12/21/24
February 23, 2012
Analytics and Luck: Or how Sam Presti built a contender in Oklahoma.
posted by apoch to basketball at 09:56 AM - 3 comments
I like that they put together a solid team, and a team that is so much fun to watch. Was the luck part when the Blazers drafted Oden leaving them stuck with Durant?
posted by bperk at 02:46 PM on February 23, 2012
Yeah, Presti's done a pretty damn fine job there (Cole Aldrich notwithstanding). Not surprising, given he came up through the damn Spurs organization.
I remember watching a Thunder game at the Lakers, IIRC, sometime early during Harden's rookie year. Yeah, the dude had some adjustments to make going from college ball to the NBA, but when he came in, he straight up faced Kobe on both ends of the floor with no fear in his eyes on either end of the court, like he'd done it 50 times before, and I thought to myself "well, shit, at least he's got that going for him". That 3rd overall pick was probably exactly what they needed.
I went to OKC for the Mavs visit there early this season, and I'll have to hand it to their crowd. I don't know if the fact that the Mavs KO'ed them last year in the WCF and they were hungry for revenge upped the ante or if it's like that most nights there, but sweet merciful crap, they were into it the entire damn game. It honestly felt like a playoff game. (KD's game-winning dagger that night that landed firmly in my little Mavs heart will stand as one of the most impressively heartbreaking live NBA moments I've witnessed live. For fuck's sake.) I'll never be comfortable with the pre-game "invocation", though.
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:20 PM on February 23, 2012
Great post, thanks. Watched them take apart the Celtics last night. I'd like to say it wasn't pretty, but it was.