Five (sort of) realistic goals for the rest of the season

What's something I've said about 200 times over the last month that you already know, but that's not going to stop me from saying it again? Anyone? The Thunder are getting better. The December 31 107-100 win over Golden State gave the team confidence. Last week's 122-120 heartbreaker either shattered that confidence or built it even more, telling the young team they can compete with anybody.

So as this season wears on, what are five NEW goals for the Thunder? Being 4-30, it's not crazy to say the team likely won't be able to meet the goals they set before the season started. I remember a Sporting News reporter asking Kevin Durant about the playoffs. That really funny now in a that's-not-so-funny-kind-of-way. But what can OKC set out to do the rest of the way? There's 48 games left. Since there's not a whole lot to play for other than to lose more and secure the most ping-pong balls, some new goals need to be set. Here's five suggestions:

1. Win six games in a month.
Is this possible? More than you think. It seems in the past few months any time something seemingly impossible comes up, my first (and typically only rebuttal) is, "Hey, you know the Tampa Bay Rays did go to the World Series." So.... you know the Tampa Bay Rays did go to the World Series. There's 14 games in January, 12 in February, 15 in March and eight in April. This month gives a few good opportunities with home games against the Knicks, New Jersey and Memphis, but in order to get it done, OKC would have to win road games at Minnesota, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Golden State. Granted, there's other opportunities in there -- but while the Thunder will surely surprise some contenders, we can't think they'll do it six times. The best month to do it? March. Not only is there 15 games (more chances) but OKC will have home games against Dallas, Washington, Philly and Chicago and winnable roadies at Sacramento, Minnesota and Toronto. Plus, throw electric home game atmospheres against the Lakers and San Antonio and there's good reason to think that may be possible.

2. Win three in a row.
The chance to check this one off may have come and gone. The win against the Warriors, then the shocker against Denver followed with tomorrow night's winnable game at home against the Knicks was probably the best opportunity OKC had. Because other than that, any two games against a below average, beatable opponents is linked with a game against a contender. And most of the Thunder's games against beatable opponents are on the road -- for instance, I'd love to go with a three game stint against Golden State, the Clippers and New Jersey, but two of those are on the road. There's really no three game home stand that has three winnable games, so the Thunder's going to have to win one on the road. My pick to do it: the last week of January. Two home games against New Jersey and Memphis and a road game in Utah. Obviously, winning in Utah will be near impossible but there's good chance the Jazz could come out asleep. They'll be coming off a game two night's earlier against San Antonio and then will have to immediately travel to Portland the next night for a big game against a fellow contender. I also liked the last week of March with home games against Washington and Dallas and a roadie at NOLA, but by that time Gilbert Arenas should be back and Dallas may be fighting for the playoffs.

3. Win every two of five at home and one of five on the road.
That would put OKC's record at 8-14 in Loud City and at 5-21 away from the Ford. Overall, the Thunder would be finishing with a 17-65 record overall, but with a 13-35 record in the final 48. Not bad considering the team has started 4-30.

4. Shock at least two title contenders.
The best nights to do it: Tuesday, February 24th at home against the Lakers and Tuesday, April 7th at home against the Spurs. The Lakers because that's the first time Kobe and the Lake show come to the Ford Center and the place with be crazy and that games against the Spurs because it's game three of a three game road stint with games at Indiana and Cleveland. Maybe San Antonio comes in flatter than the last fourth of a Diet Dr. Pepper.

5. Most importantly: Finish with more than nine wins.
It's simple. Don't finish with five, six, seven, eight or even nine wins total. Finish with MORE than that. You have to. You finish with 10 and people will dog you for a while, but no one will remember you. Finish with nine or fewer and you're part of history. But the kind of history that no one likes to remember. You know, the Spanish Inquisition, William Howard Taft's presidency, the 2008 Detroit Lions. You don't want to be in that side of the history book. Win 10. As Chauncey Billups said, this team isn't a 4-30 team. But they still need to get it done on the floor. I'm going to start printing shirts. Win 10.

If this doesn't convince you to vote for Russell Westbrook, then nothing can

Forget all his amazing dunks and unreal display of athletic ability.



Voting for the last person ends January 14th. Go vote for Russell. He'll blow your mind with what he can do.

Thunderworld commenting guidelines

And now for the post you've all been eagerly awaiting: comment guidelines.

The whole goal of the blog is to have smart, clean and thoughtful discussion about Oklahoma City Thunder basketball. For some of you, I realize that is impossible. You've made it your goal in life to stop by, say something horribly inappropriate, click "submit" and be strangely proud of yourself. From now on, your comments must adhere to the following guidelines -- and that goes for Oklahoma City folks, Seattle people or anyone else for that matter. Every single other team centric blog has a comment policy and it's high time for this one to join the fold.

1. No profanity. If you wouldn't say it in front of your grandmother, don't say it here. If you have any question about a specific word, don't write it. It's probably bad. Also no pseudo-swears -- using symbols (#$&%) or putting an asterisk (*) in the middle of the word aren't acceptable. I don't care how much cursing is part of your everyday life. If you want to comment, you won't do it. This should be a place all ages can enjoy. I'm not going to list all the offensive words that aren't acceptable, so use your judgment. If you didn't hear it in Toy Story, it's not going to fly.

2. Like every other conversation site on the planet there will be no obviously offensive comments based on race, orientation, religion and anything else in that realm. (For the most part) this blog is about basketball, so check your politics at the door. And your hate.

3. As Dave from Blazer's Edge says, don't be THAT GUY. Write in complete sentences. Maybe proof your comment once. Don't use unfair and confrontational tones. I realize we all have opinions on lots of things, but as long as you're being fair and not arrogant or abusive, everything is good. If you think you're the authority on everything, start your own blog and write your obviously correct opinions there.

4. Absolutely no personal attacks on other commenters or writers. If someone misspelled something or forgot a comma, don't go grammar police and point out everything and disregard anything they said based on that fact alone. We're all our own editors. People make mistakes. If somebody thinks Earl Watson should be an All-Star, don't call them a moron -- call them a moron and explain WHY. Not really, just disagree, make your point and move on. Instead of saying, "You idiot, Earl Watson could never be an All-Star," say instead, "Earl Watson could never be an All-Star." It's actually pretty simple to be nice.

5. We're writing and talking about a GAME that grown men play in shorts and tanktops, not things that are actually really, really important. Remember that.

If you can't follow these simple guidelines that every other team blog has established, then find another one that allows it. If you want to cuss OKC, talk about our dust and tepees or make fun of our intelligence then check out Bend It Like Bennett or start your own message board. If you want to argue with former Sonics' fans and instigate and rile them up, then follow them wherever they go from here. This place is supposed to be about Thunder basketball. It's meant to be a place to encourage lively discussion about OKC basketball and a place to read somebody's thoughts on the team. We're all here to have fun. Try to -- in the cleanest way possible. Please don't make me waste my life screening every single comment. We're all adults. Let's all try and act like it.

Thanks for reading and if there are any questions or concerns about the guidelines, feel free to email and ask. Oh, and the policy goes into effect... right... NOW.

First, we were like "YEAH!!!" but then we were like "NOOO!!!"

Adfsdfgfsgfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff (finally picks head off keyboard).

Dang. That really, really, really sucks. Big time. Kevin Durant hits an incredible shot -- an INCREDIBLE shot -- to put Oklahoma City up one with 2.7 to play. The Thunder actually may beat one of the best teams in the West. The Ford Center is ballistic. But Carmelo Anthony did what he's paid to do. And in the end the Nuggets did what we all thought they would do.

Not to be lost in the killer, heart-wrenching, wooden spoon to the nards, 122-120 defeat is how well OKC played. Not only did the Thunder push out to a 14-point cushion at one point, but after Denver did what we all knew they would do -- comeback -- the Thunder weathered the storm (pun intended) and stayed in the game. They got the stop they HAD TO HAVE and KD knocked down the shot. Durant had 33 points, nine boards, five assists, was 10-21 from the floor and 4-5 from three. Jeff Green played a perfect sidekick, chipping in 18. Russell Westbrook was effective, scoring 14 and dishing five assists. Desmond Mason and Damien Wilkins both finally played a little offense. And what the heck has gotten into Earl Watson? Are you actually trying to get me to like you?

I just hope the team can get over it. I hope they realize that they proved themselves in a big way tonight. Coming off a win, they played awesome for 48 full minutes, taking one of the best teams in the league to the edge. It will be tough for them to refocus and get back at it when they were so, so close to the biggest win of the year.

It's a weird thing to watch one team that's clearly over-matched battle a far more talented team to the limit. Anthony had 31, Chauncey Billups 24 and Nene 27. Every possession late, it just seemed it would take a miracle from the Thunder to stop the Nuggs.

Honestly, other than the obvious poor defense, there's nothing really to complain about. It sure would have been sweet to pick up win No. 5 and for it to be over a great team, but OKC played about as good as it could. The Thunder shot 58 percent from the floor. They hit free throws. They rebounded (relatively) well. They didn't turn it over an absurd amount. They just got beat by a better team.

There were some lost possessions late in the game where Jeff Green airmailed a pass into the eight row and Chris Wilcox inexplicably threw it away. Those would be nice to have back. But dang, I feel for the team. They wanted this one. They played so hard and so well. To come up empty-handed has to hurt. But this happens in the NBA. Happens a lot in fact. It just has to be forgotten as OKC prepares for a Tuesday night run against the Knicks. I think it's pretty clear right now: You better not come into the Ford Center and expect to roll the ball out, jog up and down the court and walk out with a win. It's just not happening anymore. This team will play you. And if you're not ready and focused, they'll beat you. I really feel that the Thunder could win every two out of five the rest of the way. Mentally, you can see they believe they can win. I think they're finally getting over the "Here we go again" mentality.

OKC tries to shake this one off against New York Tuesday night at the Ford Center. Good game Thunder. Nothing to hang your heads about.

Nuggets vs. Thunder: Pre-game view

vs.

Denver Nuggets (21-12) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (FOUR-29)
Friday, January 2
Ford Center
Oklahoma City, OK
7:00 CST

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

View from the other side: Roundball Mining Company

For just the fourth time this year, Oklahoma City will have a chance at a winning streak. And while it's a small chance as OKC takes on one of the West's best, it may actually be a better one than the previous three times.

What? Why? Am I crazy? Hello? Because against Golden State, the Thunder just looked different. For once, the veterans that were supposed to do something, did. Chris Wilcox had a huge game. Earl Watson was productive. Then Jeff Green and Kevin Durant made the tag-team combo they finally were supposed to. OKC executed and played like the team we expected to see all season. A team that was surely going to have its lapses and play some bad basketball in stretches, but would always be in the game and win a few here and there.

It's not like anyone is predicting a win tonight. It's just that after Wednesday's win, I think the mood and feel of the team is finally turning over. We're starting to get to the point where you could see OKC shocking anyone -- especially at home. The Thunder played the Cavs tight. They took Detroit to the wire on the road. I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that the Nuggets will walk over OKC. Now, let's not get this confused. I'm not saying OKC WILL win. I'm just saying it's no longer crazy to say the COULD.

And a win over Denver would be nice. In the Thunder four wins, the teams are a combined 38-91. The closest to .500 out of OKC's four victims is Memphis, who is 12 games under the line. But while a win isn't out of the question, the real goal is to continue to play sound basketball and just hand tough. This isn't like the game against the Warriors where hanging tough isn't enough -- this is the class of the West. Beating them is tough, for anyone.

I'm excited to see if Jeff Green can carry over and play another really productive game. Ever since the text messaging from Scott Brooks, he's averaging near nine boards a game. Kevin Durant is rebounding much better and is still scoring well. The difficult part for KD tonight will be holding Carmelo Anthony in check. But I hope to see Durant attack the rim like he did against Golden State and let the free jumpers just come to him.

The key is getting production from more than two spots and if that happens, OKC will be in the game late on the fourth. And when you're at home and you're close, anything can happen. Especially when you play the totally awesome Hoosiers slow-clap video like they have been the last few home games late in the fourth. I freaking love that.

Looking back at Russell Westbrook's December

I don't think there's any question that Russell Westbrook is playing much, much better and his selection at No. 4 in last year's draft is beginning to look pretty darn solid. He's skyrocketing up every rookie watch column and is actually catching a little steam in the Rookie of the Year talk.

I wrote about a month ago about the potential impact he could have on the team. I made the assertion that if he could develop a semi-consistent jump shot and make better decisions in traffic with the ball, he could one day be All-Star material. I took a little heat from one basketball genius, David Berri, about it but I still felt I was right. Russell Westbrook has the ability to be a great basketball player. We all needed to remember he's a 20-year-old rookie playing a new position. He has a lot to learn but with a little work, he could get there.

And guess what -- he's come a long way just in that time.

Since I wrote that column December 1st, Westbrook has taken over the starting spot and has played at an extremely high level.

Since December 1:
- Averaging 15.5 points per game (up from 12.2)
- Averaging 5.1 assists per game (up from 4.1)
- Averaging 5.1 rebounds per game (up from 3.3)
- His field goal percentage has gone from 34.5 percent in November to 46.2 in December (now shooting 40 percent on the year). He's shoot 40 percent from three in December, up from 24 percent in November.
- He is averaging 1.5 more turnovers per game (4.0), but his minutes are also way up (from 27.2 to 33.1) and he's also playing pretty much full-time point guard.
- He's had two career nights, scoring 30 in Miami and then topping that with 31 against Phoenix. He's shown the defensive skills he was drafted for and his decision making is getting better and better.

Look at the player Westbrook is most often compared to in that same span. Rajon Rondo averaged 13.2 ppg, 8.3 apg, 5.9 rpg, shot 53.8 percent from the field averaged three turns per game in December. And that was a career month. Plus, Rondo has the advantage of passing to three future Hall of Famers, while Westbrook sets up Damien Wilkins and Robert Swift. The early consensus ROY, Derrick Rose put up 16.3 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.1 rpg, shot 46 percent from the floor and turned it over three times a game.

If Westbrook has shown that much improvement in just ONE MONTH, imagine what he could look like at the end of January, at the end of March... at the end of the season. Heck, imagine what he could look like after a solid off-season and at the start of next year.

Westbrook has come a long way in just a short amount of time. A lot of it has to do with the coaching change and Scott Brooks opening up his world, but more of it is just Russell's hard work and his insane ability.

I feel slightly vindicated. Now keep playing well Russell so I can keep feeling smart.

UPDATE: Russell was just named Rookie of the Month along with Derrick Rose.

A very nice way to bring in 2009

On a wild night in downtown Oklahoma City, with events going on all around Bricktown and beyond, the best show to be seen was in the Ford Center. Granted, I'm not really a Flaming Lips fan, but still. The Thunder really looked like a basketball team. A team that wasn't scrambling and searching for a way to just hang close. They looked like a team that knew what it was doing.

The offense executed in crucial situations. The defense stepped up and got stops when they needed it. They actually rebounded when they got said stop (45-35 advantage). They hit free throws (22-27). They played with intelligence and took care of the ball. It was really something.

Tonight's 107-100 win over Golden State makes Oklahoma City 4-29. There's been a lot of talk about the 1972-73 Sixers and the whole worst team ever thing. When that Philly team got its fourth win, it was 4-58. Hey, 4-29 ain't looking so bad.

Really three key moments stick out in tonight's win:

A. Jeff Green's buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter to make it 78-70 heading into the fourth with all the momentum in OKC's favor. That capped off a 27-15 quarter in favor of the Thunder in which they took control of the game. Green was unstoppable in the frame and his jumper carried much need mo into the fourth. With OKC up four with about a minute left in the third, I told my wife that the Thunder needed to be up eight to have a chance to win. And Green found my magic number. Then OKC kicked off the fourth with back-to-back buckets to take a 12 point advantage.

B. Russell Westbrook checking back in with 7:00 minutes to go. The Thunder had a nice lead, but it was being whittled away by the Warriors. Golden State was getting to the line and had a 12 point OKC lead down to three at 87-84. The defense was struggling, there was no intensity and it seemed everything was slipping away. But Westbrook checked back in, taking Damien Wilkins empty spot and immediately made a defensive impact grabbing a couple boards, deflecting some passes and picking up a steal. He got the offense moving again but more importantly, helped the defense regain itself.

C. Or the wildcard, when Dick Bavetta grabbed fellow ref Sean Wright and kissed him on the cheek when put on "Kiss Cam". Weird to everyone? Yes. Potentially rattling for the Warriors? Absolutely. But those type of things are expected when Bavetta is in play.

OKC dominated the paint, outscoring the Warriors 60-36 in the lane. A lot of that had to do with Chris Wilcox's biggest game of the year. In 36 minutes off the pine, Wilcox had 23 and nine and was solid defensively. His block on Marco Belinelli snuffed out a potential bucket and game changing play. Earl Watson finally played a nice game, scoring 11 and dishing six assists. (For the most part) he took smart shots and managed the offense well. Just eight players played, but other than the non-existent ghost that plays shooting guard, everybody was productive.

One troubling thing I've been noticing about Kevin Durant is his poor entry passes. He holds the ball too long, pumps it too much and throws it away too often. Against the Warriors, he turned it over four times and three of those were on terrible post entry passes. But other than that, he was really good. This was probably the best he's taken the ball to the rim this season. He handled the ball well, controlled it and got in the lane and finished. He was selective again on three pointers and took what was given to him. A Kevin Durant that uses tonight's repertoire along with his deadly smooth jumper could be a Kevin Durant that is a perennial All-Star and unstoppable scorer. And with Green playing well beside him, there's really something exciting brewing. The two combined for 51 points and if that can become a nightly trend, there's reason to be excited about the future.

Got to give it up to Oklahoma native Kelenna Azubuike though. He had 24 (23 in the second half) off the Warriors bench and hit back-to-back treys that tightened things up. I've always liked him.

Unlike the first game between these two squads, the Thunder wasn't playing from behind all night. The Warriors held the lead for most of the first half, but OKC was right there. There was incredible balance offensively with three Thunder players scoring over 20. As mentioned, Green was very awesome, Durant was excellent and Wilcox played his best game of the year. OKC was dominant on the glass and gave itself second chances with 14 offensive boards. The Thunder turned 20 Warrior giveaways into 24 points.

Two sequences can kind of sum up the effort of the two teams. On one possession early in the third, Stephen Jackson went to the rim and thought he was hacked. He sat on his butt at his own end with his elbows on his knees as OKC took off and had a full possession 5 on 4. The Thunder scored and Jackson finally got up. Late in the fourth, Wilcox didn't give up on a play after feeling he was fouled and streaked into the lane and tossed Belinelli's runner into Loud City. As Tom Ziller said, you can't accuse the Thunder of quitting. They played hard. They're trying to win. And maybe they're figuring out how.

The best part about tonight's win is that it wasn't against a team that was quitting. This was a team riding a two game winning streak with one of those against maybe the best team in the league. They were playing with confidence and most likely were focused to get a third straight win against the consensus worst team. But OKC stepped up. This game ended just a five game losing steak. That's an improvement from the previous two wins ending 14 and eight game losing streaks. So maybe next it will just be three in a row before a win. Then two. Then one. And then maybe a winning streak.

The Thunder will get an (unlikely) chance for two in a row Friday night against the very tough Nuggets. But after a good night like this, I think the page is turning a bit. Wins like this can help you to start shaking the "We're going to lose every game" feeling. OKC is no pushover. Winning is a long shot, but it's becoming a more realistic possibility on a night-to-night basis.

A nice way to kick off the Ron Adams/Nenad Krstic era. And an even nicer way to put 2008 in the books and head to 2009 (let's just ignore the fact that the team won only four times in 2008). Maybe this is a good sign for the team heading into the new year. New year, new coach, new player and a win to boot. Hopefully, this is a symbolic way to turn the page and make 2009 better than 2008.