Recap: OKC Thunder Stunned By Andrew Wiggins Buzzer Beater (115-113)

Recap: OKC Thunder Stunned By Andrew Wiggins Buzzer Beater (115-113)

Featured

by | Oct 23, 2017 | Featured, NBA

Minnesota and Oklahoma City came into this season with new faces on the team. Being division rivals that means that they will see each other four times in the year. The Timberwolves added Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and Jamal Crawford in the offseason and wanted to be taken serious coming into the season to stop their playoff drought. The Oklahoma City Thunder on the other hand have been extremely successful in the 10 year existence off the team and this offseason they improved tremendously. The Thunder added Paul George and Carmelo Anthony which would set up for a perfect matchup.

The Thunder were coming off their first loss of the season against the Utah Jazz last night in Salt Lake and wanted to bounce back. Russell Westbrook was very passive last night in Utah and came out against the Minnesota Timberwolves with the MVP mindset that we all know about. Westbrook came out in attack mode and didn’t look back at all as he was able to attack the rim and get to his spots to help his teammates out. This team in OKC is special and if they can all get on the same page they could be unstoppable. This OKC team is like the “07/08” Boston Celtics with hungry stars that will need to sacrifice to make it work. The OKC Big 3 showed a lot of sacrifice and promise throughout the night against the Timberwolves. The Thunder Big 3 of Westbrook, Anthony, and George combined for 68 points tonight and looked really good. Melo and Russ found their stroke from all over the court and Paul George wasn’t able to get it going but kept shooting. One thing we know about PG is that he’s going to continue to shoot the ball and look for his rythym. One thing that was really good to see tonight from the Thunder was the production from the bench. Raymond Felton and Jerami Grant both contributed 12 points each and were able to carry the load when Westbrook and the other starters went to the bench.

The Timberwolves on the other hand were able to scrap and stay in the game as they played off of their stars in Towns and Wiggins. Both Towns and Wiggins had 27 points a piece and were able to get get open looks and easy second chance points throughout the game. Once Andre Roberson exited the game it seemed as though Wiggins got his game going and was able to hit some tough shots over Abrines. Towns was playing like a monster in the paint and was able to get rebounds and takeover the paint on the offensive end. The good thing about the Timberwolves squad is the fact that it’s well balanced and everyone knows their role in the offense. All of the starters were able to score in double figures and were able to click on all cylinders for the Timberwolves. The Thunder were struggling on the pick and roll from the Timberwolves and couldn’t get to Towns in time throughout the game especially when Steven Adams came out the game.

Russell Westbrook got the inbound pass with 8 seconds left and was able to drive and kick it to Melo for the 3 pointer to give them the lead. Everyone wanted to know who would get the ball in the late game situations and it seems like whoever is open will get the ball. Carmelo hit the 3 pointer but the Thunder needed to hurry up to get back on defense as the Timberwolves still had 4 seconds to have a chance to score. The ball was inbounded to Wiggins as he was able to get down the court with the help of what looked like an illegal screen but Towns and hit a hail mary bank shot with no time remaining for the Timberwolves to come into OKC and steal the victory from the Thunder.

Both teams play again on Friday and the Thunder will be looking for some revenge for this loss tonight.

 

Photo Credit:  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oct 23, 2017 No Comments
Recap: What Did We Learn From The Thunder’s Victory Over The Knicks?

Recap: What Did We Learn From The Thunder’s Victory Over The Knicks?

Featured

by | Oct 20, 2017 | Featured, NBA

The 2017-18 NBA season tipped off last night for both the OKC Thunder and the New York Knicks. Typically this game wouldn’t have generated such buzz but with the trade of Carmelo Anthony over the summer from New York to OKC and all that led to it, this game was must see television around the country. The final outcome wound up being an easy 105-84 win for the Thunder but did we learn much about either team? The answer is not really.

It’s impossible to analyze a team after only one game. Nobody expected this to be much of a game and it wasn’t. Although the Knicks put up a great effort in the first half, they fell apart in the third quarter and the chance of an upset win on the road vanished. Kristaps Porzingis gave the Thunder all the problems they could handle, as he finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds but unfortunately for him, there wasn’t much help out there. Former Thunder player, Enes Kanter, was the only other Knicks player in double figures and he finished with 10 points.

After the game, Anthony had some nice words for Porzingis. “Just to see that he’s ready to take on that role — he looked aggressive tonight,” Anthony said. “He looked comfortable, felt comfortable tonight. I was happy to see that.” Despite the high praise from Anthony, we already knew the Knicks have a real star in the young Porzingis. What we need to see from them over time is progress. Last night they had 26 turnovers, which led to 35 fast break points for the Thunder. Obviously that can’t happen each night or they will be worse than anticipated. They also need more from Tim Hardaway Jr, especially in the scoring column. The debut of first round pick, Frank Ntilikina, was a complete dud but it wasn’t all on him. Coach Jeff Hornacek only played him a total of seven minutes and it’s hard to get any rhythm with such little action.

As far as the Thunder, we didn’t learn much about them either. They did what they were supposed to do against a bad team but they were sloppy at times and didn’t shoot very well. They won’t be able to get away with things like that so easily against better teams. It was clear the “OK3” still needs time to gel together but there’s no reason to believe they won’t. Paul George finished with 28 points on 9-23 shooting, including six three pointers. Anthony finished with 22 points on 8-20 shooting and Russell Westbrook had his first triple double of the season, finishing with 21 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. It marks the 80th triple double of his career. You could tell he was very relieved to have teammates that can fill up the stat sheet and if there was anything we learned about the Thunder, it’s that Westbrook is more than capable of pulling his game back a little bit to get others involved. He only took 12 shots and legit seemed very happy about it after the game. George definitely noticed the difference in having Westbrook on his side and getting him open shots. “It’s great,” George said. “The game comes so easy. I know I’m going to get those easy opportunities like I did tonight. It’s only going to make me better.”

Anthony was another player who was very happy after the game. Being on a winning team is still a new feeling for him and having a teammate like Westbrook has him excited about the future. “You guys are used to it,” Anthony said. “I’m used to watching it. I’m used to going up against it. Now, to be on the other side of that on the same team as him, and to reap those benefits of what he can bring to the game — I’m excited about what we started out tonight, what we created tonight and where we’re headed.”

The potential for the Thunder to be great this season is limitless, especially knowing that as they get more games under their belt, the chemistry will only improve, which will lead to even better offense. They already showed signs that they can turn it up on the defensive end last night. In the first quarter, the Knicks shot 56% from the field but after that, the Thunder held them to just 36% shooting the rest of the game. They are a long team which will be sure to be a problem for most teams in the league.

The Knicks have some players with potential but as a team overall, not much is expected this season. They weren’t picked to be a playoff team in the weak eastern conference but I believe I saw things last night that can be worked on to turn them into a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs by the end of the regular season. Again, you can’t overreact either way for a team after just one game so we shall see how things play out for both teams. For now, let’s just be happy the NBA is back!

Written by Joe Casey

Twitter: @IamJoeSports

 

Oct 20, 2017 No Comments
Joel Embiid & Hassan Whiteside Get Into Epic Twitter Beef After Sixers/Heat Game

Joel Embiid & Hassan Whiteside Get Into Epic Twitter Beef After Sixers/Heat Game

Featured

by | Oct 14, 2017 | Featured, NBA

The Philadelphia 76ers faced off against the Miami Heat last night in the final preseason tune up for both teams. While the game didn’t really matter much, it wound up providing us with elite levels of entertainment well after the game was over.

It all started when Embiid drew a foul on Whiteside early in the game and proceeded to tell the Heat bench to get Whiteside out of the game because he can’t guard him.

As you can see, the gesture by Embiid had everyone laughing, Whiteside included. After the game however, a twitter defender of Whiteside attempted to remind Embiid that he was only 1-7 shooting in the game. The war was on from there.

Embiid was quick to fire off some more shots of his own.

Then in an apparent ode to Kevin Durant, Embiid explained what happened.

Whiteside had one final burn to send to Embiid before he was done for the night.

But you didn’t think Embiid was going to let him have the last word, did you? He took to Instagram with his final shot and you must notice his location.

Rudy Gobert noticed the two young centers going at it and decided to add his two cents to the situation.

Andre Iguodala and CJ McCollum, also took notice of the back and forth.

This was all just a reminder of how great NBA twitter is no matter the time of year. We unfortunately have to wait until February for the Sixers and Heat to play each other in the regular season and we can only hope the post game entertainment is as good as it was this time.

Written By Joe Casey

Twitter: @IamJoeSports

Oct 14, 2017 No Comments
Eminem Goes Off On Donald Trump During BET Cypher, Lebron James & Colin Kaepernick Approve

Eminem Goes Off On Donald Trump During BET Cypher, Lebron James & Colin Kaepernick Approve

Celebs

by | Oct 11, 2017 | Celebs, Featured, NBA, NFL

In case you been living under a rock for the past 12 hours or so, you missed Eminem completely go off on President Donald Trump during “The Cypher” at the BET Hip-Hop awards.  It was the first time we heard from Em in quite a while and it was also the first time we really heard how he feels about the president and the current situation in our country.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, give it a watch below.

Em made it clear he is here to support guys like Colin Kaepernick and to support the social injustices that have been occurring in higher volumes since Trump took office. He even made sure to mention the love and respect he has for the military so nobody could try and twist his words about that. While you may or may not agree with the stance he is taking, Em is drawing the line with his fans who also support Trump, which I’m sure has plenty of them feeling conflicted.

Two guys who were definitely fans of what Eminem had to say were Lebron James and not surprising, Colin Kaepernick, who both took to twitter to show their support and thanks.

While I’m sure Em’s bars upset some people around the country, it’s also fair to say that many more athletes besides Lebron & Colin are in full support of him. It’s also fair to say he doesn’t care what anyone thinks and I wouldn’t have expected anything less from him.

Written By Joe Casey

Twitter: @IamJoeSports

Oct 11, 2017 No Comments
Michael Jordan Donates $7 Million Dollars For Health Clinics In At-Risk Charlotte Communities

Michael Jordan Donates $7 Million Dollars For Health Clinics In At-Risk Charlotte Communities

NBA

by | Oct 10, 2017 | NBA

Charlotte Hornets owner, Michael Jordan, is stepping up to help out the city his team calls home. The “GOAT” is using $7 million dollars of his own money to fund medical clinics that he hopes will help at-risk Charlotte communities. The donation is the largest ever by Jordan.

The two clinics, which will be called the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics, are slated to open in 2020.

“Through my years of working with Novant Health, I have been impressed with their approach and their commitment to the community,” Jordan, a North Carolina native, said in a release Monday. “It is my hope that these clinics will help provide a brighter and healthier future for the children and families they serve.”

Jordan’s spokesperson Estee Portnoy said the legendary player was motivated to donate the money by a study that found poor children in Charlotte have the worst odds of those of any of the top 50 cities in the United States to lift themselves out of poverty.  A release from Novant said the clinics will provide an avenue to affordable, high-quality care — including behavioral health, physical therapy, social work, oral health and family planning — to individuals in the community who have little or no health care.

The Clinics will reportedly give care for roughly 35,000 kids and adults who currently do not have access primary doctors or preventive care. “We are thankful to Michael for his generosity. The gift will remove barriers to high-quality health care in some of the most vulnerable communities,” said said Carl Armato, president and CEO of Novant Health.

This is a great move on Jordan’s part and something that will absolutely have a great impact on the city as a whole and sounds like it will truly help people in need. Salute to him.

Written by Joe Casey

Twitter: @IamJoeSports

Oct 10, 2017 No Comments
Sixers & Joel Embiid Agree On Five Year, $148 Million Dollar Max Extension

Sixers & Joel Embiid Agree On Five Year, $148 Million Dollar Max Extension

NBA

by | Oct 10, 2017 | NBA

 

The Philadelphia 76ers are going all in with “Trusting The Process” as they have agreed on a massive new contract extension for Joel Embiid that will pay him $148 million dollars over five years. The announcement on Monday took the NBA and twitter by storm as most people were shocked that the Sixers would commit so much money to a player who has only appeared in 31 games over three seasons. Considering how great Embiid’s potential is, the move is still somewhat baffling but there are some protections for the team should the injury bug continue to haunt Embiid.

There are incentives in the deal that could actually bring the total amount of dollars up to $178 million over the five years. Some of those would be if he earns an All-NBA first-, second- or third-team selection, or is named MVP this season, as per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

As you might expect, Embiid was pretty happy when he heard the news.

Sixers coach, Brett Brown, had some extremely high praise for his young star.  “He does things on a court that remind me of, you know, somebody that’s able to hear music and just play the song,” Brown said. “You know, he will study [Tim] Duncan, or study KD, or another player, and all of a sudden it’s a part of his game. He’s very unique, very unique.”

The potential for this deal to be a massive disaster is unfortunately a real possibility. For as much phenomenal potential that Embiid has, if he can’t stay healthy and be on the court, none of that will matter. Most people around the league believe the Sixers should have held off another year before talking long term but the contract shows the belief they have in him and at only 23 years old, still having plenty of great years left as the cornerstone of the franchise.

Salute to Embiid for getting paid and securing the future of his family. As a fan of the league in general, I hope he stays healthy for many years to come so we can really see how good he is.

Written By Joe Casey

Twitter: @IamJoeSports

Oct 10, 2017 No Comments