OKC Thunder: Heather’s Friday Roundup

It may be hard to believe, but we are already a few games into the 2017 Oklahoma City Thunder schedule!

As the season continues, I’ll be here to round up articles, stats, and happenings about your favorite team that you may have missed. Check back every Friday for my weekly recap!

Hey Now, Pick Your Thunder All-Star

NBA All-Star 2017 voting has officially begun! Fans may submit one ballot each day through a variety of methods, including the NBA app, Twitter, Facebook, Google, and NBA.com. All current NBA players are eligible to receive votes, but I would like to recommend:

Russell Westbrook (obviously!)

Steven Adams (because if he wins, maybe he’ll take me to dinner?)

Voting ends on Monday, Jan. 16, so get your votes in every day until then! It’s as simple as tweeting, or retweeting if that’s your thing, with an NBA player’s full name or Twitter handle and the hashtag #NBAVOTE.

Here, I’ll make it easy for you. Just copy this:

#NBAVOTE @realstevenadams is an All-Star who should definitely hang out with Heather @ringsmackie

Cameron Payne Makes Season Debut

He’s been on the Thunder bench since his foot fracture on Sept, 27, but Cameron Payne has made his season debut… for the Oklahoma City Blue. Payne was assigned to the D-league team, where he earned 14 points, 3 assists, a steal, and a rebound. He committed only one turnover and was 5-of-19 shooting.

Payne’s recent outing offered optimism for anticipation of his return. This due to the range he displayed  going 6 of 7 from deep. Given the Thunder’s lack of perimeter scoring and need for additional shot creators it could well be the key attribute he offers the varsity squad.

RELATED CONTENT:  Oklahoma City Thunder: Three Point Shooting By The Numbers

Steven Adams’ Piggyback Ride

Though it technically happened last week, I wanted to make sure that every living soul has a chance to witness Hassan Whiteside giving Steven Adams a piggyback ride during the Miami Heat game on Dec. 27. After a phenomenal dunk on Whiteside, Adams lingered in the air for a moment, providing us with this:

The Thunder may have won that game, but Steven won so much more.

Referee Misses Assist From Russell Westbrook

In Wednesday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Westbrook received an interesting technical foul when he tried to earn another triple double by giving an assist to nearby referee, Tre Maddox. In truth, Westbrook tossed the ball across the court without looking and hit a referee in the head. Another official called a technical on the point guard, who immediately put his head in his hands, visibly upset. After receiving his 10th technical foul of the season, Westbrook was quoted as saying:

“I would never, ever disrespect the game like that and throw the ball at the referee.”

He’s now six techs away from an automatic one-game suspension.

Be Neat, Retweet

The @okcthunder Twitter account provides countless tweets worthy of sharing on your own Twitter page, and this week’s highlight is a prime example of such gems. Retweeted from @Smoove_Vic, this Russell Westbrook animated graphic is an artistic throwback (and a great reminder to vote him into the All-Star game)!

See you next week for another installment!

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