Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

It's Monday and it's raining. Over the weekend the Thunder dropped one to the Utah Jazz. Once down by as many as 30 they showed some heart and valiantly came back before falling by 7, 104-97. Then, on Sunday, the Thunder lost what looked like almost sure victory against the Atlanta Hawks. The Thunder led by as many as 6 in the 4th quarter but turnovers doomed them and the Hawks won on the free throw line 89-85.

Disappointing though these losses may be, hopefully two key lessons can be taken away, one from each game. In the Utah game it's pride. Down by 30 and basically being mocked and toyed with by the Jazz, the Thunder collectively said enough is enough. The emergence of pride and tenacity was great to see. In the Hawks game the Thunder also came back from a miserable first quarter but put together roughly 3 quarters of quality basketball. Prior to this they've played one, maybe two quality quarters. They had a lead for a majority of the game. They need to learn to keep it. So, baby steps I suppose.

Since it's Monday and one of the highlights of Monday during the football season is Peter King's Monday Morning QB column, I thought I would blatantly rip off Mr. King with my very own 10 Things I Think I Think section, now 6 games into the season and standing in the rain with a 1-6 record.

Ten Things I Think I Think:

1. I think I can't decide if Russell Westbrook or Kevin Durant is better. KD's game is so subtly smooth and when it's clicking a joy to watch and Westbrook looks like a runaway freight train most of the time but he's fearless and clutch. I'm excited to have this duo as the nucleus of this time for the next few years at least but one of these guys will need to emerge as the Alpha Dog for this team to go places.

2. I think P.J. Carlesimo (dba Uncle Rusty) has had so many different lineups on the court I'm not sure which one is best but I think I like this one; KD, Westbrook, Earl Watson, Jeff Green and (Joe Smith or Nick Collison or Dez Mason or Chris Wilcox or Robert Swift or Johan Petro).

3. I think before the season started I thought AC/DC's Thunderstruck would get run into the ground at home games and now I think it's not played near enough.

4. I think you could watch 50 random NBA games and not see a single team go through shooting slumps like this one does.

5. I think (nee, I know) I will be making a Robert Swift T-Shirt that says Go Big Red on the front with his number on the back. I will do it as soon he starts getting more playing time. He's a crowd favorite (or at least a crowd curiosity).

6. I think Earl Watson of all people could ultimately be a huge key for this team. The Thunder need a distributor for KD, Westbrook and Green.

7. I think if you want to pick up Thunderwear, the only place to do so is at the Thunder Shop at the Ford Center. Not Leadership Square, not the Internet. It's ridiculous what they have there that cannot be found anywhere else.

8. I think I like the energy of Westbrook, Dez Mason and Joe Smith. Having the veterans really energized says a lot to me and it's fun to watch.

9. I think the OKC fans have been really good. But they will not be great until they can keep from leaving close games early. It absolutely baffles me. Less than 10 points and 6 minutes left in the game does not mean it's over. Not even remotely.

10. I think we need a consistent 3-point shooter and I think we might have one. Jeff Green.

Who I Like Tonight and I Don't Mean Dancing with the Stars (Also a blatant ripoff of Mr. King):

I hope I'm wrong but at Indiana tonight I think the Pacers are a one or two years ahead version of the Thunder and they know this is a must win game for them. That said, they are imminently beatable and the Thunder have been in virtually every game. I'm quaffing Thunderblue Kool-Aid at this point so I'll say Thunder 94-Pacers 91.