Today’s OKC Thunder in the News is preparing for one of two outcomes tonight – a win or a loss. Fancy that?
Happy Friday Thunder Nation! It’s the last Friday of what truly has been a crazy calendar year for us. We watched Russell Westbrook make history during the 2016-2017 season, then witnessed Sam Presti build a contender in the offseason. Now we’re experiencing that contender play up to their potential as the year comes to an end.
Looking back, the different emotions we’ve felt over 2017 encompasses why we love sports. There’s excitement, there’s heartbreak, there’s everything-in-between. With that here’s a complete 180 as I spend the rest of this post solely analyzing the play on the court.
Zach Lowe likes the Thunder…a little bit
We begin with the best NBA analyst in the game. Zach Lowe’s 10 things are always a must-read, especially when he discusses your team. As always Zach is very spot-on with his analysis, especially the comment about the Thunder not having their fifth crunch-time player yet. Remember, I’m the guy that calls Andre Roberson the Lowkey MVP. But when you’re playing against elite opponents like San Antonio or Golden State, you simply can’t have a huge negative on either side of the floor and expect to compete.
That’s only a sample of the wisdom he spoke during “Thing #6.” Read the whole thing and you’ll come out a smarter Thunder fan.
"This isn’t a 60-win juggernaut waiting to bust out. But they could play the rest of the season at a 50-win pace, and be an absolute pain in the ass in the playoffs."
What’s been different during the win streak?
Going off of Zach’s “10 Things” piece, Weston Sheperd over at Daily Thunder detailed his five most tantalizing thoughts during OKC’s win streak. I like what he’s got to say here, especially the bit about the third quarter play. I won’t give up too much more solely so you will still visit/read the piece. Us writers got to stick together you know?
"Since the winning streak began on December 18 versus Denver, Westbrook has taken only 1.7 three-pointers per game — never taking more than three in any of the contests"
The bench unit is this team’s biggest concern
And finally we end with my favorite Thunder writer on the Internet, Jeremy Lambert. Jeremy’s typical Thursday piece is super special this week because he actually incorporated statistics from NBA.com into his thoughts. Reward him for his hard work by giving his piece on the struggling second-unit a nice, long read.
"In theory, George is the guy you want leading the bench. He’s better off the ball and as a creator than Anthony."
Next: Previewing tonight's clash with the Bucks
That’s it for the last 2017 Friday edition of Thunder in the News! Make sure to follow us on Twitter for live in-game analysis (but mostly fun), then check back with the site post-game for our recap and report card. Most importantly, watch the game and cheer this team on to their seventh straight dub.