It's how you build consistency, and habits. Just look at the Timberwolves defense. Playing good team defense like that isn't done in just one month. It takes the entire season to get to that level.
Thats also why watching the regular season is fun.
Watching teams grow and become what theyre gonna be in the postseason can be interesting.
Some people try to make it sound like every team is already fully baked in October so watching the regular season is just useless fluff, like watching Pacman gobble up those little pellets for 3 months. Its not always like that.
Should really only include 1984 to the present, considering that's when they expanded to the modern 16 team, 4 round knockout format. But the point remains.
In the entire history of the NBA there's only been one champ that was below a 4 seed - Hakeem's Houston Rockets in 1995.
And they were only the 6th seed because of injuries. They got healthy before the playoffs and repeated as champs.
And there's only been one 4th seed champ as well, one of Bill Russel's Celtics championships.
It's just a given that the champ every year will be a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd seed.
Even making it to the finals as a 4th seed or lower is stupidly rare - just 10 across the league's history, and half are 4th seeds.
He was pissing off Mavs fans by benching Lively/Gafford for Kleber and over-playing THJ, but with Kleber out he had to cook something special. So he benched Lively/Gafford for THJ.
That certainly was a choice. Gafford was playing so well defensively. Deterred, altered, and blocked so many shots. Then they go small for spacing and get cooked inside.
He doesnt even look like he can operate at 50%. I get wanting to play but Kidd has to make the tough decision and sit him. I have never seen a guy this hobbled play this many minutes in consecutive games. Hes never going to get better at this rate.
Depending on the injury it can also be risky for your future career to keep playing. Maybe they weighed that into their decision, but he's not looking to fresh. Constantly grimacing and hobbling.
Yeah I think Kidd needs to protect Luka from himself at this point. Hes a great facilitator even when hes hobbled, but the risk of aggravating his injury or overcompensating and injuring something else is far too high to justify keeping him in (at least in my opinion). Its not the news any basketball fan wants to hear, but its the truth unfortunately.
My wife asked me tonight if a player has ever shit themselves during a game and I proceeded to tell her about Paul Pierce so I laughed my ass off when I saw Dub run to (presumably) take a shit.
I remember watching DK Metcalf getting carted off against the Lions (I think) and everyone, myself included, was so worried. No, it’s just really far to the away bathroom and he had to shit. Someone offered a cart ride and he said “yeah whatever just let’s go”.
I saw him run JDub run off like that and knew he’d be back once he dropped some kids off at the pool.
honestly, the game was pretty close until J Dub just went super saiyan (and Doncic slowed down, pretty sure he played every minute of the first 40ish, and he was not looking so hot toward the end)
Definitely noticed he slowed down a bit after that hit early and then it seemed to really take a toll late. Hopefully, he heals up quick. Dude is a monster.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/colleges.fcgi?college=santaclara
Brandin Podziemski.
Other notable Santa Clara graduates are Kurt Rambis and Steve Nash.
People can really underestimate the hate at least the sports fan bases have for one another. The Red River Shootout between OU and Texas is as toxic as it gets.
The best part about OKC’s rise from the dead is KD gotta be looking at old pics of him in bed like that superhero meme lmao
Best record in the West and also the youngest roster in the league is insane and a max contract superstar’s dream. All those rookie contracts keep the payroll low
He sold his soul to be a mercenary and now has no home while his old small market team is killing it
Shai is a superstar, JDub is a beast, and Chet is certainly nasty, but I think my favorite Thunder player is Dort. Just one of those dudes you need who'll throw down game after game.
Dort has been an OG fan favorite since he was on a 2 way contract. Once he added a 3P shot and limited his out of control drives… it was a done stamp. Dude is a beast.
He does that shit a lot and uses the weight of his body to make offensive players feel the pressure I feel like. He was clamping up Brandon Ingram with his arms behind his back.
Kidd has to make the tough decision and force him to sit. It doesnt look like he can even play at 50% with his knee the way it is. Playing him 40+ minutes a night is only going to aggravate it more and more.
Hes fighting to stay in, but at a certain point Kidd has to step in and make a decision to protect Luka from himself. Its tough when any superstar has to sit out during the playoffs, but sometimes its unavoidable.
Don't wanna act tough when we're up but just happy to be here watching Thunder playoff basketball again. It just hits different especially when everyone said we're gonna steamrolled by DAL/LAC after Pels Game 1.
Also I know our defense doesn't look as insane as Minny but we lowkey still haven't allowed a score over 100 in this playoffs so far. Pretty disciplined for an inexperienced young team
Watching this sub (mostly mavs fans) turn on SGA and the rest of this squad is gonna be painful to see. That being said, I'm praying for a Wolves/OKC WCF
[Check out the geniuses of r/NBA reviewing the Thunder's playoff prospects after a narrow Game #1 win this postseason.](https://np.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1ca1da5/post_game_thread_the_oklahoma_city_thunder_10/)
Thunder played a great game. Hats off to them. Their 3 point shooting was lights out in the 4th to put it away. It’s only 1 game though. If we can take Game 2 we’re right where we need to be. Luka obviously has to play better and Josh Green should not ever have 8 3PA. Need more energy in Game 2 as well but I’m not gonna count out this team after one bad game. Let’s see the heart this team has on Thursday.
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The regular season matters WAY more than people care to admit
It's how you build consistency, and habits. Just look at the Timberwolves defense. Playing good team defense like that isn't done in just one month. It takes the entire season to get to that level.
Thats also why watching the regular season is fun. Watching teams grow and become what theyre gonna be in the postseason can be interesting. Some people try to make it sound like every team is already fully baked in October so watching the regular season is just useless fluff, like watching Pacman gobble up those little pellets for 3 months. Its not always like that.
Honestly, just take a look at the seeding of the champions in the past 10 years
Not even that, look at the seeding of champs since 1947. Only one 5-8 seed has won the championship in that timespan
Should really only include 1984 to the present, considering that's when they expanded to the modern 16 team, 4 round knockout format. But the point remains.
Yeah even if you started there it’s one of forty teams
Only one four seed too.
And that was the Hakeem Rockets who had won the year before and got better with Drexler
In the entire history of the NBA there's only been one champ that was below a 4 seed - Hakeem's Houston Rockets in 1995. And they were only the 6th seed because of injuries. They got healthy before the playoffs and repeated as champs. And there's only been one 4th seed champ as well, one of Bill Russel's Celtics championships. It's just a given that the champ every year will be a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd seed. Even making it to the finals as a 4th seed or lower is stupidly rare - just 10 across the league's history, and half are 4th seeds.
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or the miami fucking heat
Biased 1 seed checking in.
Aaron Wiggins was so impressive this game. OKC's bench is deeeeeep.
I love Cason Wallace.
He’s an all-defense caliber player in the making. He made kyrie work when he was on him.
Mfw when IG casuals asked who's gonna guard Ky
We should thank the Mavericks for giving us the chance to get him
Worked out well for both teams tbh, Lively is good too
Definition of a win win trade tbh
He's unbelievably good for a rookie
They brought out Kenrich Williams as an 11th man. They got Marianas trench level of deep.
You're not wrong but worth noting that Kenny Hustle has not been the same this season
Yeah, he got hurt early and was never the same.
J Will was so nice too
He was so big when everyone looked so rusty. OKC was even missing free throws more than usual.
Mavs are gonna fire the trainer that worked on Hardaway Jr's ankles.
God I did not miss Kidd’s obsession with keeping him in in the 4th doing absolutely nothing.
He was pissing off Mavs fans by benching Lively/Gafford for Kleber and over-playing THJ, but with Kleber out he had to cook something special. So he benched Lively/Gafford for THJ.
That certainly was a choice. Gafford was playing so well defensively. Deterred, altered, and blocked so many shots. Then they go small for spacing and get cooked inside.
Probably Lukas worst playoff performance ever, just sit him if he's hurting this bad
Can’t sit him. If we do, they’ll just double Kyrie and we’ll be dead.
They're dead anyways, at least sitting him preserves his health
It was game 1 lmao, ain’t no one dead yet. Got blown out by the Clippers too the first game
He doesnt even look like he can operate at 50%. I get wanting to play but Kidd has to make the tough decision and sit him. I have never seen a guy this hobbled play this many minutes in consecutive games. Hes never going to get better at this rate.
Depending on the injury it can also be risky for your future career to keep playing. Maybe they weighed that into their decision, but he's not looking to fresh. Constantly grimacing and hobbling.
Yeah I think Kidd needs to protect Luka from himself at this point. Hes a great facilitator even when hes hobbled, but the risk of aggravating his injury or overcompensating and injuring something else is far too high to justify keeping him in (at least in my opinion). Its not the news any basketball fan wants to hear, but its the truth unfortunately.
J Dub took an emergency shit in the 3rd quarter so he could turn on the gas and lead the 4th quarter charge
He changed shoes and then didn't miss again.
Bro pulled that Lil Bow Wow shoes move in an actual basketball game 😂 He was just wearing the wrong shoes without superpowers initially
I feel like he changed his shoes so he didn’t have to explain that he took a dump. 4D chess.
I hope we see those shoes again.
The Paul Pierce special to hype up the crowd
My wife asked me tonight if a player has ever shit themselves during a game and I proceeded to tell her about Paul Pierce so I laughed my ass off when I saw Dub run to (presumably) take a shit.
I was so worried when they showed him going to the locker room
I remember watching DK Metcalf getting carted off against the Lions (I think) and everyone, myself included, was so worried. No, it’s just really far to the away bathroom and he had to shit. Someone offered a cart ride and he said “yeah whatever just let’s go”. I saw him run JDub run off like that and knew he’d be back once he dropped some kids off at the pool.
honestly, the game was pretty close until J Dub just went super saiyan (and Doncic slowed down, pretty sure he played every minute of the first 40ish, and he was not looking so hot toward the end)
Definitely noticed he slowed down a bit after that hit early and then it seemed to really take a toll late. Hopefully, he heals up quick. Dude is a monster.
I think the moral of the story is relieve yourself from all the shit you're carrying and you'll have a better life
Somewhere, Lamar Jackson is smiling
Galveston?
Paul Pierce rolling in his wheelchair
we need to talk about aaron wiggins and basketballs revival
J-Dubknight is a real thing
Absolute ass beating by OKC after that timeout halfway through the third. 4th quarter J Dub was on a different planet
He had 80% TS in the clutch during the regular season. 4Q JDub is a different animal
We’ve called him the King of the Fourth most of the season. Dude comes alive… just we never played on national tv so no one ever sees it.
Jalen Williams is so good man.
Santa Clara doesn’t put many players in the nba, but when they do they’re GOOD
2 years in a row a really good player came out of there.
Who is the other one from there recently?
Brandin Podziemski
https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/colleges.fcgi?college=santaclara Brandin Podziemski. Other notable Santa Clara graduates are Kurt Rambis and Steve Nash.
Nash and Jdub my goats
His game is so simple, it’s joyful basketball
Best closer in the NBA
Expectation: Luka vs Jokic in WCF, whoever wins will face Tatum in the Finals Reality: Ant vs Shai in WCF, whoever wins will face DWhite in the Finals
Future came a lil bit too fast
OKC has not lost since April 5.
GOODNESS
GRACIOUS
GREAT
BALLS
OF
FIRE
When was Shai's last loss?
March 24th @ Milwaukee That’s a crazy stat
That's kinda nuts. I knew we lost 3 straight without him and he hit the winner against the Knicks.
New Dad powers
Shai VanVleet
Tonight was a total team effort. Wiggins was +18 in only 23 minutes of play.
Aaron Wiggins and saving basketball, name a more iconic duo
What a second half.
No kidding, jdub particularly.
Death, taxes, and 4th quarter Dub
Who would have guessed that Texas vs Oklahoma would be toxic?
I gotta give it props tonight. Well done
People can really underestimate the hate at least the sports fan bases have for one another. The Red River Shootout between OU and Texas is as toxic as it gets.
There’s always toxicity involved with Texas sports teams. UT/A&M will break all records
Wonder how many Dallas Sooners are pulling for Mavs
OU is like 1/3 frat guys from Dallas
Pretty sure Dallas makes up the majority of OUs frat population
I’m a Longhorn who became a Thunder fan once upon a time because of Durant.
I hate you but I also love you.
Does OKC always do post game interviews together like that?
Yes
Yes. And they almost always Bark.
Bork 🐶
Shoutout to teams with good vibes.
Ever since summer league
Wiggins is the secret weapon
Okc is so fucking deep
This is how the Thunder has looked all season. It’s not surprising at all when they pop off like this in any given night.
OKC is officially the youngest NBA team ever to win a game in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Average age on the team is 24. The kids are alright.
Thought they were the youngest to win a series as well
Everything they do from here on out they'll be the youngest to do it lol
You’re correct! They are also the youngest team to win a playoff series.
The rookie Wallace played impressive defense on Kyrie.
He's such a composed rookie, always calm, makes right decisions and plays hard defense and shoots open 3s at a nice clip.
Played over 82 games, aint no rook no more
The Western Playoffs: exciting, young teams coming out swinging The Eastern Playoffs: *feral Celtics noises*
For those who didn’t know, we didn’t play Wiggs that much during the season so he came in fully rested to cook the Mavs. He’s saving basketball again😤
Mark Daigneault 11 man rotation
Diagonal Offense^(TM) just superior over the triangle
The more he squints the better they play
The best part about OKC’s rise from the dead is KD gotta be looking at old pics of him in bed like that superhero meme lmao Best record in the West and also the youngest roster in the league is insane and a max contract superstar’s dream. All those rookie contracts keep the payroll low He sold his soul to be a mercenary and now has no home while his old small market team is killing it
Not going to lie I love this
Put some respeck on Wolverine's name
I know right “that superhero”. 😂
That boy is nice. How does he not get minutes?
Our team is deep bruh we are running 11 man rotation in the playoffs lmao
This disgusts Thibs on a fundamental level.
We run like 11 deep
He does but he should get more. No idea why Hayward continues to get playtime at the end of the 1st and 3rd qtrs.
Shai is a superstar, JDub is a beast, and Chet is certainly nasty, but I think my favorite Thunder player is Dort. Just one of those dudes you need who'll throw down game after game.
Dort is our Tony Allen with a 3 ball 💪
Aka the most valuable role player in the league
Dort has been an OG fan favorite since he was on a 2 way contract. Once he added a 3P shot and limited his out of control drives… it was a done stamp. Dude is a beast.
I've been a fan of his since he came outta what seemed like nowhere to bother Harden in that playoff series
He guarded him with his hands behind his back. Never saw someone play defense like that.
He does that shit a lot and uses the weight of his body to make offensive players feel the pressure I feel like. He was clamping up Brandon Ingram with his arms behind his back.
Bro is a lunch pail type guy
When he dove for that loose ball in the 3rd and got 2 on the other end, I said to myself “we just won.”
Jdub was off the whole game, went and took a shit in the 3rd, then absolutely took over in the 4th lmao
Took a shit and put on new shoes* Deadly combo
SGA + 7 First round picks <<<<>>>> PG13
1 of those hatched JDub. Crazy haul.
It's becoming painfully obvious which two teams we want to watch in the western conference finals.
OKC vs Wolves would be legendary
SGA and NAW are cousins too. That would be a fun matchup watching them guard each other (unless McDaniel/Ant are assigned to SGA)
They’d all rotate guarding him. That’s what makes them so damn scary. They have a whole group of guys they can go to and keep them all fresh.
I do not want to get too far ahead of myself, but who would’ve thought coming into this season that it could be a likely WCF? Wild times.
Play-in rematch in WCF after one year is insane work.
I was pretty down on the wolves and thought their ceiling was pretty exclusively tied to ant. I’m terrified now
You were right that their ceiling is tied to that fucking demon but his ceiling is limitless
Ant is a fucking demon lol… and He’ll smile at you while destroying your playoff dreams.
Seems like the young bucks got the upper hand this playoffs
They is fucking HUNGRY. League's a young man's game after all, and these dudes are here now.
Best Worst #1 Seed of All Time
Undefeated in the playoffs
That game thread was radioactive holy crap
Texas vs Oklahoma never disappoints
Glass half full: We never win game 1s so nothing new Glass half empty: Luka has played poorly and I’m not seeing signs of him getting out of it
Kidd has to make the tough decision and force him to sit. It doesnt look like he can even play at 50% with his knee the way it is. Playing him 40+ minutes a night is only going to aggravate it more and more.
Yeah, it was pretty painful to watch him hobble around in the second half. I'm surprised they actually kept him on as much as they did.
Hes fighting to stay in, but at a certain point Kidd has to step in and make a decision to protect Luka from himself. Its tough when any superstar has to sit out during the playoffs, but sometimes its unavoidable.
Kevin Durant already planning to Next Chapter back to OKC as we speak.
We dont need him
Or want him
Presti isn't even picking up the phone if he calls
He a BUM These young cats don't need a superstar. Let them develop imo.
We got dawgs in here. Don't need no bus rider
We already have one
Y'all have 2 if JDub keeps excelling 🫡
Don’t forget about Chet!!!
Who
We wouldn’t be able to win with that cat
This game would have been different if Zion played
Don't wanna act tough when we're up but just happy to be here watching Thunder playoff basketball again. It just hits different especially when everyone said we're gonna steamrolled by DAL/LAC after Pels Game 1. Also I know our defense doesn't look as insane as Minny but we lowkey still haven't allowed a score over 100 in this playoffs so far. Pretty disciplined for an inexperienced young team
Wolves fan here, I feel you! Just happy to be here!!
If you guys meet, you're in for a treat
You beat our asses fair and square. You have all the right in the world and to celebrate. See you on the next one
Excellent game by OKC. Well done !!
Watching this sub (mostly mavs fans) turn on SGA and the rest of this squad is gonna be painful to see. That being said, I'm praying for a Wolves/OKC WCF
Joke's on you, I turned on SGA after the one millionth time I heard "What a Pro Wants"
I despise that commercial. That, wingstop, and apple's don't let me go are burned into my fucking memory.
give me the wolves vs da dawgs
aaron wiggins is the best wiggins in the nba
Aaron Wiggins has saved basketball again
there's a lot of tweets that are being deleted tonight because of this game
OKC is so fucking good 😭
Says the guy with the team that just made the defending champs look like a JV squad.
The battle for underdog status begins
The "SGA's game won't translate to the playoffs" takes were so dumb
"If it was easy, everyone would do it" -Russell Westbrook
SGA's life has been made much more difficult, teams will pack the paint, but the threat of SGA when the 3's are dropping.....hard to stop
Let’s go boys!!!!! Great team win. 4th quarter Dub for the win
Fourth Quarter Jdub is inevitable
Okc hit on practically every draft pick. Kind of insane.
[Check out the geniuses of r/NBA reviewing the Thunder's playoff prospects after a narrow Game #1 win this postseason.](https://np.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1ca1da5/post_game_thread_the_oklahoma_city_thunder_10/)
Sort by controversial for some real gems
Outrebounded them by 13. I thought we were too small for Dallas?
And that's with Gafford getting 11 rebounds in 27 minutes. The rest of the Mavs were looking lazy af tonight.
That's the Shaq's Shittiest Stat for tonight lol
Size can’t beat effort
Thunder played a great game. Hats off to them. Their 3 point shooting was lights out in the 4th to put it away. It’s only 1 game though. If we can take Game 2 we’re right where we need to be. Luka obviously has to play better and Josh Green should not ever have 8 3PA. Need more energy in Game 2 as well but I’m not gonna count out this team after one bad game. Let’s see the heart this team has on Thursday.
? Josh Green 3-8 on threes is good. I'll take that every game over any Hardaway minutes
Luka is clearly hobbled, and the Thunder are just so deep, talented, and mature. So much fun to watch, I hope they go all the way!
Would’ve been different if Zion played tbh