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It's getting so bad that Kevin Durant is considering his future as a nun.
Yahoo! Box Score
The Name of Ben Q Rocks Orlando Magic Blog comes to mind when speaking of this game: Third Quarter Collapse.
Part of the reason the Thunder had such a successful first half was because they followed the gameplan that I laid out in the preview. Specifically, that means pick n' roll things to death. They got so, so many easy midrange shots and drives to the basket, it was awesome. But in the third, it's like they decided they could do it on pure energy alone. They felt the arena intensity and completely abandoned the gameplan. They started trying to create for themselves, and I even saw Petro take a turnaround jumper with two guys in his face. Hello? Heck, Jeff Green tried to lift it over 3 guys and do this layup at the free throw line.
At least Yao got Ted up!
It's purely psychological. They could have competed, they could have won this game. Why do they think the game ends after 2 quarters? Hell, the crowd had to practically will and plead with them to get them back to within 8 in the 4th. Even then, the Thunder encountered some bad luck with ghosts at the rim and fell permanently behind.
One thing I did like in the 4th was the huge intensity of defense. I can't beleive how many rebounds we got and steals we force out of sheer will.
The brick guy and I had our hands full, trying to prevent the Rockets from getting to triple digits after almost everyone else had left. Sadly, no amount of cheering could stop the embarassment of the Rockets getting to the century mark. And, the OSSM people were shoved up into the nosebleeds! 2 Years ago they were virtually on the floor! What's up with that?
Kevin Durant had a simply fabulous night. 29 Points, 13-23 Shooting, 1-2 3 Pointers, 7 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 4 Turnovers, and 4 Steals. He hit his shots, was the focal point of the offense, and, obviously, contributed on defense. Not much more to say here, except that he has obtained his 3rd .
Now, I know there are cries for Jeff Green, but I can't give the Down Under award to a guy with 5-14 Shooting. Look forward to our upcoming podcast for a good Jeff Green debate. Nevertheless, Joe Smith deserves this award for his unwavering efficency. 10 Points, 4-7 Shooting, a +7 +/- Ratio, and 5 Rebounds. The dude always makes a huge hustle rebound or a huge basket, and watching him is like experiencing magic. I just can't explain it, and I also can't explain why he's not starting! Sheesh. To reiterate, he wins the Thunder Down Under.
The Thunder Blunder of the game is Earl Watson. 3 Points, 1-6 Shooting, 4 Assists, and 3 Turnovers has to be some of his worst numbers all year. He didn't really initiate the offense, usually dumping it off to another guard who would do it for him. When he shot, he'd have guys in his face, and most of the time he just kind of bystood. A horrible game for Earl, hopefully he can recover, since P.J. refuses to start Westbrook.
Get yo black fingernails outta my face!
It's hard shoosing between Luis Scola and Yao Ming for tonights Thunder Plunderer, but you have to go with good ol' Yao. He had much better shooting, going 7-8, and had 19 Points, 12 Rebounds, and 2 Assists to round of a very solid night. If that's not enough to convince you, consider his +23 +/- Ratio. I'd like to say we did a good job of stopping Yao, but we really didn't, as he had the best impact on his team.
Next Game: Wednesday vs. The Also Struggling Clippers....a win, perhaps?
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i was not too disappointed with the thunder performance really. it was the small things: free throws, hitting wide open shots that made the difference but they weren't terrible. they did attempt some pretty dumb shots in the 3rd especially though
of course, houston was without tmac for most of the game