Thunderous Thoughts: Reasons to be thankful this season

Welcome to Thunderous Thoughts. Your weekly look at the OKC Thunder and why there is finally reason to be thankful.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been mediocre to start the season. But, it’s Thanksgiving, so I’m going to attempt to be positive. It is, after all, the only day of the year when you’re allowed to openly brag about how great your life is and why you’re so thankful. That’s the point of this holiday, right?

I am thankful for Russell Westbrook’s MVP season. What a magical season it was. It’s weird to think that one year ago, Westbrook was the most dominant force in all of basketball. We got to put him up on a pedestal while tearing down his teammates. We watched as he led comebacks, made clutch shots, and popped off. I’m thankful he gave us that last season. We saw him last night, but where has that guy been for most of the season?

I am thankful that Russell Westbrook decided to be that guy against the Warriors.

I am thankful for Raymond Felton because he’s not Semaj Christon.

I am thankful for the NBA season being 82 games long. Nope. This is a lie. I wish the season were 20 games with the way things are going right now. The positive is that the team has more time to figure it out. The negative is that, if they don’t figure it out, we all have to sit through 30 mores double-digit blown leads. Just let this season be over. At the very least, give me a week off. I need a break from this team right now for the sake of my own sanity.

I am thankful that they figured some things out against the Warriors.

I am thankful for this past offseason. Man, that was fun. Paul George, Patrick Patterson, Felton, Carmelo Anthony. The offseason was so much better than the regular season. Let’s build a time machine, go back to June and relive those three months again before a basketball was ever dribbled.

I am thankful for Enes Kanter. Miss you Enes.

I am thankful for League Pass. Nope. This is a lie. Not only is League Pass 30-seconds behind the action, but their mere existence makes it easier to watch. No League Pass, I do not want to watch an implosion in real time. I have much better things that I can do with my life. But you’re right in front of me. Telling me, “The Thunder are playing right now” and I just can’t help myself. You’re an enabler, League Pass.

I am thankful for my best friend. Because misery loves company.

I am thankful for the first quarter. Can we end games after the first quarter? Can we play 2K rules where each quarter is four minutes? Either one is fine with me. Someone call Adam Silver about this.

I am thankful the game against the Warriors did not end after the first quarter.

I am thankful for the three-point line. Nope. Another lie. I wish this line didn’t exist. It’s become a crutch for bad offense. “I’m going to take this shot even though there’s a 35 percent chance it goes in. But that 35 percent chance gives me three points. I can try a shot inside the line and have a 49 percent chance of making it, but it’s only worth two points. I’ll take this three.”

I am thankful for Brian Davis, Michael Cage and the guy who runs the official Thunder Twitter account. Because I wish I could remain that positive at all times.

I am thankful that I can be positive about the Thunder on Thanksgiving.

Other Thunder Thoughts

*I don’t know what happened in the Golden State game, but it was both exciting and frustrating. Exciting because we finally saw this team put it together for 48-minutes. Frustrating because had they done this in previous games, their record would be a lot better than 8-9.

*The biggest change seemed to come in the rotations. Obviously, Billy Donovan coached the matchup, but there were some things that he should definitely stick to. The one thing I really liked was keeping Steven Adams or Andre Roberson on the floor at all times in the first half.

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A lot of the blown leads have started on the defensive end. There are simply way too many breakdowns leading to easy baskets. With one of Adams or Roberson on the floor, those breakdowns are less likely to happen. Paul George rightfully gets a lot of credit for being a defensive hound, but Adams and Roberson are the communicators on the defensive end. They’re also pretty outstanding defensively in their own right.

The offense will be fine long as one of Westbrook, Anthony or George are on the floor. But they need to be paired with Adams or Roberson to ensure the defense doesn’t suffer.

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*The moment I knew this was part of Donovan’s plan was when he used a lineup of Westbrook, Roberson, Josh Huestis, Jerami Grant and Patrick Patterson. That’s not exactly an ideal lineup on paper.

The game was 43-32 at the time those five shared the court. When Anthony checked in for Patterson two minutes later, it was 48-35. It was a small amount of time, but the fact that those five extended the lead was a huge. Keep in mind, Kevin Durant was on the floor with Klay Thompson for the first minute. Durant, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green were all on the court during the second minute.

*Obviously, the real stars Donovan needs to stagger are Roberson and Adams.

*It really helps when Westbrook defends at the level he defended at. Curry’s numbers don’t exactly tell you how good Westbrook was on him or on switches. He was the defensive pest that everyone knows he can be when he sets his mind to it. He just hasn’t set his mind to it in a long time.

*Now, the goal is to not erase this good will with a stinker against Reggie Jackson and Detroit.