One more game until the All-Star Break means we already forgot what happened to the OKC Thunder last night.
Happy gameday Thunder Nation! This is the hidden beauty of back-to-backs: we can immediately shift our attention to the next game. Well, at least when the outcome isn’t what we wanted.
It’s hard not to say “don’t be discouraged by last night” when the Thunder were defensively torched for 48 minutes. The lack of Trade Deadline moves presents Billy Donovan with a complex conundrum on how he’s going to fill Andre Roberson’s vacancy. The good news is he still has 24 more games to experiment.
And that includes tonight.
Steven Adams grabbed 17 rebounds in three quarters
You really thought I was going to disregard last night? Of course not – there were some legitimate positives! Take the human wrecking ball Steven Adams for instance. Until the fourth quarter and Larry Nance Jr.’s revival the Big Kiwi looked like another species on the court. Nobody could match his strength, not even the $80 million man Tristan Thompson. And then the Cavs took advantage of Nance’s athleticism.
Brett Dawson (with help from Adams’ quotes) details what went right in the first three quarters and how it all fell apart in the fourth.
"But Adams was 1 for 3 from the floor in the fourth quarter, and despite playing the entire period, he went without a fourth-quarter rebound."
Paul George is busy setting Oklahoma City shooting records
If I didn’t just recently do a “Paul George edition” of In the News I’d be doing one today. That’s how incredible PG has been recently. Last night he broke the Thunder’s record for most consecutive games with 5+ made threes. In February he’s averaging 29.9 points per game on 48% shooting, including 44.9% from three on 9.9 attempts. As if we didn’t already know this, George is a stud that needs to keep seeing his scoring opportunities increase. He’s simply too skilled to not have the ball in his hands more.
"It was the fourth consecutive game in which George had converted on at least five three-pointers. He shot 5-for-13."
Happy Valentines Day from Thunderous Intentions
As a person celebrating Valentine’s Day for the first time (yes I know, crazy somebody would willfully out up with me), Thunderous Intentions writer/graphic extraordinaire Heather Koontz gave me the perfect set of cards to gift to my significant other. That’s right folks – just follow this link and you’ll be rewarded with Valentine’s Day cards inspired by your favorite Oklahoma City Thunder players.
My personal favorite? Kyle Singler.
"If you’re a true OKC Thunder fan, you know your love doesn’t stay with the exit signs of the Chesapeake Energy Arena. No, it infiltrates your entire life."
Next: Previewing tonight's Memphis matchup/final game before ASB
If you’re not feeling good about this team after the exercises we just went through, I’m sorry. I failed you as a still-optimistic Thunder fan. Hopefully tonight’s game brings you as much joy and happiness as I expect it too.