Anonymous #1 17w

You don’t get that he averages 25 drives per game and has lead the league in drives for FIVE years in a row. Want more whistles ? Don’t chuck up 30 more 3’s then the Thunder and don’t get out scored by 40 in points in the paint. Get DOWNHILL

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Anonymous OP 17w

Once again you’re missing the whole point entirely. He could shoot 50 free throws a game and I wouldn’t give a shit, but there’s such a disparity on OKCs offensive and defensive side of the ball. I watch Dort and Caruso play hard-nosed, borderline assault, defense for 35 minutes a night and get a swallowed whistle, then I watch Shai get rewarded for falling over on a touch foul on the other end. It is SUCH a frustrating brand of basketball to watch and there is zero consistency.

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Anonymous OP 17w

They’re far and away the best team in basketball. Yet, I’ve never enjoyed watching a 1 seed play less than I do at this moment.

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Anonymous #1 17w

They play hard defense and they are 22nd in free throw attempts as a team, seems like it evens out pretty well. Last nights first quarter was atrocious, that’s not how most of these thunder games are going at all.

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Anonymous OP 17w

Blissful ignorance and hiding behind statistics. You know there’s glaring parity in how Shai is officiated versus how the opposing star is officiated.

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Anonymous #1 17w

People let 5 mins of basketball judge that entire game last night. He still finished with 14 free throws. Had he kept getting fouled at the same rate all game like people will have you believe he would’ve shot a hilarious 56 free throws. But he didn’t, and he locked in the 2nd half. Shit happens he still shot less FTs then jokic last series and I wouldn’t be shocked to see ant shoot more then 14 FTA by the end of this series

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Anonymous #1 17w

He shot 17 free throws like 3 games ago😹😹

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Anonymous OP 17w

Yeah, I guess reading is a lost art for some.

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Anonymous OP 17w

I guess I can spell it out for you so you can understand. What would you say’s OKC’s identity is as a team? I’d say they’re built on hard, swarming defense, they’re one of the best defensive teams ever analytically. Would you agree?

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Anonymous #1 17w

😹😹 I’m not your little brother lame ass mf, he has a scoring leader level whistle the same as every super star past has other the curry and he has lead the league in drives for 5 seasons in a row. His whistle is not normally the way it was last night in the first quarter, not at all

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Anonymous OP 17w

Lmao

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Anonymous #1 17w

Keep chatting like your blessed with knowledge that I just can’t see tho, your never gonna convince me that 21 free throws where flawless whistles and pure basketball no embellishing fouls. I watched it.

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Anonymous OP 17w

Please show me more numbers and not talk about the game, please yes 😩😩 oh my god it’s exactly what I want

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Anonymous #1 17w

Yeah fuck context right, like how ant gets whistles way more the SGA when driving. But that’s just numbers man, you’re trying to talk about the refs favoring SGA

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Anonymous OP 17w

Wait bro have you considered sending me another graphic of analytics, maybe I’ll pay attention to the next one

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Anonymous OP 17w

Better yet, tell me some more statistics

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Anonymous #1 17w

Alright well we can’t send videos on here so what are you suggesting little guy? You want me to have to type 400 words to describe in intimate detail a series of plays where other super stars past have did the exact same shit like a graphic novel enough for you to really visualize what I’m talking about, because outside of statistics what other way can I provide you with the context that your desperately asking for?

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Anonymous #1 17w

How many pages do you think it would take me to describe enough examples to your hearts content? Since context isn’t allowed in a basketball edit, I can just come read you a lullaby about tales past when Kobe made a living off the same shit. Would that please you little buddy? Bc I’m not sure what other evidenced I’d be capable of submitting bere for your whiny picky ass

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Anonymous #1 17w

Basketball argument*

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Anonymous OP 17w

Tell me what you see with your eyes. Tell me how OKC isn’t a hard nose defensive team that doesn’t have the same whistle on both ends. What have YOU seen that disproves that? You don’t see numbers, I don’t feel like talking basketball with a computer. Constant “he’s lead the league in this” or “he only shot this many compared to this guy” I DONT CARE, make your own basketball opinions without statwhoring basketballreference. I also haven’t brought up a single player that wasn’t on the Thunder.

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Anonymous #1 17w

They play GREAT defense, not just physical defense although that can be a part of it. When Lu Dort is 230 and goes chest up hands down to you when meeting you over a screen (not fouling) and Wallace is waiting there to pick you up in help. When Caruso has some of the best hands in the league and the Thunder have the longest average wing spans in the league by a mile (dangerously close to a stat pull technically there I know how you feel about that) it is suffocating.

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Anonymous #1 17w

They don’t get caught with their hands in the cookie jar, they go chest to chest with players better then any team in the league and when they do swipe down about half of the time they atleast jar the ball lose enough to force a reset. They are younger and more athletic than any team and a bench 13 deep with ELITE not just good defenders. They DO absolutely get called when they face a defender who knows how to take advantage of aggressive screen blitzing defense especially and you will 100% see

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Anonymous #1 17w

It if they face Brunson. But make adjustments on the fly better than any defense I’ve seen and you can see it by their 3rd quarter runs they keep putting teams away with directly out of halftime. They score in transition better then anyone and above all they have a chemistry as a team defensively (unfortunately mostly just a home) that will lose you a game in 3 mins if you left them start playing off each other

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Anonymous OP 17w

It is absolutely suffocating, they’re an unbelievable defense. They’re also a very handsy defense due to the small ball they run at times; I don’t think the opposing team gets the same leeway though. Caruso in particular gets very active when guarding on ball, if someone guarded Shai like Caruso guards on ball he’s probably fouling out in the first quarter. My gripe comes from fouls being called on the opposing team that would’ve been otherwise categorized as hard-nosed defense for Caruso/Dort.

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Anonymous OP 17w

I will say I’ve never seen a team able to make a run like the Thunder. Teams of the past like Golden state would go on 15-0 runs by shooting lights out. The thunder go on 15-0 runs by stealing it 5 times and getting fast break dunks

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Anonymous #1 17w

I like how this debate de-escalated. Nice to see

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Anonymous #3 17w

Vibe check gotta be the most desperate “i need to find a reason to hate this man” attempt ive seen in a long time. Dudes one of the most humble ppl and never complains to the refs when he doesn’t get the call he’s looking for. Does luka, brunson, or jokic pass ur vibe check?

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Anonymous #2 17w

Purely on entertainment value, Luka and Jokic do at least. That’s not to say their incessant pouting isn’t annoying af but they are entertaining to watch. SGA boring af to watch and not in the Spurs “beautiful basketball” way.

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Anonymous #3 17w

Did u find kobes play style entertaining?

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Anonymous #2 17w

From what I can remember, only in the 4th quarter. He was a serious chucker and the Lakers in general didn’t show up until the 4th.

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Anonymous #3 17w

Understandable. At least ur consistent alot of these ppl who say sga is unwatchable loved watching kobe when its an extremely similar playstyle

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