Oklahoma City Thunder

Thou shall fear no evil, because the NBA power rankings are here to save the day. It’s been forever since we last saw each other. Like, a whole week or something. A lot has happened since then. The Warriors are clearly tanking, trying to avoid a first-round dance with the Thunder; the Nuggets fired Brian [...]

After taking care of the Los Angeles Clippers, 90-87, last Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies had quietly recorded the 3rd best record in the NBA this season at 42-16 (72.4%), just behind the 47-12 Atlanta Hawks and the 45-11 Golden State Warriors. In that hotly contested game, Chris Paul powered the Clippers on both ends [...]

Goodbye, All-Star discussion and NBA trade deadline. Hello, playoff race. It’s that time of year again. The focus is on the playoffs and various position-jockeying that’s going on. This week we have a lot of movement to cover, from the Blazers’ slump, to the Spurs’ mounting cankers, to the Thunder’s improbable surge, to the Sixers [...]

The NBA’s trade deadline was a busy racket this year, and the Oklahoma City Thunder were among those making the biggest splashes. It took a while for the full details of their trade to emerge, but the Thunder wound up parting ways with disgruntled point guard Reggie Jackson and the expiring contract of Kendrick Perkins, [...]

Stand up, folks. Stretch. Bend. Flex. Make old-folk noises. The NBA trade deadline is finally upon us. This implies two things: First, real, live basketball is about to begin again. Fist-pump it up. Second, the rumors are flowing like vodka and tequila and gin and rum and whiskey during J.R. Smith’s weekend-long vacation from the city of Cleveland. Navigating those [...]

In 2017, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook becomes a free agent, which means that there may be a possibility that he decides to take his talents someplace else and there may be a slight chance that he considers joining the Lakers. Westbrook is well-known to be an LA Native and many purple and gold [...]

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to the 2015 NBA All-Star Game we go. Okay, so, I’m pretty sure “heigh-ho” refers to yawning or disappointment, but screw it. I wanted to both rhyme and write “heigh-ho,” so let’s just pretend. Anyway, the NBA is speeding toward its All-Star break, leaving a trail of injuries, playoff-seeding battles and [...]

Avoiding NBA power rankings is for chumps, so come on in. There’s plenty to talk about this week. The Warriors and Hawks are still playing in a league of their own; the Grizzlies look like fortuitous demigods; the Hornets and Pistons are making a mockery of the Eastern Conference’s race for the final two playoff spots; [...]

Question of the week: Do any of the NBA’s Eastern Conference fringe playoff teams actually want to make the postseason? Asking for a friend or 50 here. Seriously, once you leave the East’s top-six teams—Hawks(!), Raptors, Wizards, Bulls, Cavaliers and Bucks—it feels like you’ve entered the “Let’s try and suck as much as possible in order to [...]

Someone needs to explain the Denver Nuggets to me. We’ve already talked about their purported interest in the Brooklyn Nets’ Brook Lopez—an injury-prone big man who may help their offense, but not their defense, and one who is overkill considering JaVale McGee, J.J. Hickson and Jusuf Nurkic are on the roster.  Now, they’re at it again. [...]