Saturday, December 19, 2009

Thunder Storm Brewing

That's right Thunder fans; a Storm is brewing in the Northwest Division. With almost one-third of the season completed, the Thunder stand one game out of the playoff picture. In the traditionally tough Western Conference, to be in the running early is a significant achievement. Kevin Durant is performing at his usual high level, leading the team in scoring with 27.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg. Russell Westbrook is providing solid play at point guard, with 15.9 ppg and 6.6 apg, good enough for ninth in the league. Rounding out the Thunder's young, solid core of talent is Jeff Green, the second year man from Georgetown, who is averaging 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Together, these three account for roughly 60 percent of the Thunder's scoring. James Harden leads all reserves with 9.5 ppg and 2.8 apg.

The Thunder are playing solid defense, holding opponents to 44.6% from the field and 95.9 ppg, good enough for eighth and seventh in the league, respectively. Key areas for improvement for the Thunder are assists (24th in the NBA) and rebounding (15th). Key contributions in this area need to come from starting center Nenad Krstic as well as guards Thabo Sefolosha and Mike Wilks. Shaun Livingston could be a diamond in the rough, depending on the progression of his recovery.
Tonight's game against Houston, which is one and a half games ahead of Oklahoma City in the playoff standings, should prove a good test of Oklahoma City's postseason ability.