dz.ic

My algorithm is ~60% people complaining about the OKC whistle right now. I understand why it annoys Thunder fans, but their most common responses ("why would the league rig things for small-market OKC?!" and "look where we rank in free-throw attempts!") misses the point. The reaction is more about the difference in the way the Thunder are allowed defend and the way their opponents are. And no one (at least not that I've seen) has come out and said the league is intentionally rigging games for OKC. That is, as the Thunder fans seem to think, ridiculous. But anyone who watches with a shred of objectivity can see the difference. It's a product of a couple things. First, for decades, the NBA has allowed more physicality from players who establish a defense-first reputation early in their careers (think back to Bruce Bowen). The Thunder have several of those players. Second, OKC is incredibly consistent (one of their team strengths!) about holding, grabbing, hacking, embellishing contact from offensive players from opening tip to final buzzer, and that's a tactic that certainly isn't exclusive to the NBA. They employ the "if we just foul everyone all the time, the refs can't call all of it," strategy to stunning effect. None of that is to suggest OKC is cheating or undeserving of its success. The Thunder are an incredibly talented, perfectly built, well-coached, well-oiled machine, led by one of the greatest guards in NBA history. They're almost certainly going to win their second straight championship. But it's not hard at all to see why people have a hard time watching them play.

This is why those of us who cover Wemby love him. Weighs in on the 65 game rule, asks others their opinion, and does math better than David Robinson or Manu. Seriously.

AIN'T NO WAY the refs are wearing SGA's shoes 😭😭😭

Wemby can't believe what Jokic did to him 😮