Scotty vs. Pop

Scott Brooks vs. Greg Popovich

With The Thunder and Spurs playing each other in this Western Conference Finals, I'd like to open up a little discussion. I'm an OKC Thunder fan but i'm going to be VERY unbiased on this topic. You will hear a lot of people talking about this coaching match up and you would, obviously, give the edge to Pop and the San Antonio Spurs, and I would agree. Below, I will give you my reasons why...

Subject A: Scott Brooks

I like Scott Brooks. I think he is a great guy and a good coach. Notice I say good, not great. There are a lot of head scratching moves that he makes that I definitely question. Kendrick Perkins being a starting center and getting the playing time he always has befuddles me. But i'll save my thoughts on Kendrick for another time so back to Scotty. I'm sure a lot of people think like me and think they could coach this Thunder team to where they are now, and i'm sure we would be wrong. However, I think this team could be so much better, unstoppable actually, if they gave more minutes to certain people and less to others. There is absolutely no reason for Nick Collison to not be playing this series. I don't care if he didn't play one single minute in game 3 and very little in game 4, and both of those games resulted in victories. He still should play a very big role on this team. Jeremy Lamb should also have had more minutes throughout these entire playoffs. Now he is getting to play and I think he fits a role this thunder team has missed the past two series. He is very young but he can shoot and stretch the defense which is exactly what the thunder need. Especially when KD and Russ are struggling offensively. Basically, just sometimes I wonder if Brooks is watching the same game as me or if he's lost somewhere in the TNT universe working cases with Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell on Franklin and Bash. I'm just kidding but he looks just like Breckin Meyer(Franklin). Anyways...

Subject B: Greg Popovich

I have always respected Pop as a coach and think he is the best coach in the NBA. I really never liked the guy just because of his awkward and sometimes rude interviews during the game. But, this may be childish of me, ever since I found out that after he went to the Air Force Academy and underwent Intelligence gathering and processing training and considered a career with the CIA, he has become that much more interesting to me. I am a huge nerd for CIA/NSA/James Bond spy stuff so I kind of like him now and think his awkwardness is hilarious(Especially when he called out Dean Blevins in previous press conference for asking question with food in his mouth, that's hilarious) By the way, Dean said he wasn't expecting Pop to answer his question so soon. I've never been to a press conference and I have no extensive training in gathering intelligence. However, my intel tells me if you have your hand raised for questioning, and the guy selects you to ask your question, he's probably ready for it. So, with all that being said, here's is my conclusion...

Advantage: Greg Popovich

Our boy Serge :(

Serge Ibaka :(

  Well, not a great start to the weekend. Drives home from work on Friday are usually a time where I throw my headphones in and sing like an idiot. This is me driving home on a Friday........

Enjoying myself and getting ready for the weekend. But Serge's calf muscle had different plans for this trip home. It instead wanted me to stare depressingly at the road, and ask "why me? why us? why the Thunder?"  Of course I didn't get an answer, but I'm pretty sure it's because I didn't eat my veggies last night. Ok, maybe not, but that's all I could come up with. 

   It puts the Thunder at a disadvantage for sure. It takes away from the team defense when the best shot blocker, and best paint protector in the league is missing. But for some reason, I still feel alright about it. That is assuming Scott Brooks will make good adjustments, and not just use it as an excuse to play Perkins for more minutes. 

This is what I think needs to happen, which means nothing really, but I thought I would share anyways.

1) My starting lineup would be: Russ, Thabo, KD, Collison, and Steven Adams. Unfortunately for all of us Thunder fans, I'm not the head coach. His name is Scott Brooks and he loves Kendrick Perkins. There is a 98% chance that he starts Perk. So, with that being said.....

2) Steven Adams absolutely has to play more minutes than Perkins. He's the closest thing to Serge we have athletically and in shot blocking ability.  The perimeter defenders are taught to close out hard on shooters, because they have Serge as insurance behind them. And that's how they've played defense for three years, so they're not going to be able to break that in three days. That means they need big Stone Cold Steve Adams to at least try to alter some shots. 

3) All of Perk's minutes need to come with Tim Duncan in the game. That's the only time he needs to play is when he's guarding Duncan one on one. But that definitely doesn't mean he needs to equal Timmy's minutes. I'd be happy with about half of the minutes Duncan gets.

4) When Perk is in, the rest of the lineup needs to be small.  When Perk is in, the offense loses alot of firepower. The opponent essentially doesn't even have to guard him and can double Kevin. 

5) Give Jeremy Lamb a chance. He was really good this season up until the All Star break, but went into a slump after. And with the signing of Caron Butler, he's been phased out of the rotation. With the third best scorer out, the offensive struggle will be there. Kevin and Russ get zeroed(is that a word?) in on as it is, so take away Serge and it gets even tougher for them two. JLamb can spread the floor with his shooting ability and drive if he has space. 

6) Go small as much as possible. Big lineups at the beginning of the game are fine, because you need to make sure KD doesn't get in foul trouble too early.  But if he isn't in foul trouble he needs to play the 4 with Collison or Adams at the 5.

7) Perry Jones needs significant minutes.  I know everyone is thinking "Well, if he doesn't play then there must be a reason".  But in the regular season when Russ was out he was really good as well. He's 6' 11" and the second best athlete on the team behind Russ.  He can guard almost all positions and has a good outside shot.  So, unless he just falls on his face, he needs big minutes. Seriously though, if you ever get time, YouTube some of PJ3's dunking. It's really fun.

8)  The final thing is the biggest one, and not really an adjustment because it's been this way all year. But ride KD and Russ to the end.  You can count the Thunder out if you want, but with these two guys there is always a chance. 

  My solution to the injury itself?  Take one of his 57 abs and replace his calf muscle. 

 You're welcome ladies.  But, seriously, I think he could stand to donate one.

Thunder Recap 5-13-14

5-13-14

Clippers @ Thunder Game 5

   Alright, I haven't blogged in quite some time, but after that game last night, I just thought I couldn't live with myself if I let this one go.  I had my mind set on writing this last night, but until two in the morning, this was me.

  . I just stared at the wall with a goofy smile, not really knowing what just happened.  Everyone was saying the Thunder won, but being down seven with 47 seconds, that's kind of hard to believe. I mean, in my head I knew because I literally jumped up and down in one place over and over for five straight minutes.  But honestly the Thunder played so poorly throughout it just seemed as if they were doomed. The offense went five straight minutes in the fourth quarter without scoring, then scored eight in the final 47 seconds.  KD was 3-17 shooting going into the fourth quarter, then hit three of his next five for 10 points. Maybe its just meant to be.

   There is going to be two types of ways to look at this game. 

   First way: The Thunder stepped up and made plays in the last three minutes when they needed it most, making defensive stop after defensive stop, hitting threes, getting to the line, getting turnovers and transition layups. Russ being Russ. We caught some breaks with the last few calls, sure, but the game was only in that situation because of the fight this team showed. 

   Second way: The Thunder got lucky and the refs were the only reason they won. Which, that group is going to be the fair weather OKC fans and Clippers fans. And the Spurs, because they're scared to play the Thunder next round. 

   Hopefully everyone reading this is in group number one.  Even worse than group two is the people on twitter who are saying the game is rigged. If you seriously think that way, then you need to reevaluate your entire life. First, Clippers are a HUGE market, meaning more TV ratings and more money for the league. Two, the Clippers are the team with the Donald Sterling drama and bandwagon fans love stuff like that. Three, the league can't rig a player to make ridiculous shots, or a MVP to go 3-17. Sure the refs could have a tiny influence on the outcome, but in the end the players are the ones playing the game. So, if it was rigged, I don't think it would be in OKC's favor.

   So, let us actually talk about the game. OKC started off much like they ended game 4, TURRIBLE. Couldn't guard the three point line, couldn't guard the pick n roll, couldn't stop (former friend) Blake Griffin, and the Clippers made everything they threw towards the basket. On the offensive side, there was a bunch of standing around, Russ isolating 30 feet from the goal, KD standing at the elbow posting up with his freakishly long arm stuck 40 feet in the air, and Thunder men missed everything they flung towards the basket. But thanks to free throws, the score was only 58-52 at halftime. Could have been way worse.  

   Skip the third quarter because I'm getting hungry. 

   Fourth quarter started off good, got terrible, then good again.  OKC cut the lead to two at 90-88, then went into stupid mode. *Dribble dribble dribble *looks at shot clock *sees that it says three seconds *shoots 30 footer.  Rinse. Repeat. During that time, LA went on a 11-0 run to get the lead to 13.  Scott Brooks calls a timeout to draw up a play, and you guessed it, the play was terrible. It pretty much was just hey Kevin Durant, you're pretty good so get open and shoot. Which, if that was the case, then they executed flawlessly. Swish. A couple more stops, Kevin got to the free throw line, made both, then just down six. I know the math doesn't come out right, but whatever I may have forgot a few points, who cares. So, Another stop followed by Reggie Jackson layup cut it to four, 101-97.   Griffin got fouled, made the first, missed the second. After an improbable offensive rebound by "Big Baby" Davis, Chris Paul dribbled into what seemed like a dagger fadeaway. Splash. Lead to seven with 47 seconds. I cried a little. Thought about going to bed, but a Kevin three and a Kevin transition dunk cut it to two with 17 seconds. Chris Paul takes the inbounds pass, and instead of just waiting on the foul, he tries to shoot a halfcourt shot to try and get three free throws. But Russ got his hand in and stripped the ball, Reggie scoops it up leading a 3 on 1 fastbreak, decides to keep it himself, got stripped of the ball and it went out of bounds. The Thunder were rewarded the ball. A replay was called for. The replay shows that Matt Barnes fouled Jackson, but they missed the call. The replay also showed that the ball was out off of Reggie's right hand, but after review, the play stood. Thunder ball.  Once again, we got to see the brilliance of Brooks' play drawing. And, once again, the play was not good. This is how I picture that timeout went.

 Brooks: "Hey Russ"

 Russ: "Yeah Coach?"

 Brooks: "Is it our ball?"

 Hasheem Thabeet: "Sorry to interrupt but yes Coach its our ball."

 Brooks: "Thanks Hash"

 Brooks: "Alright, Fish?"

 Jeremy Lamb: "Coach his hearing aid isn't working"

 Brooks: "Well tell him he is gonna shoot the game winning shot."

 Russ: "Lol" *whispers in Reggie Jackson's ear, "Just pass it to me" 

 Reggie: *giggles "You got it, Russ"

  Russ gets the inbound, down two, and I'm thinking drive to the goal, maybe get fouled, maybe get a layup. Russ is thinking, Nope, 30 foot pull up jumper. Shoots it and airballs it. But, he gets bailed out by a Cliff Paul foul. Russ gets three free throws with a chance to go up one. And he cans all three. Shouts to him for that. Because I'm at home, just me and my mom, and I'm out of my mind nervous. Shaking like a little girl, biting my fingernails, and all I have to do is watch him shoot.  He is in front of 20,000 people praying that he makes them, and isn't even nervous. Thunder up 105-104 with six seconds, with Doc Rivers getting to draw up a play. And he's actually good at it. Him versus Brooks in a play drawing up contest would be like Kevin Durant versus me in a dunk contest. And, like we all knew, his play was pretty good. Cliff Paul came off a Blake Griffin screen at the top of the key and drives down the lane, meanwhile I'm standing in a pool of my own tears, but he loses the ball and its recovered by Serge Ibaka. The Thunder won and fans went from sorrow to pure joy in five minutes. I'm still crying, but in a good way now, doing my jumping in place routine, and everything felt right in the world again. 

  Crazy how much more you can come up with after sleep and 12 more hours to process, because last night, after staring at the wall forever, this is all 

I could come up with: "There was a basketball game tonight, some hoops were scored, some fouls were called, and the Thunder scored one more point than the Clippers. The End"

Next Up: Game 6 @ Staples Center in LA

B's 2014 NFL Mock Draft

Disclaimer: I am a huge nerd for the NFL draft...So here we go...

Ok, so the time from the end of the NFL season until the NFL draft is entirely too long. Guys like me grow very impatient and I seriously have looked at thousands of mock drafts(most of which I don't agree with) however, I still read. So, I thought I would make my own. I'm pretty sure I've done plenty of research on the matter to be an NFL scout so if anyone reading this likes what they see and knows how to pull some strings and make that happen, hook a brother up.

 1. Houston Texans-Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

I know there is a lot of speculation as to what the Texans will do with this pick. I, personally, think they should try and trade the pick and see if they can get a smoking deal like the Rams/Redskins RG3 trade. However, I doubt they will get that lucky. So, I would take the best player available(Jadeveon Clowney) and pair him with J.J. Watt to form the best pass rush in the league. I think they will be able to select Teddy Bridgewater with their 2nd round selection, so there is your QB, Houston.

 2. St. Louis Rams-Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

The talk of the Rams drafting Johnny Manziel here is crazy talk to me. I am a little biased towards Sam Bradford but I know if he's given Sammy Watkins, to go along with Tavon Austin from last year's draft. Sam could continue adding on to the numbers that he was putting up before his injury last season. Which, a lot of people say Sam is injury prone, and in that case, give him some protection! So I could also see them drafting Greg Robinson or Jake Matthews here. But I like the idea of a Sam to Sammy connection. Sammy Watkins is going to be a beast.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars-Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M

Ok, I think I like Blake Bortles or Derek Carr more, but for Jacksonville and their fandom's sake, they take Johnny Football. Mainly, to help them put some fans in their seats. He is very fun to watch and I think teams are starting to realize that short quarterbacks aren't so bad(see Drew Brees or Russell Wilson)

4. Cleveland Browns-Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn

I think Cleveland would really love to have Sammy Watkins here to pair with Josh Gordon, however, he's taken here. So I go with the big offensive lineman with the most upside here. Whoever the Browns QB will be next year will love having him and Joe Thomas protecting him.

5. Oakland Raiders- Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo

I'm not sure what the Raiders will do here. Their previous draft history would indicate that they may not know what to do either. I would go with the best player available here and wait to get my quarterback next year. They seem to think Matt Schaub can get the job done in 2014 so i'd wait it out one more year and select Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, or Brett Hundley as my franchise quarterback next season.

6. Atlanta Falcons- Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M

They would love to get Khalil Mack or Jadeveon Clowney here but, unfortunately, they will be gone by now. So they protect Matt Ryan and select Matthews here.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Mike Evan, WR, Texas A&M

The Bucs seem to really want to select the big WR here. Him and Vincent Jackson would be a pretty scary combination.

8. Minnesota Vikings- Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida

I think all the Vikings need is a franchise QB and they will be contenders. I think they realize this as well. They pick Bortles here who I think is very similar to Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger. All you need to do is hand the ball to AD and not turn the ball over and Vikings should be pretty lethal.

9. Buffalo Bills- Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina

The Bills could use a few more weapons for E.J. Manuel and I think Ebron would be a nice addition.

10. Detroit Lions- Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St.

Lions could use some help in their secondary and I think Justin Gilbert is a solid pick. He has great size and speed and could potentially provide the Lions with a lockdown CB.

11. Tennessee Titans-Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA

Titans could use some help with their pass rush and Anthony Barr would definitely provide that. Any guy who is 6'5" 255 and converted from Running Back probably would provide a lot of speed and athleticism to their defense.

12. New York Giants- Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan

I think the Giants need a lot of help. I think a good start would be drafting this large individual to protect Eli.

13. St. Louis Rams- Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama

The Rams still need to protect Sam but I think they can wait until later to do so. They have a need at safety and I think this is a great pick for them. Plus, the guy goes by Ha-Ha. Can't beat that.

14. Chicago Bears- Timmy Jernigan- DT, Florida St.

Da Bears try to get back to their old "monsters of the midway" form and strengthen up their D. This guy would be a nice fit.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kyle Fuller- CB, Virginia Tech

Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu are great but they're getting up there in the age category. Kyle Fuller should give them a youthful spark and help the Steelers get back to their winning ways.

16. Dallas Cowboys- Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt

I think America's team really needs a pass rusher since they've lossed Demarcus Ware to the Broncos. Ideally, I think they would rather have Anthony Barr here but since he's taken, Aaron Donald isn't too shabby of a pick.

Ok, this is taking a lot longer than expected and the Thunder game starts in 25 mins so...i'll just show you my remaining picks. No insight really, just the picks. You all are probably getting tired of reading this anyways...

17. Baltimore Ravens- Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
18. New York Jets- Odell Beckham, WR, LSU
19. Miami Dolphins- Zach Martin, OT, Notre Dame
20. Arizona Cardinals- C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
21. Green Bay Packers- Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio St..
22. Philadelphia Eagles- Marqise Lee, WR, USC
23. Kansas City Chiefs- Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon St.
24. Cincinatti Bengals- Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St
25. San Diego Chargers-Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St.
26. Cleveland Browns- Derek Carr, QB Fresno St.
27. New Orleans Saints-Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
28. Carolina Panthers- Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
29. New England Patriots- Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
30. San Francisco 49ers- Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida St.
31. Denver Broncos- Ra'Shede Hageman, DE/DT, Minnesota
32. Seattle Seahawks- Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington