Thunder Up! - OVER.

[kibaxx7]

Happy B-Day man! Can't wait for January to begin.

[Justine.]

Thanks guys, 4 game update coming up later, using like badreligionau's layout to fasten the pace of the season

[Justine.]

Still can't stop them

| 29 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 111
| 23 | 28 | 21 | 13 | 85



A big outing from the Thunder's finest players helped the team to start the year impressive. They outdid the San Antonio Spurs to a blowout, 111-85 win. Thunder now had won 16-games straight and really looking very great. Kevin Durant led the way by scoring 35 points, grabbing five rebounds and blocked three shots, Russell Westbrook contributed 24 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Jeff Green who has been present in trade rumors lately proved he belongs to the team by his performance, 20 points, six rebounds, five steals and five blocks.

Meanwhile for the Spurs who's currently sitting at the fourth place in the West struggled in the game. They didn't convert any of their ten three-pointers attempt while the Thunder made six. Tony Parker led the Spurs with his 22 points and eight assists, Manu Ginobili added 14 points, Tim Duncan played quietly by scoring only 13.


__________________________________

@ | W | 111-85
@ | W | 100-91
@ | W | 109-101
vs | W | 98-87

__________________________________


Durant propelled his team by an another outstanding scoring performance, he shot 15-of-23 shots en route to 42 points, he also grabbed 10 rebounds in a win against the Grizzlies.


Thunder overcome a vintage Jason Kidd performance in their third meeting of the season, Kidd had a near triple-double, 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Durant and Westbrook combined for 63 points to run their streak number to 18.


Thunder host the Grizzlies who they faced few days ago, same results though. The unhappy Serge Ibaka played a good game off the bench, he grabbed 14 rebounds and scored nine points.

Photos of the Week

[Murat]

Happy B-Day, celebration is late sorry

[kibaxx7]

TP with 22 points. I can't get 15 with him.

[Justine.]

Thierry •, How do you play him? Parker is just driving to the hoop and not taking too many threes, can hit the mid range if you let him open though.

[Axel The Great]

Wow, never checked into this association before, I had no idea what I was missing! The presentation is just awesome! Hope you can keep that win streak going.

[kibaxx7]

Thierry •, How do you play him? Parker is just driving to the hoop and not taking too many threes, can hit the mid range if you let him open though.

I only take a couple of threes max with him... I do have some mid-range plays for him, but as you said, it's more driving to the hoop. In any case, I gotta practice more his shot release

[Justine.]

NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today that this year, Skills Challenge, HORSE and Shooting Stars challenge will be canceled. Thus, Stern granted some fans request. He came up with an idea to form a first ever Null-Star Team, composed of talented and not-so-famous players around the league. The same concept will be applied, the fans will vote for the players, they will choose five starters and seven reserves for each conference.

Here's the Null-Star ballot:

Guards:

Chris Quinn, PG (SA)
Luther Head, PG (SAC)
Sasha Vujacic, SG (LAL)
Morris Peterson, SG (OKC)
Sebastian Telfair, PG (MIN)
Patty Mills, PG (POR)
Charlie Bell, SG (GSW)
Antoine Wright, SG (SAC)
Mike Taylor, PG (FA, LAC)
Sun Yue, PG (FA, LAL)
Rashad McCants, PG (FA, SAC)
Ricky Davis, SG (FA, LAC)
Fred Jones, SG (FA, LAC)
Coby Karl, SG (FA, LAL)
Gerald Green, SG (FA, DAL)
Kareem Rush (FA, LAC)
James White, SG (FA, HOU)

Forwards:

Rasual Butler, SF (LAC)
Craig Smith, PF (LAC)
Jason Smith, PF (NO)
Pops Mensah-Bonsu, PF (NO)
Darnell Jackson, PF (SAC)
Luke Walton,SF (LAL)
Brian Cardinal, PF (DAL)
Steve Novak, SF (DAL)
Shelden Williams, PF (DEN)
Anthony Tolliver, PF (MIN)
Luke Babbitt, SF (POR)
Devean George, SF (FA, GSW)
Darius Miles, SF (FA, MEM)
Adam Morrison, SF (FA, LAL)
Kenny Thomas, PF (FA, SAC)
Sean May, PF (FA, SAC)
Oleksiy Pecherov, PF (FA, MIN)
Desmond Mason, SF (FA, SAC)

Centers:

Jarron Collins, C (LAC)
Hasheem Thabeet, C (MEM)
Hamed Haddadi, C (MEM)
DJ Mbenga, C (NO)
Kyrylo Fesenko, C (UTA)
Ian Mahinmi, C (DAL)
Matt Bonner, C (SA)
Darko Millicic, C (MIN)
Sean Marks, C (POR)
Dan Gadzuric, C (GSW)
Mikki Moore, C (FA, GS)
Robert Swift, C (FA, OKC)
Steven Hill, C (FA, POR)



Guards:

Sherron Collins, PG (CHA)
Early Boykins, PG (MIL)
Jodie Meeks, SG (PHI)
Matt Caroll, SG (CHA)
Von Wafer, SG (BOS)
Carlos Arroyo, PG (MIA)
Jason Williams, PG (ORL)
Quentin Ross, SG (NJ)
A.J. Price, PG (IND)
Lance Stephenson, SG (IND)
Marcus Banks, PG (TOR)
Sonny Weems, SG (TOR)
Flip Murray, PG (WAS)
Mike James, PG (FA, WAS)
Damon Jones, PG (FA, MIL)
Javaris Crittenton, PG (FA, WAS)
Jerry Stackhouse, SG (FA, MIL)

Forwards:

Jason Kapono, SF (PHI)
Darius Songaila, PF (PHI)
Eduardo Najera, PF (CHA)
Jon Brockman, PF (MIL)
Brian Scalabrine, PF (CHI)
Glen Davis, PF (BOS)
James Jones, SF (MIA)
Kris Humphries, PF (NJ)
Joe Smith, PF (NJ)
Chris Wilcox, PF (DET)
Julian Wright, SF (TOR)
Reggie Evans, PF (TOR)
Walter Herrmann, SF (FA, DET)
Joe Alexander, SF (FA, CHI)
Jonathan Bender, SF (FA, NY)
Stromile Swift, PF (FA, NJ)
Shavlik Randolph, PF (FA, MIA)
Rob Kurz, PF (FA, GS)

Centers:

Tony Battie, C (PHI)
Nazr Mohammed, C (CHA)
Ryan Hollins, C (CLE)
Semih Erden, C (BOS)
Kwame Brown, C (DET)
Joel Anthony, C (MIA)
Eddy Curry, C (NY)
Johan Petro, C (NJ)
David Andersen, C (TOR)
Primoz Brezec, C (FA, PHI)
Josh Boone, C (FA, NJ)
Jake Voskhul, C (TOR)
Mouhamed Sene, C (FA, NY)

Ripped it from a random basketball blog, just for fun. Hope you guys participate. You can vote as much as you can, 1 vote for one day though, don't flood in my thread, you can post your first vote here, but the succeeding vote just send it by PM. Here's the code followed by an example:

Code: Select all

Western Starters:
Guard:
Guard:
Forward:
Forward:
Center:
Reserves:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Eastern Starters:
Guard:
Guard:
Forward:
Forward:
Center:
Reserves:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Western Starters:
Guard: Chris Quinn
Guard: Sasha Vujacic
Forward: Rasual Butler
Forward: Sean May
Center: Dj Mbenga

So there you have it. Hoping for your votes! Cheers!

[Justine.]

Axel., Thanks! You're missing this maybe because my slow updates and other great stories out there, just like yours

Thierry •, Are you using the default jumper for TP? Try Hold It, I think it's near perfect

For the other followers out there, hope for your participation in the voting

[kibaxx7]

Thierry •, Are you using the default jumper for TP? Try Hold It, I think it's near perfect

Yep, Hold It is the one I'm using. Will vote later for the NSG

[Martti.]

Western Starters:

Guard: Patty Mills
Guard: James White
Forward: Adam Morrison
Forward: Pops- Mensah-Bonsu
Center: DJ Mbenga

Reserves:
1. Gerald Green
2. Darko Milicic
3. Ricky Davis
4. Desmond Mason
5. Hasheem Thabeet
6. Darius Miles
7. Chris Quinn



Eastern Starters:

Guard: Von Wafer
Guard: Sonny Weems
Forward: James Jones
Forward: Brian Scalabrine
Center: Joel Anthony (Obviously)

Reserves:
1. Kwame Brown
2. Joe Alexander
3. Stromile Swift
4. Carlos Arroyo
5. Matt Carroll
6. Damon Jones
7. Julian Wright

[KidJustin]

Western Starters:
Guard: mike taylor
Guard: gerald green
Forward: rasual butler
Forward: desmond mason
Center: matt bonner
Reserves:
1. james white
2. luther head
3. craig smith
4. darius miles
5. darko millicic
6. kareem rush
7. adam morrison

Eastern Starters:
Guard: sonny weems
Guard: jerry stackhouse
Forward: joe alexander
Forward: glen davis
Center: joel anthony
Reserves:
1. jason williams
2. earl boykins
3. strimile swift
4. jonathen bender
5. nazr mohammed
6. jodie meeks
7. james jones

[Murat]

Happy B-Day, celebration is late sorry


Voting for Joel Anthony only

[kibaxx7]

Western Starters:

Guard: Sebastian Telfair
Guard: James White
Forward: Adam Morrison
Forward: Pops- Mensah-Bonsu
Center: DJ Mbenga

Reserves:
1. Gerald Green
2. Matt Bonner
3. Ricky Davis
4. Luke Walton
5. Hasheem Thabeet
6. Darius Miles
7. Chris Quinn



Eastern Starters:

Guard: Lance Stephenson
Guard: Sonny Weems
Forward: James Jones
Forward: Brian Scalabrine
Center: Joel Anthony

Reserves:
1. Kwame Brown
2. Jason Kapono
3. Chris Wilcox
4. Carlos Arroyo
5. Javaris Crittenton & the guns
6. Damon Jones
7. Von Wafer

[Justine.]

Game of the Week

Streakbusters

| 36 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 121
| 29 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 96



Kevin Durant thought that they will cruise easily over the struggling Orlando Magic and extend their winning streak to 21, but it was exactly the opposite.

A vintage performance from Gilbert Arenas boosted the Magic's offense. He scored 32 points, dished 11 assists and stopped the Thunder's hot run, 121-96. Jason Richardson added 31 points of his own, he created his shots by unleashing a barrage of threes in the fourth to outscore the Thunder, 30-19. Hedo Turkoglu contributed 16 for the Magic.

Magic converted 11-of-22 in three-point land all in all. They hit 57% FG plateau, while Thunder shot only 46%.

Russell Westbrook had an another excellent game by finishing with a double-double, 23 points, 11 assists but committed five turnovers. Durant added an efficient 26 points while Serge Ibaka came off the bench and posted 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, he also grabbed eight rebounds.

The Thunder will have a last year's Playoff rematch with the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers next week and will fly to Denver to face the Nuggets.

Previous Games:


Top Performers:
Kevin Durant - 26 points, six rebounds | Russell Westbrook - 25 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, five steals
Kevin Martin - 31 points, eight rebounds | Luis Scola - 19 points, 10 rebounds

[Justine.]

Eric Maynor back in lineup after suffering from injury



January 15, 2011 - Oklahoma City Thunder's athletic trainer Joe Sharpe announced today that guard Eric Maynor is fully healed and will return to play against the Los Angeles Lakers next Monday.

Maynor suffered a major back injury late November and missed 25 games. He's averaging only 1.6 points and 1.7 assists per game this season.

Thunder now will have their primary backup guard for their starter Russell Westbrook who's been filling the void and playing for almost 40 minutes per game. Maynor participated in a full speed game of 3-on-3 at team's workout and seems everything is fine.

"Finally I can play again, I've been missing too many games, I think I need to be out there more than they need me out there,” Maynor acknowledged.



Serge Ibaka, losing patience, demand trade



January 15, 2011 - Serge Ibaka is averaging 22 minutes per game this season, and yet he's not happy with it.

Ibaka reportedly asks for the management to trade him. The unsettled forward is making 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, better than last year. Ibaka is one of the young emerging forwards in the league and can play as a starter, but Scott Brooks insisted to bench Jeff Green even though his been underachieving.

"I don't know what's gotten into him, and probably the management will not grant his request, the team needs him," Brooks said. Several teams like Pistons, Celtics and Clippers seemed to show interest for Ibaka.

[hova-]

Western Starters:
Guard: Sun Yue
Guard: Coby Karl
Forward: Adam Morrison
Forward: Pops Mensah-Bonsu
Center: DJ Mbenga
Reserves:
1. Pecherov
2. Cardinal
3. James White
4. Patty Mills
5. Tolliver
6. Fesenko
7. Ricky Davis

Eastern Starters:
Guard: Mike James
Guard: Damon Jones
Forward: Brian Scalabrine
Forward: Rob Kurz
Center: Kwame Brown
Reserves:
1. Crittenton
2. Wafer
3. Bender
4. Joe Alexander
5. Voshkul
6. Sene
7. Stromile Swift


Really liking that idea

[Houndy]

Love the idea man, keep it up.



Western Starters:
Guard: Sebastian Telfair
Guard: Gerald Green
Forward: Adam Morrison
Forward: Anthony Tolliver
Center: Hamed Haddadi (Persian connection)

Reserves:
1. Chris Quinn
2. Rashad McCants
3. Pops Menshah-Bonsu
4. Shelden Williams
5. Ian Mahinmi
6. Hasheem Thabeet
7. Darko Milicic



Eastern Starters:
Guard: Earl Boykins
Guard: Sonny Weems
Forward: James Jones
Forward: Glen Davis
Center: Joel Anthony

Reserves:
1. Sherron Collins
2. Lance Stephenson
3. Brian Scalabrine
4. Joe Alexander
5. Eddy Curry
6. Kwame Brown
7. Semih Erden

[Justine.]

Thanks guys, keep the votes coming.

[Kubik]

Western Starters:
Guard: Chris Quinn
Guard: Gerald Green
Forward: Desmond Mason
Forward: Pops Mensah-Bonsu
Center: Matt Bonner

Reserves:
1. Luther Head
2. Sasha Vujacic
3. Anthony Tolliver
4. Fred Jones
5. Adam Morrison
6. Hasheem Thabeet
7. Darko Milicic



Eastern Starters:
Guard: Jason Williams
Guard: Sonny Weems
Forward: James Jones
Forward: Glen Davis
Center: Joel Anthony

Reserves:
1. Early Boykins
2. Jodie Meeks
3. Brian Scalabrine
4. Kris Humphries
5. Eddy Curry
6. Von Wafer
7. Semih Erden

[Justine.]

2011 NLSC Draft Prospects - A Glance

Here's a guard from France who blossomed on their league and declared for the NBA Draft 2011. Tirieux is a 6'3 guard who had a freakish athleticm but can't dunk the ball. He always seems to know exactly what his teammates are thinking and could definitely develop into a really good player someday. Tirieux has the speed that most of current guards has, he runs the floor really well and uses his quickness to spread the court. Problem with Tirieux is his commitment, and work ethics. If he got lucky, can slip in into the lottery.




The only thing you'll gonna gamble with Lee is his age. But here's the explanation, Lee joined the Army at the age of 19 years old and was in for four years. At the age of 23 he went to his dream school at the University of California. Currently a senior at high school, some scouts thought I could enter the draft after being a freshmen, but wanted to get my bachelor's in English just to have a backup plan. Many scouts worry his knee won't be able to keep up after having microfracture surgery on my right knee while he was in the Army. Lee is a athletic forward who can bring in the highlights by his dunks, good mid-range jumper, can block shots at occasion and definitely can crash the boards. Though, he shows a complete lack of confidence in high pressure situations. All in all, the guy got game and can contribute.




Weird name, very weird. A super clutch and streaky player most known for his playground (streetball) skills. Strives in the open court, makes a living on fast break dunks and three's. On the Pro/NBA level he may tend to showboat too much and tends to make the flashy play versuss the easy play, gets emotional in every games, which may make him unmotivated at times if his team is not playing well. Extremely intelligent defensive player, great instincts and should be a major contributor right out of the gate. Changed his last name to KidJustin after taking his first name and combining it with his favorite clothing brand, KidRobot, has not official dropped his first name, but most people call him by just one name.




Washburn has always been seen as a solid point guard with a low ceiling who could figure to go in the second round. Many expected his play to take a hit with Jon Brockman's departure, but Washburn shouldered the load in his final season, leading the NCAA in 3pt shooting, and the Pac-10 in assists. Opinion is mixed on whether this college senior can become a solid pro. Some see him as a role player at best, but others compare his shooting and court vision to the great Steve Nash. The kid has gobs of potential just waiting to be tapped, he has the ability to play an important role in his rookie season, scouts say that Washburn is one of the best pure shooters in the draft.




Another player from overseas, Koukoulis adopted the playing style of the emerging guard Derrick Rose. Athletic player with explosiveness and great penetration game, with lay-ups and circus shots. You can't desribe the kid's talent that great, but he sure is hardworking, because of his amazing skills going to the rim, he can finish with either hand, his tremendous court vision allows for a lot of easy baskets. Koukoulis displayed his clutch domination at both ends of the court in Greece and possibly he'll will evolved to a lockout perimeter defender. The kid though must improve his body before coming to the NBA.




A Filipino player, hype! Studied at Georgetown to basically fulfill his dreams, play in the NBA. Calimbas dominated the college league in the Philippines and garnering most awards every season. We can expect him to see average gains in regards to his overall playing skill over the first half of his career but I don't see him exploding and becoming a huge impact player. He's one of the more athletic players in the draft despite being the shortest, Calimbas moves very well, weaknesses is his stamina and get torn out really fast, and the most obvious weakness, his vertical.




Resembles a name of once a superstar in the league and also good friend of him. A brat in his college days and overcame drug addiction by playing basketball, he's just 19 years old but many scouts describe him as a NBA-ready player. Can shoot the lights out and his good ball handling skills helps him to evade his defenders. Mayberry showed that he is a smart player who plays with a level head. He possesses tremendous offensive anticipation abilities when playing defense and has a killer instinct and loves to take the big shots in late situations. Downside are he doesn't seem to be as good of a rebounder as he probably should be and slow to grasp new offenses; often appears unaware. Mayberry could be the sleeper of the draft.




A 19 year old kid with a tremendous height and wing span, a NBA ready body. You can compare his playing style with Dwight Howard. He's rocking the rim and grabbing every single rebounds he can, though he's not the type of guy who has the kind of talent that will take his game to the next level. Iesalnieks has an uncanny ability of finding ways to get rebounds, he can knocks people around the post; creates baskets himself, has his rough spots, but a solid player in the overall. Problem is his speed and I.Q. of the game.




Here's an another player coming fresh from the Philippines, finished his studies there and made the Internatinal team. He once met the Japanese and now playing in the NBA, Eiji Sawakita, and created a rivalry with him. The two players went into a heated conversation that led into a brawl that causes Martin to became ineligible to enter the 2010 NBA draft, by then he strived and declared to join this year's draft. Martin already polished his skills and can develop into a serviceable NBA player. Martin has tremendous shooting range and can hit any shot. His range extends well beyond the NBA 3-point line. Unlike most shooters, however, he's just as effective making off-the-dribble jumpers as he is with his feet set. He elevates high off the ground, squaring his shoulders instantaneously and balancing himself perfectly in mid-air. He's capable of pulling up on a dime from unbelievable distances with his lightning quick release. Martin is ridiculously smart offensive player but fairly a turnover-prone player.




Gomez became interested in basketball at age 15, and by his senior year in high school, became a star, and heavily touted by college scouts. He's a pesky defender, has excellent playmaking skills, and is not afraid to take the big shot. One year at the University of Houston, he led the team in points, assists, rebounding, and steals, showing his all-around versatility. He led them to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament, but a lack of a good frontcourt was the main cause of their elimination. He's the type of player that doen'st like the limelight, in short very humble and not a attention-whore. He can develop into a good NBA player, sooner than later. A triple-double machine in the making, tends to chuckles shots everytime and ball handling needs improvement.

[Bucket]

Solid player like Dwight
Very nice article about prospects

[kibaxx7]

I'm sort of a 2011 Cousins?

[KidJustin]

Solid player like Dwight
Very nice article about prospects

solid...but maybe more like Darko haha just kiddin

...keith bogans!? really?...now i feel bad hahadh...good write up

except u got the wrong school logo
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... s_Logo.png