The OKC Thunder are preparing to take on the Boston Celtics for a Saturday Night affair in the TD Gardner. The scrappy Oklahoma City Thunder look to break a one-game losing skid before it spirals and they will do so with a different leader in the huddle.
Mark Daigneault is back home in Oklahoma City, with his wife Ashley, as the couple awaits the birth of their child, and in the meantime, Dave Bliss will head up the OKC Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder media met with the acting head ball coach, and it was a joy to talk with Bliss. He talked to us about everything from his playing days facing off with Boston Celtics big man Al Horford, trying to recruit Derrick Favors to the University of Georgia, the player developmental staff, and who will defend Jayson Tatum tonight.
OKC Thunder headman Dave Bliss talks about Al Horford, Celtics matchup
The Oklahoma City Thunder acting head coach Dave Bliss announced Derrick Favors would start tonight down-low, a center spot that has rotated between Favors and rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. On the subject, Bliss discussed how when he was at the University of Georgia, the Bulldogs tried to recruit the eventual lottery pick. Favors would decide against UGA and take his talents to Atlanta suiting up for the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets.
We all learned more about Bliss, as he discussed playing Al Horford throughout their time in the SEC as the two were in the same high school class. Horford, won it all at the University of Florida under former OKC Thunder head coach Billy Donovan while Bliss was a four-year player for the Georgia Bulldogs playing in over 30 games each season besides his freshman campaign (28). Bliss started 112 games for UGA, appearing in 124 tilts. Averaging six points and four assists with the Bulldogs, he jokingly remembered Horford’s classic hook shot which Bliss claims always came after an elbow foul often uncalled on Horford.
The temporary bench boss discussed Lu Dort being tasked with slowing down the red hot Jayson Tatum and also gave praise to Kameron Woods.
Kam Woods is the team’s player development coach, and Bliss says Woods is responsible for the defensive success. If you take out the first two games for the OKC Thunder this season, they turn in a top ten defense in the entire NBA.
Rookie big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl also credited Woods with teaching the Villanova product how to find success defensively despite his lack of size down low as the Thunder have the 6’9 Robinson-Earl playing almost exclusively the center position.