Thunder In the news: One more sleep til Game 1

Just one more sleep until the OKC Thunder tip off their 2018 postseason

If I told you a few weeks ago when the OKC Thunder were swooning to down the stretch having gone 2-5 they would finish with home court seeding odds are you would have said I was crazy.  But, sure enough just like this team has done throughout the season, they surprise when least expected.

Closing out the season the Thunder won their last three games, and by virtue of how the other teams finished the fourth seed fell to OKC.

Their reward for this is getting to play one of the hottest teams to finish the stretch – the Utah Jazz. Certainly there were worse matchups and avoiding the Rockets and Warriors has to be deemed a win. Although the star talent on paper is better per se than the Blazers, that squad seemingly has the Thunder’s number. So, yeah – let’s be thankful the team avoided that pressure in the first round.

Critics opine on OKC Chances:

With the 2018 NBA Playoffs set to tip off today critics and analysts are ranking the teams and the Thunder not surprisingly are getting tons of hot takes. Brian Geltzeiler on NBA TV Ten Before Tip (LOVE that show by the way) says it all.  Geltzeiler says the Thunder have the highest ceiling next to the Warriors, but it all depends on Russ.

The Stats Master checks in:

If you’re a stats head then John Schuhmann is the man you want to follow. He dropped articles on each of the series with key stats from each team. In the article on the Thunder – Jazz series there are several stand out stats.  One brag worthy stat – OKC were one of four teams who finished top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The other three – Toronto (only team to finish top five in both), the Warriors and the Rockets.

Schuhmann also points to individual stats. For example, Adams was the first player to average 7.5 rebounds per game with more offensive than defensive boards in 20 years.

Sometimes statistics can be taken with a grain of salt given their small sample size. But, the stats master offers up quality material of a broad scope.

"One of four teams that ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency."

"Were the league’s fourth most improved offensive team, scoring 2.6 more points per 100 possessions than they did last season."

Is Melo the X-Factor in series?

Over at our sister site of FanSided NBA  Jerry Christodoulatos offers 5 Reasons why the OKC Thunder can win the title.

"But all is not yet lost.  Melo doesn’t have to return to star form to make a difference for OKC. Teams still respect Carmelo’s jumper and that matters. The most important thing that Anthony can do for this team is to start knocking down the shots he’s made throughout his career. Although he’s had a dispiriting season, a return to the playoffs after five years could be the spark that Melo needs to get going. If he can up his offensive output the Thunder should jump a level on that side of the ball, which would really make them a much greater threat in the playoffs."

Later today Thunderous Intentions will serve up our Series Round Table with the team all pitching in with their thoughts. And, we’ll have plenty of pieces leading up to the game tomorrow.

Enjoy your Saturday and get a good sleep because tomorrow we’ll be raging for the OKC Thunder.