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Los Angeles Lakers vs. Thunder preview (Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals)

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Alex Roig

#4 Los Angeles Lakers (4-2) vs. #1 Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)
When: Tuesday, 05 May 2026 at 7:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
TV: NBC / Peacock
Playoff Offensive Rating: LAL: 107.4 (12th) / OKC: 126.9 (1st)
Playoff Defensive Rating: LAL: 105.2 (4th) / OKC: 109.0 (8th)
Playoff Net Rating: LAL: 2.3 (7th) / OKC: 17.8 (2nd)
Series Record: 0-0

The Tip-Off

Six of the last seven NBA champs have all succumbed in their repeat attempts by this round in the playoffs. The 2018-19 Golden State Warriors, who had won the previous two titles before that, made it all the way back to the NBA Finals, but then suffered the “plagues of Egypt” series in which they lost both Kevin Durant (Achilles) and Klay Thompson (ACL) to series and “the following season”-ending injuries. The champions of that series, the Toronto Raptors, were then ousted by the Boston Celtics in the 2nd round the following season in The Bubble. The Bubble champ Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make it out of the first round after being a play-in team the following year, losing to Phoenix in the 2021 playoffs, four games to two. The 2021 champ, the Milwaukee Bucks, got knocked out in the 2nd round of the 2022 playoffs Boston, who won the series in seven games. Golden State had their one last hurrah that season, winning the title against the young Celtics. The following season, the Warriors lost in the 2nd round to the Lakers in six games. The 2023 champ, the Denver Nuggets lost the following season in the 2nd round to their hated rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games. Boston finally broke through in the 2024 Finals, winning against the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Then, last season, Jayson Tatum tears his Achilles in the second round versus the New York Knicks and Boston loses that series 4-2. That opened the door for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the title and here we stand now: the OKC Thunder in the 2nd round, looking to defend their title.

The Season Series

Game 1 – November 12th, 2025 – Both teams came into this game charged up, as this was supposed to be one of Oklahoma City’s biggest tests early in the season. They had just got done dispatching the Golden State Warriors in grand fashion the night before and now had to face the Luka Doncic-led Lakers. The Lakers were without LeBron James for that game, but the Thunder were also without Jalen Williams and Lu Dort. But they did have Cason Wallace, who put on a defensive masterclass against Doncic, and led OKC to a blowout victory, 121-92.

Game 2 – February 9th, 2026 – OKC was missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in this one, while the Lakers were also missing Doncic. But it was a return game for Dub, who came back after missing the previous 2.5 weeks with a hamstring strain. The game was close throughout, but Dub upped his physicality in the fourth quarter, constantly driving to the basket and earning trips to the free throw line. He went 3/6 FG shooting in the 4th and capped it off with 4 free throws at the end. OKC won 119-110.

Game 3 – April 2nd, 2026 – A lot like their first meeting of the season, both teams came into this game looking to gauge their abilities against the top teams in the league. The Lakers were riding high, having jumped all the way up to the 3rd slot in the conference. And OKC was finally the healthiest it had been all season. Oklahoma City came out the gates red-hot and the game eventually turned into a dud, as both Austin Reaves and Doncic exited with injuries. OKC’s largest lead in the game was 46 and they led wire to wire, winning 139-96.

Game 4 – April 9th, 2026 – Entering this game, OKC was looking to maintain it’s lead over San Antonio for best record in the league. And LA entered this game looking to get healthy. Their trio of James, Doncic, and Reaves sat out this game and OKC won going away, 123-87.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -15.5
O/U: 213.5

Injury Report

OKC

Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

LAL

Luka Doncic – OUT (hamstring)

Three Big Things

Force Turnovers – The Lakers rank dead last for playoff teams in protecting the ball. The turned the ball over 17.7 times per game in the Houston series and had a turnover percentage of 18.8%. To do that while also having the 2nd slowest team in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster for Los Angeles. If OKC is able to play their game and continue this trend for the Lakers, the series may be over in three games.
Offensive Rebounds – Another area where the Lakers struggled in their series against Houston was in securing defensive rebounds. For the playoffs, the Lakers rank last with a 65.5% Defensive Rebound percentage for the teams that are still remaining in the playoffs. Consequently, the Thunder rank 2nd in playoff teams in Offensive Rebound percentage. If OKC can consistently get 2nd chance points, of which they are 2nd among playoff teams, then that opens up another avenue for OKC to get more points against LA.
SGA – It’s not the Clippers, but it’s still an LA team. SGA always seems to get up for games against any LA opponent. And now he’ll have the chance to play at least 4 games against them.

Indiana Pacers vs. Thunder preview (Game 46 of 82)

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Alex Roig

Indiana Pacers (10-35, 15th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-8, 1st in the West)
When: Friday, 23 January 2026 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
TV: FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: IND: 107.8 (30th) / OKC: 118.5 (5th)
Defensive Rating: IND: 116.0 (19th) / OKC: 105.2 (1st)
Net Rating: IND: -8.2 (28th) / OKC: 13.2 (1st)
Current Streaks: IND: 1-4 in their last 5 games / OKC: 7-1 in their last 8 games

The Set-Up

It’s amazing how quickly things can change when it comes to sports. Last couple of seasons, we’ve seen a tough bunch out of Indiana led by Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakim, and Myles Turner. That squad, surprisingly, led the Pacers all the way to the Finals last season and took the Thunder to 7 games. Unfortunately, you know the rest of the story. Haliburton tears his Achilles early in Game 7, the Thunder take control of that game in the second half, OKC wins the championship, and Turner walks in the offseason to division rival Milwaukee. What was looking to be a championship contender for the next half decade now has to go back to the drawing board. The move to get their pick back during the Finals is now one of the greatest hind-sight moves ever. With their struggles this season and a record that should allow them to get a high draft pick, the right amount of luck could get them back in the championship mix a lot sooner than later. This should also be a lesson to Thunder fans to live in the moment. A serious injury to the wrong player could throw, not just a season, but an entire run into a tailspin. Appreciate what you are seeing now instead of constantly worrying about what you can’t see (the future).

This is the 2nd and final meeting of the season between the two teams that competed in last season’s NBA Finals. OKC won a double overtime thriller very early in the season, 141-135, in a game that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get a career high 55 points.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -16
O/U: 226.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – OUT (adductor)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
Aaron Wiggins – Questionable (groin)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)
Jaylin Williams – Questionable (glute/back)

IND

Tyrese Haliburton – OFS (Achilles)
Quenton Jackson – Questionable (ankle)
Bennedict Mathurin – OUT (thumb)
Obi Toppin – OUT (foot)

Three Big Things

Play Your Brand of Defense – The Indiana Pacers are one of the worst shooting teams in the league. They are last in Offensive Rating, FG%, Effective FG%, and True Shooting%. They are 29th in 3-pt FG%. They are 25th in Points In The Paint. In short, they struggle scoring the ball. They rank 5th in the league in percentage of points scored in the mid-range. This plays well into the Thunder’s defensive scheme. If the Thunder can form their defensive shell around the paint and not have to worry too much about jump shots, that usually a recipe for success for Oklahoma City.
Attack Them – The Pacers are 29th in the league in committing fouls. Their perimeter defense is surprisingly porous and center Jay Huff is their only viable rim protector. We may see a double digit free throw attempt game from SGA tonight.
Depth…or lack thereof – I’m really going to need the Thunder to stop getting injured. The depth, which is one of their biggest weapons, is taking hits left and right. And while the injuries are thankfully not of the critical variety (outside of Sorber), they are still becoming very annoying. Here’s hoping for health now and health heading into the playoffs in April.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Thunder preview (Game 23 of 82)

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Alex Roig

Dallas Mavericks (8-15, 12th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-1, 1st in the West)
When: Friday, 05 December 2025 at 8:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: Prime Video
Offensive Rating: DAL: 107.6 (30th) / OKC: 119.0 (5th)
Defensive Rating: DAL: 111.3 (4th) / OKC: 103.8 (1st)
Net Rating: DAL: -3.8 (22nd) / OKC: 15.1 (1st)
Streaks: DAL: 3 W’s in a row, 5-5 in last 10 / OKC: 13 W’s in a row

The Set-Up

The decision for when to start a rebuild has to be an extremely difficult one for an organization. Sometimes, it’s self-inflicted. Sometimes, it’s thrust upon you unexpectedly. But it’s a decision fraught with potholes, pitfalls, and doubt. A decision that can set your franchise back years, possibly decades. And, yet, for most every team, it’s a decision that needs to be made once every 10-15 years. For Oklahoma City, the team knew they needed a refresh after the departure of Kevin Durant and the subsequent first round exits of the Russell Westbrook/Paul George-led teams. But that weird transitional season was also needed to get off the previous train and jump onto a new one. The season with Chris Paul, a newly acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rookie Lu Dort, potential 6th Man of the Year Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams is one that lives happily in the minds of many Thunder fans, but also one that helped position the Thunder for what they currently are today.

Which brings me to the neighbors south of us, down I-35. Dallas is in a weird spot where they have some of the pieces needed to jump-start a rebuild (Cooper Flagg and Ryan Nembhard), but also are in a holding pattern with older stars such as Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and the currently injured Kyrie Irving. They aren’t winning, but they also aren’t losing enough. These next few months before the trade deadline will be very interesting in Dallas.

This is the 2nd of 3 meetings this season between these regional rivals. OKC won the first meeting 101-94, in Dallas, in a game that saw the Thunder big men dominate on the scoreboard and on the glass. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams combined to score 38 points and grab 30 rebounds, with 6 of those being offensive.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -15
O/U: 229.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – OUT (quad)
Lu Dort – OUT (adductor strain)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)

DAL

Dante Exum – OFS (knee)
Daniel Gafford – Questionable (ankle)
Kyrie Irving – OUT (knee/ACL)
Dereck Lively – OUT (foot)
PJ Washington – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

Ryan Nembhard – Last season, in the Finals, no players on the Indiana Pacers, outside of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakim, had more of an impact against the Thunder than Andrew Nembhard. Dallas decided to take a chance on Andrew’s younger brother, Ryan, as an undrafted free agent this past summer. And over the past four games, all starts, Ryan Nembhard has been balling out and leading the Mavericks to a 3-1 record over that stretch. Nembhard has been averaging 17 points, 7.5 assists to 1.3 turnovers, and shooting an absurd 65% from the field and 67% from three over that 4-game stretch. The one game where he did struggle during that 4-game stretch was against the Los Angeles Clippers, who have big rangy defenders like Kris Dunn who can make life difficult for a smaller point guard. With Dort and Alex Caruso out, that onus will fall on Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
Comfortable Dub – The more games Jalen Williams gets under his belt, the more comfortable and in rhythm he gets. He hit the 20 point mark in their last game against the Warriors, scoring 22 points. His playmaking has been in mid-season form, as he’s averaging over 6 assists per game in his first 3 games. And his shooting percentage was above 50% for the first time this season in their last game. Everyone is asking whether the Thunder should throw their hat into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstake, but honestly, Dub coming back may be their important “acquisition” this season.
Upset Potential – The Mavericks are coming into this game the hottest they’ve been all season. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, Nembhard, Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis are all balling out, and Dallas’ defense has been consistent. You can almost always throw records out when it comes to regional rivalries and the Thunder have the biggest target on their back this season. OKC has been a little unfocused over the past few games and if that continues, it could come back to bite them in the butt this game.

Thunder @ Indiana Pacers Preview (Game 3 – NBA Finals)

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Alex Roig

Where We Currently Stand

Game 1 – 111-110 Pacers – Indiana led for 0.3 seconds of the game. Thunder led throughout, but played “not to lose” late in the game which resulted in Indiana mounting a comeback and having the last meaningful possession of the game, which resulted in a go-ahead midrange jumper from Tyrese Haliburton. Series: 1-0 IND
Game 2 – 123-107 OKC – Thunder use a 19-2 run in the 2nd quarter to build up a 18-point halftime lead that Indiana could not overcome this time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was masterful in this game, putting together a 34 point, 8 assist, 5 rebound, 4 steal, and 1 block stat line. Series: Tied 1-1
Game 3 – June 11th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.

Gambler’s Corner
Line: OKC -5.5
O/U: 227.5

Game 3 Adjustments

1. More Aggressive Haliburton – Tyrese Haliburton is inherently an unselfish player. He would much rather prefer a democratic offensive system, instead of a totalitarian one where he’s the focal point. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t be that guy. In the fourth quarter of Game 2, Haliburton asserted himself a bit more and scored 12 of his 17 points on 5/6 shooting. Another surprising stat is that Haliburton hasn’t attempted a free throw in the Finals yet. While he’ll never be mistaken for a free throw merchant (3 attempts per game during the regular season), his lack of aggressiveness in the Finals has hurt the Pacers. I see that changing in Game 3.

2. Defending SGA – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points on 11-21 shooting and it didn’t even look like he was trying too hard. Whether it was splitting weak double teams or just going at his primary defender (usually his country-mates Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin), SGA was in an offensive zone that only great scorers get into. The Thunder scheme was to try to get SGA loose and moving downhill early in the set, sometimes up to 7 feet outside the 3-point line. If Indiana is going to try to play tighter and more physically on SGA, you could see a game where he becomes more of a distributor. But it could also backfire on Indiana and we could see SGA get to the free throw line at Dwayne Wade-levels in this game.

3. The Others – Whether it’s Indiana’s Others or Oklahoma City’s Others, the Others will decide who wins Game 3. Will we see a big Pascal Siakim game? Will Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren have a defining game in this series? Will Indiana’s shooting get hot playing in front of their home crowd? Can OKC’s bench travel with them to Gainbridge?

4. Game 3’s – This is going to be the immovable object versus the unstoppable force. Oklahoma City has lost their last two Game 3’s and was down by 29 points at one point in Game 3 against Memphis before coming back to win that game. Indiana has lost all three of their Game 3’s in these playoffs by an average of 14.7 points. Something’s got to give in this Game 3.

5. Dominant OKC – While the series is tied 1-1, Oklahoma City has clearly been the better team in this series. They’ve led for 94 of the 96 minutes so far and have been able to mount double-digit leads with ease throughout the series. Now to see if they can continue doing that on the road.

Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Series Preview – NBA Finals

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Alex Roig

Schedule

Game 1 – June 5th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
Game 2 – June 8th, 2025 @ 7:00pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
Game 3 – June 11th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
Game 4 – June 13th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
*Game 5 – June 16th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
*Game 6 – June 19th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
*Game 7 – June 22nd, 2025 @ 7:00pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK* – * * – If necessary

Quick Stats (Playoffs)

Offensive Rating – IND: 117.7 (2nd) / OKC: 115.9 (3rd)
Defensive Rating – IND: 113.6 (9th) / OKC: 104.7 (1st)
Net Rating – IND: 4.1 (4th) / OKC: 11.2 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Let’s be honest: if you marked this Finals match-up down in October 2024, then your phone number probably either starts with a 405 area code or a 317 area code. I’m sure a lot of people will tell you that an NBA Finals without LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, or Steph Curry will be bad for the league. I’m sure they’ll wax poetic about superteams and dynasties of yore. They may even try to convince that these Finals will be the least watched finals ever. But don’t listen to them.

Every crop of superstars has to eventually meet it’s end. That LeBron and Curry have pushed their reigns out so far has been nothing short of impressive. Kudos to them for showing a new crop of stars how to take care of their bodies and push the bounds of longevity. But one era has to finish for another one to begin. And that is what these Finals may be representing. One, not necessarily built by superteams, but by team depth. One, not necessarily focused on the heliocentricity of one player, but on the ability to have five players on the court be 5-tool players. One, where the most important guy in the organization may not be the league MVP, but the league’s Executive of the Year.

Teams are being built differently now, and this may be the first view of how the NBA will look like under the new CBA. And there will be moans and groans about how great things were in the past. But, yet, somehow, someway, the league continues to grow. The social media hits continue to climb. The game crosses more and more boundaries as it continues to battle futbol (no, not football) as a truly global game. Soccer remains king throughout the world, but basketball continues to lie in wait as the prince that was promised. As the NBA landscape changes, these two teams, the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, are the teams that will usher basketball into this new era. You may be watching the next great dynasty unfold before your eyes.

Regular Season Series

Game 1 – Dec. 26th, 2024 – Thunder win 120-114 in Indianapolis, IN – SGA scores a then career-high 45 points as Lu Dort and the Thunder defense holds Tyrese Haliburton to 4 points on 6 FG attempts. Isaiah Hartenstein pitched in with an 11 point, 13 rebound double-double and Jalen Williams added in 20 points.

Game 2 – Mar. 29th, 2024 – Thunder win 132-111 in Oklahoma City, OK – OKC outscores the Pacers by 20 points combined in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and uses that cushion to cruise to victory. SGA scores 33 points and get big time contributions from Luguentz Dort (22 points on 6/7 shooting from deep) and Isaiah Joe (19 points on 5/7 shooting from deep).

Three Big Things

1. Twins? – These two teams are definitely not identical twins. But they could be classified as fraternal twins with how similar they are. Here are just a few stats that show how similar these two teams are: After January 1st, 2025, the Pacers (33) and Thunder (41) had the most wins in the league during that time. They both have a 12-4 record in the playoffs heading into the Finals. They are No. 2 and 3 in points per game in the playoffs, being separated by only 0.3 of a point. They are No. 1 and 2 in pace in the playoffs. They are 1 and 2 in points off turnovers. They are No. 1 and 3 in fastbreak points. They both get back on defense, being No. 1 and 2 on both Opponent Points off Turnovers and Opponent Fastbreak Points. It’s scary how similar these teams are, statistically.

2. SGA – The biggest difference is that one team boasts the league MVP and the other doesn’t. SGA has been playing some of his best basketball these last few weeks. While he may have started off slow in the first few games of the playoffs, he has picked it up when it has mattered most, scoring 30 or more points in 11 of his last 14 games. Teams have used various schemes to try to stop SGA, but it has been all for naught. In the two regular season games this season, SGA has averaged 39 against Indiana.

3. Living in the Corner – Indiana’s offense in these playoffs has not just been predicated on Haliburton’s floor generalship, but also on the shooters making corner 3’s. Indiana has shot an amazing 46.9% on 9.2 attempts these playoffs. That is up from 40.6% during the regular season. A 16-game sample size is big enough to assume that it can continue for the Pacers in the finals. But if they revert back to their regular season norms, the Pacers could be in trouble.

The Monster We Created

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Alex Roig

As I was sitting there watching Kevin Durant writhe in pain on the ScotiaBank Arena floor, I couldn’t help but wonder if part of the reason he was on the floor at all was because of the boogeyman we had all created. Why did Durant feel compelled to be on the floor, when it was apparent he wasn’t ready to be there at all? I couldn’t help but feel like his decision on June 10th, 2019 was still tied to his decision on July 4th, 2016.

I still feel a sense of disdain for the decision Durant made in the summer of 2016. The Oklahoma City Thunder had just lost a grueling seven game series to the Golden State Warriors. A series in which they led three games to one. This match-up had all the makings of a future epic rivalry. The upstart Warriors and the “on the cusp” Thunder. And while Durant had a decision to make that offseason, there was no way he would skip town now. Not when the team showed what it could do against this juggernaut. This was KD….the same guy that criticized LeBron James for making superteams…the same guy that lauded guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant for being loyal to their teams through thick and thin.

But we all know what happened. The Warriors eventually lost to LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an epic Finals series, that saw the Warriors, themselves, blow a 3-1 lead. And then came the decision. It still sticks in my craw that Durant made that choice. He could have chosen any other team (literally, any other team because they all had a ton of money to spend that offseason). But to choose the team that had just beat you to make them become an almost unbeatable super-juggernaut was unfathomable in the minds of most Thunder fans in relation to the man we thought Durant was.

Continue reading →

2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Alex Roig

Southwest Divison

1. San Antonio Spurs

Last season: 62-20 (1st in the Southwest Division, 1st in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy after Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat

Key Additions:

Kyle Anderson – Draft (No. 30 in the 2014 NBA Draft)

Key Departures:

Aron Baynes – Unsigned

Season Preview – Everyone keeps waiting for the Spurs to age, but every year, they come back wiser and better. The reigning NBA champs come back with the entire team basically intact. While chemistry won’t be an issue, a couple of the main players are coming back from injury. Manu Ginobili spent most of the offseason nursing a stress fracture in his leg and Patty Mills had rotator cuff surgery that will keep him out half the season. But as is the Spurs, they will turn that into a positive as Mills will be very well rested when the playoffs start next April.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Spurs repeat as champions

Projected 2014-15 Record: 59-23

2. Memphis Grizzlies

Last season: 50-32 (3rd in the Southwest Division, 7th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Game 7 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Key Additions:

Jordan Adams – Draft (No. 22 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Vince Carter – Free agent signing
Jarnell Stokes – Draft (No. 35 in the 2014 NBA Draft)

Key Departures:

Jamaal Franklin – Waived
Ed Davis – Signed with the Los Angeles Lakers
Mike Miller – Signed with the Chicago Bulls
James Johnson – Signed with the Toronto Raptors

Season Preview – The Grizzlies have slowly put together a balanced team that doesn’t entirely depend on the post play of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The additions of Jordan Adams and Vince Carter, and the return of Quincy Pondexter from injury should help spread the floor for the big man duo to operate a little easier in the interior. Mike Conley remains one of the more underrated floor generals in the league and Tony Allen is still a premier defensive menace, as we saw in last season’s playoff series against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Grizzlies make it to the Western Conference Finals

Projected 2014-15 Record: 54-28

3. Dallas Mavericks

Last season: 49-33 (4th in the Southwest Division, 8th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Game 7 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs

Key Additions:

Al Farouq Aminu – Signed free agent
Tyson Chandler – Obtained in a trade with the New York Knicks
Raymond Felton – Obtained in a trade with the New York Knicks
Richard Jefferson – Signed free agent
Ivan Johnson – Signed free agent
Jameer Nelson – Signed free agent
Chandler Parsons – Signed free agent
Greg Smith – Obtained in a trade with the Chicago Bulls

Key Departures:

Jose Calderon – Traded to the New York Knicks
Shane Larkin – Traded to the New York Knicks
Shawn Marion – Signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Samuel Dalembert – Traded to the New York Knicks
Vince Carter – Signed with the Memphis Grizzlies
DeJuan Blair – Sign and traded to the Washington Wizards

Season Preview – Other than the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Mavericks probably had the most player movement of any team in the leauge. The team that took the eventual champs to 7 games in the first round, got their defensive stopper in the lane (Chandler), and got an up-and-coming star in Chandler Parsons. The Mavs should be a little better balanced defensively, but that all depends on the health of Chandler. If he misses a big chunk of the season (15-20+ games), the Mavericks could be in trouble defensively. The point guard position is also a question mark, as each of the three possibilities (Felton, Nelson, and Devin Harris) have been starters in the past, but also have glaring weaknesses.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Mavs make it to the Western Conference Finals

Projected 2014-15 Record: 53-29

4. Houston Rockets

Last season: 54-28 (2nd in the Southwest Division, 4th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Portland Trailblazers

Key Additions:

Jeff Adrien – Free agent signing
Trevor Ariza – Free agent signing
Clint Capela – Draft (No. 25 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Jason Terry – Obtained in a trade with the Sacramento Kings
Joey Dorsey – Free agent signing
Ish Smith – Free agent signing

Key Departures:

Jeremy Lin – Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers
Omer Asik – Traded to the New Orleans Pelicans
Chandler Parsons – Signed with the Dallas Mavericks
Jordan Hamilton – Signed with the Toronto Raptors

Season Preview – After striking gold in the last two offseasons, Rockets GM Daryl Morey hit a rough patch this offseason. He traded away 2 of this team’s top 5 players (Asik and Lin) for basically nothing, and failed to resign Parsons, even though the Rockets held his Bird Rights. The reasons they made these moves was an “all in” attempt at either Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh. By the time those two players had re-signed with their respective teams, the damage had already been done to the Rockets’ roster. The Rockets salvaged a little life this offseason by signing Trevor Ariza. The Rockets will still win games due to the talent of James Harden and Dwight Howard. But depth will be an issue, and any injury to any of the major players on the Rockets will be a huge blow to the team’s playoff chances.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Rockets make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs

Projected 2014-15 Record: 47-35

5. New Orleans Pelicans

Last season: 34-48 (5th in the Southwest Division, 12th in the Western Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

Omer Asik – Obtained in a trade with the Houston Rockets
Jimmer Fredette – Free agent signing
John Salmons – Free agent signing
Russ Smith – Draft (No. 47 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Patric Young – Rookie free agent signing (Undrafted)

Key Departures:

Al-Farouq Aminu – Signed with the Dallas Mavericks
Greg Stiemsma – Signed with the Toronto Raptors
Jason Smith – Signed with the New York Knicks
Anthony Morrow – Signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder
Brian Roberts – Signed with the Charlotte Hornets

Season Preview – After a great showing in the FIBA World Cup, Anthony Davis is ready to finally take his team to another level. The acquisition of Asik will allow Davis to play his natural position of power forward. On the outside, Ryan Anderson returns from neck surgery and should help space the floor for Davis and Jrue Holiday to operate. The depth of this team is worrisome, and if the injury bug hits again, they could once again struggle to stay above water.

2014-15 will be succesful if: The Pelican make the playoffs

Projected 2014-15 Record: 42-40

Thunder Offseason: Trade Partners and Draft Night

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Alex Roig

The Oklahoma City hold two first round picks in this year’s draft. Their own (No. 29) and Dallas’ first rounder (No. 21) obtained from Houston in the James Harden trade. In a daft and offseason that will be filled with intrigue heading into July 1st, assets are a powerful thing to be in possession of heading into the draft. The Thunder are on the cusp of becoming a championship team, having been in 3 of the last 4 Western Conference Finals and being on the losing end of the 2012 NBA Finals. With most of the core pieces in place, the Thunder may use these assets to get that final piece or two to finally get over the edge.

Assets

Other than the two first round picks in a pretty loaded draft, the Thunder also have the $6.6 million dollar Traded Player Exception (TPE) they obtained from the Kevin Martin sign and trade last season. The TPE can be used to trade for a player without having to add any players in order to make the salaries match. For example, Gerald Henderson of the Charlotte Hornets makes $6 million dollars in salary. If the Thunder wanted to trade for him, they could offer the Hornets their TPE for $6.1 million dollars and a draft pick or the draft rights to one of their Euro-stashes.

In addition to the TPE, the Thunder have 2 players in the final year of their contracts. Kendrick Perkins will be making $9.4 million dollars and Nick Collison will be making $2.2 million dollars next season. In addition, if the Thunder pick up Hasheem Thabeet’s final year, he’ll be making $1.25 million. In the NBA, expiring contracts become valuable because the receiving team can trade away a player (or players) of equal cost, but usually with more time left on their contracts. For example, let’s hypothetically say the Spurs were needing to trade Tiago Splitter to make space for Kawhi Leonard’s upcoming extension. Next season Splitter will be making $9.25 million, but has 2 more years left on his contract after that. The Spurs could hypothetically trade Splitter to the Thunder for Perkins and his expiring contract.

Also, the Thunder have a slew of young players all making under $3 million dollars a season (Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, Andre Roberson, and Grant Jerrett) and two valuable Euro-stashes in Tibor Pleiss and Alex Abrines. The inclusion of these players in a deal are usually the things that either make or break a deal.

Targets

With Thabo Sefolosha going into free agency and some of the depth of the team either not coming back (Derek Fisher and Caron Butler) or getting older (Collison), the Thunder will probably be in the market for a starting 2-guard and some veteran depth for the bench. So what are some possible targets for the Thunder?

Mike Dunleavy

With Chicago wanting to try their hand in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, the Bulls will have to rid themselves of some salary before even attempting to offer Anthony anything close to a max contract. The Thunder obtained some assets from Miami when they were making their run at LeBron James (and Chris Bosh) in 2010. In that draft, they obtained SG Daequan Cook from Miami and the No. 18 pick for the No. 32 pick. The Bulls will shed some salary by releasing Carlos Boozer via the amnesty clause. But the Bulls will probably need a little more salary shed before they can offer Anthony a max (or very near max) deal. While Dunleavy is a weapon as a 3-point specialist, they probably won’t want to get rid of any of their young (cheap) wings such as Jimmy Butler and Tony Snell. In addition, rumors that Bulls’ Eurostash Nikola Mirotic is ready to join the Bulls may necessitate that the dump even more salary.

The Thunder could target Dunleavy with the TPE, and then try to obtain one of the Bulls’ two first round picks (16 and 19) for the Thunder’s 29th pick. That way, the Bulls shed salary, but still have an asset that allows them to obtain a player in the future, in the form of the TPE. Also, the Bulls trade one of their 1st rounders, but stay in the first round with pick No. 29, albeit at a cheaper price.

Iman Shumpert

At the trade deadline this past season, there were rumors that the Knicks and Thunder were discussing a trade centered around Iman Shumpert and the Thunder’s first round pick. At the time, it was not known whether the Thunder would have a 2nd first round pick. With the season over and the Knicks under new management, it could be a good time to revisit those talks. Depending on how Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher view Shumpert could determine whether he is available during the draft.

Arron Afflalo

Probably the most difficult of the trades to do. Difficult, because Afflalo makes $7.6 million, which is too much to fit under the TPE. Unfortunately, the TPE is an all or nothing deal. Either you are able to obtain the player using the TPE or you’re not. TPE’s cannot be used in conjunction with something else in the same transaction. At $7.6 million, the Thunder would have to trade a player or two along with assets such as draft picks or Euro-stashes. So then the question becomes: Do the Thunder view Afflalo as the final piece of the puzzle?

If you follow the history of the Thunder, you know that they trust in their system and their developmental program. Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones will be entering into their 3rd year (or as its called in Thunder lore “The Year”) and Steven Adams will have an another offseason’s worth of training under his belt. So, no, I don’t think they will trade for Afflalo. Players like Shumpert and Dunleavy will take less assets to obtain, so I can definitely see the team going after someone like that.

In an offseason that may feature LeBron, Carmelo, and Bosh as free agents, Kevin Love as a moving target, and a vaunted draft class, you can expect to see plenty of moving parts around the league. With assets in hand, the Thunder may throw their hat into the fray to see what they can come out of it with.

3 Thoughts about Serge Ibaka’s Return

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Alex Roig

On Friday, the Thunder released a statement stating power forward Serge Ibaka had progressed enough in his recovery from a strained calf to be upgraded from OUT to DTD (day to day). With the Thunder being down 0-2 in the Western Conference, is this the boost they severely need to get back in the series? Here are three thoughts on what could happen with Ibaka’s return:

1. The Willis Reed Effect

I know. This isn’t Game 7 of the NBA Finals in Madison Square Garden. During those days, most fans didn’t know who the starting line-up of a team would be until they started warming up. With the 24/7 sports news cycle that we have nowadays, there was no way that Ibaka was going to surprise the masses by walking into the arena right after the national anthem while ripping off his warm-ups to reveal his uniform and a heavily tape calf muscle. (Side bar: That would have been EPIC, though.)

It isn’t the same….but it almost feels like it. We’ve already been on the brink of elimination this season. Games 6 and 7 of the Memphis series and Game 5 of the Clippers series. All games that we needed to win, and did. This feels like that type of game. Throwing all the “nobody has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the history of the NBA” talk out the window, this is the make it or break game. Either we win tonight and make a series out of it or we go down like a sinking ship.

The emotional boost Ibaka’s return could provide may prove to be the spark the team has needed since the series began. Without their defensive anchor in the middle, the Thunder have looked lost on both ends of the floor. Their spacing on the offensive end has been Charles Barkley turrible, and their paint defense (and subsequent perimeter defense) has seen better days. Even if Ibaka doesn’t provide you with much, the fact that he is there may be enough to see the Thunder through this game.

Remember, for all the hoopla surrounding Reed’s return in Game 7, he only went on to score 4 points in the game. But the defense he played on Wilt Chamberlain in his 27 minutes in the game, proved to be the deciding factor in the Knicks winning their first championship.

The Great Unknown for the Spurs

For a team as organized as the Spurs, uncertainty can throw them for a loop. You can be sure that Gregg Popovich has devised at least 3 different game plans: one for the Thunder without Ibaka, one for the Thunder with a hobbled Ibaka, and one for the Thunder with a healthy Ibaka. The first few minutes of Game 3 will be telling for the Spurs. Do they put Ibaka through a spin cycle of pick and rolls? Do they drive right on him to test that calf?

This can work in the Thunder’s favor though. If the curiosity over Ibaka’s health gets the Spurs to deviate from their game plan even one bit, then the Thunder could have a marked advantage. This is the Thunder’s one trump card. Once the Spurs have film on how the Thunder plan to use Ibaka, the surprise factor of Ibaka’s return goes out the window. That’s a big reason why Game 3 is so important to the Thunder.

What will Ibaka give the Thunder?

The great variable. What will Ibaka actually give the Thunder? He could give the Thunder 20 extremely valuable minutes or he could give them 6 “why the hell is he out there” minutes. The possibilities could literally run the gamut.

One thing for certain is that Ibaka would not be out there if he had not received the go ahead from the team doctors. The Thunder organization is very meticulous about not putting their players at risk of further injury, regardless of what is at stake. If there was any concern about compounded injury to Ibaka, he would have been held out. Is there a risk of reinjury? Of course. Kendrick Perkins played with an oft-injured groin in the 2012 playoffs, and had to sit out the 2nd half of at least 2 games in that playoff run that went all the way into the Finals. Calf muscles, much like the groin, are heavily used in basketball and the risk of reinjury is there.

But I think Ibaka’s return will have more of a psychological impact on the team. No team in the NBA is more dependent on their core players than the Thunder. So even if Ibaka is not at 75%, just having him out there may ease some of the stress that the Thunder seem to be playing with. And if that is the case, then his return will have been a rousing success.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Fenerbahce Ulker Preview

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Alex Roig

When: Saturday, 05 October 2013 at 8:00 AM CST
Where: Fenerbahce Ulker Sport Arena, Istanbul, Turkey

The time has finally arrived. After getting spoiled with 2 trips to the Western Conference Finals and 1 trip to the NBA Finals, last season’s second round exit made the offseason seems exponentially longer. But thankfully, the basketball gods listened to one of our prayers and gave us the first preseason game of the season (at 8:00 am CST, to boot).

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be playing Fenerbahce Ulker, one of the premier teams in Turkey. Its kind of cool when you think that Oklahoma City didn’t have a team 6 years ago and now, they are opening up the league’s preseason schedule in Turkey as one of their premier teams. The Thunder have a lot of work to do with Russell Westbrook being out for at least the first month of the season. They have to incorporate a couple new players and have to implement a couple young players into the rotation. Work aside though, I hope they take this experience (on the road, together) and build a ton of chemistry that will last them throughout the season.

Regarding FB Ulker, there’s nothing much I can tell you about the team. Their point guard, Bo McCalebb (pictured above) is not Turkish. He’s from New Orleans. Their starting small forward is Linas Kleiza, who was a pretty good player when he was in the league with the Denver Nuggets and the Toronto Raptors. He was usually used as a spark off the bench and could quickly catch fire from the outside. Ulker has a couple players that have been drafted by NBA teams, but they have yet to play a game in the league. Izzet Turkyilmaz was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the 2^nd round of the 2012 draft and Bojan Bogdanovic was drafted by the Miami Heat in the 2^nd round of the 2011 draft. Continue reading →