OKC Thunder: TI writing team dives in with a holiday roundtable
Question 5:
Someone gave me a scratch ticket as a gift and I won! The prize offers just enough money for us to attend a Thunder game. What game should we pick?
Stephen Dolan: I highly recommend the last game of the NBA Finals. Should c fun watching Russ hoist that trophy.
Justin Cooper: Big shocker, I know, but if the money isn’t burning a hole in your pocket yet, I suggest waiting until the Warriors come to town in March. The OKC crowd always seems to have a bit more edge when Kevin Durant visits his old team. This Thunder team have the defensive chops to really challenge Golden State. Neither team has been at full strength in either of their earlier matchups this season, so should be interesting. Use your winnings to buy tickets for this game.
Alex Mcewen: All Thunder games are fun, however, Friday and Saturday offer a whole different environment, in the most wonderful way. At this point in the schedule, the Thunder have six combined Friday and Saturday home games remaining.
Several of the matchups offer seeding implications such as Spurs on January 12, Jazz on January 22, and Nuggets on March 29. But, the game that stands above the rest is March 16, vs. Golden State.
The match offers the perfect mix of rivalry, star power, class, competitiveness, and to top it off, it’s on Saturday night prime time.
Austin Sternlicht: We’re going to the only home Golden State game on March 16. But we’re not going to boo Kevin Durant. We’re smart, and we realize there’s a chance he might want to come back in the future, so we’re going to be the bigger people. The game should also have major playoff implications.
Noah Schulte: Any game against the Sacramento Kings. The Thunder and the Kings are some of the fastest teams in the league and both have some of the most athletic point guards. Last game was a blow-out, but we got 43 points from Paul George and 37 from Buddy Hield. No matter what happens, it’s going to be an exciting game.
Lawrence George:
I am torn between two games – versus the Lakers in Los Angeles on the January 3rd or playing Toronto on the 23rd March in Toronto but for two very different reasons.
As I have alluded to in question one, the Lakers fan base is notorious for being one-eyed and nothing makes me feel better than beating the smirk off Lakers fans. Additionally, Los Angeles fans and media pundits crucified Paul George for choosing OKC over the Lakers so it’s partly a revenge game as well.
The game against Toronto will be exciting. OKC and the Raptors have some of the most competitive games in the NBA and with Kawhi Leonard shifting North, the game sets to be a beauty. The Kyle Lowry-Russell Westbrook, PG13-Leonard match-ups are salivating. If Roberson is near full fitness by the time this game rolls around, I look forward to watching him lock up The Klaw. Historically, Dre has had fantastic performances against the former Spur and with the Raps being so good this year, it’s exciting to watch two NBA heavyweights go head to head.
Tamberlyn Richardson: Lawrence looked at my test paper! I joke but I’m eager to see how the Raptors and Thunder measure up. Otherwise, it would be more about seeing an individual like Giannis or Luka.