That loss upset me more than any other this year.ok I'm ranting

[L.A. Thunder fan]

I know this loss should be taken with a grain of something. I am trying not to overreact but.
first I dont know that I trust Brooks to draw up a proper play with seconds left and our playoff lives on the line at the end of games. yes he seems to be a good motivator. yes his staff has done a great job developing our guys, but in reality I just dont think X and O's are his thing.
Many times over the last few years I see 7,8,9,10 seconds on the clock and we end up rushing an un-needed 3. There is just no creativity when it comes to play calling at the end of games. I hold Brooks accountable unless someone can show me the KD and russ just dont listen at the end of games. We did not need a contested 3. We needed to get to overtime. KD is a closer but his shot was off most of the night. Why not have a hot hand like Harden take a 3 if that was what out choice was.

Also we were really lackluster tonight. the #1 seed is one the line and we are kind of blah out there. KD was nice at facilitating but he did not seem to have a hunger tonight.
I wish he would not post up 15 feet from the basket with a 6'6 defender and fade away. WHY???

I feel like we will be ok come playoff time but we sure are not peaking right now. We still dont get more than two back to the basket FG's per game and they seem to come from Perk..from Perk??? well I just dont know that a jump shooting team that can not get easy buckets in crunch time is ready to win a title.

I am not jumping off a building or any fan overreation but we just done get east buckets when the game is on the line. How will that faire vs the Spurs or Grizz. Teams that can get paint buckets in cruch time?

[cjthunder]

The worst is watching us get offensive rebounds but, outside of Ibaka, almost never scoring on the put back. Collison and Perkins must have missed 7 or 8 close ones between them tonight from 2 or 3 feet.

[Serge Protector]

The worst is watching us get offensive rebounds but, outside of Ibaka, almost never scoring on the put back. Collison and Perkins must have missed 7 or 8 close ones between them tonight from 2 or 3 feet.

I'm more upset about the offensive rebound that the Clippers came up with near the end of the game. For Perkins and Ibaka both to be caught out of position is inexcusable. As I said in another thread, Perkins initially made the correct play by challenging Paul's shot, as Paul had Harden beat. But he made the mistake of allowing Paul to get between him and the basketball, and wasn't able to recover in time to prevent Paul's put-back. Ibaka had his back to the play while fighting for position with Blake Griffin, and failed to challenge Paul on his put-back attempt. Had the Thunder secured that rebound, the game's outcome may have been different.

[Anonymous]

Those free 2 pointers we gave with around 2 min left were a joke.

Two of those from Paul were around 2-3 seconds left on shot clock and he got his own rebound on one (or was that not CP?).

Anyways we definitely lost this on the defensive end.


This goes as a loss for the Thunder, not a win for the Clippers in the Anonymous book.

[KDisNotNice]

KD made the decision to pull up for a 3 ball at the end, he went against Brooks' plan.

Just as a friendly reminder < cough > 42-16 record < cough > #1 Seed in the West < cough > 2nd Best record in the NBA

[ZeusExMachina]

KD made the decision to pull up for a 3 ball at the end, he went against Brooks' plan.

Just as a friendly reminder < cough > 42-16 record < cough > #1 Seed in the West < cough > 2nd Best record in the NBA

I imagine Bulls fans in their dynasty years probably griped at every loss as some sort of indicator that something was rotten in the state of Denmark. Probably Lakers fans, too. I think that is just fickle NBA fan bases. I doubt they will ever go away.

Honestly, a loss that disgusts me just makes me realize the Thunder have created a culture of winning here. It wasn't so long ago a loss was expected. Now a loss makes you gnash your teeth because you know the team was and is capable of better.

[Thunderstruck83]

I imagine Bulls fans in their dynasty years probably griped at every loss as some sort of indicator that something was rotten in the state of Denmark. Probably Lakers fans, too. I think that is just fickle NBA fan bases. I doubt they will ever go away.

Honestly, a loss that disgusts me just makes me realize the Thunder have created a culture of winning here. It wasn't so long ago a loss was expected. Now a loss makes you gnash your teeth because you know the team was and is capable of better.

Agree 100%. The sheer joy and innocence of the 2009-10 season was much too short lived, and probably will not be seen again until this team has had to go through an inevitable rebuilding phase sometime in the future. It's tough to enjoy the ride when a win is the only acceptable outcome to the fans. Expectations can be a cruel mistress...

[thunderfan315]

To me it's not the losses that bother me it's not playing up to their abilities. But on the other hand I understand teams will get hot on certain nights and beat teams they shouldn't. Certain losses are harder to handle than others.

[bleedthunderblue]

Swallowing losses is part of being a fan, its just something we have to accept. We are in this together, through the wins, losses, triumph, and humility. Before the regular season is over, I am sure there will be more losses like this one, that we will have to put behind us and move on.

[Jimmy Early]

I thought this game was lost late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter. We were up by 6-8 points and got VERY lackadaisical with the ball. Harden turned the ball over on a breakaway layup while being guarded by AIR (I guess he was trying to get his steps together for a dunk, but the fact is that he lost the ball). KD dribbled the ball out of bounds without being contested. Westbrook missed a chip shot put back that would have pushed our lead to 13 at one point. KD fired up (and missed) outside shots with at least ten seconds on the shot clock on back to back possessions (my son said he thought KD was worried about getting his scoring average up).

By the time the Clippers got their run to cut the lead to 4 and then 1 and then take the lead, I thought we had BLOWN it.

I think too many people are harping on the last play. We should have never been making a comeback in that game.

The Fakers actually put us in a position to take control of the top seed, and we CHOKED.
[shaking head]

[Betts]

Swallowing losses is part of being a fan, its just something we have to accept. We are in this together, through the wins, losses, triumph, and humility. Before the regular season is over, I am sure there will be more losses like this one, that we will have to put behind us and move on.

I agree with you, but wish I didn't have to.

[Betts]

I thought this game was lost late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter. We were up by 6-8 points and got VERY lackadaisical with the ball. Harden turned the ball over on a breakaway layup while being guarded by AIR (I guess he was trying to get his steps together for a dunk, but the fact is that he lost the ball). KD dribbled the ball out of bounds without being contested. Westbrook missed a chip shot put back that would have pushed our lead to 13 at one point. KD fired up (and missed) outside shots with at least ten seconds on the shot clock on back to back possessions (my son said he thought KD was worried about getting his scoring average up).

By the time the Clippers got their run to cut the lead to 4 and then 1 and then take the lead, I thought we had BLOWN it.

I think too many people are harping on the last play. We should have never been making a comeback in that game.

The Fakers actually put us in a position to take control of the top seed, and we CHOKED.
[shaking head]

I also agree with this. I had a very bad feeling at that point in the third quarter. We looked sloppy and weren't playing like a team.

[L.A. Thunder fan]

To me it's not the losses that bother me it's not playing up to their abilities. But on the other hand I understand teams will get hot on certain nights and beat teams they shouldn't. Certain losses are harder to handle than others.

but the clippers were not very good last night. in reality we should have beat them by double digits. we are a jump shooting team and that is a dangerous thing when you have no ability to get easy buckets in crunch time.

[Serge Protector]

but the clippers were not very good last night. in reality we should have beat them by double digits. we are a jump shooting team and that is a dangerous thing when you have no ability to get easy buckets in crunch time.

This, to me, is where Scott Brooks is lacking as a head coach. The Thunder rely heavily upon perimeter shooting, but they don't have to. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden each has the ability to create his own shot and beat his man off the dribble. Durant, in particular, seems to be settling more and more for jump shots, as opposed to getting to the rim. He led the NBA in free-throw attempts two seasons ago, but is no longer getting to the line at that clip. He was 5-5 last night, which actually surprised me, as he's had a number of games recently where he's attempted only a few foul shots. Only Westbrook (11-13 from the line) was getting to the free-throw line successfully, and even he seems to have abandoned a critical part of his arsenal of late: the "elbow" jumper that had been a staple of his offensive game has all but disappeared.

Brooks needs to remind his players to look for high-percentage shots, rather than settling for ill-advised perimeter shots, particularly early in the shot-clock. People are focusing on the final play of last night's game, but the Thunder have been guilty of poor shot-selection for some time, and it's impairing their ability to maintain leads and win close games.

[cjthunder]

Getting to the basket is harder for Durant than the other two. It all depends on who is guarding him. When they put a big guy on him, yes, he can drive. But lately teams are going with smaller guys against Durant. He has trouble getting around them and often gets his pocket picked when trying. Durant needs to do more of the Westbrook drive, stop and pop around the free throw line. He would be deadly from that area.

[Serge Protector]

Getting to the basket is harder for Durant than the other two. It all depends on who is guarding him. When they put a big guy on him, yes, he can drive. But lately teams are going with smaller guys against Durant. He has trouble getting around them and often gets his pocket picked when trying. Durant needs to do more of the Westbrook drive, stop and pop around the free throw line. He would be deadly from that area.

You're exactly right in that teams have changed how they're defending Durant, and as he often draws their best perimeter defender, I agree that he's faced with a more difficult task than his teammates. That being said, I also think your point about his mid-range game is "spot on." Durant has shown the ability to make shots from 12-15 feet, as his size allows him to exploit smaller defenders by taking them into the high-post or to the elbow. If he can utilize this part of his offensive game more frequently, he will make more shots, and will likely also see more trips to the free-throw line.

Another area where I think Durant hasn't been utilized enough is the low-post. He does not have the body-type to play there consistently, but if teams are going to insist on defending him with smaller players, he has the necessary size to exploit these match-ups. The idea of using Durant in the post was discussed at the start of the season, but it doesn't seem to have come to fruition. Whether this is due to Durant lacking confidence in his ability to score in the post, or poor coaching by Brooks, I don't know, but I think a player of Durant's ability can and should learn to score in every way possible. He's already the most difficult match-up in basketball, save for LeBron, and would be unstoppable if he could round out these areas of his game.

[cjthunder]

You're exactly right in that teams have changed how they're defending Durant, and as he often draws their best perimeter defender, I agree that he's faced with a more difficult task than his teammates. That being said, I also think your point about his mid-range game is "spot on." Durant has shown the ability to make shots from 12-15 feet, as his size allows him to exploit smaller defenders by taking them into the high-post or to the elbow. If he can utilize this part of his offensive game more frequently, he will make more shots, and will likely also see more trips to the free-throw line.

Another area where I think Durant hasn't been utilized enough is the low-post. He does not have the body-type to play there consistently, but if teams are going to insist on defending him with smaller players, he has the necessary size to exploit these match-ups. The idea of using Durant in the post was discussed at the start of the season, but it doesn't seem to have come to fruition. Whether this is due to Durant lacking confidence in his ability to score in the post, or poor coaching by Brooks, I don't know, but I think a player of Durant's ability can and should learn to score in every way possible. He's already the most difficult match-up in basketball, save for LeBron, and would be unstoppable if he could round out these areas of his game.

I agree totally. When they put a smaller player on him, he should immediately go post up. He has a decent game there.

[Laramie]

Welcome to the NBA where anything can happen on any given night. Have faith Thunder fans, the Oklahoma City Thunder will bounce back. Feeling good about the direction of this team; let's face it, we won a lot of close games during the first half of the season and now during the second half many of the games we had in our grasp slipped away. You win some and you lose some.

Now hear this: Let's not look for players to point out or situations to blame--this is a team effort. Continue to think positive and give the Thunder your support!

Keep the Faith! Go Thunder!

[Nat.]

I also agree with this. I had a very bad feeling at that point in the third quarter. We looked sloppy and weren't playing like a team.

Yep. That marks the first game that I've turned off early and just looked for the score later, because I could tell that we were getting into trouble that we weren't going to pull out of. I'm not mad at the guys or disappointed or anything, I just hate to watch them lose (for their sake). It makes me ache.

[DwightSchrute]

This, to me, is where Scott Brooks is lacking as a head coach. The Thunder rely heavily upon perimeter shooting, but they don't have to. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden each has the ability to create his own shot and beat his man off the dribble. Durant, in particular, seems to be settling more and more for jump shots, as opposed to getting to the rim. He led the NBA in free-throw attempts two seasons ago, but is no longer getting to the line at that clip. He was 5-5 last night, which actually surprised me, as he's had a number of games recently where he's attempted only a few foul shots. Only Westbrook (11-13 from the line) was getting to the free-throw line successfully, and even he seems to have abandoned a critical part of his arsenal of late: the "elbow" jumper that had been a staple of his offensive game has all but disappeared.

Brooks needs to remind his players to look for high-percentage shots, rather than settling for ill-advised perimeter shots, particularly early in the shot-clock. People are focusing on the final play of last night's game, but the Thunder have been guilty of poor shot-selection for some time, and it's impairing their ability to maintain leads and win close games.This notion that the Thunder don't get to the rim and are taking a bunch of bad jump shots is ridiculously overblown.

Here is OKC's shot distribution by distance the last two seasons:

2010-11
At the rim: 30.7%
3-9 feet: 12.6%
10-15 feet: 9.6%
16-23 feet: 25.8%
Threes: 21.3%

2011-12
At the rim: 31.7%
3-9 feet: 11.7%
10-15 feet: 9.5%
16-23 feet: 21.7%
Threes: 25.4%

2011-12 league averages
At the rim: 30.5%
3-9 feet: 13.5%
10-15 feet: 9.0%
16-23 feet: 24.5%
Threes: 22.6%

The biggest difference from last season to this season is that the Thunder have significantly cut back on their reliance on long 2s, the least efficient shot, while increasing the number of 3s (most efficient shot in basketball, aside from layups/dunks). This season the Thunder are only 23rd in the league in % of shots from 16-23 feet. Not only that, but the Thunder are first in the league in FG% (43.3) from that distance by an enormous margin; the difference in FG% between OKC and the 2nd-best from that distance (Boston at 41.0) is greater than the difference between the 2nd and 10th teams. In other words, the Thunder aren't taking many long 2s, but when they do, they're converting at an extremely high clip. They're also taking and making more 3s, which again is good because it's a highly efficient shot.

Here is Kevin Durant's shot attempts by distance the last two seasons:

2010-11
At the rim: 3.6 FGA
3-9 feet: 1.8 FGA
10-15 feet: 2.2 FGA
16-23 feet: 6.7 FGA
Threes: 5.3 FGA
Total: 19.7 FGA

2011-12
At the rim: 4.8 FGA
3-9 feet: 2.1 FGA
10-15 feet: 2.9 FGA
16-23 feet: 4.5 FGA
Threes: 5.2 FGA
Total: 19.5 FGA

So KD is taking the same number of shots as last season, but he's now shooting significantly more shots at the rim, as well as more at 3-9 feet and 10-15 feet, while shooting far fewer long 2s. Durant's trend is consistent with the team's: he's shooting a lot fewer long 2s, and he's converting them at a very high clip (49%). Also, given that Durant's current eFG% (55.5) is by far the best of his career (previous seasons: 45.2, 51.0, 51.4, 50.9) and virtually the same as LeBron's (55.6) in the midst of his historic season, I find it difficult to trash KD's shot selection.

OKC is 2nd in the league in offensive efficiency, eFG%, and free throw rate (FTA/FGA), all by decent margins over the 3rd place teams in those categories, yet people think this team's problem is poor shot selection and not getting to the free throw line?


He does not have the body-type to play there consistently, but if teams are going to insist on defending him with smaller players, he has the necessary size to exploit these match-ups. The idea of using Durant in the post was discussed at the start of the season, but it doesn't seem to have come to fruition.

According to Synergy, last season Durant had 161 possession-ending post-ups (1.7 per game), including 116 FGAs (1.2 per game), in 95 games (regular season and playoffs aggregated); this season, Durant has 143 possession-ending post-ups (2.5 per game), including 108 FGAs (1.9 per game), in 58 games. That's a significant increase in post-ups. He's not going to become Tim Duncan overnight.