Commentary
The Oklahoma Sooner men’s basketball team has been ranked number one this season and have the best player in the land with senior Buddy Hield. The National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder have a playoff birth in hand and have two of the four highest rated basketball players in the world. Yet, concern surrounds both teams and future success in the post season is not guaranteed amid recent past play. High expectations by fans for both teams have been tempered with losses and in fact, total game breakdowns in the final minutes of games. Will each team right-the-ship before the games become win or go home or as in the NBA, “gone fishing”.
In the case of the Sooners, giving up large leads, playing as good as you can followed by stretches of extreme turnovers, or a complete shutdown of the offensive where the team can’t “hit the side of the barn” are becoming the norm and not the exception. A last minute (after a big blow-out lead) win over Baylor in the final home game and a total shut down of scoring on the road in Austin against the Texas Longhorns worry those who supports the Big Red. If the trend continues, a good run in the following Big Twelve and NCAA National Tournaments could be shorter than Head Coach Lon Kruger would want. A team based on three point shooting with a most experienced team, OU has to be on their game, both in shooting and defense, or they will be history for 2016. Getting production out of Hield is consistent, but this Player-of-the-Year cannot take off long stretches of the game is OU is to be a significant player come this post season. As with his play against Baylor, a quick start followed by nothing for many minutes both in the first half and most of the second half is a plan for disaster. Hield needs to be drop a cool thirty or more. And as the saying goes, you live by the three, you die by the three. OU needs to use their experience and it is not acceptable for a team that good for it’s players to fold. OU could be one and done in each of the upcoming tournaments or they could win both. They have the talent. It is time for Lon Kruger to show that he has the keys to a good run, and stop with this “choking”. He is just too happy for me and some butt chewing might be needed, even if Kruger doesn’t do much of that during a game.
If I would tell you that the Thunder had the puzzle figured out and they were a major player in the 2016 NBA playoffs I could not make a strong case. But then I might just be blowing smoke after last night as the Los Angeles Clippers came from a 22 points deficit as OKC blew a 17 point third quarter lead. And when you study the tape you will see that the big guns for the Thunder, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, played like they were in junior high. Westbrook’s final three point shot at the end with the game still winnable was especially ridiculous. Westbrook is a world class basketball player that again allowed his less than stellar basketball IQ force him into another poor decision. Sure, Westbrook doesn’t have these moments as much in the past and he has become one of the finest point guards in the league. But really Russell? That was the best you could get in that final possession, in that final two minutes, in that final five minutes, in that final quarter? Kevin Durant, ditto for you too. You played hot potato with the ball.
I had a great deal of confidence in this Thunder team, for this season and the future. That good feeling is evaporating quickly. Comments of Kevin Durant last night were telling and not positive. As Durant said last night:
They made plays, we didn’t. They were disciplined, we weren’t. We want to be a great team. We’re fooling ourselves. If we just want to be a great team, the way we’re playing, we’re fooling ourselves. We want to win a bunch of games in the regular season, that’s cool, but we’re fooling ourselves with the way we’re playing.
Kevin Durant, the fooling starts with you. You have to be the man and the nonchalant way you turn the ball over has to stop. The lack of allowing Westbrook to take the last shot is on you. Accountability starts with you. Not Russell Westbrook……Kevin Durant you are the one. The Thunder didn’t have a first quarter turnover in that great twelve minutes. You don’t want to know how many they had in the final three quarters. Kevin Durant, if you think that it doesn’t, start with you, maybe it is time for you to go somewhere else where other players can lead you to a title. The ball is in your court. Not Coach Donavan, not Serge Ibaka, or even Steven Adams or Enes Kanter. And not Russell Westbrook. It’s nut cutting time in OKC Mr. Durant. Take charge and win you a title. The ability of the team is there. What are you going to do about it?
My last comment on this round of Thunder screw up. Coach Donavan’s remarks were good today……that was a message to all the players, KD and Russell included. He needs to evaulate the situation when the Thunder get ahead like they did yesterday and the game starts to go south, which it will. Yesterday, no defense in after team got up 22 and no defense and ball movement in the 4th quarter. The both KD and Russell became black holes and then worm holes without an exit. Tonight, or the next game we get up and start floundering with those two superstars, Donavan needs to set an example and put their asses on the bench. Yes, we will probably get beat but the message has to be delivered. You play right or no matter who you are, superstar or scrub, you play selfish and you play without defensive intensity or play stupidly, you are going to sit. Until that message is delivered or until KD gets vocal and starts being a leader, this team is lost.