We've got great rebounding ability! Well, not really.

Wow. Just wow.

These are the kind of games that depress you. They grab your heart strings, play them like a harp, and then promptly cut them with a pair of rusty scissors. They then proceed to rip your heart out and play tennis with it.

The game started off well. We were playing so-so, but so were the Clippers. We came out with a slight edge, and then after the Clippers checked in their substitutes in the 2nd, we promptly went up by 13 or more. We were playing our best basketball. Defensively, we did an excellent job of not fouling and getting the rebounds in the post, and offensively, we started to kick out more, shoot some 3s, and drive to the basket.

But then, the Clippers starters came back in and knew they had to do something about it. They were simply more talented than us, and decided to turn that talent on and start blowing us away. There were so many times when either Camby or Kaman was double teamed in the post and then they passed it to the other for an easy layup. Defensively, they played a nice zone which ruined our penetration game and forced us into some pretty bad jumpers.

By the 3rd, you could already tell it was over.In the early 3rd, we had a lapse. In the mid 3rd, we made a run. In the late 3rd, we had a lapse. In the early 4th, we had a run. In the mid 4th, they had a run. Then, it stalemated and we gave up. Whatever ground we gained was just undone because their sheer talent and playmaking ability outwitted any strategy that we might've had.

At the end, it was garbage time, and I screamed, "Give it to Sene! Give it to Saer!" Eventually, it happened and he got an easy dunk. I cheered for him, but he ignored me. He knew that this game was lost.

Anyway, on to the awards....

Most people would say to me at this point to give the Thunder Wonder to Kevin Durant. Sorry KD, but there's a new sheriff in town, and his name is Damien Wilkins. Damien scored 17 Points on 5-12 Shooting, 5 Rebounds, 1 Assist, and 2 Steals. Now, I know you're saying, "But Kevin Durant shot 7-14, and I thought you were big on efficency!" Well, I am, but the key here is: 5 Turnovers. I know I'm sounding picky, but 5 Turnovers is really big. That and Wikins had 2 more steals and 2 more rebounds. But still, it was a solid game, and nobody else really warrants it, so Kevin Durant will get tonights Thunder Down Under award.

Okay, I'm gonna get on a little soapbox here. I know that everybodys favourite player is Desmond Mason. I know he's the hometown boy, I know he played for the Hornets, I know you love him. But, Damien Wilkins should be getting the playing time over him. He's more efficent, and proveds the dynamics that this team needs. Desmond Mason is a good inside scorer, a decent rebounder, and a okay defender. Damien Wilkins is all that plus the outside shooting. And, what have people been saying that we need on this team? Outside shooting. Now, who knows? Wilkins could have 2 craptastic games and make me eat my words. But for now, I'd give hime the playing time over Desmond.

If I was cruel, I'd give the Thunder Blunder to Saer Sene or Kyle Weaver. But 2-3 minutes of garbage time is no way to measure your abilities. It's really hard pinpointing one guy for a bad performance here, but its probably between Earl Watson and Chris Wilcox. Chris Wilcox had a really inefficent game with 4 Points, 1-7 Shooting, 4 Rebounds, and 1 Turnover. Still, 3 of those rebounds wer offensive, suggesting he missed some putbacks, and he got to the line one of those attempts. So the Blunder goes to Earl Watson. I know, he didn't shoot that badly, but it really says something about your ballhandling when you have 4 turnovers and your +/- ratio is -21 while your backup, Russell Westbrook, has +4, the highest on the team. All in all, he had 6 Points, 2-3 Shooting, 3 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 4 Turnovers, 2 Steals, and 2 Blocks. This guy has the intangibles, but he's got to take care of the ball!

Lastly, the Thunder Plunderer....well, Thunder Destroyer is more like it....is Chris Kaman. 25 Points, 11-13 Shooting, 3-3 Free Throws, +31 +/- Ratio, 14 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Turnover, and 4 Blocked Shots. Just a monster game. In fact, he got point every time he shot (well, in most cases, dunked) except once. There's not much more to say except that there was monster destruction tonight made by a monster big man.

Next Game: Friday vs. the Hornets. Hold on to your hats, people. We're in for a sea of teal.

Funny Tidbits: In the 3rd, there was an FSN guy talking on the court into a microphone when the game was about to start, and the ref pushed him off. He continued to talk into the mic, even after sitting down.

Also: Russell Westbrook has the same, afraid expression on his face every time he drives to the basket:

Let's hope that Mike rocks the fake handkerchief in the suit jacket pocket tonight! Just like Mike Morgan!

And we're back to a winnable game.

After slamming through an incredibly tough schedule facing nearly all playoff teams and getting crushed every night, we finally meet a team that is our size. Right?

Wrong. The Clippers are a very, very good team struggling for an identity. They have a Hall of Fame Coach and 3 near All-Stars, whereas we have a couple of questionable Small Forwards and a coach who has never been above a seventh seed and has been choked by one of his own players.

So, why are the Clippers 1-9? Well, the reason is simple: this team is virtually all-new. The Clippers roster experienced tremendous turnover in the off-season. The only players really left over are too small of a group to justify a chemistry or gameplan carryover from last year. They are still learning to play together, and they'll battle back to winning ways soon.

Even if the Clippers were the bad team that we thought they were, there's still the question of if the Thunder have any fight at all left in them. I mean, it's been really grueling so far, and I don't know of any 1-10 teams who came back to go for the playoffs after having nearly the same roster as last year, so what reason do they have to win? What's to say that they won't give up in the 3rd? I know I sound self-defeating, but the futilism of it all has got to get to you after 10 losses.

Anyway, on to the Matchups:

C- Robert Swift vs. Chris Kaman

Winner: Chris Kaman

It's no contest. Chris Kaman is one of the best scorers and rebounders in the league, and while he's not quite at all-star level, he's pretty darn close. Robert Swift strugges to get into the top 40 of NBA Centers.

PF- Nick Collison vs. Marcus Camby

Winner: Marcus Camby

Marcus Camby is getting up there in age, but he's still a defensive monster and passing machine. Nick Collison can rebound on any given night, and score sometimes, but defense beats offense, and Cambys offense probably beats Collions Defense.

SF- Jeff Green vs. Al Thornton

Winner: Al Thornton

Probably the most intriguing matchup of the night. Jeff Green has had a good year, but a lot of people are saying that Al Horford should have won Rookie of the Year, and he plays like a big man. I'll give him a slight edge.

SG- Kevin Durant vs. Cuttino Mobley

Winner: Kevin Durant

No question here. Mobley is a very one-dimentional 3 point shooter. Kevin Durant has so many dimensions that some people say that he has height, width, depth, and even a grasp of time.

PG- Baron Davis vs. Earl Watson

Winner: Baron Davis

Again, No question. Baron Davis is a great scorer, good passer, and excellent defender. Both shoot big time shots, but Baron is the only one who makes them. Baron by a mile. (Golden State Misses you, man. Even with Morrow. I swear.)

Battle of the Benches:

Winner: Clippers

There's no question that Oklahoma Citys bench is deeper, but the Clippers have a lot more talent on their bench. Ricky Davis has the tools to be sixth man of the year if his team is successful, as he is a great scorer. Tim Thomas and Brian Skinner are two solid, veteran big men that could start on the Thunder. Jason Hart is a quick, scrappy PG and Eric Gordon is a undiscovered prospect. What more evidence do you need?

Coaching and Intangibles:

Winner: Clippers

Mike Dunleavy, Sr. is a great coach with great fashion sense. He should be able to get this team together soon enough.

Player to Watch: Baron Davis. With our bad guard play, it could be easy pickins for Baron.

Prediction: Ben isn't here, so I'll have to wade the waters alone. Los Angeles 106, Thunder 97.

Please, let us win tonight against all odds. I really don't wanna look a record with all 1s in it (1-11).

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?

The Rockets are one of the best teams in the NBA. Well, they should be.  They've struggled to a 6-4 record, but they still soundly trounced us in our second game of the year, 89-77. The talent level between our teams gives absolutely no comparison. I mean, you've got Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and Ron Artest vs. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and...Joe Smith? Kevin Durant, our first star, can't even compare to Artest, their third star. In fact, he might even be considered worse than Carl Landry, Luis Scola, and Shane Battier in some circles.

The way to best this team is by way of driving to the basket. Focus on Fouling Yao Ming out, and fouling Ron Artest out. I really hate these types of games, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Don't settle for bad shots, don't mess with 3s, just drive into those suckas.

If you can't drive, set the pick for the big man. Durant will undoubtedly be guarded by Artest, so he's on lock down. What we can do is use our quicker big men to go to the top of the key and shoot the 12 footers. They won't make it every time, but if you set a pick for them, I assure you that Yao won't make it out to them in time.

On defense, you've gotta get a quick guy in front of Yao. Case in point: When the Warriors played the Rockets 2 seasons ago, the first game they put Adonal Foyle on Yao. Adonal played his heart out, but Yao had a great game. The Warriors won on a miracle 3 by Baron Davis. The next time, they played all small guys and had 2 guys ready to intercept any pass to him. He couldn't get the ball, and the Warriors won soundly. So, don't let Yao have the ball.

Secondly, keep a fresh guy on McGrady at all times, and keep tight on the perimeter. This guy can hit some pretty amazing 3s, so it's important to always have a hand in his face. He's known for his awesome drives, but he's getting older, so he'll settle for the jumpshot more often now.

We already covered the matchups in the last preview, so I'll defer to the God of Thunder for our nightly prediction....

Houston 111, Oklahoma City 88

By the way, it's OSSM (Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics) night at the Ford Center. Look for the huge guy with the foam fingers (me) hanging out with all of the nerds!!!!

This is the very first Blue Blitz Blazin' Audio Airwaves Podcast!

In this episode, we discuss who to start at shooting guard, how to make Kevin Durant better, what to do with our plethora of useless big men, optimal starting lineups, and upcoming matchups.

Hope you enjoy! If you have any comments our suggestions for the show, post them in the comments.

Or, if you'd like a question answered by us, then post that in the comments also!

There will always be an archive on the sidebar.

Dear Reader,

Wow....the day is finally here.

After weeks of planning and months of blogging, you are finally looking at what was once a distant dream for us here at Blue Blitz....our own, fully decked out, non-blogger website. We're not part of SB Nation, but as I've discovered, Bloguin is just as good, and even better. Again, let me express many, many thanks to Derek Hanson of twolvesblog.com and derok.net. He extended a gracious invitation to us and has helped us every singe step of the way. He's a great guy, and he's made a great network that will undoubtedly reach high places in the future.

Let me take a minute to tell you about the new features on Blue Blitz.

First of all, the top bar.

Home is obviously, just that. Home sweet home.

The archive is very nifty. Every single post from the old Blue Blitz has been manually transferred. Some of the pictures are gone, and in place of them I put "Keine Photo, bitte." That basically means "No Photos, please." in German. Sorry, but links die every now and then. In the future, we'll upload photos to the main site. Also, we haven't transferred the old comments. We might do it in the future, with "Posted By:" before every message, but that's only if we ever have time, and it seems kinda irrelevant.

Next, there is the Reader Blog. Derek wanted to give us a forum, but we know that there are already great forums out there covering the Thunder, and we don't want to invade their space. Also, we don't have the time to manage a forum.  Instead, we opted for a Reader Blog. Are you an aspiring writer with not enough time for a blog, yet want to post some of your stuff? Want to spout off your opinion on anything Thunder? Your opportunity is there. And hey, if we find it good enough, we might even put it on the front page! Lastly, if you wanted to join our writing staff, this would be the ticket to doing it. All posts will be previewed by us, so it won't get posted immediately. We assure you, as long as it isn't a string of cuss words and it relates to the Thunder, it will get posted. We hope you enjoy this feature as much as we will. By the way, if any forums want to merge with us, contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Roster and Recent Transactions pages are pretty obvious. They have links to the players Yahoo pages, and they have links to our articles about the most recent roster moves. Basically, they're for someone who needs to catch up on what happened roster-wise since this team was the SuperSonics last year.

The Award Count is really nifty. It's a running count of who is getting the most Thunder Wonders, Down Unders, Blunders, and Plunderers. Also listed is what games each player won the award in. It doesn't show much now (other than Zorgons love for Joe Smiths efficency) but in the future it should be pretty interesting to look at.

Next, the left sidebar. There are links to our newly made staff pages, where newcomers can get to know who we are an what we're all about. (Ben's is not made yet :-(.)

Then there is the Bloguin Roll, showing the blogs that are part of our new network. All really solid guys, and we look forward to collaberating with them in the future.

Then, you have the Latest Poll. We will ask whatever is on our minds, and report on the results in a future post. Right now, you get to vote on who to start at Point Guard.

Lastly, you have the classic blogrolls, and the ol' RSS Feed.

Now, we shift our focus to the right. After the advertisement, there are the lastest Reader Blog Posts (currently empty, but hopefully full at some point soon).

Next, you have the NEW Blue Blitz Podcast! Officially, it is called the Blue Blitz Blazin' Audio Airwaves. We'll release a new podcast weekly, and we hope you've enjoyed our first one. If you have any thoughts, drop a comment.

Below that is the Slammin' Fernsehen. That's there to feature any relevant YouTube videos about the Thunder. Right now the videos are kind of irrelevant (Adonal Foyle, Joe Smith) but that will change with time. If you're an aspiring filmmaker and you've just made a awesome mix of Thunder highlights, email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or You Tube Message TheBlueBlitz. We'll feature your video on our site.

After that is the latest Bloguin Network posts, where you can see what is happening in the NBA that's not Thunder (as if you would want to).

Lastly, there is the Thunder Schedule. But, this is no normal schedule. This schedule has links to the previews (if you click the Team we were facing that night) and the recaps (if you click the result of that night) that we've done over the course of the season. Nifty, eh?

And, the very last thing I will discuss is our new banner. The Blue and .net part of the banner was done in the style of the IBM logo, to symbolize how this team is completely driven by money-making interests and how the NBA is a business, not a family. The Blitz part of the banner is getting energized by lightning, just as the name implies. I originally opted for the beacon of hope that is near the Science Center of the city, but Derek said that it didn't work and he went with the Oklahoma City skyline. In my opinion, it is very underwhelming as there have been no skyscrapers built since I was born. But, it is our skyline I suppose....and it's getting hit by lightning, so that serves it right.

Anyway, it's amazing to be here, living the dream....We hope that you'll enjoy this new site as much as we are about to. We are going to make every effort to make this the BEST Thunder blog on the net (no disrespect to the others) going forward.

Cheers and Welcome,

Zebulun Benbrook and Benjamin Luschen

Proprietors of the NEW BlueBlitz.net