as a cavs fan, it feels wonderful to inform you that the best team in the NBA just beat you even with our best player having one of his worst games of the season
It blows my mind that player of the week was given to Jokic. SGA's thunder beat Minnesota, Clippers, New York and Boston. He averaged 34 on 52% from the field and 3, while playing hard defence.
@@verward And Shai leads the league in most major defensive metrics so even "weakest defender is misleading. He's arguably the top rated team defense wing in the league, 2 years running.
We ain't lose because of experience in the playoffs it was offensive rebounding that why presti went and got hartienstein we lost game six off a offensive rebound or series go 7 back in okc thunder winning it all this yr
Real fans know this . Okc got killed by 2nd chance points and easy alley oop against Mavs. Now okc got iHart and 2 big that’s can shoot in Chet and JWill their going to finals this season
@@mitchelpinion1852Well, that was also because PJ had the best games of his life there. Luka and Kyrie never did much. It was that dude and size. So yeah. With better defenders and interior AND perimeter D, it most definitely is not going to happen. OKC soared above the mavs and most likely to win their conference. Finals is confusing. They had one playoff run (last year), and now have a vet in Alex Caruso.
Craziest part is Chet and Ihart haven’t played together. OKC hasn’t played at its full potential yet. Besides experience I don’t think they have one fault when healthy. 8-2 with Chet (8-1 in games Chet played the full game). Chet’s stats: 16.4 PPG- 8.7 RPG- 2.4 APG- 2.6 BPG, with 50.5 FG%, 37.8 3P% in just 26.5 minutes a game So now imagine the endless possibilities with line ups, Being able to have 2 big man line ups when teams try and play big with us, being able to play with Chet as a main big man to stretch the floor and open the paint. Being able to always have a big on the floor by rotating both. Being able to assign Durt, Caruso, Cason Wallace even J dub, to be able to lockdown other teams wings/gaurds Chet or ihart being able to give weak side help in the paint on bigs or drivers. Leading shot blockers back, less wear and tear on Chet now he doesn’t always have to bang with the big men he can play that unicorn role better as his body grows. We don’t have to worry that when our big man goes to the bench that teams are gonna do what they’ve been doing the last 2 years which is make our gaurds have to foul or risk fouls when posted up deep by a larger big. We have small ball line ups, all defensive line ups, twin tower line ups, 5 out offence line ups, offensive shooting line ups, balanced line ups, pick and roll line ups, big man facilitating the offence line ups. When fully healthy. Our defence is like that now without Caruso a lot of the times and Chet imaging getting that veteran defender and our leading shot blockers back how much that defence will get even better. Can run Chet and j dub or J dub and ihart when shais on the bench. Can run Shai and Chet or Shai and ihart when j dubs on the bench. When the offence slows down line ups won’t be our worry anymore. okc has the potential to put out any line up so they can gameplan against you but you can’t game plan against them. And yet they have all these picks and can add anyone they want to let that sink in. And our offence hasn’t even Been clicking yet. And oh don’t forget OKC is still the youngest team in league average….
I think you're right on a lot and that a healthy Chet can give this team a ton of added versatility on both ends of the floor. My only 2 concerns are their lack of a 2-way forward with size. A player like Jerami Grant could add anothrr layer to OKC's defensive ability on the wings and a veteran scorer who can likely be relied on more in the big moments in the playoffs. Also, from what I'm seeing, I belive Caruso can actually be a detriment to the team. Their perimeter defense can't really get any better as far as guards go. And he's addinf next to nothing on offense most nights so far. So playing him in a best of 7 series can lead to teams sagging off him and packing the lanes on the rest of the team. Playing him next to Hartenstein can even worsen that and make scoring even tougher for OKC. But, time will tell.
@ a two way forward for sure just hard to find an affordable one in the league, Grants on 160 mill contract, if only Vanderbilt from lakers wasn’t so injury prone, Jon Collins is on 26 mill a year with 2 years left, Kegan Murray is probably untouchable by kings, Cam Johnson is probably best bet but how much do you give up for him and he’s injured again and he hasn’t played 60 games in a season since 2021/22 season… and over 60 games once in his career. Zion is too fat, Lauri is no point Danny Ange will ask for 5 picks from us no doubt. I want a player like Naji Marshall but Dallas won’t trade with us. Also carusos shooting I wouldn’t be too worried about he’s shooting 27% from the field and 26% from 3 when he’s a career 44% shooter and 37% from 3 he’s just getting acclimated. Hes never shot worse in his career, last 3 seasons shooting over 40% from 3, and another season 37% and 2 seasons above 33% his numbers will come back. Hes getting good looks they’re just not falling injury could be good for him to get more used to the offence. I still think hes crucial but I get you. Come play off times when Dort is in foul trouble or Wallace and you want a designated player to lockdown Luka or Kyrie and he’s got championship experience, what they said we didn’t have
@@J-Hue I like the way both of y'all think, nice knowledgeable convo about the team. I noticed you brought up the topic of not having a 2-way forward with size and I have to throw my two cents out there. With the return of Chet and a healthy iHart that solidifies our center position which in turn frees up a sizey PF that we already have, an X-factor in my eyes...JWill. Now hear me out. Since he's been in OKC he's always played the backup center role to Chet and here recently to iHart. So now that we'll have all 3 healthy, why not put JWill on the floor with Chet when iHart needs rest. At a strong 6'9" 245 he can bang with the bigger bigs leaving Chet to deal with the lightweight. He's very versatile on the offensive end: he can pick and roll, pick and pop, play the stretch 4/5 knock down 3pt shooter, run the floor in transition, alley oop recipient and finishes well around the rim with a soft touch. On the defensive end he may not be the greatest defender but he is an extreme hustler with a high savvy ball IQ...remember he led the NBA in charges taken his rookie year I believe. Integrating him into that role throughout the season could pay huge dividends for us if it becomes effective come the playoffs. Coach D is smart enough to make it work and we don't have to go fishing for one possibly destroying our chemistry. We keep everyone and we keep our picks.
@@Jabraham9 Grant's contract is really the biggest roadblock for any team acquiring him. Him having a down year so far doesn't help either. I think he's the ideal fit personnel wise, but the front office would have to be able to get guys to commit to taking less money than they're eligible for to not potentially have to break up their core. But, if you've got a Hartenstein and Grant level guy making 27-32 mil a year in this day and age, I don't think it should be too hard to secure the core players to reasonable, lucrative contracts that still get them paid around 40 mil or more. I could easily be wrong, though. I've stopped following the cap details with all the recent changes.
@ we are healthy now but don’t forget we still have to pay Chet and J dub, they’re gonna be max players, shais already on a max and you got ihart, we have other teams draft picks so even when the first apron and second apron hit. Basically if you’re over the first apron now you’re restricted to have to trade the matching value for a player 25 million trade for a player means have to get 25 million in value back. Can’t sign waived players unless it’s for the mid level exception. Second apron, no mid level exception signings all together. Still have to have players matching salary but you can’t trade multiple players to match salary like if I wanted a player for 25 million and I traded 2 players one making 15 million and the other making 10 million it would have to be swap for swap two players worth that 25 million. Can’t use past trade considerations or cash from previous years. And you can’t trade your first round pick from 7 years ahead and if you’re in the second apron for 2 out of the 4 years so from now for example 2024/25 until 2028/29 your first round pick goes to the last pick of draft to pick 30 so imagine tanking after deconstructing your team in 6 years just to end up with the last pick of draft. So yes you may want to perfect the team but don’t be like Denver and paying max money and being stuck cause a lot of teams are gonna have to become smart spending and it’ll be impossible for a lot to be able to do that while bringing in talent. Good thing for okc is they have picks all the way to 2030 from other teams so realistically they could do that but Sam presti is about flexibility and control and he’s hit the nail in the head so far. If we gonna go into the apron it better be for another star or a long term key piece
The ratings can't get any worse than what they are I'm sure if they would show the thunder more on national TV their ratings would improve because this team is actually worth watching unlike Queen James and the Lakers but of course that's all the networks wants to show they each try to get a grip on LeBron's dick
The thing with OKC line up, is they aren't static. The double big line up comes in for a couple of plays, maybe to stop bigs your opponent has, then maybe they go back to all guards to go fast. Or swap out one big. That's the key to OKC. Know Your Personnel (KYP) is a defensive strategy, and OKC shakes it up to be unpredictable, and to stop the other teams personnel.
It’s the highest level of casual to say “too young to perform”. we got beat in the playoffs because we had 2 big weaknesses. Rebounding/ size: addressed with Ihart, and a bad defender/ shooter: addresssed with replacing giddey.
@@eaglesallday18 It's def not a casual argument. Those two issues you mentioned are legit. But, young players tend to struggle in the playoffs. Hey just haven't developed their games enough or seen and learned enough defenses to know how to exploit them at the highest level in a best of 7 series. Having vets that have seen it all and aren't as moved by the big moments can go a long way. GS had that same issue in 2015. They got to the Finals, but their young supporting cast struggled to perform so they had to sub in the vet former all star, Iguadala to be their Pippen for the series. If they had to rely just on the young guys, they likely would've lost. Because they weren't ready yet.
Its not a “casual” argument, NBA players on podcasts have said the same thing. Its a lazy argument. That being said, Giddey being a defensive liability wouldn’t be that big of a deal if the Thunder could score the basket more in the playoffs. The play making outside of SGA was severely lacking in the playoffs last year, and it still is. That has not been addressed. The thunder rely on turnovers in transition for their offense, teams take care of the ball more in the playoffs and there are less transition opportunities, this happens every playoffs. Also, our second option Jalen Williams, is not a good performer under pressure. This is because he takes long, slow strides when he drives to the basket, so his defender is able to recover and contest him at the rim if they are doing playoff intensity defense. Even when he beats his man, he’s being forced to take tough shots or pass it out. Also, he doesn’t get calls, so he avoids contact and doesn’t try to finish at the rim when defenses get tight. No one else on the thunder comes anywhere close to creating offense, Chet is more of a spot up shooter and pick and roll player, not making shots off the dribble or in the post. They need to rely on SGA less, and give some of the other guys reps. Or they need to trade for another playmaker who can dribble and drive against good defense.
Not to forget the fact it was their first playoff run and Alex Caruso is their experienced player. Shai was still the best in the playoffs and averaged 30. People are hating on OKC like crazy currently. Its either 'they play football', or 'refs'. Nobody watches the games. Not to forget when OKC was losing vs Boston, the comments were the other way around and switched once OKC won.
Their adjusted net rating is 12.04, next team down is Celtics with 9.65 😮 I think they’re the most likely to win. With Chet and Alex Caruso out there’s a good chance they won’t be less healthy in playoffs - even if someone else gets hurt before then, you got those two guys coming back. Just as long as it’s not SGA. I honestly think even Jdub could get hurt and they’d still win, provided everyone else was healthy. Starting 5 of SGA, Caruso, Dort, Chet, Ihart. Or maybe there’s someone better than Caruso.
Last year the problem was they only had 1 great big man, if they had another 6'10 or taller guy that had some size to him they could have won it all. There's not a doubt in my mind OKC can win it this year
@devxplayerdevelopment i think if they wasn't one of the ones that went cold, OKC would have won that series. Not in a mean way or criticizing him but we lost because if chet, anyone else could have gone cold besides him and SGA and I think OKC wins that series
Of course they can win it all. Last season they barely lost to the Mavs, who made it to the finals, and they added Hartenstein and Caruso since then. 7 of their rotation players are at least 25 years old, including, SGA, Hartenstein, Caruso, Joe, Dort, Wiggins, and Kenrich. JDub and Chet are 23 and 22 respectively, but they're both already great two-way players.
I think they could do it, but would be totally ok with another year of building and maybe 1-2 more key pieces. With AJs rise we have a PG surplus, given Topic will be playing next year, so converting 1 of them (super hard to choose which) and one of the others for a bigger wing who can shoot and play in their system would be a nice upgrade
for some reason as an OKC fan for a while this has been a trend even during Russ kd era for a lot of games at least as I remember it and you're definitely right
@@21silvermoon That was another problem vs Dallas last year. After game 1, they trailed at the half and maybe even the 1st quarter in every game until the closeout game. By then, the margin of error was slim and they came up a few inches short on that last Dallas play.
There is definitely the question of playoff experience coming into play again, however last year most of the team had little to no playoff experience. Now that’s changed, since this is the squad that played together last year. Plus the addition of two guys who both have playoff experience. I think they have enough to make the finals. They might not win it all this year, but I think it’s only a matter of time. If not this year it will certainly be next year that this group is fully established, experienced, and tested. It’s only a matter of execution in the big moments but they certainly have the right pieces. Not to mention if they need to make some adjustments to their squad, they pretty much have control of the trade market for the next decade.
So they're 30-5, and 19-1 in their last 20 games. Meaning they were 10-4 to start the season. Winning 71% is pretty darn good, which would be 58 wins on the year, but then they win 95% of the next 20 games they play. That's insane.
The fact that SGA is considered the weakest defender (which I tend to disagree with) highlights how absurdly good the OKC players are as far as individual and team defense. SGA would easily be a top defensive guard with averages of 2.0spg and 1.1bpg.
This is a new era of basketball and things are changing quickly. I think the Thunder are poised to accomplish something shocking this season. Yes, they can win it all. 🏆
Great vid but one thing you said stuck to me sayin dort was great offensively all around the game was just incorrect he went 0/3 3pt first half and a total of 20% 2pts other than that he clutched up
Don't forget still missing Chet. Thunder can work him in slow and build for a run at the end of the season thunder were missing a big man in the middle and they got a pretty good one. Add Chet and they've got the formula for a NBA championship 🏆
The Thunder are very impressive this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get to the finals or at least make a deep playoff run. If I were an OKC fan my main concern would be they’re taking the regular season way too seriously and playing way too hard and are going to end up with a lot of injuries come playoff time. I’m not saying that’s going to happen but I’ve watched quite a few of their games and they’re playing a lot of them like it’s a game 7 win or go home scenario. It could pay off but it’s not typically sustainable with this much basketball left in the regular season.
@ Won’t argue with that too much. What I will say though is that I believe JDub is a more versatile defender, so I wouldn’t be averse to someone putting him above Shai.
I think you run Chet as the starting center and then have Isaiah Hartenstein come off the bench and you can sometimes have them run a lineup together because it doesn't hurt to try something new. Also I think if Chet is a little to slow footed I think he can adapt because he is still relatively young
Exactly. I can see them closing together quite a bit. If iHart plays 28 minutes, that leaves 20 minutes for Chet at the 5. He can get the other 10 or so minutes at the 4 next to iHart
Nah. chet is a shooting big who spaces the floor really well, while iHart has a great floater and rebounding, a good screener. Jdub will most likely be playing the 2, chet replacing him at the 4. Then they can switch up once in a while, share those minutes at center with Hart resting while Chet plays the 5, comes back in and chet goes out.. We will have to see. Chet spaces the floor a ton.
Do you realize, all three guys in the thumbnail, were property of the Los Angeles Clippers? Every year we are told that Ballmer is the best owner and that they have the best personnel in the league. Are you kidding me!? What type of GM trades SGA, Gallo and 5 first round picks for Paul George? One of those picks was J. Williams and they did not retain I. Hartenstein.
? Last post season ended in a foul that Shai could have not drawn and it wouldn’t have gone in. Last post season couldn’t have been less about them “not being ready” if they wrote it out. Idk why there’s all this revisionist history about the playoffs last season. I guess I do, you don’t want to take the swing because you haven’t seen enough because the NBA has been shoving generic 3 chucking games down your throat because it isn’t about the game, it’s about the market for them. Get ready to admit you’re wrong about experience, buddy.
✍️. People are hating on OKC too much. SGA was the best playoff player during his first run, Jdub took a HUGE leap, OKC Has size now and spacing.. DEFENSE. And playoff experience with their VET, alex caruso. This OKC stuff is annoying sometimes. The mavs aren't going to beat them again, or twice in a row. They changed much, much more.
That just a common thing with young teams is thier experience in the playoffs we saw that with magic last year and okc last year but excluding experience there rebounding was awful and they fixed that with ihart and traded for Alex Caruso for someone who didn’t fit our system in Josh giddy
Shai hate is so annoying man. They discredit him so much. But love Jokic and Luka. Shai is a great, amazing ass player to watch. Doesn't even lead the league in FTA but does in drives. Averages the same FTs as Luka even though Luka doesn't lead in drives as much as Shai does. Team dead last in FT disparity and 29th in FTs, most being in 4th quarters. But the media will continue to say its refs.
Has this 15 game win streak cemented the Thunder as the best team in the NBA?
Yes it does but beating the cavs would really make a even bolder statement 💙
as a cavs fan, it feels wonderful to inform you that the best team in the NBA just beat you even with our best player having one of his worst games of the season
We gotta put some respect on the coach too i think he is really important
going for the back to back coach of the year
@@noconsentKenny Atkinson of the Cavs is probably winning it tho
@@Checkerchampwell if however far they get this streak idk
It blows my mind that player of the week was given to Jokic. SGA's thunder beat Minnesota, Clippers, New York and Boston. He averaged 34 on 52% from the field and 3, while playing hard defence.
SGA has 1 player of the week the whole season
He was the December player of the month, maybe he'll keep up this level of play and be January player of the month too
Shai was AWESOME this week (and every other week) but I can’t hate on Jokic getting it. He was on another level this week.
What was jokic's numbers?
@@chaiinspace2and the competition
SGA being the Thunder's weak link on defence is like Jaylen Brown being the Celtics' weakest link. Good luck with that shit.
@@verward And Shai leads the league in most major defensive metrics so even "weakest defender is misleading. He's arguably the top rated team defense wing in the league, 2 years running.
And they have so many top draft picks to come 🤯
WILD 😭
@@basketballreachDon’t forget Topic who was a a top 3 talent in the draft.
We ain't lose because of experience in the playoffs it was offensive rebounding that why presti went and got hartienstein we lost game six off a offensive rebound or series go 7 back in okc thunder winning it all this yr
Real fans know this . Okc got killed by 2nd chance points and easy alley oop against Mavs. Now okc got iHart and 2 big that’s can shoot in Chet and JWill their going to finals this season
True, but it was also poor 3 point shooting.
@@mitchelpinion1852Well, that was also because PJ had the best games of his life there. Luka and Kyrie never did much. It was that dude and size. So yeah.
With better defenders and interior AND perimeter D, it most definitely is not going to happen. OKC soared above the mavs and most likely to win their conference. Finals is confusing.
They had one playoff run (last year), and now have a vet in Alex Caruso.
@@tonton.- True
Craziest part is Chet and Ihart haven’t played together. OKC hasn’t played at its full potential yet. Besides experience I don’t think they have one fault when healthy. 8-2 with Chet (8-1 in games Chet played the full game).
Chet’s stats: 16.4 PPG- 8.7 RPG- 2.4 APG- 2.6 BPG, with 50.5 FG%, 37.8 3P% in just 26.5 minutes a game
So now imagine the endless possibilities with line ups,
Being able to have 2 big man line ups when teams try and play big with us, being able to play with Chet as a main big man to stretch the floor and open the paint. Being able to always have a big on the floor by rotating both.
Being able to assign Durt, Caruso, Cason Wallace even J dub, to be able to lockdown other teams wings/gaurds
Chet or ihart being able to give weak side help in the paint on bigs or drivers.
Leading shot blockers back, less wear and tear on Chet now he doesn’t always have to bang with the big men he can play that unicorn role better as his body grows.
We don’t have to worry that when our big man goes to the bench that teams are gonna do what they’ve been doing the last 2 years which is make our gaurds have to foul or risk fouls when posted up deep by a larger big.
We have small ball line ups, all defensive line ups, twin tower line ups, 5 out offence line ups, offensive shooting line ups, balanced line ups, pick and roll line ups, big man facilitating the offence line ups. When fully healthy.
Our defence is like that now without Caruso a lot of the times and Chet imaging getting that veteran defender and our leading shot blockers back how much that defence will get even better.
Can run Chet and j dub or J dub and ihart when shais on the bench. Can run Shai and Chet or Shai and ihart when j dubs on the bench. When the offence slows down line ups won’t be our worry anymore.
okc has the potential to put out any line up so they can gameplan against you but you can’t game plan against them. And yet they have all these picks and can add anyone they want to let that sink in. And our offence hasn’t even Been clicking yet. And oh don’t forget OKC is still the youngest team in league average….
I think you're right on a lot and that a healthy Chet can give this team a ton of added versatility on both ends of the floor.
My only 2 concerns are their lack of a 2-way forward with size. A player like Jerami Grant could add anothrr layer to OKC's defensive ability on the wings and a veteran scorer who can likely be relied on more in the big moments in the playoffs.
Also, from what I'm seeing, I belive Caruso can actually be a detriment to the team. Their perimeter defense can't really get any better as far as guards go. And he's addinf next to nothing on offense most nights so far. So playing him in a best of 7 series can lead to teams sagging off him and packing the lanes on the rest of the team. Playing him next to Hartenstein can even worsen that and make scoring even tougher for OKC. But, time will tell.
@ a two way forward for sure just hard to find an affordable one in the league, Grants on 160 mill contract, if only Vanderbilt from lakers wasn’t so injury prone, Jon Collins is on 26 mill a year with 2 years left, Kegan Murray is probably untouchable by kings, Cam Johnson is probably best bet but how much do you give up for him and he’s injured again and he hasn’t played 60 games in a season since 2021/22 season… and over 60 games once in his career. Zion is too fat, Lauri is no point Danny Ange will ask for 5 picks from us no doubt. I want a player like Naji Marshall but Dallas won’t trade with us.
Also carusos shooting I wouldn’t be too worried about he’s shooting 27% from the field and 26% from 3 when he’s a career 44% shooter and 37% from 3 he’s just getting acclimated. Hes never shot worse in his career, last 3 seasons shooting over 40% from 3, and another season 37% and 2 seasons above 33% his numbers will come back. Hes getting good looks they’re just not falling injury could be good for him to get more used to the offence. I still think hes crucial but I get you. Come play off times when Dort is in foul trouble or Wallace and you want a designated player to lockdown Luka or Kyrie and he’s got championship experience, what they said we didn’t have
@@J-Hue I like the way both of y'all think, nice knowledgeable convo about the team. I noticed you brought up the topic of not having a 2-way forward with size and I have to throw my two cents out there. With the return of Chet and a healthy iHart that solidifies our center position which in turn frees up a sizey PF that we already have, an X-factor in my eyes...JWill. Now hear me out. Since he's been in OKC he's always played the backup center role to Chet and here recently to iHart. So now that we'll have all 3 healthy, why not put JWill on the floor with Chet when iHart needs rest. At a strong 6'9" 245 he can bang with the bigger bigs leaving Chet to deal with the lightweight. He's very versatile on the offensive end: he can pick and roll, pick and pop, play the stretch 4/5 knock down 3pt shooter, run the floor in transition, alley oop recipient and finishes well around the rim with a soft touch. On the defensive end he may not be the greatest defender but he is an extreme hustler with a high savvy ball IQ...remember he led the NBA in charges taken his rookie year I believe. Integrating him into that role throughout the season could pay huge dividends for us if it becomes effective come the playoffs. Coach D is smart enough to make it work and we don't have to go fishing for one possibly destroying our chemistry. We keep everyone and we keep our picks.
@@Jabraham9
Grant's contract is really the biggest roadblock for any team acquiring him. Him having a down year so far doesn't help either. I think he's the ideal fit personnel wise, but the front office would have to be able to get guys to commit to taking less money than they're eligible for to not potentially have to break up their core. But, if you've got a Hartenstein and Grant level guy making 27-32 mil a year in this day and age, I don't think it should be too hard to secure the core players to reasonable, lucrative contracts that still get them paid around 40 mil or more. I could easily be wrong, though. I've stopped following the cap details with all the recent changes.
@ we are healthy now but don’t forget we still have to pay Chet and J dub, they’re gonna be max players, shais already on a max and you got ihart, we have other teams draft picks so even when the first apron and second apron hit.
Basically if you’re over the first apron now you’re restricted to have to trade the matching value for a player 25 million trade for a player means have to get 25 million in value back. Can’t sign waived players unless it’s for the mid level exception.
Second apron, no mid level exception signings all together. Still have to have players matching salary but you can’t trade multiple players to match salary like if I wanted a player for 25 million and I traded 2 players one making 15 million and the other making 10 million it would have to be swap for swap two players worth that 25 million. Can’t use past trade considerations or cash from previous years. And you can’t trade your first round pick from 7 years ahead and if you’re in the second apron for 2 out of the 4 years so from now for example 2024/25 until 2028/29 your first round pick goes to the last pick of draft to pick 30 so imagine tanking after deconstructing your team in 6 years just to end up with the last pick of draft.
So yes you may want to perfect the team but don’t be like Denver and paying max money and being stuck cause a lot of teams are gonna have to become smart spending and it’ll be impossible for a lot to be able to do that while bringing in talent. Good thing for okc is they have picks all the way to 2030 from other teams so realistically they could do that but Sam presti is about flexibility and control and he’s hit the nail in the head so far. If we gonna go into the apron it better be for another star or a long term key piece
Worst case scenario for NBA ratings:
Cavaliers
vs
OKC
in the finals. only real NBA fans would relish something like this happening!!!
Frrr
And it’d be amazing basketball
I want this finals as an OKC fan and I cannot wait for our 2 matchups in the upcoming days
Yeah they won't be able to talk about Queen James all through the series huh?
The ratings can't get any worse than what they are I'm sure if they would show the thunder more on national TV their ratings would improve because this team is actually worth watching unlike Queen James and the Lakers but of course that's all the networks wants to show they each try to get a grip on LeBron's dick
The thing with OKC line up, is they aren't static. The double big line up comes in for a couple of plays, maybe to stop bigs your opponent has, then maybe they go back to all guards to go fast. Or swap out one big. That's the key to OKC. Know Your Personnel (KYP) is a defensive strategy, and OKC shakes it up to be unpredictable, and to stop the other teams personnel.
There’s no way jokic got player of the week over SGA! I stg the league is trying to pick jokic into mvp meanwhile SGA out here earning it. What a joke
they got beat by the mavs because they lacked size. they addressed that last offseason. hope everyone stays healthy
It’s the highest level of casual to say “too young to perform”. we got beat in the playoffs because we had 2 big weaknesses. Rebounding/ size: addressed with Ihart, and a bad defender/ shooter: addresssed with replacing giddey.
@@eaglesallday18
It's def not a casual argument. Those two issues you mentioned are legit. But, young players tend to struggle in the playoffs. Hey just haven't developed their games enough or seen and learned enough defenses to know how to exploit them at the highest level in a best of 7 series.
Having vets that have seen it all and aren't as moved by the big moments can go a long way. GS had that same issue in 2015. They got to the Finals, but their young supporting cast struggled to perform so they had to sub in the vet former all star, Iguadala to be their Pippen for the series. If they had to rely just on the young guys, they likely would've lost. Because they weren't ready yet.
Exactly. And I think the haters know that. They just don’t have anything else to say.
Its not a “casual” argument, NBA players on podcasts have said the same thing. Its a lazy argument. That being said, Giddey being a defensive liability wouldn’t be that big of a deal if the Thunder could score the basket more in the playoffs. The play making outside of SGA was severely lacking in the playoffs last year, and it still is. That has not been addressed. The thunder rely on turnovers in transition for their offense, teams take care of the ball more in the playoffs and there are less transition opportunities, this happens every playoffs. Also, our second option Jalen Williams, is not a good performer under pressure. This is because he takes long, slow strides when he drives to the basket, so his defender is able to recover and contest him at the rim if they are doing playoff intensity defense. Even when he beats his man, he’s being forced to take tough shots or pass it out. Also, he doesn’t get calls, so he avoids contact and doesn’t try to finish at the rim when defenses get tight. No one else on the thunder comes anywhere close to creating offense, Chet is more of a spot up shooter and pick and roll player, not making shots off the dribble or in the post. They need to rely on SGA less, and give some of the other guys reps. Or they need to trade for another playmaker who can dribble and drive against good defense.
@@Alderak1I think Chet is actually the #2, and if AJ continues to improve he's got serious playmaking potential.
Not to forget the fact it was their first playoff run and Alex Caruso is their experienced player. Shai was still the best in the playoffs and averaged 30.
People are hating on OKC like crazy currently. Its either 'they play football', or 'refs'. Nobody watches the games. Not to forget when OKC was losing vs Boston, the comments were the other way around and switched once OKC won.
Their adjusted net rating is 12.04, next team down is Celtics with 9.65 😮
I think they’re the most likely to win. With Chet and Alex Caruso out there’s a good chance they won’t be less healthy in playoffs - even if someone else gets hurt before then, you got those two guys coming back. Just as long as it’s not SGA.
I honestly think even Jdub could get hurt and they’d still win, provided everyone else was healthy. Starting 5 of SGA, Caruso, Dort, Chet, Ihart. Or maybe there’s someone better than Caruso.
Wallace gets the nod over Caruso because AC just plays to hard to start he gets worn out quick
About the Net Rating that is wild. Also the Thunder currently have the 2nd best net rating in the history of the sport
They’re not beating Boston in the finals
@@Mirristal Boston won't beat them in the finals especially if OKC has home court.
@@babybenj52 ok, Boston in 6, come back to this comment
Last year the problem was they only had 1 great big man, if they had another 6'10 or taller guy that had some size to him they could have won it all. There's not a doubt in my mind OKC can win it this year
Honestly, they were still the better team. PJ Washington just turned into Prime Klay and us, the #1 shooting team in the league at the time went cold.
@devxplayerdevelopment i think if they wasn't one of the ones that went cold, OKC would have won that series. Not in a mean way or criticizing him but we lost because if chet, anyone else could have gone cold besides him and SGA and I think OKC wins that series
Of course they can win it all. Last season they barely lost to the Mavs, who made it to the finals, and they added Hartenstein and Caruso since then. 7 of their rotation players are at least 25 years old, including, SGA, Hartenstein, Caruso, Joe, Dort, Wiggins, and Kenrich. JDub and Chet are 23 and 22 respectively, but they're both already great two-way players.
I think they could do it, but would be totally ok with another year of building and maybe 1-2 more key pieces. With AJs rise we have a PG surplus, given Topic will be playing next year, so converting 1 of them (super hard to choose which) and one of the others for a bigger wing who can shoot and play in their system would be a nice upgrade
Love OKC but waiting in the second half to perform will not aways work against other teams. The Bucks is a reminder to that fact.
for some reason as an OKC fan for a while this has been a trend even during Russ kd era for a lot of games at least as I remember it and you're definitely right
@@21silvermoon
That was another problem vs Dallas last year. After game 1, they trailed at the half and maybe even the 1st quarter in every game until the closeout game. By then, the margin of error was slim and they came up a few inches short on that last Dallas play.
OKC POST FINALLY
There is definitely the question of playoff experience coming into play again, however last year most of the team had little to no playoff experience. Now that’s changed, since this is the squad that played together last year. Plus the addition of two guys who both have playoff experience. I think they have enough to make the finals. They might not win it all this year, but I think it’s only a matter of time. If not this year it will certainly be next year that this group is fully established, experienced, and tested. It’s only a matter of execution in the big moments but they certainly have the right pieces. Not to mention if they need to make some adjustments to their squad, they pretty much have control of the trade market for the next decade.
Alex Caruso is their vet with playoff experience too. Shai was the best player in the playoffs even during his first run.
OKC hate is forced
SGA is just so consistent❤
Facts he is HIM
theyre gonna run chet at the 4 with hart in the same role
I feel like you’re right. Hartensein is just too damn good to have off the bench and they ran some of these lineups in pre season
So they're 30-5, and 19-1 in their last 20 games. Meaning they were 10-4 to start the season. Winning 71% is pretty darn good, which would be 58 wins on the year, but then they win 95% of the next 20 games they play. That's insane.
And 3 of those losses came with no center on the roster. Give OKC any size and they can beat you.
The fact that SGA is considered the weakest defender (which I tend to disagree with) highlights how absurdly good the OKC players are as far as individual and team defense. SGA would easily be a top defensive guard with averages of 2.0spg and 1.1bpg.
This is a new era of basketball and things are changing quickly. I think the Thunder are poised to accomplish something shocking this season. Yes, they can win it all. 🏆
I'm starting to agree
Great vid but one thing you said stuck to me sayin dort was great offensively all around the game was just incorrect he went 0/3 3pt first half and a total of 20% 2pts other than that he clutched up
I meant to say defensively 💀
Don't forget still missing Chet. Thunder can work him in slow and build for a run at the end of the season thunder were missing a big man in the middle and they got a pretty good one. Add Chet and they've got the formula for a NBA championship 🏆
The Thunder are very impressive this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get to the finals or at least make a deep playoff run. If I were an OKC fan my main concern would be they’re taking the regular season way too seriously and playing way too hard and are going to end up with a lot of injuries come playoff time. I’m not saying that’s going to happen but I’ve watched quite a few of their games and they’re playing a lot of them like it’s a game 7 win or go home scenario. It could pay off but it’s not typically sustainable with this much basketball left in the regular season.
LOL That's a really bad take. I guess you don't remember when the Bulls went 72-10. You don't think they took every single game seriously?
Can't wait to see them play my Cavs tonight. Let's go CAVSSS ⚔️
Tomorrow night
You forget Hartenstein is playoff proven!
1:47 really? I'd argue Shai is the second best defender in the starting 5
Who's your first and third?
@michaelanthony4246 Dort #1 JDub a close #3
@@michaelanthony4246I have dort or Chet at 1 j dub at 3 and shai at 4
@@michaelanthony4246 Dort first JDub third
@ Won’t argue with that too much. What I will say though is that I believe JDub is a more versatile defender, so I wouldn’t be averse to someone putting him above Shai.
I think you run Chet as the starting center and then have Isaiah Hartenstein come off the bench and you can sometimes have them run a lineup together because it doesn't hurt to try something new. Also I think if Chet is a little to slow footed I think he can adapt because he is still relatively young
I agree as you have at least one on the floor at all times.
Exactly. I can see them closing together quite a bit. If iHart plays 28 minutes, that leaves 20 minutes for Chet at the 5. He can get the other 10 or so minutes at the 4 next to iHart
@@devxplayerdevelopment Yeah and most likely there won't be as much injury risk with them 2 there sharing minutes
Nah. chet is a shooting big who spaces the floor really well, while iHart has a great floater and rebounding, a good screener.
Jdub will most likely be playing the 2, chet replacing him at the 4.
Then they can switch up once in a while, share those minutes at center with Hart resting while Chet plays the 5, comes back in and chet goes out..
We will have to see. Chet spaces the floor a ton.
Theyre absolutely terrifying
Do you realize, all three guys in the thumbnail, were property of the Los Angeles Clippers? Every year we are told that Ballmer is the best owner and that they have the best personnel in the league. Are you kidding me!? What type of GM trades SGA, Gallo and 5 first round picks for Paul George? One of those picks was J. Williams and they did not retain I. Hartenstein.
? Last post season ended in a foul that Shai could have not drawn and it wouldn’t have gone in. Last post season couldn’t have been less about them “not being ready” if they wrote it out. Idk why there’s all this revisionist history about the playoffs last season. I guess I do, you don’t want to take the swing because you haven’t seen enough because the NBA has been shoving generic 3 chucking games down your throat because it isn’t about the game, it’s about the market for them.
Get ready to admit you’re wrong about experience, buddy.
✍️.
People are hating on OKC too much. SGA was the best playoff player during his first run, Jdub took a HUGE leap, OKC Has size now and spacing.. DEFENSE.
And playoff experience with their VET, alex caruso.
This OKC stuff is annoying sometimes. The mavs aren't going to beat them again, or twice in a row. They changed much, much more.
Sayin SGA is the weakest link defensively is absurd. Mans is 2nd in defensive rating. 6 of the top 10 are OKC players lol.
Fr but it is true. That is just how absurd the OKC defense truly is
Too inexperienced? OKC's Alex Caruso already has an NBA Championship ring, and Isaiah Hartenstein is 26 years old.
That just a common thing with young teams is thier experience in the playoffs we saw that with magic last year and okc last year but excluding experience there rebounding was awful and they fixed that with ihart and traded for Alex Caruso for someone who didn’t fit our system in Josh giddy
The experience of Dallas didn’t really win that series. The Thunder went ice cold from 3 that series
That was the experience
Move Chet to the 4, iHart to 5. As much as I admire Chet, I'm afraid he gets out bodied and boxed out easily due to his body size.
Depends on the match-up.
I think Chet will play the 4 plenty when he comes back.
regular season team 2nd round exit at best
Shai hate is so annoying man. They discredit him so much. But love Jokic and Luka.
Shai is a great, amazing ass player to watch. Doesn't even lead the league in FTA but does in drives. Averages the same FTs as Luka even though Luka doesn't lead in drives as much as Shai does.
Team dead last in FT disparity and 29th in FTs, most being in 4th quarters.
But the media will continue to say its refs.
Carushow
0:55 massive you say?👀
Up 21 points is massive fym?!🤣
@ yk what else is massive? LOOOOOW TAAAPEE FAAAADE
SAM PRESTI GOAT