Kevin Durant Longhorn Legend

[aggie08 21,455]

1 hour ago, Goo Punch said:

i thought so at the time, 100%. But i've changed my tune on that since then. I don't think it was just bad luck that they blew that series. GS is a winning organization full of winning players and a winning coach. OKC was an amalgam of great players with two alpha dogs who couldn't coexist and an absentee coach. To me it's logical that GS eventually took that series. I believe that what we saw from okc was as good as it was going to get. Getting to the finals and getting crushed, blowing a 3-1 lead to the warriors- that's who they were. The respective fates of KD, Harden, and Russ have opened my eyes to that. 

Yeah, being up 3-1 on Golden State was pretty much their peak. The Warriors gifted them game 1, then they had one hell of a home court advantage in OKC. They played way above their heads defensively but couldn't close out a banged up Steph--eventually faltering once he and Klay found their rhythms--with KD being the only Thunder player who bothered to show up for Game 7. I don't know if they ever would have gotten that close again. They immediately traded Serge Ibaka--whose length helped give the Warriors fits--and would have kept Dion Waiters had KD stayed. It was a flawed team who put together one nice postseason. Conversely, had Golden State not signed KD, they would have used the cap spike to sign players to battle Adams and OKC's length. The Warriors were the betting favorite for the 2017 NBA title before KD signed for a reason.

[52-80 19,128]

5 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Yeah, being up 3-1 on Golden State was pretty much their peak. The Warriors gifted them game 1, then they had one hell of a home court advantage in OKC. They played way above their heads defensively but couldn't close out a banged up Steph--eventually faltering once he and Klay found their rhythms--with KD being the only Thunder player who bothered to show up for Game 7.  I don't know if they ever would have gotten that close again.

What a fucking hero.  Maybe if he had shown up for games 4, 5, and 6, they would've been closer.

[ChiTownDoc 21,112]

7 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Yeah, being up 3-1 on Golden State was pretty much their peak. The Warriors gifted them game 1, then they had one hell of a home court advantage in OKC. They played way above their heads defensively but couldn't close out a banged up Steph--eventually faltering once he and Klay found their rhythms--with KD being the only Thunder player who bothered to show up for Game 7. I don't know if they ever would have gotten that close again. They immediately traded Serge Ibaka--whose length helped give the Warriors fits--and would have kept Dion Waiters had KD stayed. It was a flawed team who put together one nice postseason. Conversely, had Golden State not signed KD, they would have used the cap spike to sign players to battle Adams and OKC's length. The Warriors were the betting favorite for the 2017 NBA title before KD signed for a reason.

Lol.  Ignores games 5/6.  

[aggie08 21,455]

11 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Lol.  Ignores games 5/6.  

Uh, KD scored 40 in Game 5. Yeah, he was bad in Game 6, but find me a player who doesn't have at least one dud in a 7 game series. 

The narrative that KD didn't step up in that series is laughable. He didn't have is usual efficiency (when your 3pt% is lower than Russ's, you're going to have a bad time), with Iggy guarding him more often than not. But whatever dip in efficiency he had, he made up for by playing the best defense of his life. Dude was a beast all series and had the Warriors seeing ghosts in the paint.

Then, in Game 7, OKC holds Golden State to 96 in Oracle, but only scores 88 themselves because everyone not named KD--Russ, Dion, and Andre--is taking turns trying to break the rim under the pressure.

[UTDD 362]

9 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Uh, KD scored 40 in Game 5. Yeah, he was bad in Game 6, but find me a player who doesn't have at least one dud in a 7 game series. 

The narrative that KD didn't step up in that series is laughable. He didn't have is usual efficiency (when your 3pt% is lower than Russ's, you're going to have a bad time), with Iggy guarding him more often than not. But whatever dip in efficiency he had, he made up for by playing the best defense of his life. Dude was a beast all series and had the Warriors seeing ghosts in the paint.

Then, in Game 7, OKC holds Golden State to 96 in Oracle, but only scores 88 themselves because everyone not named KD--Russ, Dion, and Andre--is taking turns trying to break the rim under the pressure.

I agree about Game 5, but I don't think either KD or Russ really had a good series overall.  KD shot 42% from 2 and only 29% from 3 all series, and he had more turnovers than assists for the series, and Game 6 was really quite bad.  Not really close to his normal efficiency at all but worse it really looked like in Game 6 like a LeBron 2011 Finals meltdown on some level, something was off that game.  Russ shot only 40% from 2 and 32% from 3, and also vanished in key parts of the series as well.  I just think these two were a bad fit for each other when it counted, they really should have kept Harden long-term over Westbrook on my opinion, but to be fair it was hard to know this at the time.  I don't think OKC would have ever won with that group because KD/Russ don't really fit that well together.  As for defense, KD had a 106 DRtg and Russ 104 for the series, which are both pretty good to me considering the other team.  Roberson was at 104 too and I think Roberson is one the best defenders in the NBA.

[angryhomer 98]

Amazed this thread is a still a thing.  But I guess Please KD Spooge Goo On My Face Then Give Me  A Donkey Punch must answer everything.

[ChiTownDoc 21,112]

48 minutes ago, UTDD said:

I agree about Game 5, but I don't think either KD or Russ really had a good series overall.  KD shot 42% from 2 and only 29% from 3 all series, and he had more turnovers than assists for the series, and Game 6 was really quite bad.  Not really close to his normal efficiency at all but worse it really looked like in Game 6 like a LeBron 2011 Finals meltdown on some level, something was off that game.  Russ shot only 40% from 2 and 32% from 3, and also vanished in key parts of the series as well.  I just think these two were a bad fit for each other when it counted, they really should have kept Harden long-term over Westbrook on my opinion, but to be fair it was hard to know this at the time.  I don't think OKC would have ever won with that group because KD/Russ don't really fit that well together.  As for defense, KD had a 106 DRtg and Russ 104 for the series, which are both pretty good to me considering the other team.  Roberson was at 104 too and I think Roberson is one the best defenders in the NBA.

Mostly this.  And Harden hasn’t proven himself in the postseason either imo.  But good points. That blown 3-1 has to be shared by them all.  And really if Klay doesn’t go off like almost nobody ever has...we aren’t discussing this.  

[UTDD 362]

3 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Mostly this.  And Harden hasn’t proven himself in the postseason either imo.  But good points. That blown 3-1 has to be shared by them all.  And really if Klay doesn’t go off like almost nobody ever has...we aren’t discussing this.  

Agreed on Harden, who can forget his own meltdown with San Antonio, and this past year I felt way more comfortable with Chris Paul during the GS series for sure.  I think that injury obviously killed their real chance to steal that series but they were still so close with SO many bricks in Game 7.  To be fair, they had great defensive energy and effort (from a D'Antoni team!  Chris Paul influence maybe?), and that probably sapped their legs for shooting quite a bit, but part of that is pressure too.

[aggie08 21,455]

1 hour ago, UTDD said:

I agree about Game 5, but I don't think either KD or Russ really had a good series overall.  KD shot 42% from 2 and only 29% from 3 all series, and he had more turnovers than assists for the series, and Game 6 was really quite bad.  Not really close to his normal efficiency at all but worse it really looked like in Game 6 like a LeBron 2011 Finals meltdown on some level, something was off that game.  Russ shot only 40% from 2 and 32% from 3, and also vanished in key parts of the series as well.  I just think these two were a bad fit for each other when it counted, they really should have kept Harden long-term over Westbrook on my opinion, but to be fair it was hard to know this at the time.  I don't think OKC would have ever won with that group because KD/Russ don't really fit that well together.  As for defense, KD had a 106 DRtg and Russ 104 for the series, which are both pretty good to me considering the other team.  Roberson was at 104 too and I think Roberson is one the best defenders in the NBA.

Yeah, I didn't mean to suggest that KD is blameless in their defeat. OKC didn't need a great game from him to win Game 6 and close out the series; they needed one play down the stretch to provide the dagger. That's not too much to ask from the 2nd best basketball player on the planet. 

But he was, by far, the best player on the court in getting them the 3-1 lead. He just wasn't better than Klay in Game 6 or Steph in Games 5 and 7. It happens when you're playing a great team. They had their shot--probably the best shot they were going to get--and just got beat by a better, more cohesive team.

Edited August 27, 2018 by aggie08

[Goo Punch 4,275]

Nine seasons. One Finals appearance. A coach with voice in the team. Having to play with Westbrook, the anti-winner. Yeah he definitely should have stayed. I'm sure everyone who's still upset about would have stayed in that situation. For suuuure.

[Patrick Bateman 3,910]

Maybe he just didn't want to be trapped in Oklahoma half the year.....

[Hate 20,104]

4 WCF appearances in 9 years does not suggest that they weren't perennial title contenders.  Also, one of those years Westbrook missed most or all of the playoffs or they would have had a good chance at a 5th appearance.  You make it seem like they sucked during his years there.

[Goo Punch 4,275]

16 minutes ago, Hate said:

4 WCF appearances in 9 years does not suggest that they weren't perennial title contenders. Also, one of those years Westbrook missed most or all of the playoffs or they would have had a good chance at a 5th appearance.  You make it seem like they sucked during his years there.

It definitely doesn't suggest that they were.

By the way, has anyone here ever, even once, played that they believe that OKC would have won a title had KD stayed? I've heard a dozen of y'all claim they were title contenders, but i've never heard anyone actually say *that*.

Edited August 27, 2018 by Goo Punch

[BigOrange1 6,422]

i think they definitely could have won a title had he stayed in okc.  i can't say for sure that they would have as i can't see the future, but i absolutely believe that they could have.  

[52-80 19,128]

5 hours ago, aggie08 said:

 

But he was, by far, the best player on the court in getting them the 3-1 lead. He just wasn't better than Klay in Game 6 or Steph in Games 5 and 7. 

What an incredible spin job this is 

-"KD was the only player who showed up in game 7"

-Agreement KD and RW played comparably for whole series

-"KD was by far the best player on court for games 1-4"

somehow, that math doesnt add up.

 

games 1->4

FG/3FG/RB/AST/STL/TO

.448/.313/8.8/2.5/4.3/2.0

.420/.364/6.5/11.8/4.0/3.8

 

who's who?

 

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

1 hour ago, BigOrange1 said:

i think they definitely could have won a title had he stayed in okc.  i can't say for sure that they would have as i can't see the future, but i absolutely believe that they could have.  

after everything that's gone down i can't ever see a team that features Russ winning a title. 

[kingkoopa6 8,332]

[kopp0e 1,135]

Durant in south Florida...

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

On 8/27/2018 at 12:02 AM, aggie08 said:

"I got drafted by Seattle, then the franchise immediately moved to Oklahoma City without my input. The front office proceeded to cheap out at every opportunity, and traded James Harden literally over a couple million dollars, instead opting to field teams with half of the league's one-dimensional players. But I want to spend my entire career in Oklahoma playing alongside Brody."

Imagine saying that out loud.

No one would, especially when the team cheaped out on one of the top 10 players of this generation just to save a handful of millions...

[Hate 20,104]

And yet, I’m not sure anyone has blamed him for leaving. There may have been one person in this thread that has suggested he should have e stayed in OKC. Nobody cares that he left. It’s where he chose to go that has been the issue.

[Goo Punch 4,275]

where should he have gone?

[Vic Mackey 46,976]

Mavs

[kopp0e 1,135]

On 8/31/2018 at 4:35 PM, Vic Mackey said:

Mavs

That may have pissed of Thunder fans nearly as much, as Dallas is seen as the "Big Brother" city, compared to Oklahoma City, to most Okies...

[Aqua Buddha 14,531]

On 8/27/2018 at 12:02 AM, aggie08 said:

"I got drafted by Seattle, then the franchise immediately moved to Oklahoma City without my input. The front office proceeded to cheap out at every opportunity, and traded James Harden literally over a couple million dollars, instead opting to field teams with half of the league's one-dimensional players. But I want to spend my entire career in Oklahoma playing alongside Brody."

Imagine saying that out loud.

How come no one blames Harden for leaving over a few million dollars?  Think about it.  He could have stayed in OKC, won multiple titles but left for just a few million more....

Oh, that's right.  It wasn't completely about the money.  Harden wanted to have his own team and not come off the bench.

Rest of the post is true but the Harden trade is one of the more misunderstood moves in league history.  Harden was leaving regardless.  

Even without Harden, KD still could have won a title in OKC.  He just didn't.

[Dutchrudder 11,126]

2 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

How come no one blames Harden for leaving over a few million dollars?  Think about it.  He could have stayed in OKC, won multiple titles but left for just a few million more....

Oh, that's right.  It wasn't completely about the money.  Harden wanted to have his own team and not come off the bench.

Rest of the post is true but the Harden trade is one of the more misunderstood moves in league history.  Harden was leaving regardless.  

Even without Harden, KD still could have won a title in OKC.  He just didn't.

You are so full of shit, and you have to know it to keep spouting this utter nonsense throughout the years. A few million dollars for Harden is meaningful, because it means he got a "max" contract, which is all he wanted. OKC was willing to pay up to the Luxury Tax threshold, but their billionaire owner wasn't willing to pay the extra couple million it would have taken to keep him and that core in tact. It was all on OKC's ownership, and just about everyone in the world aside from you sees it that way. Stop defending your shitty team and their shitty management, your team is stuck in limbo for the foreseeable future because they were cheap and stupid.

[Aqua Buddha 14,531]

6 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

You are so full of shit, and you have to know it to keep spouting this utter nonsense throughout the years. A few million dollars for Harden is meaningful, because it means he got a "max" contract, which is all he wanted. OKC was willing to pay up to the Luxury Tax threshold, but their billionaire owner wasn't willing to pay the extra couple million it would have taken to keep him and that core in tact. It was all on OKC's ownership, and just about everyone in the world aside from you sees it that way. Stop defending your shitty team and their shitty management, your team is stuck in limbo for the foreseeable future because they were cheap and stupid.

The book "Boom Town" covers the entire saga and you are wrong.  They chronicle what everyone already knows, which is Harden wanted his on team.  Knowing what you now know about Harden, do you think he would have been happy being the third option on a team?

Edited September 3, 2018 by Aqua Buddha

[Dutchrudder 11,126]

On 9/3/2018 at 7:51 AM, Aqua Buddha said:

The book "Boom Town" covers the entire saga and you are wrong.  They chronicle what everyone already knows, which is Harden wanted his on team.  Knowing what you now know about Harden, do you think he would have been happy being the third option on a team?

He wanted a max deal, they never offered it, tried to be cheap and save a couple million. He may not have been happy being the third banana, but he would have accepted a max deal, which is the bottom line here for OKC"s roster and future.

[texaslong 678]

On 8/27/2018 at 6:48 AM, 52-80 said:

What a fucking hero.  Maybe if he had shown up for games 4, 5, and 6, they would've been closer.

Nobody shows up when Russ is in charge. Same thing happened to PG last year. Russ goes balls to the wall making it look like he's the only one trying out there, and everyone else has to fit in to Russ's flow of the game. 

[kopp0e 1,135]

On 8/27/2018 at 4:13 PM, BigOrange1 said:

i think they definitely could have won a title had he stayed in okc.  i can't say for sure that they would have as i can't see the future, but i absolutely believe that they could have.  

Agreed that is was quite possible, especially once Lebron went back to Cleveland from the Miami "superteam"...

[Goo Punch 4,275]

welp, if Russ ever wins a title as a focal point of a team then maybe i can lend some credence to that idea, but at this point i think i'd have a better chance at winning a title as a focal point of a team than Russ would. He's the guard version of Boogie- if he's option 1a or 1b, i'm sorry, you have zero shot at winning a title save serious injury or suspension for the opposing team.

[kopp0e 1,135]

The latest news from the world of Durant:

Kevin Durant is now using his real Instagram account to argue with people online

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

KD with a response of a Tweet:

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

Durant isn't on the backup accounts anymore...

 

[satyanash 14,340]

So turns out KD isn't half-bad on the mic. Better than LeBron, anyway

 

[immortal13 4,059]

Not bad actually

[kingkoopa6 8,332]

On 9/7/2018 at 6:24 PM, satyanash said:

So turns out KD isn't half-bad on the mic. Better than LeBron, anyway

 

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

damn, KD can spit.

[kopp0e 1,135]

I think Durant has a song better than Shaq:

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

Happy birthday KD!

 

 

[kingkoopa6 8,332]

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

 

[satyanash 14,340]

Legend.

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

 

[kingkoopa6 8,332]

^^ lol at augustin...he already knew

Edited November 27, 2018 by kingkoopa6

[Thatguy 8,568]

15 hours ago, kingkoopa6 said:

^^ lol at augustin...he already knew

DJ has seen that record before.

[crony 359]

Idiot dipshit Max Kellerman. Lots of SAS so watch at own risk.. 

 

 

 

[Radical Larry 28,533]

I'll take your word for it. 

[BigOrange1 6,422]

he did another podcast with bill simmons.  i'm about an hour in and enjoying it.