OKC - 2011/12 - Thunder Three-peat

[Phil89]

6/2/10

Oklahoma City Thunder [35-9] vs Phoenix Suns [34-10]

Thunder produce brilliant second half to beat Suns



In their 10th straight road game Oklahoma City travelled to Phoenix to take on their closest Western conference rivals, the Suns.
Both teams came out in offensive frames of mind in the first. It was a free scoring shoot-out, which the Suns lead 31-30 after one.
However, the second quarter would be a much different affair. The Suns produced a strong defensive effort and lead 54-43 at the half.
It didn't look good for the Thunder as the Suns lead by 17 half way through the third quarter. So who stepped up? Kevin Durant.
He willed his team back into the contest. His skill and determination inspired his team mates. They rallied and got right back into the game.
With a massive effort from Durant, the Thunder actually turned a 17 point deficit into a 1 point lead with 47 seconds left in the third.
The Suns did manage to lead 76-75 with one to play, but it was game on and the Thunder were right back in the game.
For the first few minutes of the fourth the lead changed several times. But, with 4 minutes left the Thunder went on a 12-0 run.
It was the decisive break in the end. Although the Suns caught up late and Al Horford hit a buzzer beater from half court, Thunder won 105-103.
Kevin Durant had his 15th straight game with 25 or more points. For the Suns, Steve Nash had a stellar night. He finished with 33 points and 11 assists.

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant

OKC - 30 13 32 30 105
PHX - 31 23 22 27 103

Top Scorers
Steve Nash - 33
Kevin Durant - 32
Rudy Gay - 24
Jeff Green - 20

Assists
Steve Nash - 11
Jeff Green - 8

Rebounds
Amare Stoudemire - 14
Ben Wallace - 13
Jeff Green - 11
Kevin Durant - 10
Al Horford - 8

[|)e8*]

Great game. Nash 33 points who would've thought

[Bucket]

Nice win, but what happen is in the second quarter? You score only 13 points
What a game by Durant 32 points and 10 rebound. His guy want MVP.

[Phil89]

7/2/10

Thunder players selected for All-Star Weekend



Oklahoma City will be represented by 6 players during the All-Star Weekend in Dallas next week. 4 in the All-Star Game and 2 in the Rookie Challenge.
Ben Wallace and Kevin Durant will be in the starting 5, while Rudy Gay and Jeff Green will be on the bench for the Western All-Stars.
In addition to the selections for the main game, Russell Westbrook and BJ Mullens will face off in the Rookie Challenge.
The All-Star game is expected to be played in front of 100,000+ fans at Cowboys Stadium, setting a new attendance record.


The teams, subject to injuries, will be:
Western All-Stars | Eastern All-Stars
Ben Wallace - [C] - Dwight Howard
Dirk Nowitzki - [PF] - Kevin Garnett
Kevin Durant - [SF] - LeBron James
Brandon Roy - [SG] - Dwyane Wade
Steve Nash - [PG] - Mo Williams
Substitutes
Al Jefferson - [1] - Andrew Bogut
Pau Gasol - [2] - Chris Bosh
Rudy Gay - [3] - Danny Granger
Kevin Martin - [4] - Richard Hamilton
Deron Williams - [5] - Derrick Rose
Jeff Green - [6] - Allen Iverson
Tony Parker - [7] - Stephen Jackson

Some big names to miss out include: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming and Paul Pierce.

[Bucket]

Good news for me about Durant , but why James Harden isn't in the rookie roster?

[Azzdogs]

3 players in the all star game. Well done.

[Andrew]

Congrats on getting three All-Stars!

I definitely understand why you turned down those deals. Would've been nice to have Bogut but with the way Gay has been playing and the logjam in the middle/lack of depth in the backcourt it would've caused, it's just not worth it. Artest might have been a more feasible move but probably an unnecessary change all things considered. So yeah, good move staying put.

Great second half rally against the Suns, looks like a well earned win with the third quarter effort and late run.

[Phil89]

8/2/10

Oklahoma City Thunder [36-9] vs Phoenix Suns [35-11]

Suns destroyed by rampant Thunder



It didn't take long for the rematch. 2 nights after staging an epic comeback against the Suns, the Thunder once again travel to Phoenix.
The first quarter followed a similar pattern to the previous game. Steve Nash had 14 points and helped the Suns to a 26-25 lead after one.
However, the Thunder blew the game wide open after a 14-0 run midway through the second. They lead 48-38 at the half.
After being on fire in the first, Steve Nash failed to score in the second. Kevin Durant on the other hand had 22 points by the half.
Any hopes of a Suns comeback was extinguished after the Thunder went on another 10-0 run in the third. The Suns were scoreless for 2 minutes.
As if to rub it in, Jeff Green hit a jump shot on the buzzer to give the Thunder a 73-52 lead with one to play.
The Thunder's defensive strangle hold continued in the fourth, but at the same time their offensive game lifted. They showed no mercy.
Durant, Gay and Green were scoring for fun. They continued their resurgence of form in this game, combining for 98 points.
With the scores at 79-63, the Thunder went on a massive 19-0 run. Although by this point most Suns fans had already left.
Oklahoma City eventually ran out 40 point winners, 109-69. It was such an unexpected result given the closeness of the previous meeting.
Durant secured his 16th game in a row of 25 or more points. Rudy Gay also continued his good recent form with 35 points.
Next up for the Thunder is a game against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics. Hopefully it will be a better game than their last encounter.

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant

OKC - 25 23 25 36 109
PHX - 26 12 14 17 69

Top Scorers
Rudy Gay - 35
Kevin Durant - 32
Jeff Green - 31
Steve Nash - 29

Assists
Russell Westbrook - 6

Rebounds
Ben Wallace - 9
Jeff Green - 8
Amare Stoudemire - 8
Al Horford - 7
Kevin Durant - 7

[Bucket]

What's happen with Phoenix? Wery good game.

[kibaxx7]

Huge news for OKC getting 3 all-stars. Nice job man. What happened to the Suns???

[Phil89]

Huge news for OKC getting 3 all-stars. Nice job man. What happened to the Suns???

4 All-Stars actually As for Phoenix, my defense smothered their offense basically. I managed to stop Nash and they had no other options.

[Andrew]

Quite right, four All-Stars. Overlooked Rudy Gay, something the AI (but let's say the coaches) did not.

Huge win over the Suns. They didn't stand a chance from the second quarter onwards.

[Phil89]

9/2/10

Oklahoma City Thunder [37-9] vs Boston Celtics [28-19]

Thunder return home, beat Celtics



In their first home game in nearly a month, Oklahoma City welcomed the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics to the Ford Center.
Confidence was high at the Thunder after coming off 2 consecutive wins against their main Western rivals, the Phoenix Suns.
They started this game as they had finished their last game. Scoring freely and defending superbly. Rudy Gay had 16 points as the Thunder lead 31-15.
The second quarter was a closer affair as the Celtics started to get into the game more. The Thunder still lead 51-38 at the half.
Boston came out strong in the third and Rasheed Wallace was dominating in the paint. The Thunder lead 72-65 with one to play though.
The Celtics managed to get within 3 points in the fourth, but the defensive pressure from the Thunder helped them secure a 98-89 win.
The Thunder's defensive pressure was immense. 15 blocks and 5 steals during the game. It was one probably only second to their last game against Phoenix.
Being their first home game in a while, the Thunder seemed to want to give their fans a show tonight. During the game they hit 3 buzzer beating shots.
Gay shooting over Rondo at the end of the first, BJ Mullens with a no look shot over his shoulder in the second and Durant hitting a three in the third.
Durant had another monster game with 37 points. His scoring streak now stands at 17 games. Rudy Gay also had a big night with 30 points.

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant

OKC - 31 20 21 26 98
BOS - 15 23 27 24 89

Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 37
Rudy Gay - 30
Jeff Green - 20
Rasheed Wallace - 20
Paul Pierce - 19

Assists
Rajon Rondo - 9
Kevin Garnett - 5
Ray Allen - 5
Russell Westbrook - 5

Rebounds
Ben Wallace - 13
Rasheed Wallace - 9
Paul Pierce - 9
Kevin Garnett - 8

[Phil89]

Quite right, four All-Stars. Overlooked Rudy Gay, something the AI (but let's say the coaches) did not.

Huge win over the Suns. They didn't stand a chance from the second quarter onwards.

I was totally expecting another tight game, but it ended in a blow-out. It was like after I stopped Nash they had no other options.

What's happen with Phoenix? Wery good game.

They lost Thanks.



Should I play or sim the All-Star game and Rookie Challenge? And should I do a game report for them like normal games?

[Andrew]

I suggest playing them, especially the All-Star game since you've got four players selected. It's a nice change of pace and you get to play with some players you don't normally get to.

[Clutch]

15 blocks and 5 steals during the game.

damn! that's some serious defense alright

good pair of wins and lots of momentum - keep it up

[|)e8*]

Great win man! Btw are you playing all 82 games?

[Phil89]

My plan is to play every game the first season, then I'll probably only play games against the big teams second season onwards.

I'm surprised I've had the patience to play this many games to be honest

[|)e8*]

I see.What sliders are you using ?I can't find a good one

[kibaxx7]

4 All-Stars actually

Forgot you had Ben Wallace

[Phil89]

I see.What sliders are you using ?I can't find a good one

Default sliders. I didn't adjust any of them because All-Star difficulty with default sliders is just about a perfect balance of enjoyment and challenge for me.

Forgot you had Ben Wallace

Easy to forget him when the other 3 guys are having such great seasons. I'm glad I traded for Wallace though. Much better option than Thomas or Collison.
Who knows, maybe he has done enough to earn a contract renewal. He'd have to slash his wages though.

[Andrew]

I'm surprised I've had the patience to play this many games to be honest

A sure sign you're enjoying the Dynasty, which as I said before is the most important thing here.

[Phil89]

Still, I can't wait for the Play-offs. If the standings stay about the same, then I'll have to play either the Lakers or the Spurs first up. Yay?

Bloody Ginobili is still injured, so I am still waiting to trade him and Parker and Kobe back. Might have an impact on who I get first round.

[Phil89]

Had to share this. I had to use my digital camera to record it so the Quality makes it look like Live 99 or something.

phpBB [video]

Westbrook passes to Gay, Gay pump fakes, attempts to pass it to Durant, ball hits ring, Wallace gathers, sends it out to Green, Green hits three

I've never seen the ball thrown into the rim before like that.

[Clutch]

that's a wild sequence!