OKC Thunder In the News: Ahead of Nick Collison’s big night plenty of stories are circling the web about the former forward

Ahead of the first OKC Thunder jersey retirement, T.I. gathered stories from around the web recounting the best tales of former forward Nick Collison.

Before Nick Collison night unfolds inside the Peake, T.I. examines stories, and post’s appearing in news feeds that center around tales of the former OKC Thunder forward. From a golden tale woven by current starting center Steven Adams or fables from his playing days, stories involving Collison seem more like folklore, rather than reality as more time passes.

Though each tale is true, the continued truth is, players like Collison do not seem to exist anymore. So here’s to Nick, one of the last of the real ones.

Underrated Hustle

OKC Thunder digital content reporter Nick Gallo took a look at four core characteristics of Collison, in honor of Mr. Thunder’s number-four jersey raising to the rafters: below is one paragraph, which stood out:

"Battered and bruised, and oftentimes bloodied, Collison carried a heavy physical load. His opponents felt the force equally from the man Thunder assistant coach Mark Bryant nicknamed “dirty,” in reference to all the dirty work and hustle plays Collison made during games. Whether it was diving on the floor for loose balls, taking charges, setting hard screens or holding on for dear life on tough box outs, Collison was the man for the jobs no one else wanted."

Collison’s nickname Dirty was first brought to light in his 29-minute documentary Mr. Thunder in the spring of 2018. Gallo highlights Collison’s tenancy to take care of the dirty work, all the hustle plays.

Unfortunately, for Nick, the NBA did not begin tracking quote-on-quote hustle stats until the 2015-16 season. By then, Collison had already entered the twilight of his career. At one point during the 2018-19 campaign, this iteration of the Thunder dominated the hustle department, but they did not stay consistent with their hustle. Collison was always steady in regards to hustle, which is a testament to the past, and more so to the player, he was for Oklahoma City.

Adams tells a throwback story on Tuesday

Collison began his career with the Seattle SuperSonics, prior to the team relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City. Nick was always fond of the city, often spending the majority of his summer back in his adopted city of Seattle. Adams recounting this tale of his former mentor is a reminder of how close the duo was and still is to this day.

The lost art of the two-man game

Erik Horne of the Oklahoman/NewsOk.com dissected Collison’s dominance in the two-man game. Horne discussed the subject with Adams, and he mentioned Collison’s stellar pairing with a player who was named Sixth Man of the Year in OKC, before earning MVP hardware in H-Town.

"Perfected in his paring with Harden but established as a staple of his game long before, Collison’s ability in the two-man game quickly became the stuff of Thunder legend.As time passes, the images of Collison and Harden, or Collison and Martin, will fade. Harden is elevating Houston with his innovative game of isolation, efficient yet a contrast from the interplay he had with Collison. Martin is out of the league. Collison is helping the Thunder in an unofficial role."

When the Thunder faced the Spurs in the 2012 playoffs en-route to their first and only Finals appearance the combination of Harden and Collison was lethal. The duos posted an assist percentage of 62.1, which was the highest among Thunder duo’s to play 70 plus minutes in the series.

Set a reminder Thunder Nation

The night is set to be one of the biggest in Thunder history. It’s the first retirement since the team

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moved to Oklahoma City and to retire Mr. Thunder’s jersey is fitting on so many levels. More stories will surface during Collison’s ceremony, providing fans with a dose of entertainment and heartfelt sentiment to a player who meant so much to the City.

T.I. will provide a full recap of but until then, enjoy the festivities tonight Thunder Nation.

If you will be in attendance, remember unlike other jersey retirements, that typically occur during intermission the OKC Thunder have elected to hold the ceremony prior to tip-off.

The game is scheduled for an 8:30 PM start time, the Thunder has encouraged attendees to be seated by 8:00 PM.