Game Day Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder versus Golden State Warriors

For the Oklahoma City Thunder odds are as soon as 2016-17 schedules were released this date was circled in red.

Looking back it’s probably no coincidence Kevin Durant elected to make his announcement on July 4th, 2016. After all, that date in America is better known as Independence Day.  The reality was no one, not one teammate, not one fan, nor one pundit expected Kevin Durant to bolt to the team the Oklahoma City Thunder had on the ropes 3-1 in the semi finals last May.

In hindsight, the tell tale signs had likely been there all along, but no one could imagine a player of Kevin Durant’s supposed ilk to:

1. walk away from the one team who had the best chance to take down the Warriors this season
2. depart leaving money and an extra year on the table
3. would join a ‘super team’ after loudly proclaiming it was something he couldn’t respect
4. treat his “little brother” in such a completely disparaging way
5. say after the finals he was pulling for Golden State to lose (of course he never let this little tid bit slip until he had joined Golden State)
6. follow up his post playoffs oust declaration of “we’ll get them next year” with a departure to the team he was bashing
7. find out Draymond Green and Durant had been discussing him joining the Warriors all season long

Ultimately Kevin Durant did choose to go to Oakland to form the biggest “super team” of the era and did it in a manner most were unaccustomed to seeing from the previous entrusted poster boy of the NBA.

One week and seven long months later, Oklahoma natives and Thunder fans will finally get their opportunity to voice the feelings they’ve been holding inside since Independence Day.

Poster Boy or P.R. Puppet?

It’s ironic to think back to the poster boy Kevin Durant was in his time spent with Oklahoma City. While LeBron James was being universally despised for his own “Decision” and Russell Westbrook was oft painted with all the blame for any Thunder shortcomings K.D. skated by as the NBA emblem of all that was good. Durant was the guy who signed his first long term contract without fanfare or cameras, kissed his mother every game and donated funds to local charities.

It’s not to say he’s not a good guy, but his shine  diminished and he’s no longer unblemished. Instead, many view Durant as an athlete who is completely driven by his P.R. team and how they direct him to be seen publicly.

To wit, his comments this year have all been carefully uttered, to once more place uncertainty at the feet of Westbrook. First he stated Westbrook and he grew apart because Russ was married and grew up with both parents. At the time I found this an odd statement given he left to join Steph Currry who is happily married and was raised by loving parents Dell (former NBA player) and Sonya Curry.

Also humorous Durant waited seven months to clear the air regarding his Westbrook relationship.  And, in his typical passive aggressive manner Durant placed all the blame on the media.

Hard then to explain his in game actions at Oracle. Clearly KD  enjoyed rubbing in his performance and Warriors drubbings in Westbrook and his former teammates faces.

Durant beefs up security: OKC

And as reality hits with Durant back in the city he spent 8 of his 9 previous seasons in he’s hired extra security. This after consulting LeBron James on what to expect. ESPN has the full. story by Chris Haynes here.

"A heightened armed security team has been procured, tripling the normal amount of security personnel the Warriors typically travel with, league sources told ESPN."

Green pokes the bear:

Following the Zaza Pachulia hard foul and punking of Westbrook at Oracle in the last game much was made of fake tough guy Pachulia taunting a face down Westbrook. Post game Russ said he would ‘get him back’ which didn’t necessarily mean he would look to do something of a non-basketball nature. Rather, knowing Westbrook he meant he would dunk on him or make him look stupid on the court.

Westbrook won’t get that opportunity this time round since Pachulia remains in Oakland with a rotator cuff injury. That doesn’t mean Draymond Green was about to let sleeping dogs lie. In an effort to get under the skin of Westbrook the resident Warriors tough guy chose to poke the bear. As per ESPN writer Chris Haynes:

"“I just wish Zaza [Pachulia] was playing,” Green told ESPN with a massive grin. ” ‘I’m going to get him back,’ “ Green mimicked, referring to Russell Westbrook making that comment last month about retaliating on Pachulia for laying him out with a hard collision and then standing over him. “That’s what I want to see,” Green continued. “I wish Zaza was here.”"

This was an obvious jab at Westbrook to get him riled up pregame. Green is just trying to get in Russ’ head prior to the game. If you recall the incident with Pachulia you see Green clapping in the background. Keeping with Green he might want to watch his own back, or rather his nether regions. Especially when he’s on court with Steven Adams, since the Big Kiwi has his own revenge to exact.

Triple-Double Watch:

Russell Westbrook stands at 26 triple-doubles on the season after registering his second against the Cavaliers this season.  He failed to get a triple-double versus Indiana (short 1 assist) but he did grab 18 rebounds.

Through 54 games Westbrook has totals of 1,669 points, 569 rebounds and 553 assists. To average a triple-double on the season Westbrook must collect 820 in each category.

With 28 games remaining he needs another 251 rebounds and 267 assists. That translates into averages of  8.96 rebounds and 9.53 assists over his final 28 games.

Must Read: Westbrook All-Star Weekend destined to rub salt in open wound

Keys to Winning:

Choose aggression over pace:

As much as the Thunder may be tempted to push pace with the Warriors playing on a back to back they should resist that temptation.  Rather, their best bet will be to play the Warriors aggressively in an effort to force turnovers. Durant and Steph Curry specifically have never been fond of being played physically so the onus will be on Victor Oladipo and /or Westbrook to be aggressive with Curry. And, Andre Roberson will be called upon to repeat the defensive excellence he showcased versus LeBron James this time against his former teammate.

Go “Big” and stay big:

The Warriors frontcourt is mired with injury with both Pachulia and West out. Further the Warriors released Anderson Varejo electing to add D-League stand out Briante Weber. With McGee moved to the starting lineup the only big available as a reserve is Damian Jones, who has all of 5 games experience at the pro level.  Furthermore, the Warriors arrive a night after playing Memphis physical big men Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. It might not have taken a toll on Green (38 mins) or Durant (32 mins) last night, but the Thunder should look to be physical with them from the tip in the hopes the fatigue may be a factor in the second half specifically.

Use Loud City’s emotion to spark a quick start:

Undoubtedly Chesapeake Arena is going to be fueled with emotion and tension. The trick will be to harness that emotion and jump on the Warriors quickly. Defense has to be the key component to keep the Warriors in hand, because allowing them to get any type of lead early would be erasing what could be the 6th man x-factor in this contest.

Build on the momentum of win over Cavaliers:

Prior to Thursday’s game Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue dangled the possibility of resting his big 3 of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. In hindsight, Lue probably wishes he had given the loss which moves the Cavaliers to 2-7 on the road versus Western competition. As crazy as it may sound, this is the perfect situation for the Thunder to capture a victory versus the Warriors. Golden State is on the second night of a back-to-back set and missing key front court pieces. Everyone knows no extra motivation is required, but the fact they just beat the reigning champs provides Donovan and Westbrook all the ammunition they need to amp up the youngsters.

Play Nick Collison early to send a message:

Zaza Pachulia may not be in Okalahoma City, but based on Green spouting off Friday to get under Westbrook’s skin don’t be surprised if he plans to bring his kicking shoes with him to Chesapeake. I’m not suggesting the Thunder come out looking to get flagrant fouls, but I’m in agreement with Eric Snyder who suggests playing with a physicality, especially in the paint.

To wit, I’d trot out reliable vet Nick Collison and get him to use up all six of his personal fouls. Collison should divvy up those  fouls by setting two body jarring screens on Stephen Curry, two hard fouls on Draymond Green and two on former teammate and dinner companion Durant making sure one of those is a very hard clean foul that sets Durant on his behind.

Thunder vs. Warriors Statistical Comparison:

Walking Wounded:

Thunder:

Enes Kanter is out til after the All-Star break with March 8th listed as a potential return date.

Warriors:

• Zaza Pachulia remained behind in Oakland with a strained rotator cuff
• David West is likely also out as he deals with a thumb injury

Rotations:

Oklahoma City Thunder Starters:

Point Guard:  Russell Westbrook
Shooting Guard:  Victor Oladipo
Small Forward:  Andre Roberson
Power Forward: Domantas Sabonis
Center: Steven Adams

OKC Thunder Reserves:

Point Guard: Cameron Payne, Semaj Christon
Shooting Guard: Alex Abrines Anthony Morrow
Small Forward: Jerami Grant, Kyle Singler,
Power Forward: Nick Collison
Center: Joffrey Lauvergne

Golden State Warriors Starters:

Point Guard: Stephen Curry
Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson
Small Forward: Kevin Durant
Power Forward: Draymond Green
Center: JaVale McGee

Golden State Warriors Reserves:

Point Guard:  Shaun Livingston, Patrick McCaw, Briante Weber
Shooting Guard: Ian Clark
Small Forward: Andre ‘Iguodala, Kevon Looney, James Michael McAdoo
Power Forward: Warriors likely to play one of their small forwards at power forward
Center: Damian Jones

Game Specifics:

Recent History:

The Warriors hold the all-time record 16-14. Prior to last season the Durant led Thunder held a 16-9 advantage over the Warriors. Given GSW lost just 9 regular season games last year there was no shame in going win-less against them.  However, going back to the 2014-15 season the Warriors have won just once in nine tries.

Referee Assignments:

Marc Davis (#8), Bennie Adams (#47), and Eric Dalen  (#37)

Fan Data:

The Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Tip: 7:30 PM CT (8:30 EST)
TV: ABC
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP)

The Line:

Not surprisingly the odds makers lean toward the top seeded Warriors as 7 point favorites with an over-under of 227 points.

To boo or not to boo:

If you are one of the lucky few who’ll be in attendance at the game, ultimately the choice of how you receive Kevin Durant is up to you. Applaud, boo, remain silent.  Being a Toronto native, I can tell you there are still those in the 6ix who boo Vince Carter, who left via a trade. To this day there has been no clear clarification on who was truly responsible for instigating his departure. The fact the Raptors basically got a box of donuts in return only served to push the knife deeper. It just goes to show sports fans are passionate and get invested in their favorite teams and players.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

In the case of Durant perhaps if he had chosen to go to the Spurs or Celtics the pain of his departure would have been more palatable. Certainly for as long as I can remember being a fan I’ve never witnessed a player leave his original team to join the team who beat them the previous year. Nor can I recall a player choosing to leave a team when he had a top 5 talent beside him. Ditto, for how he handled his departure and treated said partner.

Join us in Live Blog ‘the Return’

From my personal perspective I find Durant has always been more concerned about his public image than he should be.  And, I further have been on the side of believing Westbrook often bore the majority of the blame for OKC’s failures. It may be unrealistic, but I’ll be the one pulling for upset win tonight. I’ve been sending the universe my hopes for a final play of Westbrook blocking Durant and streaking down court for an emphatic dunk to seal the victory. Unrealistic – probably, but then again who thought Durant would join the Warriors?  This is the NBA where any team can win on any given night. It just would be so much sweeter if that miracle happened on what might be the real Independence Day in OKC.

Make sure to join us in our live blog  – ‘The Return’ tonight. Simply open the article and go to the comments section where Thunder and NBA fans will congregate pre-tip to share memories, discuss the game and offer opinions on what is sure to be electric night.