The Oklahoma City Thunder

While there are many great sports all throughout the world, my favorite has always been the amazing sport known as basketball. Ever since I was a kid, basketball has always been a major part of my life. Whether it be watching basketball at a Hawkeye game, playing basketball with my friends, or even just playing a basketball video game, basketball has just always been something I enjoyed. Because of this, it is natural that one of my favorite things to watch on television is the NBA. While I also enjoy watching NFL games on TV, or other sports, basketball has always been the sport I was most excited to watch, and one of my absolute favorite teams to watch in the NBA has to be the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Growing up, my dad was always a huge San Antonio Spurs fan. He remembered the good old days back when David Robinson was still in his prime and when Tim Duncan had just entered the league out of Wake Forest. Because of this, my dad had basically programmed me to like the Spurs. For a while they were the only team in the NBA I cared about. However, as time passed and as the Spurs got older, I began to start watching some of the younger, and in my opinion, more exciting teams throughout the league. One of those teams happened to be the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The first time I really started watch the Oklahoma City Thunder was during the 2010-2011 NBA Playoffs. As I usually do, I tried watching every playoff game that I could, but I understood that some were much more exciting than others. Because of this, I did not watch much of the Thunder's first round in the playoffs where they defeated the Denver Nuggets four games to one in the best-of-seven series. However, I did pay attention in their next series against the Memphis Grizzlies who had just upset, to the dismay of my father and I, the San Antonio Spurs. Back then I was only 11 years old, so I was really upset that the team that I thought was my favorite lost, so naturally, I rooted heavily for the Oklahoma City Thunder, wanting them to absolutely demolish the Grizzlies.

In the first game, the Grizzlies upset the Thunder at Oklahoma City, and I became very doubtful that this team would beat the team that took down the Spurs, but I still tried to remain optimistic. In the second game, the Thunder struck back with a win, and a little glimmer of hope began to awaken inside of me. I started to really appreciate this team that I had never payed an attention to in the past. They had a great roster with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant along with Serge Ibaka and James Harden. Little did I know that all four of these players would absolutely explode to become amazing basketball players in the years to come. They were also very exciting to watch, with Russell Westbrook's explosiveness and Kevin Durant's unbelievable shooting range. Serge Ibaka was also very exciting because he was a hustle player who could always come up with a huge block when he was needed and James Harden could always provide a much-needed spark coming off the bench. As the series between the Grizzlies and the Thunder progressed, the teams went back-and-forth with each game more exciting than the next. One of the games even went to a triple-overtime with the Thunder eventually winning after a monstrous 40-point performance by Westbrook. Eventually, the series came down to game seven, which would be played at Oklahoma City. After a triple-double by Russell Westbrook and an incredible 39-point barrage by Kevin Durant, the Thunder came up with the W and advanced for the first time since their move to Oklahoma City to the NBA Western Conference Championships. Unfortunately, they lost to a very talented Dallas Mavericks team who went on to defeat the Miami Heat for the NBA Finals Championship.

When the next season began, the Thunder became the team I had the highest priority for in terms of who I wanted to watch. As the season went on, I began to realize that although my dad had raised me to be a San Antonio Spurs fan, the Thunder were my knew favorite team. That season, the Thunder went all the way to the Finals after beating my dad's favorite and my former favorite team, the Spurs to play against the Miami Heat. Unfortunately, they lost in the Finals after five games, but I knew the team still had more potential and the years to come would be great.

I was very upset, however, during the off-season to learn that James  Harden had chosen not to re-sign with the Thunder and instead sign with the Houston Rockets. I understood his decision, though, because former head coach Scott Brooks refused to play him in the starting five, wishing him to stay as a sixth man coming off the bench. Harden, believing he had much more potential instead chose to move to Houston where he would play as the star player and always have the ball in his hands during the last seconds of the game.
This transaction proved to be very crucial in Oklahoma City's next season. The Thunder did have a great run that season, finishing the regular season as the top seed in the Western Conference. However, the eighth-seeded team that they went up against happened to be the team that now had their former third-best player, James Harden. The Thunder ultimately went on to win that series 4-2, but it came at a cost. During the second game of the series, Russell Westbrook, who had never missed an NBA game in his entire career, was injured during a play for a loose ball, and was declared out for the rest of the season after a knee surgery. Without James Harden, and now without Westbrook, Kevin Durant was unable to carry his team past the second round where they lost against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Over the next few seasons, the Thunder began to grow as a team and adjust without Harden. Durant was able to win MVP for the first time the following season, and the season after that, Russell Westbrook became tremendously better getting a whole lot of triple-doubles. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are one of the many reasons I like the Oklahoma City Thunder. I think they have a great roster with, in my opinion, two of the most talented players in the NBA, and I think if they can develop a good bench, they can once again be a top contender for the NBA Finals. I also just really enjoy the traditions at OKC such as the fact that at every home game in the Chesapeake Energy Arena, all the fans remain on their feet until a Thunder player has scored a basket. The team colors are also a reason I like the Thunder as I think Blue, Orange, and White go really well together. The Thunder are just, in my opinion, an incredibly excellent and exciting team, and I will continue to root for them for a long time.

2016 East All-Stars

In my previous blog, I wrote about the Western All-Stars roster. For the East, they look to continue their win streak after an impressive win last year.
The Eastern Conference starters include LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.
Lebron James is arguably the best athlete of this generation. He has an incredible basketball IQ and he can defend any position. After a tough loss in last year's NBA Finals, the Cavs looked to rebuild and restart after firing head coach David Blatt due to a blowout loss against the same team who beat them in the Finals, the Warriors. James will look for a little bit of revenge as he will be going head-to-head against three of the Warriors during the All-Star game, with one, Stephen Curry, being a starter.
Paul George has been having a great season so far. After a gruesome injury during the off-season before last year's season, George returned to the Pacers near the end of the season, but it was too late for the Pacers. This season, he looks to turn things around for his team, and will get to have a little fun in this All-Star game.
Carmelo Anthony's team is not doing as great as he would have hoped, but they are definitely improving. However, he has not really been the Knick that many around the world are talking about. A rookie on his team by the name of Kristaps Porzingis is the one making headlines. However, Anthony was still the Knick to be voted in by the fans to the All-Star game, so he has no reason to be concerned.
Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat will be looking just to have fun in this game. He will be reunited with former teammate LeBron James, and the two will be sure to put on a show for the many fans that will attend the game.
Kyle Lowry is definitely a fan favorite. He will be playing in his own arena, and due to a last-second voting surge, he will be playing as a starter.
Other players for the Eastern Conference All-Stars include Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Paul Millsap, Andre Drummond, Chris Bosh, John Wall, and Isaiah Thomas. The team will be coached by newly named Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue.

2016 West All-Stars

Every year, the NBA hosts an All-Star Weekend during the middle of the season full of exciting events to entertain fans, and to give NBA players a break from a long 82 game season. One of the highlights of the weekend is the All-Star game. In the All-Star game, all of the best players (or fan favorites) participate in a game that usually isn't competitive until the final quarter to basically show off what they can do. The starters of each team are voted in by fans throughout the globe. The remaining players are voted in by coaches who are not allowed to vote for their own players.
For the West, the conference is absolutely stacked and they are usually the favorites to win, however, the East does have a lot of talent, and has won recently.
The five players in the West who were voted in as starters include, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kobe Bryant was the player who overwhelmingly received the most amount of votes. Earlier in the season, Kobe announced that this would be the last year he would suit up and play in an NBA basketball game and he would finally be retiring after his long and arguably great career. Although his team isn't as great as they used to be, the fans wanted to see Bryant play in one final All-Star game before he retired.
Stephen Curry is arguably the best player in the league right now. After winning NBA MVP last year, and taking his team all the way to the NBA Finals for a Championship, Curry seems to only be getting better. He has an off-the-charts player efficiency rating in the fourth quarter, and his team is looking to make history with the best single-season record ever in the NBA. Currently, Michael Jordan's '95-'96 Bulls team holds the record with an amazing 72-10 season. However, the Warriors are right where they need to be to make history, currently holding a 44-4 record after beating the Knicks in New York.
Kawhi Leonard is also having a remarkable season. Leonard looks to be the future of the San Antonio Spurs after Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker retire. He is an incredible defensive player, and he's grown remarkably since he came into the league.
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are coming to this game wanting to make a statement. After last year's injury plagued season where the Thunder were unable to make the playoffs, the dynamic duo looks to turn things around and get another shot at the finals this season.
The players that were voted in by the coaches include Draymond Green, James Harden, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins, and LaMarcus Aldridge. The team will be coached by Spurs head coach Gregg Poppovich.

The Badgers Knock Off The Hoosiers

On Tuesday, January 26, the 19th ranked Indiana Hoosiers traveled to the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers. The Hoosiers came in to the game tied for first place in the Big Ten alongside the Iowa Hawkeyes. With a win, the Hoosiers could take back the lead of the Big Ten forcing Iowa to have to beat the Terrapins in Maryland to keep up. The Hoosiers were also on a 12-game win streak, having not lost since a December 2 defeat at Duke. One of those wins also happened to come at home against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Badgers, on the other hand, were having a somewhat difficult season. After making it all the way to the NCAA Championship last year, the Badgers came up just shy against the Duke team that handed them their first loss earlier in that season during the Big Ten/ACC challenge. After losing that game, the Badgers lost many of their star players to the NBA including star forward Frank Kaminsky. Wisconsin tried repeating their success at the start of this season, but did not have much luck. They came into their game against Indiana on a 2-game win streak after defeating the struggling Michigan State Spartans and winning at Penn State, but they only had an overall record of 12-8, and were sitting at the bottom half of the Big Ten Standings. Regardless, both teams were looking to improve their win streaks in what they knew would be a competitive battle.
The game tipped off at 6:00 Central Time, and the Kohl Center was packed. Wisconsin won the tip-off and the game was under way. The first minute of play was pretty hectic starting with Bronson Koenig of the Badgers getting blocked by Thomas Bryant on a layup, followed by a missed three, a defensive rebound, and ending with a three-point basket by Hoosier Troy Williams. The rest of the half was pretty much a back-and-forth game, with each team taking the lead and the other going on a run to take it back. By the end of the first half, Wisconsin only held a one-point lead over the Hoosiers 35-34.
The second half was pretty much the same as the first, as both teams kept the game close unable to pull away and take a big lead. With 47 seconds left, after Nigel Hayes put in two big free throws, the game was tied with both teams scoring 69 points. On the next possession, the Hoosiers got exactly what their coach drew up. They were able to waste a majority of the shot clock and ended their possession with a nice layup from Yogi Ferrell. With only 27 seconds left on the clock, the home team Wisconsin Badgers knew that if they wanted, they would have the last shot of the game. They had the opportunity to take a three for the win, or if they so chose, they could make a two-point basket to tie the game and send it into overtime. However, they knew that a basket here would be absolutely necessary. With ten seconds left on the clock, the Indiana Hoosiers did exactly what they should not have done, they fouled a Badger and sent him to the line to tie the game. Even worse, they fouled a good free-throw shooter in Nigel Hayes. Hayes put in two big free throws, and the crowd went wild. The Hoosiers still had a whole bunch of time to win the game, however. Unfortunately for Indiana fans, Yogi Ferrell missed his jumper with four seconds left, and the game went to overtime.
During overtime, the home team grabbed the lead and never let it go. The Hoosiers stayed close, but they were unable to seal the deal against the Badgers and suffered their first loss to a Big Ten team 79-82.

David Blatt Fired?

Earlier this week, it was reported that the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, David Blatt, was fired. The Cavaliers made it all the way to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Golden State Warriors. Many attribute the loss in the series due to both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love out due to injury. However, they were both healthy when the Warriors traveled to Cleveland first time for a grudge match between these two bitter rivals. The Cavs ended up being routed in their own arena by 34 points. This is probably the main reason Blatt was fired. Although his former team was first in the Eastern Conference, Blatt's firing was inevitable. Many throughout the league were shocked by his firing, however, including star player Lebron James. This is one of many firings that will probably occur throughout the season, and one of many controversial things that will happen. This season seems full of surprises.

The Thrill Of Carver-Hawkeye Arena

With my family being huge Hawkeye fans, Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been almost a second home to me. Every year since I was born, my grandfather has bought season tickets to every Iowa Hawkeye Men's Basketball Season. Because of this, I've been going to Hawkeye games for as long as I can remember. Whenever there is a home game, I'm one of the first people my grandpa offers the ticket to. As long as I am free and I want to go to the game, the ticket is mine.
Earlier today, Sunday, January 1, 2016, I attended the Hawkeye game against the 22nd ranked team, the Purdue Boilermakers. Earlier in the season, when the unranked Hawkeyes, who are currently ranked 9th in the AP Top 25 Poll, traveled to West Lafayette to take on the then-ranked 14th Boilermakers in their own arena. In that game, the Hawkeyes rallied back from a 17-point first-half deficit to pull off a huge upset to the dismay of the home team fans. This game, today, the Boilermakers would be the ones attempting the upset.
The game was set to tip-off at 12:00 Central Time, and Carver-Hawkeye Arena was packed. Earlier in the week the team announced that all the tickets for this game was sold out, so a big crowd was to be expected. The Hawkeyes opened up the game with a 10-4 run and the arena was rocking. It got to the point where even the announcer couldn't be heard. After a foul was called on Jarrod Uthoff, the fans began to settle down, and Purdue came storming back to take a 13-10 lead. After that, both teams battled back and forth with Purdue taking a seven-point lead with 5:30 left in the half. The fans seemed all degraded with their team being unable to score and practically every three-pointer Purdue took falling, but there was still so much time left in the game. After a timeout, the Hawkeyes responded with a 9-4 run, and had the final shot of the half down just two points. In the final play of the half, however, the Hawkeyes were unable to score, although it appeared to many in the stands that multiple fouls should have been called. Never-the-less, the Hawkeyes went into the half down 35-33.
The second half was much different from the first half, however, and the Hawkeyes had complete control. They opened up the half on an 8-0 run to take the lead, and after that, they never looked back. The Hawkeyes completely dominated, and ended up winning the game 83-71. It was a great game to watch, with many ups and downs. This has been a great start for the Hawkeyes Big Ten Season, and going to games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are really exciting. With this team's success along with the football team's amazing season, it has been a great year to be a Hawkeye.

The Struggling Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans began the season ranked 13th overall on both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. They started their season off strong winning game after game to climb the polls. By the fourth week of the season, the Spartans had managed to reach the 3rd overall ranking in both the AP and Coaches Polls. By the fifth week, after many upsets, Head Coach Tom Izzo's team had fought their way to the Number One Ranked Overall team. The Spartans were looking great and boasted wins over the then-ranked Number Four Kansas Jayhawks and the then-ranked 24th overall Louisville Cardinals. They sat atop the rankings for 4-straight weeks, twice as long as the two teams that were ranked first overall before them. Their season was looking fantastic, until they began their Big Ten Season traveling to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes.
The Spartans knew that this would be a tough match up against one of the more explosive teams in the Big Ten. While they weren't underestimating the Hawkeyes, they still knew that they had the edge in this competition. Even though they would have to play without their star player Denzel Valentine, the Spartans were still a great team, and Michigan State hadn't lost to the Hawkeyes since the 2010-2011 season when they lost all three games against the Hawks. Since then, the Spartans had won seven straight against the Hawks both at home and on the road.
However this match went drastically different than anyone could have ever predicted. The then 13-0 Spartans couldn't find their rhythm without their leader, and trailed the entire game. The Hawkeyes led throughout all 40 minutes of the game and were able to defeat the Spartans and shock the nation. The Spartans were the third Number One Ranked team to lose during this crazy season.
Distraught, the Spartans knew they had to step up their game and not underestimate any more teams this season. They got back on track the next game on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and continued their win streak with a 25-point victory at home against the Illinois Fighting Illini. After their leader in Valentine returned for their next game, the Spartans obliterated the Nittany Lions on the road at Penn State, but they weren't too concerned with that match up, their focus was on their next game, the one that Tom Izzo was sure to circle. The next game Michigan State would play would be at home against the team that ended their perfect season and dethroned them from the Number One Ranking: the Iowa Hawkeyes.
While many believed Iowa's previous victory was just a fluke considering that the Spartans were without Denzel Valentine and they also had to play on the road, every Spartan fan knew that this was not going to be an easy victory against the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes were having a really good season, and although they hadn't won in the Jack Breslin Student Event Center in East Lansing, Michigan since 1993, they had been the only team to have defeated the Spartans this season.
The Spartans started off the game strong with a three-pointer from Denzel Valentine, but that was about as good as it got for all the MSU fans watching. The Hawks quickly took the lead with two fast buckets to make the score 5-3 Hawkeyes. The Spartans did score two straight buckets afterward to take the lead 7-5, but once the Hawkeyes retook the lead, the Spartans never got it back. Michigan State trailed Iowa at the half 25-47, and eventually lost the game 59-76.
Since their loss they dropped two straight against the Wisconsin Badgers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They now have a record of 16-4 and hope to get out of their slump against the Number 7 Ranked Maryland Terrapins.