Don’t look now but a new powerhouse is fast emerging in the west. The Oklahoma City Thunder (only in their second year of existence) is the revelation of the current season. The Thunder are currently at third spot in the Northwest Division with an eye-popping 33-22 win-loss slate.
Coach Scott Brooks is doing wonders for a team, which is one of the youngest squads in the league. Main man Kevin Durant is having an explosive season and could be the darkhorse in the MVP race this year. The third-year ex-Texas Longhorn is currently among the top three scorers in the NBA with an average of 29.9 points per outing. The amazing thing about the Thunder is that only three players are averaging in double figures. Aside from “Durantula”, the other double-digit scorers of the team were Russell Westbrook at 16.5 ppg and another third-year sensation Jeff Green at 14.6 ppg. Obviously, with the exemption of Durant, Brooks has indeed infuse a balance-scoring offensive scheme for the Thunder.
The Thunder’s young nucleus of starters in Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Durant, Green and Nenad Krstic and bench players Eric Maynor, rookie James Harden, Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka are surprising a lot of pundits with their brand of play and are making a serious run for their very-first playoff berth in franchise history.
Barring any unfortunate circumstances that may hit them between now and the end of the regular campaign, expect the Thunder to make some noise in the post-season play come April.
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After all, AI remains the heart and soul of the Philadelphia 76ers. No we are not talking here of troubled superstar Allen Iverson but the other AI of the team in Andre Iguodala.
Iguodala continues to play his normal consistent game for the 76ers despite strong rumors that he will be dealt to another squad before the trade deadline last February 18. But as the zero-hour of the trade deadline set in, no transaction was made for the 26-year old, six-year pro out of Arizona Wildcats.
The Sixers management may have come to their senses that trading the team’s most bankable star will just ruin the future of the franchise. For the last five seasons, Iguodala had been the focal point of Philadelphia’s offensive and defensive schemes. And trading Iggy at this time will just add further woes to the team considering the sudden indefinite leave taken by Iverson.
In 56 games so far this season, Iguodala is submitting norms of 17.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 5.8 apg in 40 minutes of action per outing.
Iguodala may not be a D-Wade, a LeBron or a Kobe, but he had shown that he is capable of being the go-to-guy of the 76ers. “As a player I think you just have to believe that you have those skills,” Iguodala explained. “A lot of times it is time and place. There are guys who come out of no where and raise their level of play but they always had that game, it is just that they were in the right setting at the right time. Hopefully, I am in the right place and we just have time to mesh to show what I can do and what the team can do.”
The 76ers may not make it to this season’s playoffs but they have at least secure their future with Iguodala’s retention.
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