Changing of The Guard

[dfsJunkie]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

So close! Can't really fault anyone on the Thunder for the loss, there were great performances by a lot of guys. Maybe Gallo and Adams could have been better, but I think that's nitpicking.

Hard to say we could have done anything better, but I look back at the first quarter. They were rolling, almost dropped 40 and went up 11. We buckled down in the second and third, but unfortunately they caught fire again in the fourth and were able to pull ahead. It was a fun game, but they were the better team and have more talent than us, so it was just cool to stay competitive with them. If the game was in Utah, they would have scorched us probably.

Quote: Originally Posted by seaboh

Getting it tough to close games out. Know the feeling. Stick with it man.

Thanks seabed. We're getting better at least. Finally learning how to play with these guys, which makes it more competitive and much more fun. I love the team we have, just need a few upgrades at forward for more depth I think. We go long stretches where we have guys like Nader, Diallo, Dort, Ferguson, Muscala, and/or Bazley on the floor and can't hit any jump shots. I don't know what we would do if Schroder wasn't coming off the bench and providing some offense.

[dfsJunkie]

OKC Team Update
Paul bringing leadership role to new heights

When the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Chris Paul this past offseason, many thought that this would just be a quick stopgap for the veteran point guard. The Thunder are in a rebuilding situation after trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook, and this kind of situation doesn’t fit an aging guard whose main focus at this point in his career is to win.

Nevertheless, Paul has remained a consummate professional over his stint in Oklahoma City so far. He has particularly taken budding star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rookie forward Darius Bazley under his wing.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan understands the challenges that CP3 has been faced with, and he appreciates Paul choosing to work with the team's younger guys.

"I give him a lot of credit, because I think it's very easy to be 34 years old and 14-15 years in the league and just say 'I don't have time for this, I've got to get myself ready. I don't have time to deal with these younger guys,'" Donovan said of Paul. "He's made an incredible investment into Shai. He's made an incredible investment into [Darius] Bazley, [Abdel] Nader. All those guys, he's constantly, I think, giving them his wisdom, his experiences. And I really appreciate him doing that because I think that can be really, really helpful for a lot of these guys. To have a combination of so many young players, and then to have a veteran like him, he's done a really, really great job with that."

[RolePlayer]

Tough start, hopefully, the front office gives the team time to gel before making any drastic moves.

[dfsJunkie]

Quote: Originally Posted by RolePlayer

Tough start, hopefully, the front office gives the team time to gel before making any drastic moves.

Yeah definitely tough. I'm liking the roster a lot and don't envision any drastic moves happening anytime soon, but hey, you never know. I just need better talent and depth at the forward spots outside of Gallo. Thanks for checking in!

[dfsJunkie]

The Post Up Basketball Column
Around the Association: October/November Recap
by dfsJunkie
Posted on December 1, 2019, 8:09 AM ET

Around the Association column recaps the league's biggest news and headlines for the past month to get you all caught up with what's going on in the NBA. It's everything you need to know summarized into this one column... Curious about anything? Ask away in the comments!

The first month of NBA basketball is in the books! ...Well, technically the first two months, but October doesn't really count because there's only a couple games played league wide. With the inaugural 29-game season in full swing, we're seeing less wear and tear on players, meaning the basketball is even better than normal because everyone is staying fresh...



EARLY FAVORITES
The Los Angeles Lakers (7-0) are off to a perfect start to begin the 2019-20 season and sit at the top of the first month's Power Rankings report. LeBron James looks rejuvenated, and the addition of Anthony Davis has not hindered the team's chemistry in the slightest. Right now the Lakers are the team to beat.

The Lakers are off to a perfect start to begin the LeBron and Anthony Davis era.

The Philadelphia 76ers (6-1) sit in the #2 spot and atop of the east. Ben Simmons has taken his game another notch up, especially on the defensive end, and Joel Embiid is staying healthy. This team has championship aspirations if all holds up.

Sliding in below the Sixers in the third spot is the Toronto Raptors (5-1). The defending champs are off to a hot start behind the efforts of Pascal Siakam and veteran leaders Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol. They have the respect of the league despite losing their star player in Kawhi Leonard, but it's unsure how they will fare in a meaningful game without him.

Speaking of Kawhi, the Los Angeles Clippers (3-1) suffered a fatal blow by losing the 2019 Finals MVP to an MCL injury this month. He's expected to make his return in a couple months -- though they still have superstar Paul George at their disposal, so if they can keep it together in Leonard's absence, the Clippers will be a legitimate contender in June.

Rounding out the top five is a huge sleeper in the Orlando Magic (7-0). This is likely fool's gold that we can just chalk up to a hot start, but we have to give them their props while it lasts. An undefeated start almost quarter-way through their schedule is nothing to scoff at, as they have put themselves in prime position to land a playoff spot. With just 22 games left, they need just eight wins to clinch a winning record -- usually more than good enough for a bottom seed in the east.

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
This month's honors were taken down by Los Angeles Lakers point forward LeBron James in the West, and for the East was Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

KEY TRANSACTIONS
Note: Only trades and signings of key players will be listed in the transaction report. Call-ups and send-downs will not be included here.

MIN signs DeMarcus Cousins, C - 1yr/$5.38M
GSW signs Nikola Mirotic, F - 1yr/$5.38M

INJURY REPORT
Note: Only major injuries and key players will be listed in the injury report. The expected length of injury duration is listed, but is only an estimation.

BKN, Kevin Durant, F - Season (Achilles)
WAS, John Wall, G - Season (Achilles)
GSW, Klay Thompson, G - Season (Knee)
MIN, DeMarcus Cousins, C - Season (Knee)
POR, Jusuf Nurkic, C - Season (Leg)
OKC, Andre Roberson, G/F - Season (Knee)

LAC, Kawhi Leonard, F - 1-2 Months (Leg)
GSW, Andrew Wiggins, F - 6-8 Weeks (Leg)
ORL, James Ennis, F - 4-6 Weeks (Hand)


Questions and comments are much appreciated!

[dfsJunkie]

Game Recap - December 12, 2019
Chesapeake Energy Arena - Oklahoma City, OK
Boston Celtics at Oklahoma City Thunder

Tatum’s late game heroics helps shut the door as Oklahoma City fails to answer back, Celtics top Thunder 98-95

(6-3) (1-6)

BOS - 19 27 30 22 - 98
OKC - 20 31 26 18 - 95

Boston Celtics Key Performers:
J. Tatum: 24 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 11-19 FG
G. Hayward: 20 pts, 10 reb, 6-18 FG, 6-8 FT
K. Walker: 14 pts, 4 ast, 6-23 FG, 2-13 3PT
J. Brown: 12 pts, 8 reb, 4-14 FG, 3-5 FT
D. Theis: 0 pts, 16 reb, 5 ast, 4 blk, 0-3 FG
FG: 39%, 3PT: 10-34 (29%), FT: 10-20 (50%), REB: 67, TO: 7

Starters: K. Walker, J. Brown, J. Tatum, G. Hayward, D. Theis
Key Inactives: None

Oklahoma City Thunder Key Performers:
D. Schroder: 31 pts, 3 ast, 12-23 FG, 3-3 3PT, 4-4 FT
D. Gallinari: 18 pts, 6 reb, 8-19 FG, 2-8 3PT
S. Gilgeous-Alexander: 17 pts, 8 reb, 7-20 FG, 2-6 3PT
C. Paul: 10 pts, 6 reb, 11 ast, 4-17 FG
S. Adams: 4 pts, 13 reb, 2 blk, 2-5 FG
FG: 37%, 3PT: 11-26 (42%), FT: 8-9 (89%), REB: 70, TO: 11

Starters: C. Paul, S. Gilgeous-Alexander, L. Dort (R), D. Gallinari, S. Adams
Key Inactives: Andre Roberson (knee)

Coach's Corner:
"If it wasn't for Dennis [Schroder] giving us a lift off the bench, that game would have been over in the second quarter. Our guys really struggled to get buckets, especially in the fourth. I don't think we scored after Tatum hit that go-ahead jumper with a minute or two left to go. We had the game in the palm of our hand, somehow, and we managed to let it slip away. I'm proud of the first 46 minutes our guys played, but we could have -- should have -- pulled that one out."

Billy Donovan, Thunder Coach

Next Up:

(8-2)

[trekfan]

Whooooo, Tatum got the Gallo (who seemed to have an off-shooting night from deep). Tough loss, but again so darn close ... just Paul and Adams were not good this game and you can't have that from two of your best starters. I like what they did with Paul's assists and Adams boards, but those shot percentages are rough.

[dfsJunkie]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

Whooooo, Tatum got the Gallo (who seemed to have an off-shooting night from deep). Tough loss, but again so darn close ... just Paul and Adams were not good this game and you can't have that from two of your best starters. I like what they did with Paul's assists and Adams boards, but those shot percentages are rough.

Yeah Tatum came on strong in the second half and just took over the game. We (once again) couldn't get anything to fall. Just when I think CP3 is going to step up, he comes up short. He's tricky to shoot with for some reason. Definitely struggling to knock down shots.