January 10, 2024 | Posted in News
LATEST FIRST ALERT FORECAST. EVERYBODY, WELCOME INTO THE SHOW TONIGHT. I’M BRYAN KEATING. HE IS ELGIN RUCKER. IT IS TIME. TIME FOR CRASHING THE BOARDS. YES. READY TO TALK A LITTLE THUNDER TONIGHT. OF COURSE MAN THIS IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE WEEK. GETTING TO DO SUNDAY, CRASHING THE BOARDS WITH YOU, MAN. YOU MAKE MY DAY. WELL, I’M GLAD I CAN MAKE YOUR DAY. LET’S, UH, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA CITY THING. IT’S BEEN A WHILE, THOUGH. YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE HOLIDAYS, AND I KNOW MAN THROWN OFF THE SCHEDULE, SO I’M GLAD TO BE BACK UP HERE. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER. YOU KNOW WHAT, ELGIN? SO IT WAS A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO THAT THE THUNDER HAD WON FIVE IN A ROW. AND THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY ASKING THE QUESTION, CAN THE THUNDER WIN THE TITLE THIS YEAR? ARE THEY THE FAVORITE TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP? AND THEN THEY WENT TO ATLANTA ON THE SECOND NIGHT OF A BACK TO BACK. DIDN’T PLAY THEIR BEST AND LOST. THEN THEY WENT TO BROOKLYN AND GOT THEY GOT BEAT UP PRETTY GOOD. AND SO THEY LOST TWO IN A ROW. AND SOME OF THAT TALK HAS DIED DOWN. BUT THROW UP THE STANDINGS. HERE’S WHERE THEY ARE IN THE STANDINGS. AND THEY ARE STILL IN SECOND PLACE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE. THEY ARE A VERY, VERY, VERY GOOD BASKETBALL TEAM. AND SO I’M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU TONIGHT. CAN THE THUNDER WIN THE TITLE. AND ARE THEY THE FAVORITE. BECAUSE THE ANSWER I DON’T KNOW IF THEY COULD WIN THE TITLE, BUT THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT THE FAVORITE. AND THEY ARE FAR FROM IT. THEY ARE A VERY GOOD BASKETBALL TEAM. I WILL ASK YOU KIND OF WHERE ARE THEY IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU EXPECTED? ARE THEY IN THE IN THE SITUATION? FATHER, AHEAD, YOUR TAKE ON OKLAHOMA CITY AT THIS POINT, I THINK THEY ARE DEFINITELY FURTHER AHEAD. JUST BECAUSE I DIDN’T EXPECT THEM TO BE THE NUMBER TWO SEED IN THE WEST THIS SEASON. SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. BUT I THINK FANS ARE ALSO CONSIDERING WHERE THEY WERE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON AND WHERE THEY ARE RIGHT NOW. 34 GAMES IN, AND I THINK THERE’S A LOT. MORE BELIEF THAN THERE IS CURIOSITY ABOUT THIS TEAM. WHEN THE SEASON STARTED, IT WAS MORE CURIOSITY. IT WAS, MAN, THEY’RE WINNING A LOT OF GAMES, MAN. THEY’RE NUMBER TWO IN THE WEST. ONE MONTH IN MM. I WONDER HOW LONG CAN THEY KEEP THIS UP. IS THIS SUSTAINABLE. HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST WITH THEM PLAYING AT THIS LEVEL. AND NOW WE’RE ALMOST MIDWAY THROUGH THE SEASON 34 GAMES OUT OF 82. AND HERE THEY ARE STILL THE NUMBER TWO TEAM IN THE WEST. AND OH BY THE WAY THEY’VE BEATEN ALL OF THE TOP TEAMS. YOU COULD POSSIBLY NAME IN THE NBA OUTSIDE OF THE SACRAMENTO KINGS. AND THEY HAVEN’T BEEN THAT GREAT OTHER THAN WHEN THEY PLAYED THE THUNDER. AND SO I REALLY MATCH UP FOR OKC. IT IS. AND IT HAS CONTINUED TO BE. BUT I THINK THIS LOOKS MORE SUSTAINABLE WITH EACH WIN. AND NOW THEY’VE THEY’VE HIT A PATCH WHERE THEY’VE LOST SOME GAMES BUT THEY’VE BOUNCED BACK. AND I DO THINK THIS IS A TEAM THAT CAN CONTINUE TO BE IN THAT CONVERSATION. THE CONVERSATION ABOUT CHAMPIONSHIPS, LET’S SAVE THAT UNTIL WE GET TO THE PLAYOFFS. BUT RIGHT NOW THIS IS AT LEAST A REALLY GOOD REGULAR SEASON TEAM AND A FORCE IN THE WEST FOR SURE. YEAH. NO QUESTION. THEY ARE THE ONLY TEAM IN THE NBA IN THE TOP FIVE IN OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY AND DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY. SO THAT’S NOT ON ACCIDENT. NO. THEY GOT THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. THEY’RE PLAYING ONE OF THE BEST FIVE PLAYERS IN THE WORLD. THE THING IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT CHAMPIONSHIP. S AND I THAT’S ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER. THAT’S GUYS IN NEW YORK BECAUSE THAT’S THEY GOT TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT. 24 HOUR NEWS CYCLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT IN TERMS OF STEPS AND USUALLY IT’S STEPS ALONG THE WAY TO WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP. USUALLY YOU CONSIDER THOSE YOU PLAYOFF STUFF. THEY MADE IT HERE. AND YOU LEARN I THINK STEPS IS PARTLY JUST IN THE REGULAR SEASON, GOING FROM, UM, A TEAM THAT IS VERY GOOD TO BEING THE HUNTED. AND NOW OKLAHOMA CITY IS THE HUNTED. AND THAT’S. A VERY DIFFERENT POSITION FROM NIGHT TO NIGHT. WHEN YOU PLAY AND YOU LINE UP AND JUST WHAT THE OTHER TEAM THINKS OF YOU AND HOW HARD THEY’RE GOING TO PLAY AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU’RE COMING TO TOWN, THEY’RE READY TO PLAY. THEIR EARS PERK UP IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN THEY HAVE, SO IT’S DIFFERENT BEING THE HUNTED TO BEING THE HUNTER AND IN FOR A LONG TIME THEY’VE BEEN THE HUNTER AND THEY CERTAINLY HAVEN’T BEEN THIS. AND SO THEY’RE GOING TO LEARN BUT PLAY 82 GAMES. YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE SOME BACK TO BACKS. YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE SOME TWO, THREE GAMES IN A ROW, ESPECIALLY ON THE ROAD, ESPECIALLY ON THE ROAD. AND SO JUST KEEP PLAYING HARD, KEEP PLAYING WELL. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO WIN 60 GAMES, I DON’T THINK. BUT THIS TEAM COULD WIN 50. AND IF THEY WIN 50 GAMES NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT CERTAINLY HOME COURT ADVANTAGE IN THE PLAYOFF RACE. AND THAT’S WHAT KIND OF TEAM THEY ARE. THE REST OF IT PUMP THE BRAKES PUMP PUMP THE BRAKES ON SOME OF THAT. ALL RIGHT. SO, UH, THE ALL STAR GAME IS ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AWAY. PUT UP THE, UH, THE VOTING FOR THE ALL STAR. I THINK THIS IS NO SURPRISE. SO AS FAR AS GUARDS ARE CONCERNED, IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE, SGA IS THIRD. HE IS CERTAINLY A TOP FIVE PLAYER IN THE WORLD, BUT RESUME AND THE WAY PEOPLE VOTE, THEY’RE GOING TO VOTE. STEPH AND LUKA AND MAYBE LUKA IS A TOP FIVE PLAYER AS WELL. BUT SHAY’S WHERE HE OUGHT TO BE. HE WILL BE AN ALL STAR AT SOME POINT. CHET. HE’S A LOT FARTHER DOWN THE LIST OF WESTERN CONFERENCE FRONTCOURT GUYS. HE’S NINTH, BUT THE THUNDER AGAIN WILL BE REPRESENTED IN THE ALL STAR GAME. SHAY’S GOING TO BE THERE AND I DON’T THINK IT’S OUT OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT CHET COULD JOIN HIM. BUT THERE’S GOING TO HAVE TO BE A LOT OF THINGS THAT KIND OF FALL INTO PLACE. YEAH, YOU SAID THAT THE VOTES THAT WE SAW, WAS IT WASN’T A SURPRISE. AND I WOULD AGREE BECAUSE IT’S MOSTLY A POPULARITY CONTEST. THIS IS FAN VOTING. I 100% UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THE FANS NEED TO GET A CLUE. OKAY, THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW THEY’VE PULLED THIS MESS WITH STEPH CURRY STEPH STEPH’S A TOP TEN PLAYER OF ALL TIME BY THE WAY. OH I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND. BUT SHAY’S A TOP THREE PLAYER IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS HE AVERAGING 30 POINTS A GAME, NOT ONLY IS HE AVERAGING SIX REBOUNDS A GAME AND SIX ASSISTS A GAME, BOTH HIGHER THAN WHAT HE DID LAST YEAR WHEN HE WAS FIRST TEAM ALL NBA, HE’S ALSO LEADING THE LEAGUE IN STEALS. THE GUY IS DOING IT ALL AND HE’S HAVING STATISTICALLY A BETTER SEASON THAN STEPH CURRY, WHICH HE DID LAST YEAR. AND HIS TEAM IS MUCH BETTER. BETTER THIS STEPH CURRY’S TEAM. BUT AGAIN I GET IT. IT’S A POPULARITY CONTEST. IT’S A FAN VOTE I’M NOT UPSET. I’M JUST SPITTING FACTS. THEY’RE BOTH GOING TO BE THEY’RE BOTH GOING TO BE THIS IS WHAT WHO’S GOING TO START IN THE GAME. IF IT’S STEPH AND LUKA I GOT NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. STEPH IS ONE OF THE ELITE PLAYERS AND HE’LL MAKE A HALF COURT SHOT. MAKE ME HAPPY EVER. SO UH, MY JUST ALL EYES ARE ON CHET. WE KNOW THAT SGA IS GOING TO BE THERE. ALL EYES ARE ON CHET. CAN THE THUNDER WIN AT A LEVEL? CAN HE CONTINUE TO PLAY AT THIS LEVEL? WHERE NOT ONLY IS HE THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, BUT HE IS A ROOKIE ALL STAR. THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN A LOT. THERE ARE STEPS TO THAT TOO, BUT HE’S GOT A CHANCE. HE DOES ALL EYES ON CHET HOLMGREN TO SEE IF HE CAN BE A. BY THE WAY, THE THUNDER DON’T- PLAY TONIGHT.HE THUNDER DON’T- OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE BACK ON THE FLOOR TOMORROW NIGHT. STILL ON THE ROAD AGAINST THE