Just read that OKC averaged 112.2 points per 100 possessions with Harden on the court last season and 99.3 with him off the court. I'm not surprised.

Knicks are playing on that Hurricane Sandy Adrenaline

One more year in the lottery for Cleveland, then we are busting out Thunder style!

Kia makes some good commercials for Blake Griffin.

Knicks putting it to the Heat. Up 20 and Sheed is coming in

Brandon Rush just went down with a nasty knee injury

Can't decide if Lakers suck because they're still trying to gel (Took the 2010 Heat about 2 weeks to gel) or if it's the coaching.

Probably 50/50 at this point.

Yeah, that sucked a lot. Grizz look pretty nice so far.

OKC will be fine. The trade will work out for both sides. The second team played well again. It's the starters that seem to be out of sorts. Kevin Martin has moved the ball and taken great shots.

My biggest concern is Scott Brooks use of the lineup and Ibaka. He's really just a good shot blocker. He has not developed much and has a very low basketball IQ. I've always felt like he was the expendable one, and he's doing nothing to change my mind. They may have been better off packaging him for some upside bigs instead of moving Martin.

Brooks needs to find ways to get Lamb and Perry Jones minutes even if it costs them a win or 2. They are very talented and need to see some court time.

I still believe they are the best team in the West although its very close.

I'm happy for Harden. He would never get the volume of shots he's getting with the Thunder. I hope to see him get his first all star nod and lead the Rockets to the playoffs.

Fun to be back watching live NBA basketball again :)

BTW Presti biggest mistake is extending Brooks. It's not even close.

I've just realized a pretty good comp for Harden's situation. It reminds me of when McGrady left Toronto and became a superstar in Orlando. They're actually very similar players in terms of their court vision and playmaking ability. The game came easy to both of them.

Nash did not directly answer Broussard's question about whether the Princeton offense is better for the team than the pick-and-roll based offense and he asked it twice. LMAO

Nash caught on and said, your trying to trick me. haha

I just saw the Knicks beat the Heat by 20. Did the Knicks look that good?

Couldn't miss from 3 tonight. Not to mention with a high for playing at home for the Hurricane.

Mike Brown may be looming for a job soon.

Alex Kennedy ‏@AlexKennedyNBA
James Harden had 82 pts in two games. Only two players have scored more in first two games of a season: Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

Also, the Lakers are sucking again. This time with no Nash.

Harden looked great tonight. The backcourt of him and Lin looks promising. Lots of pick and roll and drive to the basket creativity between the two of them to get easier shots for teammates.

Marcus Morris even looked like a solid NBA player for once as well after looking way overmatched (****ing horrible) last year.

Wow

I sold my tickets to the first Rockets game before the trade. Oops :)

I really am happy for Harden. Looks like he needed out of the shadow. I hope he keeps it up.

I really think in the end it's going to work out for both teams.

Is Mike Brown fired yet?

Shoulda just promoted Brian Shaw.

Dwight Howard really needs to start playing tougher for this team. Although I grant that he's still not 100%.

When Nash returns, I'd also start using him in a way that accentuates his strengths. Otherwise, you gain little from his acquisition.

I'm not happy for him at all. I love James Harden, but I love him as a part of the young Thunder nucleus. I don't know what to think of him as a Rocket, except FML.

At least you can take comfort that the Thunder will keep generating a healthy profit over at least the next several years.

Pacers gonna be any good?

Yes, when Granger comes back.

LMAO
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Can't go back. Gotta to move on.

I'll take comfort in the fact that they won't have a garbage bench like the Lakers.

Kobe could be right, but they haven't been in the neighborhood of a win yet. I guess time will tell.

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=8581957

This is a Chiefs board; half of the threads are wishing we could "go back" on particular decisions. The Thunder may still be awesome. That doesn't make me like the trade any better.

Wasted energy :) but I understand. Pioli and Peterson never took a team to the Super Bowl though. I trust Presti. Emotionally, I'd like to keep Harden, but he's smarter than I am. I think Martin, and Maynor back fill the roll plus some. However, if Ibaka doesn't start producing like Harden did when Green left he should have been the odd man out. I think that may have been a consideration, but the trade value probably wasn't as good.

I'm done worrying about the trade. The next few years will tell the story. I'll hope for the best. Being a Royals and Chiefs fan I'm more than trained for disaster if that's the case.

I don't understand why a trade HAD to be made at this point in time. It's not like Harden's value was going to diminish.

If Presti stays true to his SA roots then the trade will work out for the team. The Spurs have traded big role players away that up front looked bad but later worked out way better for the Spurs.

Having a contract situation hanging over a team can be a huge distraction. It's not like he was going to be Dwight Howard or anything, but it could still be a problem. It's my understanding he kind of wanted out of the shadow of KD and Russ. However, judging from his body language in his first press conference I don't think he wanted it to happen. Either way, time to move on. Understandably, this will be a storyline all season though.

Yeah, that was kind of my thought. I just hope brooks follows the SA model of sacrificing regular season wins to get your young players ready.

Pop has really only done that the last 2 years. It's been a combo of rest for the big three and experience for the youngsters. It's more a rest strategy than anything else.

Celtics escape with their first win against the Wizards. They need to get their shit straightened out or it is going to be a long season.

Surprising the Nuggets beating the Heat early in the 4th

I've been watching the Heat/Nuggets since about the 6 minute mark. Good stuff. For once I'm pulling for the Heat to send the Nuggets to 0-3 :)

Iggy with a big shot to put the Nuggets up with 14 seconds left.

what a ****ing game

Heat getting away with murder

Wow, Ray Allen with the dagger.

Allen with the dagger 3 + 1

heat win..shouldn't have though

Pop only does that because Duncan and Parker will be dead come playoff time if he doesn't give them rest.

There's no reason Westbrook, Durant or really any of OKC's guys should need games off.

They don't need to miss any games. There are a lot of teams in this league where you can play small ball. Jones and Lamb need to get on the floor for Perk, Collison, and Thabeet. Collison and Perk would benefit from reduced minutes come playoff time.

Wesley matthews stoned Harden to send the game to OT

I guess it would actually closer to what Miami does. The small ball lineup seems to work well against a lot of teams.

Damon Lillard is pretty damn good

Yes, I saw him in person last night. He wasn't ready to guard Westbrook, but definitely gifted offensively. I was hoping Harden would take down a division opponent for us. Oh we'll....

I didn't see tonight's Rocket game, but I have to think Harden is fatigued. He looked tired at the end of last night's game, and wilted (per the stats) down the stretch tonight. Need to get him a rest --- not used to playing 40 minutes/game.

With how Durant is rebounding, I'd just permanently play small ball and kick Perk to the curb.

Harden looked completely gassed down the stretch. Not surprising, I guess, it was a back-to-back and the third game in four nights. As a #1, he'll have to learn to deal with that better as the season goes on.

Looks like the Clippers are able to commit foul after foul and not get called, off and Blake Griffin, quit flopping.

okcchief.....how about Millsap to the Thunder for one of the 1sts you just got in trade? Millsap set to become an UFA at the end of the season, Jazz need to open time for Favors/Kantner, Millsap a perfect fit for Thunder, etc. If money is there, he's a great long term fit with KD, Westbrook, and Ibaka. He can run, he can board, and he can hit the outside shot to space the floor at the 4 spot.

Abso****inglutley, I'm a big fan of Milsap.

I think this is Perks last year. I believe he'll get amnestied at the end of the year. Very good defender, but one of the worst offensive players I've ever seen. In today's NBA there aren't a lot of teams you even need someone like him for. Thabeet is Patrick Ewing next to Perkins offensively lol. So sad.

Ironically, with Howard going to the Lakers, Perkins does have some utility if they meet each other in the playoffs.

Yep, that's why you have to keep him until you have a halfway decent replacement. He will definitely add value if there is a series against the Lakers. He is useful against the Spurs as well.

Perk also is also great at setting screens. I guess I'm probably to harsh on him offensively. I just have to believe there is a more affordable, versatile solution down the road

Thunder play like pure shit, and deserved to lose. K-Mart is pulling his weight. Most of the team is just playing sloppy, and careless. Thankfully, it's a long season.

Big win for the Hawks. sorry okcchief

No need for sorrys. I think for the first time ever this team has the big head. They better understand they have a target on them every night. Just sloppy basketball, and it's mostly out of the starters. I'm sure the bench had a better plus/minus tonight. They are in the games they just need to stop playing so careless.

The Pistons are shit. Lakers up by 29 at the half. wow

my bad 28

OMG Pondexter. Grizz bench is looking pretty boss tonight.

5 minutes til the Sacramento Queens go down.

What a piece of shit Arco Arena or whatever the **** they are calling now is. They built an arena that was actually worst than Kemper Arena. I wish I had the money to bring them back to Kansas City, they would fit in perfect with the Chiefs and Royals.

Good game by the Cavs so far. Waiters and Zeller have been making quite a few mistakes, but you're starting to see a lot to like in both. Zeller could be a really good rotational guy if you can bring in one more big body for the Cavs.

Irving and Waiters baby! Bring starting caliber SF and C next year with a few other depth guards.. scary good team.

Varejao and Zeller are very serviceable at PF/C though.

Really just need to let the youth develop and drastically improve the bench. Give it a couple of years and see what you've got. Nice young nucleus though.

How bout them Mavs? Man, I didn't expect this kind of production from Collison and Mayo. They're a force to be reckoned with. I know it's only 4 games in but to average 108.3 points/game without Dirk is nothing to sneeze at. Can't wait to get him back in the fold.

The only concern I have is our rebounding as been pretty abysmal. If we can tighten that up, look out Western Conference.

You put one really good big on this team and this could be a tremendous rotation of bigs. Zeller, Thompson, Varejao... and whomever else. Don't even need a superstar big. Just a Center who can play defense, offense, and rebound relatively well enough.

Man... you do that and add in a scorer with a killer instinct and this team becomes unreal. Maybe Waiters becomes that guy. Honestly, in the 4th, I felt he wanted the ball more than Kyrie. He just had this look in his eye that he wanted to be the guy.

And Harden falls back down to Earth. 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 6 turnovers so far.

By the way, the Princeton Offense is a piece of shit. And with the Lakers running it, it's a piece of shittier shit.

he fell back to Earth because Iggy is one of the best all around players in the game and shits all over everyone not named Durant, Lebron or Kobe

It's not easy being like Lebron every game. He's got an adjustment to make as a #1 being the focal point for opposing defenses.

Rockets cant match up against teams like Denver, Heat, etc where the guys 2 through 4 switch on everything.

And all Lin can do is pick and rolls so when a matchup like Denver comes along where they rotate, it makes Lin useless and that puts a lot on Harden because hes getting covered by so many different guys

No way Mike Brown lasts to much longer in L.A

http://cjzero.com/gifs/KobeStaresBrown.gif

The way they are running that offense is pathetic. Kobe took the game over in the 4th, but it was to late. Kobe doesnt have patience to be waiting for this ****ed up system to not work. They got alot of talent on that team for it to be 1-4.