OKC - Five-peat! Final summary

Brook Lopez highlights.

I really do regret trading him to Indiana for Roy Hibbert this season. Not that he was statistically miles ahead of Hibbert, but he was a solid defensive anchor and could score 30+ when required. I also don't think his rebounding was as bad as I remember it being (He still holds the single game rebounding record for my team with 21).

Flash

His real life rebounding numbers might be clouding your memories of his in-game performance. Nice mix!

18/3/14

Oklahoma City Thunder [48-14] vs Sacramento Kings [25-36]

Thunder get back to winning ways with narrow victory in Sacramento



OKC - 22 26 31 32 111
SAC - 26 24 30 29 109

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant
(52pts, 4reb, 1blk, 3stl)


OKC _______ SAC
43-82 - FGM/A - 46-77
2-12 - 3PTM/A - 4-9
23-26 - FTM/A - 13-15
28 - Rebounds - 28
17 - Assists - 28
7 - Blocks - 7
9 - Steals - 6
14 - Turnovers - 19
10 - Fouls - 16


Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 52
Andray Blatche - 26
Omri Casspi - 19
Tyreke Evans - 19
Ronnie Brewer - 14
Blake Griffin - 14
Derrick Rose - 10
Roy Hibbert - 9
Rolf Young - 9

Assists
Tyreke Evans - 13
Derrick Rose - 9
Blake Griffin - 5

Rebounds
Roy Hibbert - 11
Andray Blatche - 7
Yao Ming - 6
Glen Davis - 5

Video Highlights
Young sinks a three to secure the win.
Flash

Close one, but Durant was a beast. I'm guessing you're anxious to get to the Playoffs, so some of these meaningless games are ending up a bit more competitive as you're keen to get them over and done with.

His real life rebounding numbers might be clouding your memories of his in-game performance. Nice mix!

That's probably what happened.

I think another reason why I want to get 2k13 is I've pretty much exhausted all my trading options with this team. I like building teams and I think it's fair to say that this one can't get much better, unless I trade for LeBron or Dwight.

Close one, but Durant was a beast. I'm guessing you're anxious to get to the Playoffs, so some of these meaningless games are ending up a bit more competitive as you're keen to get them over and done with.

Yeah. I can't sim any games so I have to find ways to make them interesting. Having Durant get big numbers helps him in the MVP and scoring races too. Maybe I should go for Wilt's record again like I did on my other dynasty.

Do it. When all else fails, start making history.

I think his best on this dynasty is 77, which shouldn't be too hard to beat. Especially considering that he only played the first half in the game when he scored 101.

19/3/14

Thunder sign Artest, waive Korver & Eyenga



Oklahoma City have today announced the signing of veteran forward Ron Artest. He had been a free agent since being released by Minnesota.
The defensive specialist has previously played for the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Rockets, Lakers and Timberwolves during his controversial 15 year career.
He was traded to the Timberwolves in 2013 as part of the three-team deal which saw the Lakers acquire guard Jrue Holiday from Philadelphia.
The Thunder also announced that guards Kyle Korver and Christian Eyenga had been released. Both players hasn't been seeing much playing time.

Depth chart
C - Hibbert, Jeffries, Seraphin
PF - Griffin, Beasley
SF - Durant, Young, Artest
SG - Harden, Lin
PG - Rose, Maynor

20/3/14

Oklahoma City Thunder [49-14] vs Sacramento Kings [25-37]

Durant scores career high 82 as Thunder grab win #50



OKC - 29 27 31 34 121
SAC - 25 24 33 28 110

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant
(82pts, 4reb, 1ast, 2stl)


OKC _______ SAC
47-96 - FGM/A - 46-92
5-17 - 3PTM/A - 5-14
22-23 - FTM/A - 13-18
33 - Rebounds - 36
21 - Assists - 25
11 - Blocks - 14
8 - Steals - 6
19 - Turnovers - 23
11 - Fouls - 14


Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 82
Tyreke Evans - 28
Omri Casspi - 25
Derrick Rose - 20
Ronnie Brewer - 15
Glen Davis - 10
Roy Hibbert - 10
Trevor Ariza - 9

Assists
Blake Griffin - 12
Tyreke Evans - 9
Ronnie Brewer - 8
Derrick Rose - 6

Rebounds
Roy Hibbert - 19
Glen Davis - 8
Yao Ming - 7
Omri Casspi - 5
Trevor Ariza - 5

Video Highlights
Artest scores his first bucket for the Thunder.
Flash

Nice way to cap off win number 50 on the year. I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of the Artist Formerly Known As Artest, but he's a solid pickup.

Me either to be honest, especially after what he did to Harden. But Korver and Eyenga weren't really doing anything and Artest is probably more useful to me than those two combined.

Sometimes you've got to make peace with a hated rival and bring them into the fold to bolster your team. Dennis Rodman joining the Bulls in 1995 comes to mind.

21/3/14

Oklahoma City Thunder [50-14] vs Denver Nuggets [29-35]

Durant continues his good form in Denver



OKC - 26 26 31 37 120
DEN - 29 26 17 30 102

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant
(39pts, 10reb, 2blk, 5stl)


OKC _______ DEN
50-92 - FGM/A - 42-91
4-17 - 3PTM/A - 6-13
16-20 - FTM/A - 12-17
41 - Rebounds - 38
21 - Assists - 24
9 - Blocks - 9
8 - Steals - 3
13 - Turnovers - 20
13 - Fouls - 13


Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 39
Derrick Rose - 24
Joakim Noah - 21
Arron Afflalo - 20
Paul Millsap - 18
Ty Lawson - 18
Blake Griffin - 18
James Harden - 18
Wilson Chandler - 14
Roy Hibbert - 10

Assists
Ty Lawson - 13
Derrick Rose - 11

Rebounds
Joakim Noah - 15
Blake Griffin - 12
Kevin Durant - 10
Wilson Chandler - 9
Paul Millsap - 7
Roy Hibbert - 6

Video Highlights
Durant gets past defenders and lays it in.
Flash

39 seems so ordinary after 82. Nice win.

I'd probably take 39 points + 10 rebounds over 82 points from Durant in most games. Especially with Griffin being rather hit or miss lately with his rebounding numbers.

23/3/14

Oklahoma City Thunder [51-14] vs Minnesota Timberwolves [26-38]

Durant continues his MVP form in Minnesota



OKC - 23 31 32 39 125
MIN - 30 26 28 30 114

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant
(40pts, 3reb, 1ast, 1blk, 4stl)


OKC _______ MIN
46-82 - FGM/A - 53-96
3-12 - 3PTM/A - 4-13
30-33 - FTM/A - 4-6
34 - Rebounds - 34
19 - Assists - 33
4 - Blocks - 9
9 - Steals - 5
18 - Turnovers - 22
7 - Fouls - 19


Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 40
Andre Iguodala - 33
Bert Baker - 26
Derrick Rose - 26
James Harden - 24
DJ Augustin - 21
Blake Griffin - 18
Roy Hibbert - 10
Ronny Turiaf - 10

Assists
DJ Augustin - 14
Derrick Rose - 7
Brandon Rush - 6
DeJuan Blair - 5

Rebounds
Roy Hibbert - 11
Andre Iguodala - 9
Blake Griffin - 8
DeJuan Blair - 7
Ronny Turiaf - 7
Bert Baker - 6
James Harden - 5
Michael Beasley - 5

Video Highlights
Durant spins around Iguodala and dunks.
Flash

Solid. Hope Durant can snag the MVP.

25/3/14

Oklahoma City Thunder [52-14] vs Dallas Mavericks [22-44]

Mavs can't contain dominant duo of Durant and Rose



OKC - 26 30 36 43 135
DAL - 25 40 22 30 117

Player of the Game: Derrick Rose
(41pts, 1reb, 18ast, 2blk, 3stl)


OKC _______ DAL
50-96 - FGM/A - 49-82
6-18 - 3PTM/A - 3-11
29-29 - FTM/A - 16-21
37 - Rebounds - 30
27 - Assists - 28
6 - Blocks - 8
16 - Steals - 2
11 - Turnovers - 21
12 - Fouls - 16


Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 42
Derrick Rose - 41
Jose Barea - 34
Jason Richardson - 26
James Harden - 17
Antoine Wright - 14
Craig Smith - 12
Taj Gibson - 10
Blake Griffin - 10
Rolf Young - 9

Assists
Derrick Rose - 18
Antoine Wright - 6
Jose Barea - 6

Rebounds
Roy Hibbert - 12
Kevin Durant - 8
Blake Griffin - 7
Irwin Currie - 6
Taj Gibson - 5
Craig Smith - 5

Video Highlights
Beasley beats the buzzer with a layup.
Flash
-----
I was actually losing this game by 18 in the 2nd quarter.

Solid. Hope Durant can snag the MVP.

Four championships in a row and he's only won one regular season MVP award; and that was in the first season. He's due again I think.

Absolutely. Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile, great performance from Rose there, which of course I enjoy seeing. Given Durant's recent 82 point game though, when I saw "combine for 83 points" my first thought was of Bill Wennington's humourous quip back in 1995 about combining with MJ to score 57 points against the Knicks.

Now that I'm catching up... man, that's a sweet roster. Going for a new championship

27/3/14

Oklahoma City Thunder [53-14] vs Houston Rockets [28-39]

Rose pulls the strings as Thunder smash Rockets



OKC - 37 34 28 24 123
HOU - 28 24 18 32 102

Player of the Game: Kevin Durant
(36pts, 8reb, 3ast, 2blk, 2stl)


OKC _______ HOU
43-78 - FGM/A - 43-93
2-7 - 3PTM/A - 6-12
35-36 - FTM/A - 10-16
32 - Rebounds - 31
33 - Assists - 22
14 - Blocks - 10
8 - Steals - 4
18 - Turnovers - 22
13 - Fouls - 22


Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 36
Blake Griffin - 26
Jan Richards - 25
Jrue Holiday- 23
James Harden - 20
DeAndre Jordan - 19
Lucian Hill - 16
Michael Beasley - 13
Kevin Seraphin - 12

Assists
Derrick Rose - 22
Jrue Holiday - 11

Rebounds
DeAndre Jordan - 14
Chuck Hayes - 9
Roy Hibbert - 8
Kevin Durant - 8
Blake Griffin - 5

Video Highlights
Seraphin slams it home after a nice feed from Durant.
Flash

Big assist numbers for Rose the past couple of games. Liking it.

I was trying to get him a heap of assists without scoring, but he accidentally scored a basket near the end of the game. Oh well.

29/3/14

Oklahoma City Thunder [54-14] vs Memphis Grizzlies [28-34]

Nelson's big night sets up Grizzlies win



OKC - 28 37 28 28 121
MEM - 35 34 28 28 125

Player of the Game: Jameer Nelson
(37pts, 2reb, 16ast, 1blk)


OKC _______ MEM
42-88 - FGM/A - 47-90
3-10 - 3PTM/A - 6-16
34-34 - FTM/A - 25-30
32 - Rebounds - 38
26 - Assists - 29
6 - Blocks - 14
6 - Steals - 3
20 - Turnovers - 19
17 - Fouls - 21


Top Scorers
Jameer Nelson - 37
Kevin Durant - 36
Derrick Rose - 27
OJ Mayo - 25
Rudy Gay - 18
Jason Thompson - 16
James Harden - 14
Roy Hibbert - 13
Drew Gooden - 12
Blake Griffin - 12
Rolf Young - 9

Assists
Jameer Nelson - 16
Derrick Rose - 15
Rudy Gay - 6
Roy Hibbert - 5

Rebounds
Jason Thompson - 11
Blake Griffin - 10
Roy Hibbert - 9
JaVale McGee - 7
Rudy Gay - 6
OJ Mayo - 5

Video Highlights
Harden sets up Griffin for a dunk.
Flash