+Miami HEAT
Overall
Win/Loss Record : 66-16, first place Southeast Division
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Last Season’s Rank
2
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Projected 2013/2014
Finish
2
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Last
season’s Team Statistics and League Rank
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Returning
Individual Statistical Leaders
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Projected
Starters Based on Talent, Tenure, and Potential Impact:
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Second Unit Roster Order Ranked on Talent, Tenure, and Potential Impact:
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Analysis:
Last season, the Miami Heat cruised through the regular season winning a league best 66 games earning them once again the first overall spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs; however, as the post season arrived, Miami did not look as invincible as they did during the regular season. After dominating the first two rounds of the playoffs losing just one game against both the +Milwaukee Bucks and +Chicago Bulls, the Heat found themselves struggling to surpass an +Indiana Pacers team who ranked near the bottom of the league in scoring, field goal percentage and turnovers per game. During the Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana exposed Miami's greatest weakness of lack of a true big man and the Pacers took advantage of it by pounding the ball inside while meeting little or no resistance. +Roy Hibbert was not much of a factor on the offensive side of the court during the regular season as he averaged a little under twelve points per game while shooting a rather mediocre .440 from the field; however, that all changed in the playoffs as he suddenly transformed into a hall of fame superstar and was more than a match for the Heat. Hibbert dominated the Heat averaging 22.1 points and 10.1 boards per game while shooting .557 from the field and helped stretch the series to a final seventh game until Miami managed to overtake the Pacers, but not without Hibbert clocking 18 and 8 on them. That Pacers series was just the start of Miami's unraveling as the Heat would face their greatest challenge facing a team that not only matched them in every way, but would also shock the team to its very core and almost took away Miami's chance for a second straight NBA title. Unlike most of the teams in the NBA, the +San Antonio Spurs were not intimidated in any way by Miami's "Big Three" or Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, or as I have affectionately coined calling them, RUN DLC. In fact, during that seven game battle of attrition, the Spurs exposed that the Heat's greatest weakness was indeed what many believed to be the team's greatest strength--that of their supreme super human star, Lebron James. Despite having been deemed as the prime example of basketball perfection with the perfect blend of size, strength, skill, speed, and basketball acumen, the Spurs tore down that facade and exposed James to be nothing more than a sheep in wolves clothing. Under that superhuman exterior resided a scared little boy who if allowed to have his way would easily dominate his opponents, but if given even slightest resistance, he would shrivel up and become a shadow of his former self. The Spurs figured out that the only way to defeat the Heat was to defeat Lebron James and to do that, all they had to do was get into his head because they knew as many others would soon find out that the only person that can beat Lebron was Lebron himself. Once the Spurs started applying pressure on James forcing him to turnover the ball a few times and fouling him hard when he attacked the paint, Lebron became more timid and started to play quite tentatively which ultimately stalled the Miami Heat's offensive execution. The team could not count on their two other superstars as age and time had robbed Dwyane Wade of much of his trademark athleticism and explosiveness while Chris Bosh proved that he was not the dominant All star big man that many had perceived him to be. During the Finals, Bosh was simply a non-factor throughout the series as he went from averaging 17 per game in the regular season to being held to 11.9 points per game when the season really mattered. Seriously, if it were not for that miraculous game six where the Heat had to endure two overtime periods to get the win, we would have been celebrating the Spurs fifth NBA championship instead of the Heat's second straight championship trophy. The Heat did not beat the Spurs as much as they survived them for a better term and had they not pulled off the game six win, the everything around them probably would have come crashing down. +Erick Spoelstra would have probably been as good as gone as the team's head coach and the future of their Big Three would have probably be in jeopardy as they are all expected to forgo their player options at the end of the season to become unrestricted free agents. Seeing that his team will soon no longer be a viable contender for the crown, Lebron may choose to bid farewell to Miami the same cruel way that he did in Cleveland and take his talent to possibly the +Los Angeles Lakers, who will boast the same amount of cap space as the Heat did three years ago. As it stands now, the Heat are in a critical juncture as they teeter between keeping their veteran core that brought them to three NBA Finals and two championship trophies to falling back to mediocrity as they were before being graced by the Big Three. Along with D. Wade's advancing age and diminishing abilities, Chris Bosh's exposure of being just an above average player while being paid a superstar's salary, and Lebron's penchant for shriveling in games when it counts, many teams can see this as the perfect opportunity to unseat the mighty Heat from the throne thus shattering any notion that Miami can become one of the great championship dynasties in the NBA. With the start of the 2014 NBA Season already in full swing, it has become blatantly apparent that Miami's shelf life as a championship contender is all but over with two of its main stars falling under the shroud of Father Time while the third and most important piece of the Heat's future remains uncertain. Wade will be soon turning 32 years old and unless he discovers the fabled Fountain of Youth which allegedly was though to be hidden in Florida, his abilities and production will continue to diminish as time passes by. Bosh will be also hitting the big three-zero himself before season's end and has probably reached his athletic peak and will never give anything more than he has already been giving now. As for James, he is the lynch pin that keeps the entire team together and if he pulls another stunt like he did with that "Decision" he did three years ago, Miami's reign at the top of the mountain will end as soon as it started with it crashing down to the bottom the same way the +Cleveland Cavaliers did. So by all accounts, this may just be the Heat's last stand and with their perceived invincibility all but shattered, it will not be long until they too will fall extinct as the great titans before them as there will be many other contenders looking to take their place. |
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Showing posts with label number 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label number 2. Show all posts
Friday, November 15, 2013
SDH's 2013/2014 NBA Worst to First Previews and Predictions: 2. Miami Heat
Friday, July 26, 2013
SDH Presents the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 2. Miami Heat
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 66-16 , first place Southeast Division
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1
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At
Season’s End:
2
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Taking a Look Back at the Season that Once Was . . .
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SDH Player of the Year:
Lebron James 
Usually I would go out of my way to find someone on the Miami Heat that is outside of the Big Three of RUN DLC (Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris); however it is getting to the end of this countdown and frankly I am tired of writing. Nonetheless, Lebron certainly was the team's most valuable player as he led in almost every statistical category on the team; however, despite his phenomenal numbers, there were numerous instances where he did not look as phenomenal as he should have. During the playoffs, he allowed himself to shrivel up and not put up the performances necessary for his team to win and actually hurt his his team in the process. With all his God given talents of size and strength along with his skills and athletic abilities, you would expect a player like Lebron to be almost invincible; however there is one lingering weakness that prevents him from being that--that of himself. For a player that is so dominant, he has allowed his opponents to get into his head which led him to play more tentatively which in turn would lead him to not play up to his abilities. If this season has proven anything, it has shown that the only person that can stop Lebron James and in turn has stopped him is Lebron James himself, and until that is remedied, watch him continue to hold himself along with his team back from being an truly unstoppable force.
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Analysis:
As the Miami Heat hoisted up their second straight Larry O' Brien trophy, instead of the joy and satisfaction that usually comes with winning a second straight NBA title, there was more a sense of great relief because it almost did not happen. Had it not been for that miraculous double overtime game six win, it would have been the San Antonio Spurs that would have been the ones popping the champagne bottles and wearing their commemorative t-shirts and caps proclaiming their victory. Head coach Erik Spoelstra would have been fired quicker than you can say "Pat Riley names himself as interim coach," and there would probably have talk about Lebron taking a first class ticket out of South Beach. So much would have simply just fallen apart had the Heat not come back from that five point deficit with thirty seconds left in regulation that it is difficult to give the top spot to Miami despite them winning the NBA's top prize. Anything short of an NBA title would have been a complete failure and had it not happen, one can go as far to say that the ramification could have been disastrous considering all the money that was invested to create this superpower team.
In the case of this Miami team, it is not just about simply winning titles, but more about making history and forging legacies that will last for generations and thus far they have yet to earn the respect of basketball historians and connoisseurs. That is primarily because for starters, they lost in their first attempt at NBA gold at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks which can be considered as quite a blemish on the pristine legacy that the Heat had wished to create. Add the fact that the Heat often at times, did not live up to its facade of invincibility as they had almost slipped and fell not just once but nearly twice off that stratospheric high pedestal that the franchise had created for itself. Before their knock down drag out fight that they had with the Spurs, the Heat faced an equally daunting challenge as they fought to survive against a team that in aspects should have mopped the floor with. The Indiana Pacers had finished with a less than stellar 49 win regular season and did not nearly have the spectacular season Miami had as it ranked near the bottom in the league in offense; however, this team who many had frankly overlooked, gave the Heat a scare that they would not soon forget. Similar to the San Antonio Spurs, Miami looked down the barrel of a three games to two deficit losing at home against the Pacers as Indiana beat them in a rather convincing manner holding the home team Heat to just 79 points. Just like the Spurs, there Pacers also shattered the supposedly invincible facade put upon by the Heat by simply silencing the source of that perceived invulnerability in the team's statistically leader Lebron James. During the regular season Lebron James was simply unstoppable as he was "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locamotive and able to leap tall buildings at a single bound;" however, upon arriving in the post season, it looked as if Lebron's super powers had faded turning him into a mere mortal. And there was no particular player on that Pacers team that really shut him down on the defensive end because there simply not anyone in the NBA that matches James' mix of size, strength and talent; however for some reason, the one who would be called king simply shriveled up and crawled into a hole to hide. Indiana figured out a way to stop one of the most dominant players the league has ever seen and it was by physically holding him back, which is a feat that is next to impossible to accomplish, but somehow managed to get in his head turning him from the bloodthirsty beast that he was in the regular season. Although the numbers do not show it, his increased timidity and tentativeness certainly showed on the court as he went from shooting .565 from the field to .510 in the Indiana series with four of those games where hit shoot under .500. That slight yet noticeable decline in production bled into the Finals in San Antonio as Lebron James all but completely shut down averaging just under 17 points per game while he shot just .394 from the field and as mentioned before, it was not because of some opposing player, but it was Lebron who allowed himself to shut down. It did not help the Heat that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were not playing up to stuff either as both he and Bosh were also playing rather sub par than their usual stellar selves. Wade's offensive production dropped from just a little over 21 per game in the regular season to 15.9 while Bosh saw an even more dramatic drop in his offensive game as his points per game dropped from 16.6 in the regular season to just a shade over 12 per game. With their big three playing far under par, one can say that Miami did not as much vanquish their opponents, but more survived them instead thus further tarnishing their legacy in the NBA history books as one of the league's great championship dynasties. So from reading on how the Miami Heat shriveled up when they needed more than ever to show that they are not the force that many have envisioned them being. In fact, one can go as far to say that the Miami Heat can be likened to sheep in wolves' clothing looking all tough and intimidating on the outside, but deep down are shy and timid on the inside--certainly not the kind of team that Heat General Manager Pat Riley envisioned when he originally assembled it two years ago. Now with one year left until his concoction becomes unraveled, the Miami Heat will be even more pressed to win next year's championship as simply having two straight NBA titles are simply not enough to be mentioned among the greatest teams of all time. This season, the Heat barely managed to scrape and slip past their competition despite dominating the regular season posting the most wins simply dominating their foes on both ends of the court and it all would for nothing if they had lost that game six against the Indian Pacers in the Conference Finals. So now the Heat head off into the sunset and wait for next November so they can defend their title once again as the Alpha males of the NBA and hopefully they will put forth a stronger post season performance next year than they had done this year. |
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Saturday, May 18, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 2. Miami Heat
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th): 41-14 (first place, Southeast Division)
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4
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This Month:
2
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Joel Anthony
 At one time Joel Anthony started for this Miami Heat team and was considered as a valuable role player on a team headed for numerous championship titles; however, now he has simply disappeared without a trace without as much as a whimper. According to his game log on ESPN.com, he played in all but nine games in the regular season; however, no one can really remember them as he barely made little or any impact while on the floor. At a price tag at nearly 4$ million this season, you would think that Joel Anthony would have a more prominent role and expect a greater impact on this team. Unfortunately that has not been the case as Joel Anthony has been virtually invisible for the bulk of the regular season and has contributed little if anything to this season's Miami team. With another two years left on his deal, expect Anthony to end up yet another bloated dead weight contract joining the likes of his teammates Mike Miller and Rashard Lewis. |
First Player
of the Month: Lebron James
 Usually this portion is reserved for the unsung heroes that get overshadowed by their team's superstars; however , Lebron James' performance was so amazing that he actually outdid himself. In the month of January, James was simply unstoppable offensively as he simply torched his opposition averaging 27.0 points per game while shooting .555 from the field. In that month, he shot .500 or better in all but two games, and as if you think he could surpass that, he went on to abusive his opponents in February scoring near 30 per game while shooting .647 from the field and a scintillating .432 from beyond the arc. To add insult to injury James not only steamrolled his defenders but also showed true overall perfection as a player posting nine double-doubles and two triple doubles to boot. Such a performance is only a testament of how truly great Lebron James is and what he can do when he utilizes his full potential. |
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Analysis:
Heading into the final stretch of the regular season, the Miami Heat has continued their "scorched Earth" policy essentially laying waste to their competition leaving nothing else but a smoking crater remaining. Although the Heat started the new year on a sour losing four of their first seven games, they bounced back by winning all but three games by the end of February. After a loss on the road against the Utah Jazz (1/14/2013), they went on a four game run torching both the Golden State Warriors (1/16/2013) and Los Angeles Lakers on the road (1/17/2013) while making short work of the Toronto Raptors (1/23/2013) and Detroit Pistons at home (1/25/2013). They hit a small speed bump on the road in the form of the Boston Celtics losing to the aging team by a basket in overtime (1/27/2013); however, the Heat bounced back by simply humiliating the Brooklyn Nets on their home court as the blew them out in front of their fans by a 20 point margin (1/30/2013). Despite starting 2013 with a less than stellar 8-5 record, the following month, Miami would go on a merciless rampage leaving nothing but ashes and rubble in its path.
February would start on a sour note losing on the road against the Indiana Pacers (2/1/2013); however, that would be the Heat's only loss as they simply breezed through the month scorching anyone who dared to get in their way. And they won in impressive fashion to say the least scoring 100 or more points in all but two games--a surprising close contest between the lowly Charlotte Bobcats (2/4/2013) and a routing of the Chicago Bulls (2/21/2013) where the Heat scored just 86 points, but held the Bulls to just 67. In their twelve game thrashing, they beat their opponents by an average margin of nearly 13 points per contest beating as but three teams by ten or more points--and these teams were not really pushovers either as six of them had .500 or better records. Miami laid waste to such powerhouses such as the Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Clippers (2/8/2013) showing no hospitality whatsoever to their guest as they blew them out the arena. The Heat then went on road to show what terrible house guests they were by slapping the Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the second best record in the Western Conference, along with their home fans across the face as they beat them rather simply by 10 points (2/14/2012).
And it did not stop from there as the Heat would go on to ransack the homes of the Atlanta Hawks (2/20/2013) followed by the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers (2/23/2013) beating them by an average margin of 19 points. Unfortunately, the Heat started to show signs of fatigue after wasting away the competition as they barely managed to win against one of the East's whipping boys in the Cleveland Cavaliers (2/24/2013) and had to go through overtime to put down of all teams, the Sacramento Kings (2/26/2013). In the Sacramento game, the Heat not only had to take overtime to beat the Kings, but allowed one of the worst shooting teams in the league to score 129 points and shoot an very uncharacteristic .515 from the field, considering that Miami is one of the league's best when it comes to holding their opponents down defensively. Miami had to drop a season high 141 points to beat a team who they would have otherwise snuffed out easily at any other time. Nonetheless, it was all about getting the win and they did finishing their clear domination of February as they won twelve straight reaching their win total to forty one games all but clinching themselves a playoff spot with still a little more that a month left in the regular season.
To get a better idea of how good a spot the Heat currently are in, just ponder on this--if Miami were to lose every single game for the season, which the chances of that being slim to none, Miami would still finish with a .500 record and still be eligible to qualify for the playoffs. If they managed to finish the season winning just nine of the last 27 games, they would still end up with a respectable 50 win season, a feat that most teams in the league often strive for. To put it bluntly, the Heat not only have already punched their ticket to the post season while the rest of the league battles it out, but have also secured themselves home court advantage throughout the playoffs and into the Finals. Miami is so far ahead in the East, that no one in their own conference comes near to them in the standings and if they continue at their winning pace, which would be mind boggling to say the least, the Heat will have the East in the palm of their hands. Simply put, there is literally no team that can get stand in the way of the Heat for their third straight NBA Finals appearance and possibly their second straight NBA championship crown.
Now for most fans and observers, it is basically a waiting game as the outcome has essentially been already determined--2013 will be the Heat's year yet again. Knicks fans in New York can stop gassing themselves up saying that this is the year they win a title, because it is simply not going to happen, not this year of the following three years after that. The Heat essentially have positioned themselves as the undisputed king of the Eastern Conference and barring a cataclysmic disaster, they will remain there until the trio of Dwayne, Lebron and Chris (or RUN DLC, as I like to call them) remain in South Florida. Currently they may rest second in the league in win totals just resting behind the San Antonio Spurs, but that means absolutely nothing because come playoff time, it's going to be the Miami Heat Invitational. Forget about winning a title because all the other 15 teams that qualify for the postseason will be simply vying for a spot for who will face and inevitably lose to the Miami Heat thus making this the most predictable and mundane season in NBA History. |
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Thursday, February 28, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for December: 2. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of December 31st): 24-6, first place Northwest Division
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2 |
This Month:
2 |
Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of December 31st):
Points Scored:
105.9 (1st)
Points Allowed:
96.7 (13th)
Team FG%: .478
(3rd)
Opponent’s
FG%: .427 (2nd)
Rebounds per
game: 43.4 (23rd)
Opponents
rebounds per game: 43.6 (7th)
Turnovers per
game: 14.6 (11th)
Opponents
turnovers per game: 15.6 (28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of December 31st):
Scoring (ppg):
Kevin Durant (28.5)
Rebounds per
game: Serge Ibaka (8.5)
Minutes per
game: Kevin Durant (39.6)
Assists per
game: Russell Westbrook (8.7)
Field Goal
Percentage: Serge Ibaka (.565)
Steals per
game: Russell Westbrook (2.1)
Blocked Shots
per game: Serge Ibaka (3.0)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Eric Maynor
Two years ago, Eric Maynor was tabbed as not only the primary backup to star Russell Westbrook, he also played the added role of being being the perfect complement to Russell as well. When Russell barreled down the lane and forced up shots which later resulted in him turning over the ball, Maynor would protect the ball, while getting his teammates invovled in the offense as well. If had not been lost to injury the following season, Maynor would have probably started alongside Westbrook allowing him to focus on his strengths of being a scorer while Maynor would blend in the background covering for Russel's mistakes. Unfortunately, that has not happened as Maynor has found himself buried under the bench as second year point man Reggie Jackson have been given the nod to beprimary backup and has been little if any factor for the Thunder this season. In addition to having his minutes dropped, Maynor has also struggled offensively averaging under three points per game while shooting a woeful .313 from the field making him all but expendable to the Thunder.
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First Player
of the Month: Serge Ibaka
He would have been named as the First of the Month in November; however, it was considered as more prudent to wait another month to see that his spike in production was not just a fluke. Now after two months, have passed, Serge Ibaka has proven that he was not just a temporary spark as he has maintained his career high production in scoring (14.2), rebounds (8.6), and field goal percentage (.586). Along with his surge in offensive production, Ibaka still remains a defensive stalwart in the paint leading his team and the league in blocked shots per game as well. Once considered as a mere cleanup player who blocked shot and little if nothing else, Serge Ibaka has shown to have quite a diverese offensive repitoire and has been on of the key reasons why the Thunder has been such a dominant team in the regular season thus far. If he continues to keep up his phenomenal play, Serge will certainly will be considered a prime candidate for the Most Improved Player Award once the regular season ends.
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Analysis:
The Oklahoma City Thunder have continued their rampage as they have left nothing but carnage and debris as they stormed through 2012 winning all but two games in November. In December, the Thunder were all but unstoppable on the offensive end as they scorched their opponents outscoring them 106.2 to 97.2 while at the same time crushing their souls on the defensive end shooting .471 from the field. Only two teams managed to beat the Thunder--the Minnesota Timberwolves (12/20/2012) and the Miami Heat (12/25/2012)--as they were just two of three teams, the third being the New Orleans Hornets (12/12/2012), to hold the Thunder from reaching the 100 point mark; however, they were barely able to defeat the Thunder. One can go as far to say that they both had been able to survive the Thunder rather than surpass them as they both beat them by rather minuscule margins--six points to be exact. The Hornets, however, were not as lucky as the Thunder manage to squeak by four points despite being held to scoring just 92 points.
The rest of the teams who allowed the Thunder to crack the century mark were not as lucky as they would get mercilessly pounded and ground into dust. They were a few valiant heroes that tried to match the Thunder's scintillating scoring and managed to hang on to the very end; however, they simply could not survive Oklahoma City's offensive onslaught. Both the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers put up rather impressive showing scoring 111 (12/4/2012) and 108 points (12/7/2012), respectively, but still could not outpace the Juggernaut that is the Oklahoma Thunder from scoring 231 points against them altogether. Only Dallas had the closest chance of beating the Thunder despite allowing them to reach the 100 point mark, even bringing the game to overtime (12/27/2012); however, the Mavericks simply could not hold back the Thunder as they would narrowly lose 111 to 106. So, throughout December, the Thunder simply could not be contained and for the two teams that were fortunate enough to have beaten them, they were left with a lasting scar as a reminder.
With such an impressive showing, it is certainly not a stretch to say that the Oklahoma City Thunder are not only the team to beat in the regular season, but also an almost shoe-in to return to the NBA Finals. While there have been teams that have surpassed them in the Western Conference standings, neither team can be considered a viable threat to knock them out of the Conference Finals. Last month, the Memphis Grizzlies shocked the world finishing November with the most wins in the league; however, that time up at the summit was short lived as they were knocked off as quickly as they climbed up to get there. Now, it is the Clippers' turn to have the spotlight shine on them as they finished 2012 owning the best record in the league; however, it is only a matter of time until Los Angeles slips yet again from the top. Yet despite the fluctuations Oklahoma City has still remained a steadfast force in the league as they remain nipping at the heels at anyone who has the good fortune to temporarily surpass them.
Once the post season arrives, it will be next to impossible for those who have the rotten luck to face the Thunder to hold that team down defensively. Oklahoma City simply has too much fire power and with the way the Thunder have been sharing the ball this season, they are even more dangerous than ever. Before, opponents would have to worry about mainly Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on defense; however, now it is not only just Durant and Westbrook as there are now four offensive option capable of coming up big giving other NBA teams even more headaches when facing them. If their defenses single out Durant, the Thunder can simply move on to Westbrook to not only shoulder the load offensive scoring 25 to thirty points, but also involve two or three more teammates to score 15 more points each per game. Kevin Martin has provided the Thunder with a potent offensive punch off the bench averaging in the area of 15 or 16 points per game while Serge Ibaka has had his coming out party posting the best offensive numbers in his career. And it is not just them either as other Thunder players who have been shut out of the offense in previous seasons, have come to have rather impressive seasons such as Thabo Sefolosha, who is posting his best numbers as a Oklahoma City Thunder averaging close to eight points per game while shooting close to .490 from the field and .414 from beyond the arc.
What was once considered as one of the most predictable teams in the league has completely flipped the script this season with a more diversified and efficient offense to go along with their non stop stifling defense making the Oklahoma City Thunder the most dangerous team in the NBA. Even the Miami Heat cannot sleep on this team despite humiliating them in the Finals as this Oklahoma Thunder team is a far improved version of itself and unlike other teams, the transformation was more internal that anything else. Save for the mega trade that sent James Harden to the Houston Rockets, there has not been any other roster moves as the core of the team has essentially remained intact for the most part. It was all internal starting with Russell Westbrook's epiphany and realization that the Thunder will not be able to win a championship if he continues to hog the ball on offense. Once he returned with an improved point of view, it was just a matter of time until the Oklahoma City Thunder's potential would be fully utilized and become the unstoppable force that they have been thus far this season.
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Monday, January 14, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for November: 2. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Overall
Win/Loss Record : 12-4 , first place
Northwest Division
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3
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This Month:
2
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of November 30th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of November 30th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Kendrick Perkins
 It seem as if with every passing season Kendrick Perkins becomes less of a factor for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is certainly less of a factor than has was in Boston--at least he had some touches and a much bigger role on the defensive end as well. Perkins' numbers have dropped yet again across the board due to his decline in minutes. Add the emergence of backup center Hasheem Thabeet in the mix, and one might speculate that Perkins' days in Oklahoma City are numbered. With his modest contract with three years and around 25$ million left, look for Perkins'name to be in numerous trade rumors as the Thunder may look to part ways with their one time defensive centerpiece. |
First Player
of the Month: Russell Westbrook
 What was one of SDH's most reviled players has become now one of SDH's favorites. Russel Westbrook has moved from being a shoot first, ball hogging guard and has evolved into more of a true point guard that many fans hoped he would be. Westbrook went from being a ball dominating gunner to a facilitator of the offense getting his teammates more involved as he averaged a career high 8.6 assists per game. The biggest improvement had to be his protection of the ball as he has significantly improved his assist to turnover ratio from 6 to 5 ratio to close to nearly a 3 to 1 ratio. One can certainly see how much of an impact Westbrook's new and improved play has affected his teammates as players who rarely touched the ball now have bigger roles in the offense leading to an increase in the team's scoring output and field goal percentage. |
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Analysis:
After getting manhandled in last season's NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder came into the season with a new look, new attitude, and a new style of play. The change started almost immediately as the Thunder announced that the team will no longer have one of the key players that helped bring it to the Finals in the first place. Before the first tip off, it was announced that last season's Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, James Harden, would be sent to the Houston Rockets along with swing man Daequan Cook and little used center Cole Aldrich. In return, the Thunder got the expiring contract of the Rockets'scoring leader from last season, Kevin Martin, along with rookie Jeremy Lamb, whom Houston selected 12th overall in last Summer's NBA Draft. Along with this sudden change in the roster to start the regular season came a new style of play and philosophy that resulted in a complete shift in the team's dynamic.
Instead of their earlier "Trickle Down Economic" style of play where two players dominated the ball on offensive end while the rest of the team received what little scraps that were left, it has become a more open style of play with more ball movement and more opportunities for others to contribute. Last season, just three men took the majority of the shot attempts while the rest of the team stood idly by watching as ongoing bystanders. Now it is completely different as the Thunder have been spreading the wealth as now four players share the offensive duties while the rest of the team have become a greater factor in the offensive schemes. Now opposing defenses not only had to worry of the dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook, but also had to contend with the post scoring of Serge Ibaka, whose offensive production spike to an all time high from just 9.1 points per game from just seven shot attempts to a career high 14.8 points and 10.4 shot attempts per game. Even starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha, who was next to invisible when it came to the offensive end, saw his numbers spike up to his best numbers in his career while in Oklahoma City at 7.5 points per game while shooting a career best .478 from the field. Although the offense still runs a majority of the time through Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook, it has become more diversified as the ball now passes through more hands giving opposing defenses a harder time to contain the Thunder's roaring offense. Defenders who focused all their energies on Durant and Westbrook, now have to start playing up on two of the other starters whom in most instances, they never paid attention to. Along with the increased role of the starters, the Thunder's bench also remains a formidable force as James Harden's sixth man role has been taken over by Kevin Martin, who although has not produced as much as Harden did, has still provided the Thunder with a offensive spark shooting an unconscious .488 from beyond the arc in November. In addition, to the gritty blue collar play of Nick Collison, the Thunder's front court has become even stronger with the addition of Hasheem Thabeet. Although still not an offensive juggernaut, Hasheem has become a force in the inside averaging close to four points and four rebounds in under thirteen minutes per game while being almost perfect from the field at .708. The new attitude towards the offense have made the Thunder an even more efficient team than it ever was before ranking among the best in not only scoring and field goal percentage, but also in three point field goal percentage and free throws as well. OKC's biggest improvement on the offensive end has to come from its passing and ball control as went from being one of the worst teams in protecting the ball to becoming one of the most improved teams in that regard. Although they still rank near the bottom in turnovers, the Thunder raised from being last place last season to raising three spots higher to 27th. The team also shot up in the assists category from being dead last last season to now being 17th in the league. And finally, the Thunder went from having the worst assist/turnover ratio last season, now rank seven spots higher this season at 23rd in the NBA. Despite the Thunder having taken great strides in opening and liberalizing the team's offense, there still remains room improvement as can be shown by the number. Even their number have improved offensively as a team, turnovers still remains a major issue with the Thunder as they still rank at the bottom in the league; however, one must remember that this is still a very young team still learning the ropes in the NBA. On the entire team, only one player is over 30 years old, which happens to be Nick Collison, and Kevin Martin will be the only player turning thirty this season as well while the rest of the roster only range from 20 to 28 years old. So there is still a lot of room to grow as this young Oklahoma team, in spite of its success, has yet to reach full potential and that is what opposing teams should fear the most. This team has yet to slow down, and with their new attitude towards sharing, will becoming even more unstoppable as time wears on. |
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