Puke early or late?

Here's what we know definitively about this 2008-2009 Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team; They are, hands down, the worst team in the NBA (applause).

Here's why. They defend like the French, they commit inexplicable (and usually untimely) turnovers, they can't shoot free throws and they have the respect of nobody (the other team and especially the referees-see below).

So, the question occurred to me as I left another crushing loss the other night to the witless Grizzlies, if the Thunder are the de facto worst team in the NBA how can you truly measure the quality of their opponents?

My theory is you can tell if the Thunder "puke" early or late in ballgames. For example, against the Cavaliers, Lebron and the boys jumped on the Thunder early and fought off a late charge for the win. The Cavs are on the short list of teams who can win the Title this year. The Thunder puked early against them. The Thunder also puked early against such opponents as the Celtics, Jazz, Hawks, Magic and Hornets. All more likely than not to make the playoffs.

Now look at the Grizz game the other night. The Thunder at one point had a 21 point lead. They puked late and lost. The Grizzlies are not going to make the playoffs. Not even close. The Thunder also puked late against the Suns, Timberwolves, Warriors, Pacers and Knicks. The Pacers and Suns might make the playoffs but they are by no means expected to do anything.

So with that I will put the theory to the test this weekend. A Texas two-step is on the schedule with a game tonight against the Mavericks and a game Saturday against the Spurs. I don't think the Mavericks are that good. I would offer that they are hanging on to playoff hopes with grit and veteran moxy. I predict the Thunder puke late against them and lose.

The Spurs, on the other hand, are rounding into form. They feature a hall of fame coach, one of the greatest forwards to ever play the game and a nice complement of skill players, veterans and a winning pedigree. I bet the Thunder puke early and lose by about 15.

One last thought

It's obvious that certain players get calls from referees. Dwyane Wade won a championship on this premise and it's just commonplace. That said I have to gripe about what happened the other night against the Grizzlies. First off, the Grizzlies are terrible. They have two stars; O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. Mayo is a rookie and Rudy Gay, while good, is not in the Kobe, Lebron, Dwight Howard, D-Wade category yet. Not even close. Yet, both these players were getting calls all night long. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, who is a budding superstar (at least on par with Rudy Gay) gets no calls. None.

I hate to blame games on referees but this had a serious impact on the game the other night. Gay-Mayo had five fouls between them whilst Durant, Westbrook and Green had 12. Again, I'm not blaming the disintegration of a 21 point lead on the refs but it was just blatantly awful refereeing the other night.