OKC Thunder Stats

I look forward to the "Here's how the Lakers can beat the Thunder" articles. Also, I'm recalling the incredible times of that 2012 series between the teams.

@Rylan_Stiles At least 4 more days until Thunder basketball. 😢

Thunder second round schedule:

Everyone was killing the Timberwolves for giving up all those 1st round picks for Rudy Gobert, and they ended up winning the trade. Timberwolves are in their greatest run in franchise history, while the Jazz are awful and do not even have a path to make the Playoffs.

Most Games Scoring Exactly __ Points In a Game for the Thunder 41 - Kevin Durant 5 42 - Kevin Durant 6 43 - Russell Westbrook 6 44 - Kevin Durant 4 45 - Westbrook 6 46 - Westbrook/Durant 2 47 - Shai/Paul George/Durant 2 48 - Westbrook 3 49 - Westbrook 2 50 - Westbrook/Shai 1 51 - Durant 2 52 - Shai/Durant 1 53 - none 54 - Westbrook/Shai/Durant 1 55 - Shai 1 56 - none 57 - Westbrook 1 58 - Westbrook 1

Most Games Scoring Exactly __ Points In a Game for the Thunder 31 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 37 32 - Kevin Durant 35 33 - Kevin Durant 31 34 - Kevin Durant 15 35 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 19 36 - Russell Westbrook 17 37 - Shai 15 38 - Westbrook 10 39 - Shai 10 40 - Durant/Shai 12

Most Games Scoring Exactly __ Points In a Game for the Thunder 21 - Russell Westbrook 46 22 - Westbrook 38 23 - Westbrook 40 24 - Westbrook 31 25 - Kevin Durant 35 26 - Kevin Durant 35 27 - Westbrook 38 28 - Kevin Durant 37 29 - Kevin Durant 32 30 - Kevin Durant 36

Most Games Scoring Exactly __ Points In a Game for the Thunder 11 - Serge Ibaka 26 12 - Serge Ibaka 39 13 - Ibaka/Westbrook 31 14 - Serge Ibaka 32 15 - Serge Ibaka 35 16 - Serge Ibaka 32 17 - Westbrook 35 18 - Westbrook 28 19 - Westbrook 38 20 - Westbrook 33

Most Games Scoring Exactly __ Points In a Game for the Thunder 0 - Nick Collison 99 1 - Nick Collison 13 2 - Nick Collison 115 3 - Jaylin Williams 35 4 - Nick Collison 91 5 - Kenrich Williams 33 6 - Nick Collison 74 7 - Kenrich Williams 34 8 - Nick Collison 53 9 - Steven Adams 33 10 - Steven Adams 36

In the fantasy world in which the Thunder loses to the Spurs AND that Sam Presti wants throw assets to acquire a big name player, that player would be Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nikola Jokic is huge defensive liability and would rip apart the Thunder identity.

Nikola Jokic This Series 44.6% FG shooting 19.4% on 3-pointers 3.8 Turnover Per Game Terrible defense and a series full of flopping. Most overrated player in the game. Eliminated in the 1st round by a short-handed team. Good riddance.

Isaiah Hartenstein passed Nick Collison on the NBA's All-Time Playoff list for career rebounds. IHart is now 297th All-Time.

Lu Dort has passed James Harden for 9th most minutes played in Thunder Playoff history. Can you name the top 8?

I support the NBA Draft lottery changes. The focus should be putting a team on the floor that can win games. These changes do a better job than what we have now. The median All-Star this year was drafted 8th overall. 13 of the 28 All-Stars were picked 11th or later, which includes MVPs Shai, Giannis, and Jokic. No doubt it is easier to build a team with an #1 overall draft pick, but just flagrantly putting a terrible product on the floor shouldn't be rewarded. Am I supposed to feel bad for a team like Utah? They took a good team and traded 2 future Hall of Famers for 1st round picks. Those players helped make Minnesota and Cleveland good teams, and Utah ends up getting back late 1st round picks. Sacramento, Washington, and New Orleans have been comically inept. New Orleans even won the lottery twice. Drafted Anthony Davis and Zion, and have managed to make the playoffs 4 times and win 1 playoff series in 14 seasons. The Thunder built their current team with some shrewd moves to get Paul George (10th overall pick, by the way). Then when he wanted out, managed to get a haul for him which got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11th overall) and a bunch of picks. The Thunder took one of those picks and got Jalen Williams (12th overall) who became an All-Star in season 3. Thunder also had some luck with getting Chet Holmgren, but the team is good even when he misses time. Chet missed 50 games last season and the team went 42-8! The Thunder constructed a team around Shai, JDub, and Chet along with a bunch of 2nd rounders and cast-offs. The roster construction of those 4-15 players are what makes the team great. People are poking holes at the reforms, and there's some points here and there, but the new path forward is better than what we have now.

We can keep everyone forever if Clay Bennett is willing to write luxury tax checks. I absolutely encourage him to do so. OKC has many ways to stay out of the second apron for next season, but it becomes difficult-to-impossible after that without losing key pieces. x.com/BrandonRahbar/…

Fair point. I believe Cason Wallace (still only 22) has the highest potential of the non-Big 3 and I'd rather have Cason on the team in 3 years than Isaiah Hartenstein. For next season perhaps it is as easy as exercising IHart, then Sorber/12 pick/cheap vet for the future.

@BReynolds200 No knows what is going on in Hartenstein's thinking, besides him. Would he even take that? He left the Knicks for bigger Thunder money. Could easily see a chance of more money elsewhere. From the Thunder side, a big IHart contract could mean no Cason, and I'm against that.

@ThunderNumbers Feel like a decline and sign for 3 years, 75M or 4 years, 100M is reasonable for both sides

Thunder aren't playing another playoff game for awhile and I'm going down the salary cap rabbit hole. Isaiah Hartenstein is irreplaceable. The only other bigs that put up up 9 rebounds and 3 assists a game are All-Stars, and Jusuf Nurkic. IHart is such an amazing fit. Does everything, except make 3-pointers. He's worth every dollar of the $28.5M team option. Decline-and-sign probably doesn't make much sense for either Sam Presti or IHart. Presti doesn't let anyone notable get to unrestricted free agency anymore, so guesswork of how this goes. Cuts will have to come elsewhere if the goal is to stay under the 2nd apron. Open market he could absolute get more money with the Lakers, Bulls, and Nets able to sign him outright.

Highest Career Playoff Winning Percentage - Minimum 25 Wins 1) Mark Daigneault 70.3% 2) Phil Jackson 68.8% 3) Steve Kerr 68.4% 4) Mazzulla 66.7% 5) John Kundla 63.2% 6) Billy Cunningham 62.9% 7) Larry Costello 61.7% 8) Larry Bird 61.5% 9) Pat Riley 60.6% 10) Gregg Popovich 59.9%

Chet Holmgren has passed Nick Collison for 6th most rebounds in Thunder Playoff history.