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Tag: Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Oklahoma City Thunder Suffers Game 5 Defeat in OT

    Fans got their money’s worth and more when they were treated to free basketball last night when the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime by a score of 100-99.

    Despite having home court advantage for situations like this, the Thunder just wasn’t able to pull ahead and secure a victory for Game 5 of the Playoffs. Instead, it was the Grizzlies who moved ahead, winning three games out of the series.

    “That’s what we do,” said Memphis forward Zach Randolph in an interview. “Nothing comes easy for us. We get it out the mud. We grind it. We’re underdogs and we just keep playing and playing.”

    In this fourth straight game that has gone into overtime between the two, the Thunder’s Kevin Durant missed a long three-pointer with 2.9 seconds remaining in the extra quarter. Serge Ibaka tipped the ball in, which seemingly made the Thunder the victors of the game.

    Officials reviewed the shot, however, and determined the ball was released after the buzzer. The three points were removed from the score and the Grizzlies took the win.

    ”I had a good look at it and I thought it was good when it left my hand,” said Durant.” And then Serge’s follow shot was just late. It was a tough finish but we’ve got to come back.”

    The Thunder displayed an impressive comeback attempt, as the team was down by 20 points in the third quarter. Oklahoma City only trailed by six at the start of the fourth quarter and eventually took a 79-78 lead.

    It was a series of events in overtime however that put the nail in the coffin for the Thunder. With 27.5 seconds left in the quarter, Durant made the first of two free throws, bringing the score to 100-99 in Memphis’ favor.

    Before Durant took his second shot, referee Joey Crawford took the ball from him and walked over to the scorer’s table. Crawford began shouting at the scoreboard operator asking him to make a change. The players were unaware of what Crawford was asking the scorer to do. After the delay, Durant, the NBA’s scoring champion who is an 87-percent free throw shooter during the regular season, missed the second shot.

    The two teams will face off against each other in Memphis tonight for Game 6 of the playoff series.

    Image via YouTube

  • Kevin Durant Hits Improbable Shot; OKC Loses

    The MVP race in the NBA this year was and still is absolutely no contest. Kevin Durant has been the best basketball player in the world in 2014, by far. His statistics prove just how unreal his 2013-14 campaign has been: 32 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. The only other player who comes close to KD’s numbers is LeBron James, and even he believes the honor should go to Durant: “I would say he’s the most consistent basketball player as far as the MVP this year, man. He’s put up some great numbers.”

    If that wasn’t enough proof that Durant should be this year’s NBA MVP, the closing seconds of regulation in Monday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies solidifies the argument.

    With the Oklahoma City Thunder down 5 with 13.8 seconds to go in the game, Kevin Durant received the ball in the very corner of the court from Russell Westbrook after the OKC guard nearly had the ball stripped. As KD received the pass, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol bodied him up, bumping Durant out of bounds. Before he landed, though, Durant threw up this circus shot:

    Kevin Durant Crazy 3

    Prompting this reaction from his teammates on the bench:

    OKC Bench Reaction

    While the celebration was definitely warranted, perhaps the moment of the shot created too much pandemonium and havoc, especially considering the Thunder would go on to lose to the Grizzlies in overtime, 111-105.

    When asked if the shot was the best of his still young career, KD replied with an NBA MVP-caliber answer: ”I don’t know, man. We lost, so it really don’t matter.”

    While Oklahoma City may be the No. 2 seed in the West and feature perhaps the two most exciting players in the league with Durant and Russell Westbrook, they have their hands more than full with the No. 7 seed Memphis Grizzlies.

    The match-up is so difficult for the Thunder due to the contrasting styles between the two teams: OKC wants to play loose and up-tempo, while the Grizzlies are looking to slow the game down and pound the ball down low to their two big men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.

    ”Basically it’s just going to be a slugfest. We’re going to pound it. They’re going to run it. Whoever can come up with the most stops pretty much wins the game,” stated Tony Allen, the man who was tasked with defending Durant for the majority of the game.

    The validity of Allen’s statement rang true in the latter moments of overtime Monday night as the Grizzlies were able to pull away late by forcing OKC into bad shots. The Thunder shot under 40 percent in Monday’s contest, with Durant going 12-28.

    The momentum stays with the Grizzlies as the series moves to the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis for the next game. The series is currently tied 1-1, with Game 3 scheduled for Thursday night.

    (And another look because it is well-warranted.)

    Images via YouTube and Twitter , (1), and (2)

  • Kevin Durant and Thunder Defeat Kings

    Kevin Durant led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 94-81 victory over the Sacramento Kings Friday night.

    Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, proved his title earning 29 points in the match, as well as contributing with one rebound and six assists.

    Oklahoma City held Sacramento to just 51 points and 30 percent shooting in the first three quarters, even with Durant sitting out for the last 1:25 of the third. Durant credits his team’s recent coming together for the win.

    “Lately, we’ve been much better defensively and offensively,” stated Durant in an interview. ”So, tonight was a good game. We put both sides of the floor together pretty well.”

    Durant wasn’t the only player who shined during the game. Russell Westbrook had 18 points and six assists, while Jeremy Lamb added 13 points to the score.

    The Thunder beat some pretty formidable opposition in the form of Ben McLemore, who scored 18 points for the Kings, and Travis Outlaw, who added 17.

    The Thunder also shut down Kings standouts DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Gay, who averages 20 points per game, was reduced to just seven. Cousins, who entered the game ranked 10th in the league for scoring, contributed only four.

    ”Not one guy could take credit for stopping Gay or Cousins, so we just try to do it together and rely on each other, and we did a good job,” Durant said.

    Durant has scored at least 25 points in the last 37 consecutive games, creating the longest run since Michael Jordan’s 40-game streak with the Chicago Bulls during the 1986-87 season.

    The Thunder is also posting some pretty impressive stats, winning the last five of six and holding its opponents to 96 or fewer points in the last four of five wins.

    ”We put ourselves in position, if we defend, to win every game,” said Westbrook.

    Image via Oklahoma City Thunder, Twitter

  • Kendrick Perkins Out For Six Weeks

    Kendrick Perkins Out For Six Weeks

    Oklahoma City Thunder just caught a bad break (or a break depending on how you look at it). Center Kendrick Perkins just underwent surgery to his left groin.

    Perkins needed the surgery after he injured his groin early in the second half of the Thunder matchup against the Miami Heat on February 20.

    While Perkins is recovering he will be out for six weeks, meaning he could potentially miss 20 games.

    If recovery goes will for Perkins he could possibly be in the last few games of the regular season.

    The most likely replacement for Perkins at center will be Steven Adams, who started in place of Perkins during the Thunder’s Sunday game versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

    The Thunder took to their Twitter to update fans of Perkins and the team.

    Even after surgery, Perkins took to Twitter and he seemed to be in high spirits.

    Of course, when he realized his mistake, he took to Twitter to better explain and make a correction to his previous tweet.

    Members of the NBA also took to Twitter to wish Perkins a speedy recovery.

    You can watch Perkins get hurt and then limp off the court in the videos below.

    Image via Kendrick Perkins, Twitter.

  • Kevin Durant Scores A Career High 54 Points In Big Win Against The Warriors

    Kevin Durant is doing a good job of showing why he is the leading scorer in the NBA. The All-Star bound Oklahoma City Thunder star put delivered in a huge game against the Golden State Warriors by scoring 54 points in their win.

    The Oklahoma City Thunder won in an important game as the Warriors were on a streak, and are rising as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant came up big with his career high as the Thunder defeated the Warriors 127-121.

    As a leader in the NBA since being drafted from Texas in 2007, Kevin Durant has been the league’s leader in scoring during three seasons. His big night on Friday also marked the most points scored by a single player during the 2013-2014 season.

    After his big night, Kevin Durant was interviewed about the performance and said “My teammates were throwing me the ball with two or three guys on me and I still tried to make a play. Those guys sacrificed their bodies setting screens for me, to get me open, it’s my job to finish for them. I saw the bench jump up every time I hit a shot, that’s one of the best feelings.”

    It was one of the most impressive performances in recent history, and the best of his career. In addition to Durant’s 54 points, he also had six assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block in 44 minutes.

    The last time someone scored 54 points in a game, it was done by Stephen Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors. It occurred on February 27th, 2013 against the Knicks.

    The game was also the third time in Kevin Durant’s career that he has scored over 50 points in a game, but this was the first time that he had done it in regulation. His previous career high of 52 points was set on January 18th against the Dallas Mavericks.

    After defeating the Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder have improved to 30-10 on the season, and are currently sitting in third place in the conference, behind the Spurs and the Trailblazers.

    Following his last explosive performance with 54 points, Kevin Durant leagues the lead in scoring, and averages 30.6 points per game. The crowd was chanting “MVP” during the end of his wild performance and if his average continues, there is no doubt that he will be in the running for the award, and would likely get it.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Russell Westbrook Has Surgery On His Knee Again

    Russell Westbrook, the star player for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been forced to undergo yet another surgery on his right knee.

    As fans will remember, Russell Westbrook also got injured during the 2013 playoffs, leaving the first-round match-up against the Rockets. The Thunder would eventually lose to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference semi-finals.

    Due to his most recent knee surgery, he will be forced to sit out until after the NBA’s All-Star break in the middle of February. The All-Star event is roughly seven weeks away.

    In addition to not being able to play until then, Russell Westbrook will have to sit out during All-Star weekend too, an event that he has attended numerous times in the past.

    His teammate and fellow All-Star, Kevin Durant, will have to attend the event without him, and after struggling without him last season, hopefully his absence will not hurt the Thunder too badly.

    The Thunder announced on Friday that Russell Westbrook had undergone arthroscopic surgery, which also marks his third surgery since April.

    Speaking on the necessary procedure that had to be done, Thunder president Sam Presti said “The consulting physician determined that arthroscopic surgery was necessary to address the swelling that was taking place. We know that Russell’s work ethic and commitment will help him return to the level of play that we have all come to appreciate.”

    With his current estimated recovery timeline, Russell Westbrook is expected to miss a total of 27 games. The Thunder are currently tied for the top spot in the Western Conference, and along with the Portland Trailblazers. However, with Westbrook out, that may change, and they are only a game and a half ahead of the San Antonio Spurs.

    After being led by two of the league’s best players in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder boast and impressive record of 24-5. The Thunder and Trailblazers lead the league.

    During the 2013 season, Russell Westbrook is averaging 21.3 points, seven assists and six rebounds during the 25 games that he has played in.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • The King Gets His Ring: NBA Finals Gifs

    The Miami Heat won their second NBA championship in the franchise’s history, and while that’s a worthy accomplishment, last night was about LeBron James winning his first title as an NBA player. Yes, the King got his ring, and as you’d expect, the Internet absolutely exploded with tons of celebratory content. Chief among them, at least for this article’s purposes, are the avalanche of animated gifs that popped up.

    As you probably already know, the animated gif has been given something of a reprieve as a viable form of content, especially when sports is involved. With that in mind, here are some of the best we’ve seen, beginning with LeBron acting like House of Pain (or Kris Kross) with his rendition of jump around:

    (image)

    James then turns to the Robin to his Batman, Dwyane Wade, to continue the happy vibes:

    (image)

    And Wade is more than happy to let the world know how many rings he now has:

    (image)

    Meanwhile, the Heat had to include head coach Eric Spoelstra in on the fun, and so, they dumped Gatorade all over him, as is the tradition:

    (image)

    As you might imagine, LeBron was on like a kid in a candy store, especially when he was handed the Larry O’Brien trophy:

    (image)

    The winner of the celebration fun, however, had to be Chris Bosh and his amazing Champagne celebration. It’s the stuff of animated gif/bukkake legend:

    (image)

    So much so, in fact, that SBNation gave us multiple angles of it:

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)


    Nothing much really needs to be added, does it? While the Heat were getting their crunk on, Kevin Durant had a much different, but expected, reaction to losing: hugging his mom and crying, all while undoubtedly plotting his revenge strategy, one that should start in earnest around the end of October:

    (image)

    And then there’s ESPN’s Stuart Scott trying to be cool with the real MVP of Game 5, Mike Miller:

    (image)

    Poor attempts at being cool aside, the night belonged to LeBron and his sidekick, DWade:

    (image)

    And with that, the NBA Season is over. For a few months, anyway. Congratulations are in order for LeBron and Heat, regardless of how you feel about each entity. LeBron has been widely criticized for not winning it all, and now that he’s answered that question, who knows where his career will go from here. For those of you who are sad about the NBA going away for a few months, remember the Olympics starts soon, and many of your favorite NBA stars will be appearing with their respective country’s basketball teams.

    [Thanks to SBNation, Gifulmation, and BuzzFeed for the gifs]

  • NBA Finals: Twitter Is Ready For Game 1

    Yes, I know the NBA isn’t on NBC anymore, but that’s still the best NBA Finals Introduction theme of all time, so I’m using it. Problem? We’re a little over four hours until the Finals tip tonight, and one thing’s for sure, Twitter is certainly ready for it to get started. As you may or may not be aware, while the NBA isn’t as popular as the NFL, it has an outspoken following on Twitter, so for the next week and half, get ready for the national Twitter trends to get taken over by such subjects as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Eric Spoelstra, and James Harden’s amazing beard.

    If you’ve selected to use the tailored Trends feature, it might not be so bad, as long as you don’t live in Oklahoma City or Miami. As indicated, Twitter is indeed ready for Game 1 to begin, something ESPN’s Twitter feed noticed as well:

    It’s true, it’s true. And what are the people saying? Basically, let’s get this sucker started:

    Because we are the nation is largely comprised of basketball shoe freaks, the Twitter updates let us know what each star player is wearing:

    Considering the incredible amount of variants Nike makes for LeBron’s shoe line, don’t be surprised if he’s wearing something totally different when the game starts. Some, unfortunately, may not make it home in time to see the game:

    Maybe they can share a stream on ESPN3.com.

  • Visualizing the NBA Finals With Interactive Shot Charts

    The 2012 NBA Finals start tonight as the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat square off for the right to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. As is the case when a popular sports series comes to the surface, the Internet is not lacking for content dedicated to it, in this case, the NBA Finals. As writers look for any kind of edge in the series, at least in relation to their picks, we are the beneficiaries of this content.

    Whether it’s in depth statistical breakdowns, crazy flowcharts or looking at recent NBA trends to try and figure out who wins, the Internet is not lacking in regards to quality NBA Finals content.

    The New York Times also weighed in here with some impressive visual shot charts that give a great sense of where the points will probably come from during the OKC/Miami series. Not only are these charts informative, they also feature some sweet interactive flair for the individual player shot charts. For instance, the shot chart for the two biggest names in the series–LeBron and Kevin Durant–look like this when you load the page:

    (image)

    However, when you mouse over either image, the actual shot chart for the player appears, like so:

    (image)

    The charts can also be refined to show only 3-point shots, midrange shots, or shots taken at the rim. It’s almost like a playground for basketball stat fiends. The only drawback, if this can even be considered one, is in order to have the face charts magically transform into the shot charts more than once, you have to reload the entire page. I know, hitting the F5 button can be a chore, but it’s a small sacrifice to make.

    With that in mind, which team are you going pick to win it all? Do these statistical breakdowns play any part in your pick? Based on what I’ve seen, while the sports-watching world focuses on Durant and LeBron, I’m curious to see how the Heat keep Russell Westbrook out of the paint without putting LeBron James on him.

    [Via Flowing Data]

  • Ron Artest’s Elbow Brings World Peace To James Harden

    Ron Artest’s Elbow Brings World Peace To James Harden

    Yes, I am aware of Artest’s name change, but after that wild elbow to James Harden’s temple, it’s hard not to be reminded of the person who, in large part, brought “The Malice in the Palace” to the sports world. Artest, AKA, Metta World Peace and his sharp-as-nails elbows, in one fateful swing, ended the goodwill his “new leaf” behavior brought him, even though he was quick to apologize for his actions.

    To some, the apologies ring hollow.

    In case you missed it, the lead image provides all of the details, but in this day and age, of course there’s video of the incident. Hell, there’s an animated gif, as well. What we have is World Peace elbowing the absolute stuffing out of Harden–so much so, in fact, some follow-up reports indicate a concussion for the Thunder’s excellent sixth man.

    The particularly vicious head knock in question:


    For his actions, Artest-World Peace was immediately tossed from the game, and he faces a long suspension; but that’s just from the NBA. Once again, World Peace-Artest is being tried by the court of public opinion, and if public sentiment was any indicator, let’s just say Metta-Ron is lucky public opinion won’t be able to mete out any punishments:

    (image)@MojaveFoneBooth
    Mojave Phone Booth    Yes, he won the NBA “citizenship award” (WTF IS THAT!?) but there’s no chance Metta World Peace does not someday murder at least one person.(image) 4 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@sportspickle
    SportsPickle    Disillusioned Metta World Peace changes his name to Military Industrial Complex – http://t.co/NZBwPRPQ(image) 12 hours ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@TheFakeESPN
    The Fake ESPN    Metta World Peace admits to suffering from schizophrenia, but only below the left shoulder, “The rest of us are fine, we promise.”(image) 13 hours ago via HootSuite ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@MizzBritta
    Britta Schellenberg    So much for having “Peace” in your name. WTF, Metta World Peace.(image) 1 minute ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@CMorris83
    Chris Morris    Metta World Peace need to be suspended the rest of the season(image) 2 minutes ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@andyroddick
    andyroddick    I think metta world peace should change his name to holy flying elbow(image) 33 minutes ago via Twitterrific ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@BringBackTheBuz
    Bring Back The Buzzz    Metta World Peace is ejected for elbowing…..irony(image) 1 minute ago via Twitter for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Yep, pretty much that. For what it’s worth, Artest-World Peace did try to apologize for his actions:

    (image)@MettaWorldPeace
    Metta WorldPeace    I just watched the replay again….. Oooo..
    My celebration of the dunk really was too much… Didn’t even see James ….. Omg… Looks bad(image) 12 hours ago via Mobile Web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@MettaWorldPeace
    Metta WorldPeace    Hope James Hardin is ok…
    I remember when I hit by Marc Gasol the same way.. I was spitting up blood and a headache during the game…(image) 13 hours ago via Mobile Web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Judging by the Twitter reaction, however, it doesn’t look like anyone is taking these apologies to heart, choosing instead to wish the maximum punishment on Artest-World Peace. ESPN naturally got in on the act as well, but even the Worldwide Leader went above and beyond the norm, using a five-man roundtable discussion to react to the vicious elbow. An example of the reaction:

    1. What was your gut reaction to the play?

    Andrew Kamenetzky, ESPN Los Angeles: Shock — it was a pretty vicious hit, seemingly out of nowhere — and then disappointment, considering how much work Metta has put in rehabilitating his season and image. This incident represents a major step backward.

    As we await word from the NBA front office on the upcoming suspension, does anyone want to take bets on how long Artest-World Peace’s lasts? Does he make it back for the playoffs? Let us know what you think.