OKC Thunder In the news: OKC seed debate, Halloween comes early

OKC Thunder in the news for Sunday October 15 focuses the final two days before the 2017-18 season tips off. Thunder Nation meanwhile will have to wait four more days until OKC meet the Knicks to start their season.

It’s a giddy time for OKC Thunder fans, heck all NBA fans as the season draws near. Topping off that excitement are the numerous amazing articles available.

Zach Lowe does it again:

If you follow my columns you’ll know my obsession with Zach Lowe borders on abject adulation. His eloquent vernacular and analogies simply are beyond compare. If you don’t already have him on your must read list make sure to do it prior to season start.

Lowe serves up his annual wild predictions article (and gasp announces he almost scraped it). The OKC Thunder feature prominently throughout it. Generally there isn’t too much Lowe and I disagree about. Perhaps I’m viewing this through rose colored glasses, but I don’t agree with his take on the Rockets taking second in the West.

"The sexy bet is Oklahoma City. Before acquiring Carmelo Anthony, the Thunder’s path to 60 wins was clear: Paul George would slither around as the slightly less wealthy man’s Kevin Durant, and their defense would smother people. They had an identity — a mix of new Thunder and old Thunder.The Anthony deal — one you make every time — confuses that identity. That is worth it in the long run. You need crazy scoring potency to hang with Golden State. You need to embrace variance, and risk. But Melo introduces a learning curve that might deflate the win total. He softens their defense. Snagging George and Melo in two-for-one trades depleted Oklahoma City’s depth."

For as much as the Melo can’t defend narrative is a real thing, there is still something about playing for a winning team which brings out the best in players.  Turning in his keys to the Mecca for OKC may well inspire Melo on that end. Preseason performances at least seem to indicate that’s the case. We’ll see when April rolls around if it still is, but this scribe is remaining positive, since it’s the time of year to be overtly optimistic,

Why OKC Thunder aren’t a 4-seed:

My partner in crime Tony Heim brought back his Views column and doesn’t hold back on why Houston and the Spurs won’t both finish ahead of OKC.

"Defense is a serious concern. The Rockets were 18th last season in Defensive Rating, 16 spots behind the team everybody is chasing. The PJ Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute additions help on the wing but doesn’t solve Houston’s interior problem. Last season the Rockets gave up the most shots inside 6 ft at the 10th most efficient rate  – once Clint Capela checks out there’s nobody to protect the rim."

Halloween comes early:

I was going to run the best Halloween OKC Thunder players costumes ever, but I don’t want to ruin Lawrence George‘s player profiles. Suffice to say you’ll need to check our his Nick Collison preview. That said, clearly the OKC Thunder players all take their Halloween parties seriously as evidenced by Carmelo Anthony and Josh Huestis.

That wraps up OKC Thunder in the news for October 15.  The 2017-18 NBA season tips off Tuesday with the  OKC Thunder set to open at home on Thursday Oct 19. Make sure you stop by Thunderous Intentions often as we prepare you for season launch and interact with us on Twitter.