think it will slow down. I think the only thing that can stop Russell at this point is KD. With his return still being questioned it is fair to say that Russell still has chances to continue on this NBA MVP campaign tear.

Glancing over the up coming schedule for the Thunder you can see a lot of chances for Russell to continue. Chris Paul has shown time and again that while he is a good perimeter defender he does not have anywhere close the lateral quickness to stop Russell from shooting his proud pull up and getting the rim. Kyle Lowery, while an All Star starter, is not a lock down perimeter defender and doesn't even come close to Westbrook's raw athletic ability. The Timberwolves... well... yeah... He will do fine there.

There is however the Bulls. Which looking at the roster of the Bulls with all the recent injuries Thunder fans lick their chops at the chance to see Russell play against a depleted backcourt of the Bulls.  Don't get too excited Thunder nation.

Westbrook is more than likely going to be guarded by Aaron Brooks or Kirk Hinrich. Looks like a huge mismatch in the Thunder's favor. Don't be fooled, the Bulls defense is one of the best defenses in the NBA against opposing stars. Chicago has made their trade mark of making your role players beat you.

Tom Thibodeau might be the only person in the NBA who has a chance of guarding Russell Westbrook. Expect the Bulls to have some things dialed in to slow down the masked marvel in the United Airlines Arena. Chicago is keeping opposing all stars at 13 points less a game their season averages and almost 5 rebounds less. Incredible numbers really and truly for a defense that seems to be rounding into shape.

 With the depth the Bulls have shown to have at the front court expect some fouls to give. Expect Russell to have to earn everything at the rim and expect Aaron Brooks to try to pressure Westbrook and invite him into the lane. With the shot blockers of Gasol, Noah, and Gibson letting Russell to the rim might be the best strategy for them instead of letting him pull up over the shorter Brooks.

I think it is fair to say that this amazing run of Russell Westbrook comes to an end tonight. At the hands of Thibodeau. Arguably the best defensive player in the league.