This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Records: Mavericks 32-20, Thunder 30-21

Time: 6:30 PM

Place: Madison Square Garden

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD Ch. 722)

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1), WWLS 640-AM

Enemy Blog(s): Posting and Toasting, Knickerblogger

Backstory: Back in January when we last played the Knicks, Zorgon noted:

Their [Knicks] record is a bit better than it used to be, but that's only because of victories over crap Eastern teams and teams that lack defense. Since the Thunder are largely a defensive team, I wouldn't say we have anything to worry about.

That pretty much still continues to hold true. The Knicks aren't likely as terrible as most people think. Offensively they are obviously pretty flashy, but a glance at the stats indicates that they are somewhat above average offensively and somewhat below average defensively (at least prior to making themselves even worse in this regard; more on that later). They've beaten good teams this year and lost to bad teams, so inconsistency is their calling card.

In an attempt to completely revamp their roster (and clear even more cap room for the summer) New York acquired Tracy McGrady from Houston and Sergio Rodriguez from Sacramento (trading Larry Hughes, Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries in the deal) and sent Nate Robinson to Boston in a separate trade. Obviously this changes the Knicks roster quite a bit from our last meeting, when hotel ghosts evidently aided in our win. Jared Jeffries is a legit defensive do-it-all combo guard/forward, and by trading him any vestiges of defensive effort pretty much just went out the window. Nate Robinson isn't really going to be missed as much as some might think, since his tendency to go insane generally occurs only when the outcome of any given game is already decided.

The Thunder go into this game having won 7 games in a row. For the Knicks, this game is more of an opportunity to show off Tracy McGrady. If they happen to win, that'll be gravy on top. For the Thunder, winning is important because we completely outclass this team and need to lock up the "gimme" games. If you watched the game last time we played them, the Knicks were overwhelmed the entire way through, and there was basically no point at which anyone in their right mind would have thought that they were going to pull out a win.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Records: Mavericks 32-20, Thunder 30-21

Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD Ch. 722), FSSW

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1), WWLS 640-AM or ESPN/103.3 FM, KFLC/1270 AM (Spanish) should you be a Mavs fan

Enemy Blog(s): Mavs Moneyball, That Two Man Game

Backstory: As Zorgon noted last time we met up with the Mavericks, this is turning out to be quite the fun match-up between teams. Then again, we're 0-2 against Dallas this season and 4-22 against the Mavs since the 2003-04 season, which pretty much sums up precisely how successful the franchise match-ups have been.

The Thunder go into this game having won 6 (!) games in a row prior to the break. Dallas meanwhile was struggling entering the All-Star weekend, having lost nine of their past 16 games, including a 127-91 rout by Denver last Tuesday.That said, the team now looks substantially different after a seven-player trade on Saturday saw them snag Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and guard DeShawn Stevenson from Washington while giving up Josh Howard, Drew Gooden and reserves Quinton Ross and James Singleton.

For the Mavericks, winning this game would be a nice follow-up to their performance against OKC in December, if not just a small indicator of how well the pieces and meshing together -- particularly given that they have four games in the next five nights and won't have two days off in a row until March 11-12. For the Thunder, winning would help to set the tone of the franchise coming out of the All-Star weekend and help to revenge an ugly 100-86 loss at the Ford Center in December -- plus it'd pull the Thunder within one-half of a game of the Mavericks.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

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It was interesting to read through jksnake99's FanPost regarding Jeff Green, particularly given how many ABPRmetrics were thrown out there. Given the discussion that ensued, I figured we could use a frontpage post to go over some of this again. The title of the post mentions Jeff Green, but most of this has nothing specifically to do with him -- it's just that all this writing happened (if not on whim then) directly as a result of reading the commentary following that Jeff Green-centric FanPost.

Anyhow, moving on. Roland Beech, he of Plus-Minus / 82games.com fame does a great job of talking about ABPR stats. Here's a few quotes from an interview SLAM conducted with him (emphasis mine):

RB: Well I am not after the one number rating, neither is Dean Oliver and a number of other people. Yes the stats folks often tend to be people using box score data only since that’s what they have at hand. Similarly there are a number of folks who are ‘true believers’ in regression based +/- type metrics. I simply feel we need to go out and collect more data on the specifics of games and that when we have this data things will be much more self evident. This is already happening. For example, a lot of people point to defense as one of the missing ingredients in the box score, but by tracking who is guarding who on plays and what transpires you can actually create very detailed defensive stats, and then even adjust them by the quality of player being guarded, etc. There’s no need once you have the data to try and deduce things, it’s right in front of you.

RB: Right I kind of intentionally present most data in really a raw, unadjusted form. Anytime you make adjustments you are using some kind of assumptions, which may or may not be true. I do think the site is ‘advanced stats’ but I’m much more of a ‘let’s collect more data’ type of analyst rather than delving into trying to infer things through regressions, etc.

RB: I am not a fan of one number, overall type player ratings since I don’t think players have constant value. Their contributions depend heavily on who they play with, the coaching schemes, the role they are asked to play, whether they are happy, healthy, etc. The Roland Rating used to just be straight on/off but then people started to think I was advocating that as a stand alone player rating, so I added in a few more simple elements, intending maybe one day to publish a more comprehensive rating system, but that hasn’t been a priority since I don’t really look at players in that way. On the other hand something like ‘clutch stats’ is a pretty straightforward look at some specific numbers and so yes, I’m happy to say that a player is a good clutch scorer or something by stats.

RB: I like to include team influence numbers in any kind of player evaluation and that can be on/off, a simple adjusted plus/minus (not regression based) and so on. Yet I don’t think you ever want to fully rely on only those kinds of things—it’s just part of the puzzle. Oddly while I have published a lot of regression based ‘adjusted +/-’ articles on 82games, I am not actually a fan of that approach. I think again, with more data on hand you can really understand a player’s strengths, weaknesses and traits very clearly without having to resort to mathematical techniques to try and extract info that you think is ‘missing.’

The important thing to note here is that it's pretty obvious that at the moment there just aren't as all-encompassing statistical measures for basketball as there are for say, baseball. PER and Adjusted Plus/Minus don't provide you with as much "useful" information as the myriad of stats like FIP, CHONE, tRA, etc. Even comparable stats just aren't as accurate/reliable, due to the greater amounts of noise present in any given basketball game. The outcome of any singular possession in basketball is manifold and dependent upon the players, positioning, and other factors at any given point in time during the course of the game. It can all be quantified and analyzed, but to extract meaningful information from that is much more of a problem. Furthermore, as Roland touches upon above, the more "advanced" the stat becomes the more assumptions start going into play.

(Read the rest after the jump)

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Kevin Durant is an All-Star! - KRMG Sports with Rick Couri on krmg.com
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant was named a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star Team the NBA announced today. "I am both excited and honored to be able to represent the Thunder and our organization as an NBA All-Star," said Durant. "There are a lot of people who have contributed to this achievement, it is important to me that I recognize the support I have received from my teammates, our organization and my family as well as our fans. I'm looking forward to this experience and am excited to take the floor for the Western Conference." Durant becomes the first ever Thunder All-Star and the first franchise All-Star since Ray Allen was named a Western Conference reserve in 2007. This season, Durant is averaging 29.3 points (3rd in the NBA), 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 39.9 minutes in 45 games.

SandRidge announces its plan for downtown Oklahoma City | NewsOK.com
The two-block campus surrounds a 30-story tower that was once home to Kerr-McGee Corp., and the entire complex is being christened as "SandRidge Commons." "We are excited to be a part of downtown Oklahoma City," said Tom Ward, chief executive officer of SandRidge Energy. "This city is undergoing a rejuvenation unseen anywhere else in the country, which was initiated by the MAPS projects and is now continuing with the arrival of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team and corporate participation including SandRidge Commons." The 30-story tower, renamed the SandRidge Building, is an award-winning modernist landmark designed by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi, best known for New York’s legendary Pan Am Building.

Thunder notebook: Big game vs. Nuggets? | NewsOK.com
"Yeah it does, especially since we lost those two by one point." said Kevin Durant. "That was kind of tough. Then we lose at home, which is tough as well. We don’t want to make it four in a row." The three-game skid matches the longest all season. "You lose two or three in a row you definitely want to get a win to stop the bleeding," said Nick Collison. "Denver is a really good team, top in our division. It’s a big game for us." Said Jeff Green: "It’s important for us. But you win some, you lose some. It’s only a three-game losing streak. It’s not like we’ve lost 11 in a row. We can rebound from this."

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Ron Adams changes Thunder defense | NewsOK.com
The man credited for changing the culture of the Thunder is only part coach. Listen to Ron Adams assess Oklahoma City’s progression for 20 minutes, and it becomes crystal clear that the assistant coach also carries a combination of motivator and philosopher. Collectively, it has combined to form the catalyst for the league’s biggest defensive turnabout. "He’s turned our heads and made (us) focus on the defensive side," said Jeff Green. Strangely enough, the how isn’t so sophisticated. We’re talking about a guy who star forward Kevin Durant claimed has sparked his individual defensive surge this season through scare tactics more than strategic technique. "He believes in effort," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "And he challenges guys to reach levels that they probably don’t feel like they can get to."

24 Seconds Around the NBA
11. The Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder are both at least 10 games over .500 ATS thus far this season, whereas the New Jersey Nets are the only team that is 10 or more games under .500 ATS on the season. Five teams finished at least 10 games over .500 ATS last season and five teams finished at least 10 games under .500 ATS.

Power Rankings: Cavs, Hawks welcome Thunder, Grizzlies to A team - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball
Oklahoma City Thunder: There is no guide to building an NBA power from ashes, but maybe the Thunder should consider copyrighting one. Hitting a grand slam with its past four lottery picks no doubt would be the focal point. But it's more than that. Watching one of those four (Kevin Durant) blossom into a superstar and another (Russell Westbrook) anchor the backcourt have given the Thunder the look of a contender. With wins already over Orlando, Atlanta and San Antonio, and two over Utah, maybe it's not just a look.

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Tuesday's edition of Loud Links features a slew of articles looking at where the Thunder are near this midpoint. Much of it building on the articles from the past few days, what with us being sudden possible playoff contenders and all. There's a nice article with some quotes from various Hawks people, noting how similar the front office team-building approach has been. Then there's a few tidbits regarding the upcoming game. Enjoy.

NBA.com: Hawks, Thunder proof that building through youth works
The Hawks did not originate the method of drafting wisely and then sticking with their young players through thick and thin, but they did become experts at it, so much that others know a bright idea when they see it. Or steal it? If you didn't know any better, it sure appears Oklahoma City is trying to out-Hawk the Hawks. Good, young players are sprouting at nearly every position on the Oklahoma City roster and starting to mesh well together, and what's scary is they're growing at a faster pace than Atlanta. As proof, the Hawks received an up-close inspection of their Western Conference twin when the Thunder rolled into Philips Arena on the Martin Luther King holiday and delivered a progress report.

NBA.com: Durant in five, 10 more years? Be very, very afraid
And, really, in the last 20 years, the only player other than LeBron that deserved the "He's going to be scary" tag, as a 21-year-old pro, was Shaq. [Click here for a list of the best 21-year-olds in the history of the NBA.] By that age, Shaq was out-muscling and generally bullying the best centers in the game. It's comical to watch old replays of Shaq dunking on the Knicks as a beleaguered Patrick Ewing jogs up the court, trying not to shake his head. "You mean I have to deal with THIS for 10 more years?" Shaq was the scariest thing (not named Jordan) the modern game had ever seen. What is with all this talk about "scary?" I was in Philips Arena on Monday as Kevin Durant led his young Thunder squad (only two players averaging over 20 minutes a game are older than 25) to a tough, close road victory over the Hawks. The youngster had 29 points, five rebounds and five assists. He didn't shoot all that well (just 7-for-18), but he was relentlessly aggressive (14-for-15 from the line) and dominated most of the game by not only play, but personality. The Hawks, blessed with several interchangeable defenders, looked helpless at times.

Thunder-Timberwolves Preview - Jan. 19, 2010 - NBA - CBSSports.com
A red-hot Kevin Durant has boosted the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead in the Western Conference standings, but the team's improved defense has also played an important role. Oklahoma City will try to top last season's win total and move six games above .500 for the first time in five seasons by beating the host Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. In averaging 24.0 points over his first 195 games, the 21-year-old Durant has established himself as one of the league's top young players. He's been even better over his past 15, averaging 32.5 points and scoring at least 25 in each.

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Spurs outlast Thunder in OT | NewsOK.com
[So this was pretty much ... not the outcome I was looking for. We had many, many chances there at the end ... but a few bad breaks and some terrible decisions basically ruined that ending. And falling behind by a mile to start a game isn't probably the best idea for the future either.] By the final horn, the sight of stunned Thunder players slowly stepping off the court evoked memories of the many outcomes that burned Oklahoma City in the same fashion. The lone difference on this night was that the improvement was clear for everyone to see, even after the customary conclusion. Russell Westbrook missed a 19-foot jumper from the right wing as time expired on a resilient Thunder squad and dropped Oklahoma City to 21-17. The Thunder trailed by as many as 19 points and walked into halftime down 12 against a Spurs team playing without injured star Tim Duncan and key role players Matt Bonner and Michael Finley.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks preview | Dallas Mavericks News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News
They have won eight in a row at AAC against the Thunder, but had to go to overtime for a two-point win in their visit here in February. ... They beat the Thunder by 14 points in Oklahoma City last month but needed 35 points and 11 rebounds from Dirk Nowitzki. ... Tim Thomas is hoping to return from an Achilles strain.

The Desire for DeJuan Blair | Thunder Rumblings
[An interesting article no doubt ... of course I'm not sure I'd agree with the rationale -- since who knows if Mullens pans out at all, whereas everyone can pretty safely note that Blair is a rebounding machine in the short term. There are far worse things to have than that.] Blair can ball, no doubt. He’s a beast on the block and a bully on the boards. His 28-point, 21-rebound performance Wednesday night against the Thunder marked only the fifth time since 1992-93 that a rookie has posted a 20-20 game and the first time since his teammate, Tim Duncan, did it in March of ‘98. Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Joe Smith are the other three. But Blair might not have been a good fit on the Thunder. Sure, that might sound silly after seeing him slay the Thunder on Wednesday night. The thing to remember, though, is the Thunder is building for the long haul. In San Antonio, Blair is cheap production off the bench for a Spurs team that is a championship contender as currently constructed. In Oklahoma City, the outlook is for five, six years down the line.

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Today's edition of Loud Links features some further chatter about David Lee and OKC ... yeah, that again. In other news, the Knicks evidently lost because they were haunted by ghosts. And then there's all the stuff about how great Durant is/has been/will be.

Thunder notebook: David Lee in OKC? | NewsOK.com
[This seems to have been a topic that's been discussed to death. I'll say "no", since there's no way Presti hands out the sort of stupidly ridiculous contract Lee most likely thinks he deserves. Not to mention the part where the readout on the player says: "Plays no defense"] "Any team that has cap space, you have to give thought to," Lee said. "I got to spend time with all of three of them last summer at the Olympic camp in (Las) Vegas. They’re all good guys. I’ve known Jeff a couple of years. Anytime you have exciting young players, it would be a fun place to play." Even though Oklahoma City will be $14 million under the salary cap, Lee, who led the NBA in double-doubles last season and is averaging 19.1 points and 10.9 rebounds, realizes Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s long-term plan. "They’re probably saving the Brinks truck for those three guys," Lee said. "At this point there’s so much still to be seen. I’m just concentrating on helping this team, which can do some good things, then see how everything pans out this summer."

New York Knicks say haunted hotel was a problem before loss to Thunder
[Honestly ... this passes for news? What the heck ...] OKLAHOMA CITY - The Knicks were afraid, very afraid. And it had nothing to do with the Oklahoma City Thunder. For two days, several players had trouble sleeping because they were convinced that their downtown hotel is haunted. "I definitely believe it," Jared Jeffries said. "The place is haunted. It's scary." Eddy Curry claims he slept for only two hours Sunday night because he couldn't stop thinking about ghosts roaming the hotel. For years, guests staying at the Skirvin Hilton have reported ghost sightings and strange noises. Legend has it that sometime in the 1930s, a woman jumped to her death while holding her baby in her hands. "They said it happened on the 10th floor and I'm the only one staying on the 10th floor," Curry said. "That's why I spent most of my time in (Nate Robinson's) room. I definitely believe there are ghosts in that hotel." Assistant coach Herb Williams teased Jeffries and Curry for believing that the Skirvin is haunted, but Curry wasn't laughing.

Oklahoma City, City of Lights -- The Sports Section
We are glad no one asked Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni if he wished he were coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, because we suspect it would have been difficult for him to lie. D'Antoni was clearly salivating at the "length" and talent of the Thunder, who wiped out the Knicks 106–88. (Afterward, D'Antoni limited himself to an awesome "we'll just throw this one down the toilet and move on" quote.) The Thunder are exactly the type of team D'Antoni would love to coach, even though they're in Oklahoma City. Seriously, watch his press conference: The man has Thunder Envy.

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If it wasn't obvious enough, All-Star voting is pretty much a terrible indicator of much of anything. That said, Durant is going to end up as an All-Star this year -- just probably not as a starter. Kudos to him in advance. Then we've got all the harping on OKC needing another shooter, and reiterates how we're all looking towards an internal option to fulfill that role (*cough* Harden). And then there are a smattering of other articles for your enjoyment.

American Chronicle | OKC Thunder's Kevin Durant unlikely to be named All-Star starter
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant still could be an All-Star this season. But his chances of being named a starter in the annual mid-February exhibition game are slim. Durant remains fifth in NBA All-Star voting among Western Conference forwards, the league announced Thursday in its fourth and final returns before the game's starters are announced on Jan. 21. The top two vote getters at the forward position will earn starting spots. Durant, with 556,847 votes, trails Denver's Carmelo Anthony by more than one million votes and lags behind Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki (826,130) by more than 250,00 votes. San Antonio's Tim Duncan (776,22 votes) and Los Angles Lakers forward Pau Gasol (754,070) also rank ahead of Durant.

Thunder Fall to Hornets | KSBI Thunder TV | News Sports Radar Weather Cams | Oklahoma City | Sports
The Thunder have been playing great defense during its win streak, but last night Oklahoma City struggled to get stops. New Orleans shot 49 percent from the field on the night adding 19 assists. New Orleans only made seven threes on the night, but seemed to get them at key times. Kevin Durant paced the way for the Thunder scoring 27 points adding five rebounds and three assists. Jeff Green also played solid for Oklahoma City adding 20 points and five rebounds to the total. Russell Westbrook, who has been playing well of late, scored just 11 points but did have nine assists on the night.

Tulsa World: White aims for return to Thunder
"Last year was definitely hard, but being out also made me want it (playing in the NBA) more," White said. "It was a complete shock, but I realize it was a setback and those happen in life. I know I can't make up for lost time, so I have to keep working hard." Once cleared to play, White spent four games with the Tulsa 66ers last year getting back into shape. When he debuted with the Thunder, he made an immediate impact. He accounted for 14 points in 18 minutes of action in his first game and finished strong, recording his first NBA double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in a season-ending win over the Los Angeles Clippers. "That last game was a great feeling because I thought I might miss the whole season," White said. Now White is fully healed and was reassigned to Tulsa on Dec. 26. Before joining the 66ers, White saw action in eight games for the Thunder, averaging 4.8 points in 9.1 minutes per game.

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After Westbrook's past few games people are starting to take notice. Additionally there's a piece on Ollie, concern noted about Jeff Green, and the usual slew of articles detailing how we're a year ahead of planned/playoff bound/etc.

Thunder's Russell Westbrook on a roll | NewsOK.com
[Yes, please continue to attack the rim. Isn't it nice when Westbrook realizes his shot-in-progress isn't quite there yet ... and goes back to driving to the hoop?] Westbrook wanted to revert to his strength, better yet to what he does best — applying pressure with aggressive attacks to the rim. "I wanted to start the game off that way," Westbrook said. "In other games, I’ve been settling for jump shots, and there was no reason for me to do that." Welcome back, Mr. Westbrook.

Ollie Among the NBA's Most Traveled -- NBA FanHouse
"People were looking at me funny,'' Brown said. "I was like, 'Why is everybody looking at me like this?''' Finally, Suns assistant Paul Silas walked up and told Brown he had been traded to Milwaukee, and it might be wise to go pack. Until then, nobody had bothered to tell Brown he had been dealt. Such is life when you have played for a record number of NBA teams. Brown, who now coaches the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, suited up for 12 teams from 1989-2002, a mark that later would be tied by Tony Massenburg and Jim Jackson. That record, though, is in jeopardy. Oklahoma City reserve point guard Kevin Ollie has been with 11 teams, and a trade of Ollie by the Feb. 18 deadline could make him a part of NBA history.

SLAM ONLINE | " Dimes All Around
[I'm somewhat more of the mind that we're winning more games because everything has improved (well, everything except for Green) -- most notably the defense (improving on zero isn't that hard of course, but that's a huge and very much marked improvement)] Over in the West, though, the Thunder are proving that the future many predicted for them may come sooner than expected. A good amount of experts proclaimed the Thunder to be a contender in the next few years, that is if Kevin Durant lives up to lofty expectations. Only in his third year at age 21, Durant is playing out of his mind and has the Thunder off to an impressive 18-14 start. The rebuilding process in the NBA can be quicker than other leagues–you just need to get lucky by drafting a franchise centerpiece to build around. The Thunder should be thanking their stars that Portland selected Greg Oden instead of the former Longhorn.

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Here's your New Years Eve edition of Loud Links. We get started with an article recap of the blood drive that would have netted you free tickets to a Thunders game. Top 10 stories for Oklahoma City ... has the Thunder ranked #3. A pair of articles about one and done recruits. A more ...

Blood Drive Sets Record | NewsChannel 8
Oklahoma Blood Institute’s (OBI) Holiday Blood Drive, supported by the Oklahoma City Thunder, held Wednesday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, was more than just a success, with some 810 donors giving within 10 hours; it was the largest, single-day, non-disaster-related blood drive in the 33-year history of Oklahoma Blood Institute. During the event, each donor received a voucher for two free tickets to a future Oklahoma City Thunder game. For many, it was their first time to ever donate blood.

One and Done Changed the Equation in Men’s Basketball - NYTimes.com
[There's another article after the jump that furthers the whole discussion about college recruiting and rebuilding with one and done recruits ...] Kevin Durant spent only one of the last 10 years as a college player, but it was a memorable season. That 2006-7 campaign, in which he started all 35 games alongside three fellow freshmen and led Texas into the N.C.A.A. tournament, ended with multiple national player of the year honors. Kevin Durant, who is now in his third season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, would be a senior in Austin if he had chosen to stay in school. "Kevin was the best," Longhorns Coach Rick Barnes said, "regardless of class."

Top stories of the decade: Sooner football tops the list | NewsOK.com
The Oklahoma City Thunder was placed at No. 3 because the franchise and many of its players are still in their infancy. There’s no telling how long this honeymoon will last, or if the NBA and Oklahoma City will ever divorce. So far, so good, but it’s still early.

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Today we had another win. So that was fun. In other news we recalled Mullens from the 66ers, you can get free tickets for donating blood, and there's a nice little article about recently-cut-Thunder player Shaun Livingston's frosh sister. Plus a few more intriguing articles.

Recap: Washington vs. Oklahoma City - Basketball Wires - MiamiHerald.com
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, as the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed a 110-98 decision over the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. Jeff Green added 18 points and Russell Westbrook donated 11 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Thunder, who have won four straight. James Harden ended with 11 points for Oklahoma City, which shot 54.4 percent from the field and 10-of-18 from three-point range.

THUNDER: Thunder Recalls Byron Mullens From 66ers
[So ... has anyone actually watched him play recently? Care to comment?] OKLAHOMA CITY, December 28, 2009 – Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has recalled center Byron Mullens from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. Mullens appeared in 11 games (11 starts) for the 66ers since he was originally assigned to Tulsa on November 21. The 7-0 center averaged 15.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.27 blocks per contest while with Tulsa.

Oklahoma Blood Institute is asking for help as supply gets low | NewsOK.com
[So I'm not sure all the specifics of this, but it looks like a damn good deal -- help a good cause AND score free tickets ...] The Oklahoma Blood Institute and the Oklahoma City Thunder are hosting a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the southwest entrance of the Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens. Each donor will receive a voucher redeemable for two free tickets to a future Thunder game, while supplies last.

Holiday Classic: Morton frosh with NBA ties making a name for herself
When you are trying to make a name for yourself as a high school freshman basketball player, there are pros and cons to having a brother with NBA experience. Just ask Sarah Livingston-Aupperle, who has helped Morton (6-7) go 1-1 the first two days of the State Farm Holiday Classic to reach the consolation semifinals. She is the sister of Shaun Livingston, who has played for three NBA teams in parts of six seasons.

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So the big news of the day was the Maynor trade for our spare parts. And we got an expiring contract in return to boot. Fleecing folks is always nice, but when it sets you up for even bigger trades (yay for lots of expiring contracts!) it's twice as awesome. mleetch352 and Zorgon have already covered the finer aspects of the trade, but here are a few more articles to reference for good measure.

Thunder acquires Eric Maynor in trade with Utah | NewsOK.com
In exchange, the Thunder will send the draft rights to Peter Fehse, a 2002 second-round pick, to Utah. The deal will also bring Matt Harpring’s expiring $6.5 million contract to Oklahoma City, but the 33-year-old Harpring is out for the season after numerous ailments and surgeries deteriorated his performance.

Maynor, Harpring Traded to OKC - hoopsworld.com
Maynor comes to the Thunder offering a unique skillset that he honed while playing at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he averaged 22.4 points and 6.2 assists per game as a senior. He has a good amount of speed and a solid mid-range game, but he needs to work on his defense as he's not strong enough to defend the tougher NBA point guards just yet. He is a true point guard in every sense of the word – able to create with both hands and he has great vision to set up his teammates. Although he won't wow his new fans in Oklahoma City, he is tremendously solid – a jack-of-all-trades, master of none (yet) type of player.

Cap Analysis of the Maynor Trade - SLCDunk.com
It's a little strange that the Jazz would give away Harp's expiring contract essentially for free. With the $6.5 million owed to him coming off the books at the end of the season his contract could have been a valuable bargaining chip as the trade deadline approaches. Teams looking to get under the cap to make a run at the elite 2010 free agent class probably would have been willing to throw actual basketball talent at the Jazz. Instead the Jazz have opted to give that bargaining power to OKC, who could potentially combine his contract (after a two month waiting period) with another expiring contract -- such as Earl Watson or Etan Thomas -- to go after a high salary player.

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So the recap of the news for the last day is headlined by the loss to the Mavs along with KD's Creamsicle shoes. Then we have another Oden/Durant article, some snippets of news from John Hollinger, an article noting how oddly troubling this three-game losing streak is, and other stuff. Read on!

Durant's shoes only bright part of his game against Dallas Mavericks | dallasnews.com
OKLAHOMA CITY – It was a night of orange shoes for Kevin Durant. But his footwear was the only hot thing he had going Wednesday night. The former Texas Longhorns star has never had a seriously strong game against the Mavericks, and they continued to befuddle him in the form of a 4-of-18 shooting night in the Mavericks' 100-86 win.

Kevin Durant’s KD2 Creamsicles | dimemag.com
Yesterday against the Mavs, Kevin Durant debuted the outrageous "Creamsicle" colorway of his second shoe in the KD signature line, the KD2. The flashy kicks boast an all orange upper with a hint of "Oklahoma Thunder" blue on the swoosh and forefoot strap. Nike Basketball blessed other players on the squad with the Creamsicles as well so that the Thunder could style in sync. Unfortunately it takes more than footwear solidarity to get a W, as Dallas went on to win the game.

Durant Struggles; Thunder Fall | ksbitv.com
There were some bright spots for the Thunder as Jeff Green finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds, however all of those points came in the third quarter. The bench played well for the Thunder, a component of the team that has struggled for the most part this season. Nick Collison, James Harden and Serge Ibaka combined for 26 points and each added six rebounds to give the Thunder a boost keeping the team in the game for three quarters.

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So today we have articles on Westbrook's well-documented turnover struggles (as well as all the positives) from nba.com, the usual articles from our last few games against the Cavs and the Nuggets, stuff comparing Durant to the rest of the top-tier talent in terms of three-point shooting, and much more.

NBA.com: Westbrook taking his lumps as he learns point guard trade | nba.com
[Yes, same stuff. Glad even Westbrook realizes he's making turnovers. Too bad he's also quoted with the whole, "But other people make just as many turnovers as I do" bit. Comparing to others regarding your own area of weakness is stupid -- fix it rather than explaining why it's not that terrible ... sheesh] Make the basic pass, Scott Brooks tells Russell Westbrook. Westbrook listens and understands and even agrees. "The simple play is always best," he says at another time, when Brooks is not around. This has been going on for months. Brooks using his background to teach Westbrook, and the risky decision playing out. The final major act of the Seattle SuperSonics -- before the most major act of hitting the lights -- was to use the fourth choice in the 2008 draft on a point guard who had never really been a point guard.

Cavaliers: Mo's halfcourt shot had full effect - The News-Herald Sports : Breaking news coverage for Northern Ohio
[Okay, that shot was great, but I don't know if Mo Williams felt any sort of "arrogance" go out of the arena. What the heck was he referencing here? I'm totally lost. Really.] When Mo Williams' 48-foot, halfcourt shot dropped through the hoop on Sunday night, he said he could feel it deflate the Oklahoma City Thunder. "You could feel the arrogance go out of the whole arena and the bench," the Cavaliers' point guard said. "You just feel it. 'Ahhhhhh.' "

Nuggets storm past Thunder | INDenverTimes.com
Oklahoma City Thunder (12-10) came into Denver (17-7) on Monday night looking to ride their star, Kevin Durant, who has become the leading active scorer against the Nuggets, but left instead with a 102-93 loss. Durant is only 21 and is also the third-leading scorer in the NBA. Oklahoma City is a young, up and coming team. They are a good road team, as they are one of three teams in the Western Conference with a winning road record. They came in sitting in fourth place in the Northwestern Division and four games behind Denver.

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So today we have some news that was in the recap yesterday (see: Holiday Gift Assist) as well as info on Durant (comparisons with other valuable college hoops stars from then and now, his All-Star vote tallying, and so forth). Other random interesting stuff interspersed within the mix.

Group could close on dunes by Dec. 31 | woodtv.com
The land sits on each side of the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. McClendon, a billionaire who is an owner of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, bought the 402 acres in 2006 and plans to develop the property on the north side of the river.

Thunder rolls in to help during holidays | newsok.com
It was the Holiday Gift Assist. Grandparents raising grandchildren went around Target with the help of these NBA players to get Christmas gifts for the children. It was awesome, to say the least. I overheard some of the interaction between the Thunder and the kids. You would’ve sworn these guys were just big kids themselves. They were excited and engaged and really showed they had hearts of gold.

Surprises, letdowns after NBA's first quarter - NBA News | Foxsports.com
Our quarter-pole Coach of the Year is Oklahoma City Thunder sideline boss Scott Brooks. As the leader of the league's youngest core rotation, Brooks has overcome turnover-producing inexperience on offense and developed the NBA's fifth-most-efficient defense without the luxury of a certified baseline bruiser or shot-blocker. Kids who play team defense? That also makes Brooks eligible for the surprise list.

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Here's Tuesday's edition of Loud Links. Lots of recap articles, so I'll present really just the one. Same goes for more of that Durant/Oden debate, what with the injury and all. There's stuff on OKC's sales tax extension (you know, the one that paid for arena the Thunder play in) and talk about Clay looking at setting up some exhibition games.

Thunder 104, Warriors 88 | Thunder Rumblings | newsok.com
If ever you get sick of hearing about the character of the Thunder, about how the players genuinely get along, or how they’re good for the community, Monday’s game served as a reminder of the shade of green that lies on the other side. Golden State, in 48 minutes, should have shown you all you needed to thank the basketball gods after every game for the type of players being gathered in Oklahoma City. The Thunder has a locker room filled with 20-somethings who understand the meaning of team. They play hard and they play for each other. They spend time off the court and they do their damndest to ensure everyone excels on it. Golden State is a franchise in turmoil.

Tim Donaghy, Greg Oden among hot topics in NBA - NBA - SI.com
They made a mistake, but not because of Oden's injury. It doesn't take an NBA scout's mind to realize that Oden, while a big and capable center with superior defensive instincts, does not have nearly the same upside as Durant, a potential All-Star this season and a sure-fire MVP candidate within a few years. Oden will be back, no doubt, and I believe he'll have a long and productive career. But he won't be as dominant as Durant, which is what the Blazers were hoping Oden would become when they selected No. 1.

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So a pretty large round-up of articles tonight, starting off with a great piece on Durant and more on whether teams doing poorly should start playing for the draft. Lets get started ....

Kevin Durant is NEXT | espn.com
[Battier presents the point well -- it's a progression of establishing yourself as a player year by year. In our case, it's also about establishing where we are as a team, and KD is the focal point of that development process.] "No matter how talented a young player is, his first year is sink or swim," Battier says. "Can he survive in a man's league? Obviously Kevin did, and he did pretty well." (Durant was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year after his first season, 2007-08, his team's last in Seattle.) "Year 2, the hurdle is, Can I bring it every night?" Battier says. "Can I average double figures? Can I be consistent?" (Durant improved in nearly every statistical category last season, his first in Oklahoma City. His three-point shooting percentage jumped from .288 to .422, and he averaged five more points per game, 25.3, and two more rebounds, 6.5.) Battier continues. "The next level is, Can I be dominant? That's Kevin's final step. He's shown flashes of dominance, but can he be dominant every single night? The great ones -- Kobe, LeBron, Garnett -- had to pass through that fire. Kevin still has to run through his flames."

Should the Detroit Pistons play for the playoffs or the draft? | mlive.com
[The rest of this article is interesting to read as well, as it pretty much sums up the impact of the draft on the fortunes of teams over the last few years. Falling into the lottery hasn't panned out all that well for the vast majority of teams, as it's been somewhat of a hole that takes a lot to climb back out of. Draft poorly and you're set back even further. I like how they sit around and point out that Portland could have Deron Williams running the point had they drafted him rather than trade down for Pick No. 6 ... alas such is life.] Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle Sonics: Eight picks for them. They have drafted immensely better of late. The last three have yielded Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden (not to mention Jeff Green in the Ray Allen trade), all of whom will be key players for them. Pre-OKC? Not so great ... unless you dig Robert Swift.

After two years, Thunder have solid footing in Oklahoma | nba.com
[Look -- it's yet another article talking about how we're defending better this year. Amazing!] It's hard to say which is the bigger surprise: that the Thunder, after winning only 23 games all last season, are winning on the road. Or that defense, always a challenge for young teams, isn't an issue. The players have bought into coach Scott Brooks' philosophy about team defense, and considering the Thunder lack a proven shot-blocker or designated stopper, their improvement is clearly due to a collective effort. Oklahoma City is allowing nine points fewer than last season and taking a large measure of pride in that. It's a defense that would make Barry Switzer proud. "That's why we've improved as a team," Brooks said. "Everybody is on the same page. The effort has to be there. We've improved because we're thinking like a defensive team."

More after the jump, including Westbrook's 15 assist day, D-League stuff, and our long-lost friend Robert Swift.

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The big news of the day is that Hardin is headed to the D-League. And some other roster movement updates -- Collison might return for the next game and Livingston might be ahead of schedule. And more people are starting to take note of Ibaka. All of which are good things!

Thunder draft pick Hardin headed to D-League | USATODAY.com
[Highlight of the day. Good to see Hardin get in some solid playing/development time.] TULSA, Okla. (AP) � DeVon Hardin, a second-round pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, has joined the team's NBA development league affiliate in Tulsa. Hardin played overseas after being drafted 50th overall by the Thunder last year. He has yet to play in the NBA, but was included in a trade to the New Orleans Hornets last year that was later rescinded when Tyson Chandler failed a physical.

Thunder notebook: Nick Collison could return tonight against Philadelphia | NewsOK.com
[Yay, good news. I'm more interested in seeing Livingston or Weaver make it back earlier though. But either way -- potentially good news all around!] "As long as I don’t get any swelling or pain through the night or shootaround I’m going to try and go," Collison said. "It’s still day-to-day. As of now I feel good about it.

Roundup: Sergio Rodriguez’s career-high, Serge Ibaka | interbasket.net
Serge Ibaka, a 6-10 center from the Congo has been receiving consistent minutes in the last several games for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Outside of one DNP, the first year player that was drafted with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, has averaged 21 minutes in the last five games. Ibaka recorded career highs of 11 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks in 31 minutes during the Thunder’s 101-85 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

More after the jump!

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Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! And this Thanksgiving, in terms of the team, is looking good. We've won games to the point where the team looks competitive most every (other) night. Progress is being made and while some bits still need work (see: lack of interior big man, sloppy PG play, etc) all in all I'd have to say that this year is off to a nice start. So, moving on to the Loud Links, which are a bit short due to all things Thanksgiving.

Thunder notebook: Kyle Weaver sidelined with shoulder injury | NewsOK.com
[Yikes. See the article below.] With Shaun Livingston and Kevin Ollie both battling knee ailments, Weaver was thrust into emergency point guard duty in Tuesday’s 104-94 win at Utah. But if Weaver misses an extended amount of time, the Thunder could be without a backup point guard to starter Russell Westbrook.

Report: Thunder To Sign Mike Wilks | newsok.com
[So, while we might scratch our heads and wonder "Who the heck is Mike Wilks?", this looks like a precautionary move. It'd be terrible to have no backup to RW0 with Weaver, Livingston, AND Ollie out.] According to the Web site InsideHoops.com, the Thunder will sign free agent point guard Mike Wilks. The site is reporting that Wilks agent, Bill Neff, has confirmed that Oklahoma City will add the 30-year-old Wilks to provide backcourt relief behind starting point guard Russell Westbrook.

Thunder waives F Ryan Bowen, roster now at 14 | USATODAY.com
[So this move removes some of the redundacy we had in a position of strength to open up more roster space for guys like Wilks. I'm pretty sure we're not going to miss Bowen.] Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced the move Wednesday. Bowen had played in only one of Oklahoma City's first 15 games, finishing with four points, two rebounds and one steal in eight minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

More, including a Bucks-Thunder preview, after the jump.

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So today's Loud Links is up pretty late as I was held up at work. Regardless, here we go -- Ibaka is saying all the right things to the press, Weaver is back, and the 66ers start play this weekend.

Serge Ibaka knows time will come | NewsOK.com
[Thank goodness he knows enough to say good things to the press. I for one hope he gets some more minutes; we need to see what we have here.] "So for me it was very important to play well. Maybe next game I play five minutes or zero minutes. For me, that is no problem. For me, the (goal) is to focus every day and work hard every day. That’s very important for me and when my time comes to be prepared."

The Canadian Press: Thunder recall Weaver from Tulsa of NBA D-League, guard to suit up for Jazz game
[I love this move. Weaver is a much superior option from the bench then some of our other options, and I'm not sure how beneficial D-League would have been for him, in contrast to Mullens, who clearly needs to work on some fundamental drills.] A second-year player, Weaver scored 11 points in his season debut last week against Orlando. He also played the final minute of the Thunder's victory Friday night against Washington.

Tulsa 66ers Start This Weekend | tulsatoday.com
[So, all you people in Tulsa, time to go turn out for this. Maybe.] The rebirth of the professional sports scene in downtown Tulsa continues this weekend as the Tulsa 66ers NBA D-League team will make their debut in the newly renovated Tulsa Convention Center. The 66ers are coached by Nate Tibbetts and are owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

More after the jump -- including stuff on Jennings whom we'll see shortly in a wonderfully televised matchup, Jerry Sloan's take on the Thunder, etc.

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hisjazziness put it succinctly in his recap of the last game (emphasis mine):

19 Thunder turnovers led to 25 Lakers points. There was just a general carelessness with the ball. This happens too much from Westbrook. I love watching him play, and he does some amazing things (like the block on Gasol and the career high 3 blocks in general) but there are times when he has a shoot-first mentality (something I don't like out of a point guard) and other times when he's not careful with the ball.

Westbrook dished out 7 assists to pair with a team-high six turnovers. While it could theoretically have been even worse, that's definitely not good. Couple the loose ball-handling with a 0.313 FG% on 16 attempts (2nd behind Durant's 20 attempts) and you're asking for disaster. Point of the matter is that Westbrook needs to stop losing the ball -- and tone down the shoddy shooting. On the flip side, one can't allow Bynum to dominate the interior to the point of an 0.818 FG%, 9 boards, 2 blocks, 25 points AND a steal ... in under 30 minutes. To make matters worse, Gasol and Bynum combined for a grand total of 2 personal fouls. The Thunder were thoroughly destroyed inside on both sides of the ball.

However, that's just one game in isolation -- and while it was a thoroughly terrible one, one game is just one game. The more interesting question would be to ask how Westbrook's been doing in the early going overall? Beyond what we've all obviously observed in game to game lapses or highlight moments, I thought it'd be fun to take a few seconds to pull up some of his aggregate stats for this young season.

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Needless to say, after a blowout loss the vast majority of articles out there are going to be focused on just how badly we were beat. Then we have the articles homing in on Harden's statistically superb performance. So ... read on!

Fantasy Basketball Breaking News - Rotoworld.com
[We start with a rotoworld putting it plainly -- yeah for Harden's performance, but don't expect a repeat anytime soon.] James Harden came off the bench and caught fire for the Thunder on Wednesday, hitting 7-of-14 shots and six 3-pointers for a career-high 24 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists and a steal. The Thunder were simply out of it tonight, and Harden got hot while the rest of his team struggled. Don't expect another performance like this from Harden any time soon.

Atlanta Hawks' Josh Smith showing plenty of fantasy potential again | ESPN
[Embedded within this article is a snippet on Harden. Kind of reiterates the same thing -- don't read too much into Harden's performance, since it came during a blowout. Nice stat line, but ultimately pretty meaningless.] Though it came in a blowout loss to the Orlando Magic, it's worth noting that Thunder rookie James Harden had the first good statistical performance of his career on Wednesday, putting up 24 points (including 6-for-7 on 3-pointers) in 31 minutes. Unfortunately, many of those minutes came once the game was already in hand, so we shouldn't read too much into it quite yet. …

And after the jump we have lots of material related to our blowout loss, an article on KD, and more.

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So today's links are going to be a tad haphazard, what with the game ongoing as I throw this up. Nonetheless ... what's new for the day? For one, lots of stuff harping on how OKC isn't ready for the big stage. You know -- getting trampled by the Clippers was .. well, to put it another way -- who gets destroyed by the Clippers (or more importantly, the Kings)? There's also news regarding Livingston's knee (which was noted earlier on here by ElectricPencils), stuff from some of our recent opponents detailing their success against us, an article on Kevin Ollie, stuff on Beasley's relationship with Durant, and more. We're going to start with Kevin Ollie, since it was the most interesting one to read (at least for me).

Kevin Ollie: From Player to Coach? | hoopsworld.com
[With the way Westbrook is playing, I'm starting to wonder if Ollie can possibly do any worse (okay, joking here) ... then again mayhap we can blame his terrible coaching ...] Westbrook and Ollie have already developed a special relationship based on mutual respect. "I've learned from him and he's learned from me. I that's the big thing, we trust one another," says Ollie. "I know I'm here for him, for his best interests and he does the same for me. Anything he sees that I'm doing wrong, he's able to come up to me, and it's the same way [that I help him]."

Kevin Durant is still rooting for Michael Beasley | NewsOK.com
[Interesting story, since we don't often get any sort of information from this sort of angle.] "I didn’t want to be the guy that said the same things everybody else had said," Durant said. "So I just prayed for him. That’s all I could do because I didn’t know what to tell him." Durant does know how close Beasley came to not being here, in sound mind and spirit as his Miami Heat gears up to take on the Thunder tonight at American Airlines Arena. That’s why, for Durant, tonight’s contest will take on greater significance.

More after the jump.

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We begin today's edition of Loud Links with a series of articles focused on none other than ... James Harden. The ridiculous 40-foot halftime shot takes the cake, but there's also a piece reiterating just how much ASU is going to miss him and Pendergraph. Then there are Rotoworld updates on Thunder players, for you stat-centric fantasy basketball types. A bunch of recap articles about our ugly, ugly win over the Clippers are interspersed in the mix, with some questions arising as to the potential fallout of some players shining when given the opportunity (Harden?). There's a piece on the 66ers changing their colors to match the Thunder as well as an article pointing out the fact that we haven't seen Kyle Weaver in action at all to date. Anyhow ... enjoy!

Fantasy Basketball Breaking News - Rotoworld.com
[So yeah, Harden obviously is finally taking steps to take advantage of the opportunities he's been given.] James Harden took advantage of Russell Westbrook's ankle injury and had seven points, five boards, eight assists, a steal and a block on 3-of-8 shooting in Wednesday's win. Harden is an interesting fantasy player right now, but is coming off the bench behind Thabo Sefolosha. Sefolosha had been playing well but had just two points and eight rebounds tonight. Harden is probably worth holding in deeper leagues, but won't be an everyday starter as long as he's not starting for his real team.

Thunder notebook: James Harden’s memorable shot | NewsOK.com
[More to add to the Harden fun ... he's quietly having quite the nice week.] A 40-foot halftime buzzer-beater, two steps inside the half-court line against Sacramento, will be one of James Harden’s top highlights from his rookie season. "That’s my first half-court shot ever," Harden said. Does he ever practice that shot? "No, not really," Harden said. "Sometimes when you’re a kid you throw the ball up from half court ... the clock was running out. I just wanted to get a shot up." Harden, who scored nine points against the Kings, said he’s getting more comfortable. "My teammates want me to shoot the ball more. My coaches want me to shoot the ball a little bit more," Harden said. "Now it’s just a matter of playing."

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Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Loud Links. It's a little short for two reasons: (1) I'm doing this earlier since I have a busy afternoon/evening; (2) There's a lot of redundant articles after the Orlando game -- basically reiterating the complete dismantling of the Magic by the Thunder. I included some tidbits, but definitely not the onslaught of articles brought about by that win. There's another Kings preview, news on All-Star balloting and who you can vote for from the Thunder, and an article about the newfound Thunder defense (for once not focused on Thabo).

John Rohde: Would've been nice to savor Thunder win | NewsOK.com
[Just another article pointing out how the Thunder buy into the coaching philosophy. Pretty much some common sense stuff on not dwelling on wins or losses but focusing on each upcoming game in isolation -- still, in the NBA it sometimes seems that common sense is pretty darn uncommon, so this is a nice reminder that the Thunder are well-coached and non-headcases.] Thunder coach Scott Brooks wants his players to put a big loss behind them as quickly as possible, and the same also holds true after a big win. The Thunder’s widest victory margin ever inside Ford Center resulted in some wide smiles from the sellout crowd of 18,203. Thunder players smiled, too, but not for long. "Coach tells us after a win, we’ll enjoy it together afterward in the locker room. Once we leave that room, it’s over," forward Kevin Durant said.

Tuesday's game: OKC Thunder at Sacramento Kings | NewsOK.com
[Another game preview, sort of like the CBS one from yesterday. This one comes from NewsOK, so it has some more area-specific info like radio station broadcast information. Insofar as the central content point ... it's basically summed up with: Kevin Martin isn't playing. The Kings are bad with him, but unfathomably terrible without him. At least that's the hope going into the game ...]
Three things to know:
→After shooting just 35.2 percent in the Thunder’s first four games, Kevin Durant has shot 59.4 percent in the past two contests.
→Sacramento guard Kevin Martin, the Kings’ leading scorer, is out at least eight weeks due to a hairline fracture of his left wrist.
→Sacramento has won three of its last four games after starting the season 0-3.

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The Gameflow charts that you can find on PopcornMachine provide a nice visual layout/summary of a game. While the practical uses are kind of limited, it's still fun to look at. Here we have two charts, with back-to-back games played by the Lakers against the Thunder and the Rockets. This is made more interesting given that both games were pretty close, the Lakers were the common denominator/opponent, and we have the Rockets as the upcoming opponent. Whereas the Thunder were down early and clawed their way back into the game (and kept it tensely close for the remainder of the evening), the Rockets ... didn't really do that. The cursory visual differences in the charts for the fourth quarter are probably the most interesting (well, to me at least). Anyhow, for those of you who haven't had a chance to check out the charts, they're quite fun to waste time on so peruse them at your leisure.

Here's the Thursday edition of Loud Links, with the typical random comments and excerpted snippets thrown in for good measure.

Thunder's reserves pack a punch off the bench | NewsOK.com
[Starting off, we have an article detailing how this year's Thunder bench is better. I'm fairly certain that just about any bench would be better by the removal of guys like Wilkins and Atkins, so this isn't actually as awesome as it seems at first glance. Addition by subtraction and then a little more addition, if that makes any sort of sense] Last season Oklahoma City’s reserves often poured gas on the fire, and deficits widened. This season, Etan Thomas, James Harden, Nick Collison and Kevin Ollie are impacting games. Against the Lakers, OKC’s reserves closed the gap to three points early in the second quarter. By halftime the Lakers’ lead was 51-50. "To be a good team, it can’t just come from the starting five," said Jeff Green. "You need production off the bench. ...We have guys who won’t miss a beat."

Kings waive G/F Mason | KansasCity.com
[In already-report-news, the Kings waived Mason. While not directly related to the current iteration of the OKC Thunder, it's still notable due to all the connections he has with the area, how terrible the Kings are, and ... yeah. Who bets he ends up in Minny?] The Sacramento Kings waived guard/forward Desmond Mason on Thursday. Mason, signed in September to a one-year contract, averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in five games -- four starts -- for the Kings this season. The 31- year-old missed most of last season due to injury, playing in only 39 games with the Thunder and averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds.

There's also some news on the Thunder Mavs dazzling rookie, another one of those Durant/LeBron comparisons, discussions regarding Thunder hair, and more after the jump.

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The title should probably be expanded to: "Greetings from within the WTLC community as I shift towards contributing in a more routine role". Regardless, I choose to throw in a random picture of our dearly (or, in all honesty, not-so-dearly) departed Mr. Damien Wilkins, solely because it shows him outside of the on-court basketball world, contributing in his own small way to bettering the OKC community alongside others. Like Wilkins, I'm hoping to do my small part, contributing what I can to the smooth running of the WTLC community. Unlike Wilkins, I hope I stick around and refrain from doing an atrocious job (has he learned how to shoot in Minny yet?). That's the whole transitive reflection bit kicking in, or so I tell myself -- take from it what you will and otherwise try to enjoy the random AP photo.

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The Thunder's opening win over the Kings was nice, but like all single-game analyses it really fails to tell us much about what we should expect out of the Thunder this season. In and of itself however, there are some tidbits to grasp at. We already have a recap/thought-piece from mleetch352, but I figured I'd add to the festivities in my own way.

Joe over at DailyThunder once referenced Dean Oliver's four factor breakdown of what wins games (back in January of 2009). While this isn't a be-all-end-all, it does provide a bit of fun number crunching for an isolated game situation. The four factors and their relative weights:

1. Shoot a high field goal percentage (10).
2. Do not commit turnovers (5-6).
3. Get offensive rebounds (4-5).
4. Get to the foul line frequently (2-3).

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