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Weekly Oklahoma City Blue Report: It’s playoff time for the Blue

By Casimir Cuffy

Mar 16, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A ball goes through the netting of the hoop as Oklahoma City Thunder players warm up before the start of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A ball goes through the netting of the hoop as Oklahoma City Thunder players warm up before the start of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Josh Huestis of the Oklahoma City Blue in a preseason game for the Thunder. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Huestis of the Oklahoma City Blue in a preseason game for the Thunder. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

The Oklahoma City Blue finished the regular season with a record of 34-16, jumping over the Los Angeles D-Fenders for the first seed in the playoffs.

Oklahoma City closed out the season with two impressive blowouts. At the same time the Blue were closing the season strong, the D-Fenders slipped up and lost to the opponent OKC will face in the first round, the Santa Cruz Warriors. That loss cemented the Blue’s spot on top of the Western Conference and home-court advantage until the Finals.

The Blue provided an overall team effort against the Sioux Falls Skyforce as seven players ended up with double digits in the scoring column. Daniel Hamilton led the way with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Josh Huestis joined the team this past week and made his presence felt against the Skyforce with his 12 points and five blocks.

OKC found similar success against the Texas Legends a couple of days later. Huestis, Johnson and Williams each registered over 20 points in this contest. Huestis showed more of his offensive side as he scored 23 points to go along with nine rebounds on 70% shooting from the field. This was the win that clinched the number one seed for the Blue, which made it all the more important.

Season Shout-Outs

  • Reggie Williams and Dakari Johnson led the team with 18.3 and 18.5 points, respectively. Both participated in this season’s all-star game because of that.
  • Daniel Hamilton led the team in rebounds for the season with eight per game.
  • Alex Caruso led the team in assists this season with 5.2 per contest. He also led the team with 2.1 steals per game.
  • Reggie Williams earned his shot at a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans chose to go elsewhere to fill their guard position, but it showed he has the recognition.

This was a big season for the Oklahoma City Blue as they won their division for the first time, but bigger goals are in sight for the number one seed in the Western Conference.

Playoff Preview

The NBA Development League playoffs consist of three rounds where eight teams will compete in a best of three format to advance.

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As the first seed in the west, the Blue faces off against the fourth seeded, Santa Cruz Warriors. OKC has battled the Warriors three times this season, going 2-1 against them. Their latest game was a complete blowout with Williams being the high-scorer with 23 points.

Santa Cruz comes into the playoffs blazing hot on a six game win streak that’s still active. Key guys stepped up as of late with big games against key competition. Damian Jones and Jabari Brown have been lethal scoring weapons with Phil Pressey being the steady point guard orchestrating the show.

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The first game will be played on Wednesday, April 5th at Santa Cruz with the next two being played in Oklahoma City. The third game is, of course, only necessary if the two teams split the first two.

To win this series against the Warriors, the Blue must continue doing what got them to the first seed. Reggie Williams and Dakari Johnson will certainly have to step up and be the all-stars that they are, but it is going to take a complete team effort to sustain winning a playoff series. Santa Cruz is a team that got hot at the perfect time and will not be an easy first round competition for OKC.

Game one against the Warriors will be shown nationally on ESPNU. The other two, as well as most other series and games, will be shown on Facebook Live. Strap in! It’s playoff time, go big or go home.

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