Thunder in the News: Quickly moving away from last night

After quickly touching on last night’s collapse, we’re going to move on and talk Playoffs. Because as a wise man once said, Why Not?

Today we congregate around this post to forget about what happened last night and remember the optimism we held during the Thunder’s six-game win streak. Yes, the OKC Thunder should be embarrassed by how they played. But the narrative is still in place that they rise up and perform exceedingly well against the NBA’s best teams. As we’re about to get into, that’s only one reason why there’s still a chance for a magical run.

Carmelo was hurting in his post-game comments

Carmelo Anthony played a solid game up until those two missed free throws. While I agree that he’s at fault for not hitting at least one of those attempts, I don’t enjoy solely blaming this loss on him. OKC’s defense collapsed in the final stretch run. Billy Donovan should have had an inbounds play drawn up to free Russell Westbrook from Shane Larkin’s clamps.

Either way, hearing a 33-year old sound this hurt over a regular season loss shows us how invested Melo is this season.

The curious conundrum with predicting OKC Thunder Playoff success

Leave it to Shea Serrano to present the case for/against the Thunder in one beautifully written, fake conversation. This article is exactly how I feel about this team. One day I’m hopeful that a deep Playoff run is in our future, the next I’m praying they aren’t embarrassed in the first round. If there’s a positive in all this it’s that at least our team has an argument to make noise unlike the other 4-5 teams out West.

"The playoffs are near, and the Thunder are somehow still both good and bad at the same time. This is a Good Cop–Bad Cop for whether they are good and are going to do well in the playoffs or they are bad and are going to do poorly in the playoffs."

Who is the best potential first round opponent?

Finally we’re taking a look at OKC’s potential first round matchups. Obviously Houston or Golden State are the last teams we want to face, but what about the other six contenders? Would you rather play Anthony Davis and New Orleans or the red-hot Utah Jazz? The young Timberwolves or the veteran-laden Spurs? The answers to these questions lies in the form of Austin Sternlicht’s return to Thunderous Intentions. Check it out then comment where he’s right and where he’s wrong.

"The toughest remaining schedule in the league means one bad stretch could not only cost the Thunder home-court in the first round, but also mean an early date with either of the League’s two best teams in Houston and Golden State."

Next: Predicting where the Thunder finish out West

That’s it for today’s issue of OKC Thunder in the News! We’ve got more content for you on our home page, including grades from last night and a look at Patrick Patterson’s latest Player’s Tribune article. We’ll see you tomorrow for another edition of TitN.