OKC - Five-peat! Final summary

30/12/11

Oklahoma City Thunder [23-6] vs New Jersey Nets [15-15]

Thunder pull away from Nets after tight first half



OKC - 27 30 31 34 122
NJN - 30 29 21 16 96

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant




Video Highlights
Harden blocks Petro, then Lopez takes it all the way to the basket.
Flash

Good wins. Somehow, I don't think KG will ever be backing up Troy Murphy though.

1/1/12

Conference Standings

Eastern Conference
1. MIA* | 24-6 | N/A | .800
2. ORL | 18-11 | 5.5 | .621
3. NYK* | 19-12 | 5.5 | .613
4. IND* | 16-14 | 8.0 | .533
5. WAS | 16-14 | 8.0 | .533
6. BOS | 16-15 | 8.5 | .516
7. CHI | 16-15 | 8.5 | .516
8. NJN | 15-16 | 9.5 | .484
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9. TOR | 14-15 | 9.5 | .483
10. DET | 14-16 | 10.0 | .467
11. CHA | 12-16 | 11.0 | .429
12. MIL | 12-18 | 12.0 | .400
13. ATL | 11-19 | 13.0 | .367
14. CLE | 9-22 | 15.5 | .290
15. PHI | 8-19 | 14.5 | .296


Western Conference
1. OKC* | 24-6 | N/A | .800
2. GSW* | 23-7 | 1.0 | .767
3. SAC | 17-11 | 6.0 | .607
4. POR | 17-12 | 6.5 | .586
5. SAS* | 16-13 | 7.5 | .552
6. PHX | 18-15 | 7.5 | .545
7. LAL | 15-13 | 8.0 | .536
8. MIN | 15-14 | 8.5 | .517
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9. UTA | 13-14 | 9.5 | .481
10. DAL | 12-17 | 11.5 | .414
11. MEM | 12-17 | 11.5 | .414
12. DEN | 11-17 | 12.0 | .393
13. NOH | 11-19 | 13.0 | .367
14. LAC | 10-18 | 13.0 | .357
15. HOU | 10-23 | 15.5 | .303

* = Division Leader

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League Leaders

Points Per Game
1. Chris Bosh - MIA - 33.7
2. Amare Stoudemire - NYK - 31.8
3. Deron Williams - NJN - 31.6
4. Kevin Martin - HOU - 30.0
5. Carl Landry - CHA - 27.8
5. Channing Frye - PHX - 27.8

Rebounds Per Game
1. Dwight Howard - ORL - 14.3
2. Tyson Chandler - DAL - 13.6
3. Amare Stoudemire - NYK - 13.0
4. Joakim Noah - CHI - 12.9
4. Carlos Boozer - CHI - 12.9

Assists Per Game
1. Tyreke Evans - SAC - 10.7
2. Mike Conley - NYK - 10.5
3. DJ Augustin - CHA - 10.2
4. Tony Parker - SAS - 10.1
5. Rajon Rondo - BOS - 10.0

Steals Per Game
1. Kevin Durant - OKC - 2.8
2. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 2.4
3. Tyreke Evans - SAC - 2.2
3. Beno Udrih - SAC - 2.2
5. Rajon Rondo - BOS - 2.1
5. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 2.1

Blocks Per Game
1. Dwight Howard - ORL - 3.3
2. Joakim Noah - CHI - 2.9
2. Blake Griffin - LAC - 2.9
4. Roy Hibbert - IND - 2.6
4. Andrew Bogut - MIL - 2.6
4. Nene - BOS - 2.6


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Awards

Players of the Month
East
Chris Bosh - MIA
39.8 PPG - 13.3 RPG - 1.9 APG - 2.0 BPG - 1.2 SPG

West
Channing Frye - PHX
25.9 PPG - 12.4 RPG - 4.4 APG - 2.0 BPG - 1.1 SPG

Rookies of the Month
East
Vincenzo Carlos - CLE
12.1 PPG - 4.7 RPG - 1.9 APG - 1.1 BPG - 1.3 SPG

West
Cameron Hunter - SAS
6.6 PPG - 1.2 RPG - 3.2 APG - 0.1 BPG - 0.3 SPG


MVP Candidates
LeBron James - 24.5 PPG - 7.1 RPG - 8.2 APG - 2.5 BPG - 1.9 SPG
Chris Bosh - 33.7 PPG - 12.6 RPG - 2.1 APG - 2.0 BPG - 1.0 SPG
Amare Stoudemire - 31.8 PPG - 13.0 RPG - 2.9 APG - 2.0 BPG - 1.3 SPG
Deron Willams - 31.6 PPG - 1.8 RPG - 9.3 APG - 0.5 BPG - 1.5 SPG
Kevin Durant - 25.6 PPG - 4.3 RPG - 2.4 APG - 1.3 BPG - 2.8 SPG


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Transactions

01/12/11 - Oklahoma City trades K.Perkins, C.Brewer and 2012 1st Round Draft Pick to Toronto for A.Bargnani and V.O'Mahony.
13/12/11 - 5 team trade.

Los Angeles received B.Jennings, J.Salmons, D.Cook and K Dooling.
Memphis received J.Nelson, B.Bass, D.Gooden and J.Williams.
Milwaukee received A.Iguodala, L.Williams and L.Odom.
Orlando received A.Kirilenko, T.Allen, D.Fischer, Grizzlies 2012 1st Round Draft Pick and Grizzlies 2012 2nd Round Draft Pick.
Philadelphia received C.Maggette, S.Blake, Q.Richardson, L.Walton, Bucks 2012 1st Round Draft Pick, Bucks 2012 2nd Round Draft Pick and Lakers 2012 1st Round Draft Pick.

Just a few notes:

- Good to see newcomers like Indiana and Golden State doing so well. Nice to have different teams in playoff contention each year.
- Chicago and San Antonio are back where they should be after both were really poor last season.
- Houston are picking up where they left off last season at the bottom. Kevin Martin is playing well, but he's injured atm.
- Cleveland are consistently poor. 3rd straight season of being right near the bottom in the east.
- After that big trade Philadelphia have fallen to the bottom. Memphis and Milwaukee are both moving up. Lakers and Magic both continuing good form.
- Since Sacramento got Yao they've become much better. They beat the Lakers in last year's playoffs and they're continuing that form this season.

Good to see things back to normal with the Bulls and Spurs, though it seems a lot of teams are hovering around the .500 mark with only a few standouts. Looks like you're headed for another clash with the Heat.

It looks like it could be a re-match of the re-match. I've won my last 6 games and Miami have won their last 10.

Frye Rocks Man!

3/1/12

Oklahoma City Thunder [24-6] vs Washington Wizards [16-14]

Thunder's winning streak continues in Washington



OKC - 33 25 38 30 126
WAS - 23 25 31 26 105

Player of the Game: Kevin Love




Video Highlights
Durant dances through the Wizards defense before laying it in.
Flash

Westbrook blocks the much taller McGee, then sets up Love for a dunk at the other end.
Flash

Huge game by Wall there, even with the eight turnovers. Good win.

I think I'll put together a summary of next season's free agents soon. Should be interesting with Howard available.

Although it's probably a waste of time as whatever I write, the AI teams will probably do the opposite.

5/1/12

Oklahoma City Thunder [25-6] vs Golden State Warriors [24-9]

Thunder fend off challenge from Warriors yet again



OKC - 31 38 18 37 124
GSW - 31 29 18 30 108

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant




Video Highlights
Bargnani nails a long three.
Flash

They really shouldn't have spoiled the ring ceremony on opening night. I have a feeling they'll be paying for it as long as you keep up this Dynasty.

I'm going to try a little experiment for the next few games. I'm going to swap out Harden for Bargnani. (Lopez-Love-Bargnani-Durant-Westbrook)
I'm hoping having at extra tall on the court will help with my defense and rebounding. It shouldn't affect my scoring at all I don't think.
And I'll bring Thabeet-Ibaka-Harden-Brown-Hill off the bench and use their speed against tired opponents late in quarters.

If it doesn't work out I'll swap everything back to the way it was. There is plenty of games left before the playoffs to find my most effective line-up.

7/1/12

Oklahoma City Thunder [26-6] vs Los Angeles Clippers [11-20]

Thunder win epic shoot-out against Clippers



OKC - 37 34 36 30 137
LAC - 29 32 38 31 130

Player of the Game: Mo Williams




Video Highlights
Lopez makes a tough shot over Jordan.
Flash

Rumble the Bison enjoying the show.
Flash
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Both teams shot over 60%.

Interesting experiment, it certainly didn't seem to hurt. Definitely a wild shootout there.

9/1/12

Oklahoma City Thunder [27-6] vs Los Angeles Lakers [19-13]

Thunder avenge humiliation in LA with big win at home



OKC - 33 30 26 38 127
LAL - 21 23 26 25 95

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant




Video Highlights
Bargnani makes a tough shot.
Flash
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I made my last 15 shots of the game. Really was a good shooting night.
Managed to hold them to just 21 rebounds. They had 50 last time I played them.

Jennings 13 turnovers :O Nice win still.

11/1/12

Oklahoma City Thunder [28-6] vs Sacramento Kings [19-13]

Thunder annihilate Kings in first half and record easy win



OKC - 37 40 28 30 135
SAC - 27 20 33 20 100

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant




Video Highlights
Bargnani blocks Casspi, then Lopez finishes at the other end.
Flash

Yao and Evans suuucked. Casspi was great. Seems you are doing good with the Barg-Harden swap.

Wow, you've been winning by 35+ Points on 2 consecutive game now.

I think playing Bargnani instead of Harden has made me choose my shots more carefully. I'm getting most of my points in the paint.
I only took 10 threes in the last two games as well.

A couple more impressive wins there. Opposing point guards sure have some terrible turnover numbers against you; I'm not sure the real Beno Udrih would ever get a chance to rack up 19 turnovers in a single game.

12/1/12

Eastern conference free agency summary



Here is a complete list of all expiring contracts for every team in the eastern conference.
As well as a small summary of each team's situation for the next off-season period.

Atlantic Division



Current standing: 9th in East

The Celtics are in the middle of a rebuilding phase at the moment and don't seem to have made up their mind as to which direction to go.
Last season they broke up their 'big three' by releasing guard Ray Allen. They can further dismantle it this year as Kevin Garnett's deal is up.
Boston are in an unfavourable position currently. They still have a massive wage bill, but have hardly any young quality players.
This likely won't change during the next off-season as they won't have any money to spend on bringing anyone new in.
It's possible that over the next year or two they could trade away their veterans for pieces to put around Rajon Rondo.

Current standing: 8th in East

Most eyes will be on the Nets this off-season as they will have the potential to spend upwards of $40m on free agent signings.
Clearly their biggest priority will be re-signing superstar guard Deron Williams, who they acquired from Utah midway through last season.
If they can manage to convince him to stay, they can then focus on bringing in another star like Dwight Howard or Chris Paul to join.
They may also be looking at Gerald Wallace, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, Josh Smith, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans and Al Jefferson.
Owner Mikhail Prokhorov is keen to add another big name to his team and start challenging for championships over the next few years.

Current standing: 3rd in East

With their two superstars signed up for the long term, the Knicks will be looking to re-sign guard Michael Conley to a long deal.
The former Memphis player has been a revelation since swapping the bench at Detroit last season for a starting spot in New York this season.
It wouldn't be surprising to see them re-sign the majority of their expiring guys as they seem to work well together and are doing well.

Current standing: 15th in East

Philadelphia will be probably second only to the Nets in terms of media interest during the off-season. They will also be able to spend big.
The only real young prospect that they will have to offer more money to is guard Jrue Holiday. The rest are mostly veteran players.
They've already traded star player Andre Iguodala to Milwaukee in order to get more cap room and several future draft picks.
It wouldn't be at all surprising to see them dump some more big salaries before the trade deadline this season.

Current standing: 10th in East

That Raptors traded away their former top pick Andrea Bargnani to Oklahoma City earlier this season and finally got a natural center.
Kendrick Perkins anchors a squad that now has some decent young talent, such as Amir Johnson, Corey Brewer and Tyrus Thomas.
They will finally be able to get rid of Jose Calderon's big money contract. Re-signing Jerryd Bayless for much less money would be a better option.
It is expected that they will re-sign Perkins, DeRozan and Bayless. Veterans like Calderon and Mason could be on the way out though.

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Central Division



Current standing: 6th in East

The Bulls have recovered from the shock of losing Derrick Rose without any major difficulties. CJ Watson has stood up in his new role as a starter.
The core of the team is contracted beyond this season and they really don't need to add much to their roster to remain in playoff contention.
Question marks remain over the futures of Tim Duncan and Kyle Korver, but expect Watson, Brewer, Gibson and Asik to receive new deals.

Current standing: 14th in East

Cleveland have been in free fall since LeBron left for Miami. They've finished in the bottom three in the East in both of the last two seasons.
They look to be headed there again this season. One positive though is that last season's top draft pick Vincenzo Carlos is doing well in his rookie season.
The Cavs have the opportunity to bring in some talented pieces around Carlos if they dump veteran Baron Davis and his monster contract.
A center will be at the top of their shortlist. The likes of Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum or Al Jefferson would all fit the bill for the Cavs.

Current standing: 5th in East

Detroit can get rid of about $31m worth of contracts if they get rid of veterans Tracy McGrady, Richard Hamilton and Jason Kidd.
Will Bynum may opt to look elsewhere in order to find playing time as Rodney Stuckey is firmly entrenched in the Pistons' line-up at the moment.
They are another team that will be looking to sign a quality big man or two as they already have quality in the backcourt in Gordon and Stuckey.

Current standing: 4th in East

The Pacers have four of their starters under contract for next season. It remains to be seen if they are willing to offer Darren Collison big money.
Veterans like Jones, Arroyo and Singleton are question marks in terms of being re-signed at this point. They're doing very well for the squad they have.

Current standing: 12th in East

Milwaukee have one of the most sought after players that will be available during the off-season in former Chicago star Derrick Rose.
They will be hoping that their moves to bring in Iguodala and Williams from Philadelphia and Odom from the Lakers will get him to stay.
Of those three, only Iguodala is contracted after this season. The Bucks hope that Rose, Williams and Odom all decide to re-sign with them.

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Southeast Division



Current standing: 13th in East

Atlanta's biggest concerns this off-season are getting two key players to re-sign. Forward Josh Smith and center Chris Kaman.
Kaman signed last season as a free agent and has been a good replacement for Al Horford who is now at San Antonio, via Oklahoma City.
It's rumoured that Smith could opt for a switch to New Jersey to join Deron Williams and potentially Dwight Howard in a new 'big three'.
Jeff Teague and JJ Hickson look like being re-signed. It's unclear what the Hawks will do with the likes of Pachulia and Yi.

Current standing: 12th in East

Charlotte made the decision to re-sign Barbosa, Augustin, Landry and Diaw last season after finishing with the third seed in the East.
Now they are struggling in twelfth after inconsistent form and must decide whether to re-sign veterans Stephen Jackson and Joel Przybilla.
Two veterans unlikely to return are Matt Carroll and Desagana Diop. Their lack of playing time doesn't justify paying them the money they want.

Current standing: 1st in East

Miami have continued their dominance of the eastern conference this season. They've been top seed since they signed LeBron and Chris Bosh.
They've got the majority of their squad contracted for next season. Only Lopez, Krstic and Pargo are expiring. All three signed one year deals last season.

Current standing: 2nd in East

Arguably the biggest name coming off contract this off-season is in Orlando. Superstar center Dwight Howard isn't guaranteed to re-sign with the Magic.
Over the past season and a half the Magic made several big trades aimed at adding quality supporting pieces around Howard to help compete for a title.
Howard could be tempted to join Deron Williams in New Jersey or move to Philadelphia and be the center piece of a potential new star-laden team.
If Dwight leaves, JJ Redick could follow him out the exit door. There won't be much of a future with veterans like Richardson, Arenas and Kirilenko.
Thirty seven year old Derek Fisher could possibly bring an end to his nearly two decade long career after his contract ends this season.

Current standing: 7th in East

Washington have their three top young players contracted through next season after re-signing JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche last season.
It will be interesting to see if they decide to dump Rashard Lewis' massive contract or not. He was traded from the Magic last season for Gilbert Arenas.

12/1/12

Western conference free agency summary



Here is a complete list of all expiring contracts for every team in the western conference.
As well as a small summary of each team's situation for the next off-season period.

Northwest Division



Current standing: 12th in West

The Nuggets have really struggled since trading superstar Carmelo Anthony to New York midway through last season.
They suffered another big blow when Nene decided to move to Boston a few months later. That left them without any quality centers.
So this season they have been forced to play Danilo Gallinari at center. Clearly a big man is their top priority during the next off-season.
One positive for them though is the depth of quality in their back court. With the likes of Smith, Felton and Afflalo all contracted next season.
Lawson and Wright are expected to be re-signed. Mozgov has failed to make an impact, but could be retained as they lack any big men.

Current standing: 9th in West

Minnesota face a few tough decisions this summer. Do they re-sign veteran forward Zach Randolph or stick with their younger guys?
The likes of Beasley, Flynn and Webster are all key parts of their team. It remains to be seen whether they are all offered big money to stay or not.
They may look to release Randolph and bring in an experienced center. There have been rumours that Al Jefferson could be on his way back to Minnesota.
Jamison has been giving them excellent scoring off the bench, but at 35 he doesn't really offer a realistic long term solution and may not return.

Current standing: 1st in West

Oklahoma City have continued their dual-championship winning form this season. They even managed to improve the depth of their roster.
But they face a tough decision. With a wage bill in excess of $74m already, can they afford to offer Ibaka and Harden the type of money they'll ask for?
It would seem that at least one of the two will have to be let go. It seems more likely that it will be Ibaka as he is less needed than Harden.
They have Brook Lopez, Kevin Love and Andrea Bargnani ahead of him in the rotation. Plus youngster Al Cunningham pushing for game time.
Whereas if Harden is let go they will only have Shannon Brown and George Hill to choose between for the shooting guard position.

Current standing: 3rd in West

It seems that Portland could have a difficult summer with Paul and Wallace expiring, but they've been playing well and should re-sign.
Both were acquired last season in trade deals. They made up part of the impressive starting five that led the Blazers to the conference finals last year.
The trio of West, Terry and Bogans were signed on one year deals last year and face uncertain futures with the franchise.

Current standing: 8th in West

Utah face the prospect of losing their two best players. They will hope to re-sign Harris as he was part of what they got in the deal for Deron Williams.
Al Jefferson may be tough to keep as there are plenty of teams with money to spend that are in desperate need of an experienced, quality center.
They will also be looking to convince backup point guard Goran Dragic to stay. He signed last year after leaving Houston following his trade from Phoenix.

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Pacific Division



Current standing: 2nd in West

Golden State have been the biggest surprise packets of this season. They are second in the West after seemingly only adding Caron Butler to their team.
They do face the prospect of losing star point guard Stephen Curry though. But he is seemingly happy with his role and the team's current position.
Mickael Pietrus has played a big role both offensively and defensively for them since signing from Phoenix last season. Expect to see him return.

Current standing: 14th in West

Clearly the biggest challenge facing the Clippers is convincing high-flying Blake Griffin to re-sign. It is far from guaranteed considering their struggles.
They also could lose point guard Mo Williams. The former Cleveland player has been a hit in LA and has been in good scoring form along with Eric Gordon.
There has been speculation linking Griffin with a move back to his hometown to play with the Thunder. It seems unlikely though given their depth in his position.

Current standing: 4th in West

The Lakers will get to see if their move to bring in fresh young talent like Brandon Jennings has convinced Andrew Bynum to stay or not.
Eric Maynor could opt to move on given that Jennings has become the preferred point guard since his arrival from Milwaukee.
Veterans like Kobe, Gasol, Artest and Salmons are all contracted beyond this season. If the young guys leave could these guys be competitive?
If Bynum, Jennings and Maynor all leave next season, we could well see a rebuild for the Lakers. Kobe, Gasol and Artest all only have one more year after this one.

Current standing: 7th in West

Phoenix face the same situation as last season. Steve Nash is coming out of contract and they already have a good replacement in Brooks.
Forward Al Thornton is also on an expiring deal. If he leaves it could see Jared Dudley step up to replace him in the starting line-up.
They really are in need of a new center since Robin Lopez left for Miami last season. Hakim Warrick isn't getting younger.

Current standing: 5th in West

Sacramento will see their highly successful back court duo of Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih become free agents, but should be able to re-sign both.
They've been really successful since signing former Houston center Yao Ming. His partnership with Samuel Dalembert has propelled the Kings to the playoffs.
If they manage to hold onto Evans and Udrih and if Yao manages to keep injury-free, they could well be in the playoffs for the next few years.

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Southwest Division



Current standing: 10th in West

Dallas are struggling to keep up with the teams fighting for the eighth seed in the West. There shouldn't be many changes in the off-season either.
Rodrigue Beaubois is expected to be re-signed, but fellow point guards Ronald Murray and Mike Bibby could leave given that they also have JJ Barea.

Current standing: 15th in West

Houston are struggling at the bottom of the western conference for the second straight year and face losing their best player, Kevin Martin.
The shooting guard has been in career best form this season and has been mentioned by some as an outside chance in the MVP race.
The Rockets are another team in need of a center. Since Yao left for Sacramento they've had to rely on Luis Scola to fill the gap.

Current standing: 11th in West

Memphis face their second straight off-season of having almost ten players on expiring deals. The biggest names this time are Nelson and Bass.
The pair were acquired from Orlando as part of the mega-deal involving five teams. They have filled key holes for the Grizzlies since their arrival.
The Grizzlies have their three core players of Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo and Marc Gasol contracted long term and look set to challenge out west for a while.

Current standing: 13th in West

New Orleans are another team that have struggled since trading away their franchise player last season. Without Chris Paul they aren't competitive.
They do have a good group of players contracted beyond this season though. West, Fernandez Thornton and Ariza could just need more time to gel.
Veteran point guard Andre Miller could retire at the end of this season. He joined the Hornets as part of the deal that sent Paul to Portland.

Current standing: 6th in West

San Antonio may continue to freshen up their roster by releasing veterans, like they did last season with Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess.
Prince, Ginobili and Allen could all be looking for new clubs next season. Especially Ginobili and Allen who haven't been seeing much playing time this year.
It also remains to be seen if the Spurs decide to re-sign DeJuan Blair or not, given that they now have Al Horford on their team.

Steve Nash to the Thunder would be great!