Thunderous Intentions
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OKC Thunder drop down ladder in week 13 power rankings

By Tamberlyn Richardson

CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 13: Referee, Haywoode Workman looks on during the Oklahoma City Thunder game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 13, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 13: Referee, Haywoode Workman looks on during the Oklahoma City Thunder game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 13, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Week 13 of  NBA power rankings lists finds pundits almost unanimously dropping the OKC Thunder, yet also exercising restraint. Scribes ranked OKC Thunder with a high of 8th and low of 14th.

If there was a single word to define the 2017-18 iteration of the OKC Thunder it might be fluctuation. Aside from arguably six teams (Warriors, Rockets, Spurs, Wolves, Raptors, Celtics) the same word could apply to the remainder of the Association.

Albeit injuries have played a factor for many squads. Yet those top six teams haven’t wavered but have each weathered portions of the schedule without core talent. Particularly the San Antonio Spurs who continue to showcase a culture and identity is equally important to a team’s fundamental process. It’s hard to cite the Warriors as dealing with adversity when they house so much talent however they have navigated time without their two MVP’s without missing a beat.

Ironically the OKC Thunder has suffered the most when Steven Adams or Andre Roberson miss time emphasizing how important depth is.

Thunder opponents for week 13 featured the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves and  Charlotte Hornets. In these three games OKC  lost to the Blazers and Wolves the latter by a wide margin and then delivered a solid win over the Hornets.

As Thunder Nation knows this began a win streak for the Thunder of a highly impressive nature. Without doubt the return of Andre Roberson as overdue.

Around the Association:

Undoubtedly the major news in the NBA falls into two categories. They are the Cleveland Cavaliers look more like a lottery team than a contender and the ire towards officials who are deciding game outcomes on far too frequent of a basis.

Adam Silver has some work to do to clean up his officiating crews and I’ll reiterate for the umpteenth time how the NBA needs to have a coaches challenge like every other major league sport. The fact an officials crew can effect game outcomes and lack consistency in how they approach games (and certain teams) is simply not a good look.

More from Thunderous Intentions

I’ve personally read copious fans referencing how the NBA is closer to the WWE than a real sport. Clearly not a good look nor something the NBA wants continuing. Moving forward, the NBA Players Association and Officials representatives will meet during the All-Star break. Here’s hoping they come to a reasonable and expeditious resolution. (hey Mr. Silver — implement a coaches challenge – like yesterday!)

Hot Squads:

In the middle of the officials versus players maelstrom and Cavaliers implosion a few squads have been lighting up the competition. Other than the typical top squad a trio have joined int the action They are the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

With that, let’s take a look at each of the lists and where the OKC Thunder were placed on each.

NBA.com – John Schuhmann

Stats master John Schuhmann never tends to over react and his response to drop the OKC Thunder just one spot (from 10th to 11th) is indicative of that restraint. And yes I recognize he dropped the Cavs six spots, but given the thumping Cleveland has taken in multiple games I’d say that was restraint.

"Raise your hand if you knew Raymond Felton would be the guy to pull the Thunder out of a three-game losing streak with eight points and four assists on a game-changing, 22-6 run in the fourth quarter in Charlotte on Saturday. Felton hasn’t exactly been a top-five back-up point guard, but the Thunder have been a little better with Russell Westbrook off the floor (minus-6.3 points per 100 possessions) than they were last season (minus-8.9), when they were they were destroyed in no-Westbrook minutes in the playoffs."

ESPN – Panel

Last week I mentioned it would be interesting to see how the panel ranked Houston, Cleveland and OKC in particular given the Cavlier’s implosion and Thunder losses.  The interesting fact is the panel who’ve been quick to punish OKC but not the Cavs or Rockets surprised this week. To wit, ESPN was the only power ranking report who didn’t punish OKC for the losses holding them steady at 8th. However, the panel did knock down the Cavs from third to seventh.

ESPN’s panel:

ESPN: Kevin Arnovitz | Amin Elhassan |Ramona Shelburne

The Undefeated: Marc J. Spears | FiveThirtyEight: Chris Herring

"The Thunder have showcased several inconsistencies in their up-and-down season so far with some impressive wins and incredibly poor losses. They’re 4-6 against the bottom eight teams in the NBA — the only teams worse are the Mavericks and Grizzlies. — Vincent Johnson"

Sports Illustrated – The Crossover

Hmm- Kenny Ducey provides arguably the most important stat provided this season (below). Ducey drops the OKC Thunder from his previous rank of 12th to 14th.

"When Carmelo Anthony takes 15 or more shots, the Thunder are 10-15. When Carmelo Anthony takes fewer than 15 shots, the Thunder are 13–5."

CBS Sports:

Chris Barnewell is one of the more positive pundits when it comes to the Thunder. But even Barnewell couldn’t find a reason to to hold them in the top ten. He drops them from 10th to 13th.

"The Thunder tend to play down to their competition, so it’s always concerning when their schedule gets easier. They’re still better than they were at the start of the season, but it’s hard to trust them right now at the halfway point. That’s not good."

Bleacher Report:

A quick reminder Grant Hughes rankings is calculated on a different day. Therefore the Bleacher Report power rankings never include weekend games. As a heads up the ranking next week in this area will simply post a number since Grant only focused on five teams in his next posting.  As for week 13 Hughes dropped the OKC Thunder from 8th to 11th.

"Andre Roberson is the indisputable key to OKC’s defensive potency. When he’s in the game, the Thunder’s defensive rating is 96.5, which would be better than the league’s current leader in defensive efficiency. When he’s not, Oklahoma City’s 108.8 defensive rating sits 29th.Narrow the scope, and you can see the Thunder are 2-4 in the six games Roberson has missed since Dec. 29, and they have a defensive rating of 111.6.But when the offense stalls like it did against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, yielding stagnant sets and ill-advised shots (not to mention just 88 points in a blowout loss), it’s hard to blame the Thunder’s slide on Roberson’s absence."

Week 14 of power ranking lists will encompass games played versus the Kings, Lakers and Cavaliers (woot – can’t wait to  hear the pundits take on this week, especially the Cavs game).

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