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Everything that every fan does, both at and away from the arena, has a direct impact on the outcome of the game.

Why?

Why is the sky blue? Why do magnets stick together?

Because everyone says so! That's why!

Now is not the time to get complacent!

I swear if we leave these guys wide ass open THEY will knock down their threes let’s play Man up otherwise we will have a repeat of last year. WB is shooting 40% from 3 in the corners in the playoffs

I won't stew on the dumbass fouling strategy.

1. Isiah Joe seeing a single playoff minute in this series is coaching malpractice. I've been seeing it all season but is simply not a championship role player. Both offensively and defensively he just struggles to make big plays.

2. If we cannot win or even make a finals run with a 68 win team, then something drastic needs to change in the off season. We cannot have back-to-back first seed seasons where we get dumped in the second round by teams that are clearly better built for playoffs. Currently we just don't have a second star and we need that. Everyone assumes jdub or chet are Max level players but the playoff is what actually determines that. If they cannot make big plays in tough around then it's better to get a package for a star who can.

3. I still think Johnson should have been on this team and it should have been Isaiah Joe traded for him

We are currently 72-15 since that opening in Denver. Crazy

Just wanted to give our team a good luck these first few games as the start times are all very late and having a job that I start at 6:30 am means I'll miss most of the games.

I don't understand why they can't schedule games on top of each other. I have zero interest in the east coast games and just want to see our team play. The NFL never schedules games past 730, so I don't know how the NBA thinks they'll get better viewerahip at 8:45 pm on a weeknight than overlapping the games a few hours. Its insanely annoying and just needed to vent my frustration that we deal with this shit and seems to be getting worse every year. Friday's game start time is past 9 pm. That's just crazy to me even being on a weekend. Anyways, hope the team plays great and wish I could support them but even turning on the game will be pointless as id only catch the frst half at best.... Sigh....

I think this loss shows that we’re pretty much unbeatable, because we only barely lost when everything that could’ve gone wrong did.

• Shai shouldn’t have have taken that open shot, he should’ve ran to the corner and ran down the clock and taken free throws (although I’d never blame a basketball player for wanting to score, especially the MVP)
• obviously Caruso should’ve let a little bit of time run down before fouling Gordon
• but even more importantly, mark shouldn’t have had them foul when jokic wasn’t on the floor (although it was so quick I don’t really think that decision was up to mark)
• how often is Chet gonna miss those free throws, realistically
• AG is the epitome of clutch this post-season
• (and this is all with j-dub having his worst game of this post-season)

All of these disasters happened in the last thirty seconds, and we still only lost by 2. So I’m not really worried at all. TTFU

Just kidding, Thunder in 5

Who do yall think is going to be tonight’s x-factor off the bench?

Feels like a month since we’ve seen Thunder basketball.

Thunder Up!!! Let’s go.

That one sucked. There’s a lot to digest from last night. But overall, still pretty bullish on the Thunder. Lots of reasons why:

• Chet and dub were both horrible. Dub was horrible all night, Chet was decent throughout the game but made 4-5 critically poor plays in the last 6 minutes that all resulted in OKC losing. Hard to imagine either of them being that detrimental to the team going forward.

• Outside of Caruso and Hart, the role players were basically nonexistent all night offensively. Dort came alive as the game went on. This is the only one I’m worried about persisting throughout the remainder of the playoffs. They can get better, but the role players have sold in 100% of OKC’s meaningful playoff games the past 2 years.

•They missed a ton of wide open uncontested shots. Denver’s defense was largely nonexistent the whole game, OKC was getting whatever they wanted. Just couldn’t make them pay in a lot of cases. One of those missed wide open 3s goes down and OKC wins. Conversely, Denver was making some insanely hard contested shots and rarely got open easy ones.

•From the 6 minute mark until the 13 second mark of the 4th quarter (when intentional fouling began) Denver took 16 free throws compared to zero for OKC. The favoritism got way out of control there at the end. Surely that won’t happen again… surely?

•OKC was dictating the entire flow of the game until Jokic got the flagrant, and then they abandoned all of their schemes to try and focus on forcing a 6th foul on him, which ruined the offense.

All of this to say, hard to see any of these things happening again. OKC tried their hardest to lose this game in the last 6 minutes and still should have won anyways. I expect them to make up for it in game 2, steal at least one in Denver, and get home court right back.

I am not at all putting last nights loss on SGA, and if anything, he’s been by far our most consistent player in the playoffs and regular season. However, I can’t help but look at how Jokic was leading his team last night and compare it to the lack of energy and leadership I saw on our side. I know it’s not just up to Shai to bring the energy and show leadership, but when you are the franchise guy, I think the team follows your lead. Caruso was the only guy last night who I felt as if wanted to win the game every play. Shai’s lack of leadership and energy was something he admitted to after Canada lost in the olympics last year and it’s something that I think hasn’t changed much since last playoffs either. I’m not being a doomer and I know this series is FAR from over, but it’s something that has been on my mind since last year. What do you guys think?

I’m hurt from tonight’s loss. Especially since it shouldn’t have happened the way it did due to that horrible fouling strategy late. Win the next game and it’s a new series. This team is tough and will learn from this. THUNDER UP

We gotta stop playing so late!… How am I supposed to contain my Thunder energy and be quiet … my kids have school tomorrow 😫

P.S. Thunder TF UP!!!!

I believe in the saying that you're only as good as your last game. I also believe in our team's ability to bounce back. We bounced back against the Lakers in the regular season and won comfortably the second time after we got blown out.

If we win by playing on our terms and the Nuggets have no answer, do you think the series is ours to lose? The playoffs is a mental battle unlike games in the regular season.

Honestly, I wouldn't feel confident and I would never say that we're in control of the series if we scrape out a narrow win.

But if we play on our on terms and win comfortably, even if it isn't a blowout, does that make us in control of the series again? Does that mean we're in the better position heading into Games 3 and 4? If we win without any scares, is it reasonable to say that the pressure should be on the Nuggets and not us?

I would honestly rather lose Game 1 and win Game 2 rather than the other way around. Getting a win is good for momentum heading into Games 3 and 4. Coming off a loss in Game 2 like we did last year against Dallas doesn't sound good in terms of momentum.

The three teams everyone predicted would reach the conference finals were Cleveland, Boston, and OKC, the top teams in the league this season. All lost in Game 1. The Cavs got buried under the Pacers’ three pointers. The Celtics let a 20-point lead slip away and got outplayed in overtime. The Thunder’s inexplicably stupid fouling strategy cost them a close game. I’m sure the two Eastern teams in the same boat as us are regrouping, not panicking or throwing in the towel, and we won’t either. I actually think we’re in a better position than they are. We learn well from our mistakes, because we’re young in age but mature mentally, and we know not to use that strategy again. Obviously Game 2 looms large, but I have every confidence we’ll be more on point next time.

I know our most of our guys didn’t play up to par but Game 1 has shown us this series will be everything we thought it could be which is grueling and down to the wire!

If anyone is willing to part with a shirt from the game tonight I will pay $20 for it.

I had a last minute emergency and couldn’t make it tonight.

PM me please!!

A 2 seed getting bounced in Round 1 despite Jimmy Butler missing a game and a half...

I'd say fraudulent, but honestly everyone knew this team was all bark and no bite, especially on offense

Would probably be a sweep if it wasn't for Steven Adams

But we’re ahead by 10, so they’re -5 WITH Jokic too.

Not sure if this has been a topic of discussion since game 1 but this should honestly go without saying. Caruso was arguably our best player on the floor the entire night and the nuggets are a team you just can’t get away with running double bigs against. I’m sure there’s data out there somewhere but just from the eye test alone Chet is so much better as the lone big out there, it’s a little unfair to have these expectations on him when Mark is putting him in spots he struggles in. Our worst portions of the game were the start of the game and the end of the game and that’s when the double big lineup was mainly out there as the primary 5. Leave 1 big out there, collapse on jokic then fly out and contest. That was working at certain points of the game. It also keeps you from having both centers with 5 fouls by the end of the game meaning they can’t play as aggressive. Bring Ihart off the bench in game 2, start Wiggs or Caruso or CASO or whoever

Forget the 5/20 performance - I’m sure Jdub will have better shooting performances down the line. My main issue is the lack of accountability and borderline condescending and snarky attitude of Jdub in postgame interviews. Providing an explanation on how to grab a rebound when asked what they would do better on the glass and not saying anything about being better - which chet emphatically did in his postgame interviews. It’s easy to forget these guys are still basically college kids but he just seems a little insecure and childish and I’m not sure his mental is ready for the playoffs

But he’s got a tall order to pass up Caruso

1st off I don't understand how we fumbled that game. Why were we fouling Denver being up 3?!? Denver had no timeouts and Jokic was on the sideline. I would've rather took my chances with them running up the court and making them shoot a three on a set defense. If they make it then... hey that's a good shot I'll live with that. By this time we still had one last timeout remaining we could've maybe taken the last shot in 4th. That's IF they make the shot. Best case scenario we win the game or go to Overtime.

I knew Denver was gonna do everything in their power to not let Shai get the ball on that inbound pass. When Chet went to the freethrow line everything in my body told me he was gonna miss. He didn't look confident at all. I didn't expect him to miss BOTH FREETHROWS THOUGH!!! I know it's only one game but this is VERY concerning!

Never been that low- any special perks or activities or just general etiquette I should be aware of?

A bit of a weird one, but I’m feeling homesick. Lived in Oklahoma my whole life before college and feeling a bit homesick as I get hyped for the game tonight. I have really great memories of being a kid and seeing how much love my friends and the adults I knew had for the team especially around 2012-2015.

It’s been a several years since I’ve been back to OK but I’m wondering, what’s it like on the ground these days? How excited are folks that we’ve finally arrived? Does KOCO still do Thunder updates with the morning news? If you know any middle or high school kids, do they seem as obsessed with Shai, Dub, and Chet as we were with KD and Brodie? Do folks irl typically show our role players some love? Sorry for the ramble, just excited for the night and missing being around fellow fans irl.

I am curious that why Mark D. isn't even in a list of Coach of the year contenders this year? What wrong with his way of managing the team? Because the roster is better than others, so it is too easy, not challenge enough for him to lead the team to win as a coach?

I have no idea, please discuss.

CREDIT lessthanjake
The SRS difference between OKC and Denver this season was 8.73. That is massive.

Just for some reference on this, here’s a list of best-of-seven series in NBA history, in which the SRS gap has been at least this big, and the result of the series (the team with the higher SRS won every time):

List of historic best-of-seven playoff series with this big of an SRS difference, and the results of those series

2025 Celtics vs. Magic: 4-1
2024 Celtics vs. Cavaliers: 4-1
2024 Celtics vs. Heat: 4-1
2020 Bucks vs. Magic: 4-1
2017 Warriors vs. Blazers: 4-0
2016 Spurs vs. Grizzlies: 4-0
2016 Warriors vs. Rockets: 4-1
2016 Warriors vs. Blazers: 4-1
2015 Warriors vs. Pelicans: 4-0
2013 Heat vs. Bucks: 4-0
2009 Cavs vs. Pistons: 4-0
2008 Celtics vs. Hawks: 4-3
2008 Celtics vs. Cavaliers: 4-3
1996 Bulls vs. Knicks: 4-1
1991 Bulls vs. Sixers: 4-1
1987 Lakers vs. Warriors: 4-1
1972 Lakers vs. Knicks: 4-1
1972 Bucks vs. Warriors: 4-1
1971 Bucks vs. Bullets: 4-0
1971 Bucks vs. Warriors: 4-1

Just as an initial matter, people should note that throughout NBA history, there’s only been 20 SRS mismatches that were this big in best-of-seven series. This really is a historic mismatch.

People should also note that no team that faced this big of an SRS mismatch has ever won.

Not only that, but 90% of the time there is an SRS mismatch this big, the series has ended 4-0 or 4-1. Only the 2008 Celtics’s very slow start to those playoffs in the first couple rounds are an exception to that. (I also note that, while I was only compiling results in best-of-seven game series, I did find some best-of-five game series that were this big of an SRS mismatch, and every one I saw ended either 3-0 or 3-1 in favor of the higher-SRS team).

Basically, if the Nuggets won this series, it would be the biggest SRS upset ever. And it would even be a significant anomaly if the Nuggets managed to win more than 1 game.

[https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2457158&start=120\]

San Antonio was the better team favored to win (62 wins, 1st seed) vs Houston (47 wins, 6th seed) and Robinson won MVP. Not sure how that's not similar. The outcome might not be the same, but the setup certainly is.

95 spurs were a 5.9 srs team

25 okc is a 12.7 srs team

BigDan245 wrote:How many times has the best player in the world been swept?

The best player in the world has been swept a good bit more often than the lower-SRS team has even won more than 1 game in a series with this big an SRS gap (which has happened only twice), and definitely more than the lower-SRS team has won the series with this big an SRS gap (which has never happened).

Some instances of at least arguably the best player in the world being swept:

- LeBron in 2018 vs. the Warriors
- Jordan in 1987 vs. the Celtics
- Kareem in 1977 vs. the Blazers
- Magic in 1989 vs. the Pistons
- Magic in 1983 vs. the Sixers
- Bird in 1983 vs. the Bucks
- Shaq in 1999 vs. the Spurs
- Shaq in 1998 vs. the Jazz
- Duncan in 2001 vs. the Lakers
- Jokic in 2021 vs. the Suns

Of course, one could argue that some of these guys weren’t the best player in the world that year. Steph may have been better than LeBron in 2018. Magic was probably better than Jordan in 1987. Moses Malone may have been better than Magic or Bird in 1983. Jordan was perhaps better than Shaq in 1998, and Shaq was perhaps better than Duncan in 2001. But these guys were all very much in the forefront of the conversation in those years, and, in any event, one could argue that SGA has been better than Jokic this year (indeed, while I think Jokic is better, SGA was ahead in measures like EPM, so it’s really not clear cut), so it’s not all that different. And none of the above-listed guys were facing an SRS gap this big when they got swept.

Another important point on this: Having the best player in the league is a huge benefit, but it’s already largely priced in to the SRS gap. Jokic had an incredible regular season, and is a huge reason that the Nuggets have as good of an SRS as they do. It’s just that it’s still 8.73 SRS below the Thunder. In other words, it took Jokic playing at a GOAT level to even get the Nuggets within 8.73 SRS of the Thunder, so we’d expect the Thunder to be way better in this series even if Jokic plays at that kind of level.

We need the big two to stay out of the foul troubles!

I pay for League Pass and still have to deal with blackout rules, delayed replays, and blocked content.

I have never seen shadier business practices than I’ve seen with League Pass. Quiet manipulation, monetizing everything, even joy. Creating systems where the public loses inch by inch, so slowly they don’t even notice. It’s pure greed. They try and force fans to not just watch the replay by delaying the streams, and limiting replay quality unless you’re watching live on their terms. They say buying league pass gives access to the full game replay after the games over but then only let you watch from obscure angles like the go pro behind the backboard. They know full well nobody wants to rewatch the game from the backboard cam they just want to keep the real broadcast locked up. It’s a maze of restrictions and it’s disrespectful. They forgot the game is supposed to be for the fans not the profit funnels. They want to restrict replay power. It’s corporate gatekeeping with a smile. Most fans will still buy League Pass hoping it’s better this time. What they are doing is calculated, cold and wrong. Profit over people type vibes and they hide behind legal terms, and “standard licensing”. It is designed to make you feel like you’re the problem for wanting better.

(p.s. Now sometimes the replay cuts off halfway through watching it and says something like “tv rights server denied authorization” like its a specifically built in error by design to enforce broadcast rights)

I really don't understand whats going on

It it just me or was Chent Holmbgring looking like a liability for the team last night? 👀

Like you gotta make those free throws down the stretch