Before I start out on the Okay, see thunder, let me just get a couple of things off my chest. One Number one, if you're watching on YouTube, thank you and you're wondering.
What's up with my lip?
How do I say this in a way that doesn't make me seem like either negligent or a victim.
My dog bit me in the mouth. I don't know why.
Really, it was unprovoked, sort of, she's a rescue made me bleed.
So there's a little.
Piece of skin on my lip that's still sort of halfway still on.
I can't pull it off or it'll just start bleeding again.
So if you're wondering, I've had multiple people ask me what's going on with your lip? That's what's going on with my lip. If you're listening on the podcast, you probably didn't need this information, but we're gonna keep it where it is. So let's start out with the pod. NBA fans this morning woke up to a crazy, crazy, No, not Austin Reeves going off for thirty five. I'm talking about the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were down one hundred to ninety two to the Suns with a couple of minutes left.
To play in Oka See.
They go proceed and have an eighteen to two run against Phoenix. They walk away with a one twenty four to one to twenty win over a team that had given up sixty nine points nice in the first half. It was their seventh win in nine games. That includes wins over the Nets Warriors and the Jazz twice.
But that win was significant.
You look at the standings, which I pretty much have to do every single day to figure out what's going on, and the freaking OKC Thunder are now in eighth place. They are thirty five and thirty six, one game out of sixth place. The Oklahoma City Thunder is one game out of not being in the play in tournament and actually being in the actual playoffs. And guess what, folks, are you kidding me?
This is stunning.
I think many people thought this team was gonna pack it up at the All Star break. Shut Shay Gilgess, Alexander Down, shut, Josh Giddy down, shot both Jalen Williams down. I have loved the Thunder for two years now, and even I am like, this is not part of the playing guys, Uh, you're supposed to be trying to get Scoot Henderson, Victor Wantbiyama, one of the Thompson twins, who whoever else? That?
Brandon Miller one of my favorite.
League past teams. But I did not expect them to be in the playoffs. I think though, people are sleeping on this ok See Thunder team. I was talking to the mainstream media a couple of weeks.
Ago on Amazon.
They didn't even know who Shay Gojess Alexander was no shade to them, but they said, who who is shay Gilgess what?
Who is Sga? Is that the same guy? Yes? I don't know.
Just the top at one point, top five and scoring in the NBA, just an absolute bucket leading. This team has been stolen for Okasee stole him, which we'll get to in a bit. So let's break down how they got here, because it's very clear that they've taken a lot of people by surprise. You're just waking up to the thunder or you're still sleep on the thunder. Let's get you there because okayc He's a problem. So it all begins with one of the most mysterious, secretive, cryptic,
elusive men on the planet Earth. And I'm not talking about worldwide West. I'm talking about Sam Presty right now. I'm talking about some flowing right now, the myth, the man, the legend. You don't hear his name much. You don't, but behind closed doors people talk about him in whispers. You talk about him too loud, you might not even be allowed into the building. There's some mainstream media talk too much about what the Okac thunder do, spilling a
little too much tea. Now they're blackballed, and most people are pretty that are in the know, in awe of what he's been able to do in the smallest market in the NBA. So if you don't know about Sam Presty, he's been the GM of the franchise since two thousand and seven, back when they were actually still in Seattle. And at that point, Sam Presty was just twenty nine years old, twenty nine years old, wet behind the ears, no one expected much.
He was one of the first.
Young guns that come into the league in this spot. He was right after theo Epstein was named GM of the Red Sox at twenty eight. Broad end is this new era, smart analytically driven executives later coaches that would get their shot way earlier than ever. Right, he was one of the pioneers in that era. And because of his age, and because the SuperSonics were a mess, and because the SuperSonics were seen as maybe a team that would leave the area, everyone thought Sam Presty doomed to fail.
Bad scenario, Night night sleep mask for you.
First shot out of the box, first moves he makes.
He gets Kevin Durant in the draft and number two has not looked back since.
He then goes on to draft Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, etc. Etc. Etc.
Changes the way that the league works. Because he was so crafty in how he makes deals, they actually created a whole new league protocol to thwart him, you know how, like Augusta tigerproofed Augusta and it did not work. That's what they did with this thing called the Steppian Rule. It really should be called the Presti rule. But you know why they didn't call it that because you can't
even say his name without you getting into trouble. So they had to come up with a new name that was really about him, and that keeps teams from trading multiple first rounders in consecutive years. So say you have only your own first rounders. You can't trade a twenty twenty two and a twenty twenty three first rounder.
Boom Boom.
Can't be left with no first rounders in two consecutive years. It also prohibits, which is also very much him. He was trading players to get draft picks in like thirty years from now. Like, you can't, Sam, you can't do that only seven years down the line. Can you get a draft pick for You can't trade some random player right now for a twenty thirty two first round pick.
This kid's not even in elementary school yet. Okay, you can't do that.
Back to his success, Sam Presty, within five years of getting the top gig has the Thunder in the NBA Finals in twenty twelve. Pretty good, pretty impressive, very big deal maker. Nobody's had more blockbuster trades than Sam Presty, and nobody's managed to keep up with the times more either. So. The Thunder built around Russell Westbrook Kevin Durant, that hits a wall, Kevin leaves, Russell Westbrook starts to stall. Then he starts his first real rebuild since the franchise moved
from Seattle in twenty nineteen. So they had Paul George and they had Russell Westbrook, and they moved them both for a boat logan of draft picks that is the genesis of today's okay see Thunder team. In essence, here's what Presty did four years ago. He turned Sirgebacca into Shay, Jalen Williams and three future first round picks through three trades. Here it is as follows, Serge Ibaka for Victor Oladipo and Demona Sabonas. First of all, that's a fucking theft.
No shade to Sergeabacca, but that is theft robbery. Then takes Oladipo and Sibonis and flips them almost immediately for Paul George, turns Paul George into Shay Gilgess, Alexander Danilo Gallinari, and five future first round picks. One of those first round picks has already turned into Jalen Williams. Now you have three first round picks coming up in the next two years. That's how it's done. That is how it's done, folks. The team was supposed to be probably a contender either
next year or the year after. After Chet Holmgren goes down with the list Frank injury when he was playing in that proem right, You're like, okay, you're over. Chet's done. This is another development year. Maybe try to get Victor Wombanyama or Scoot Henderson or something. Compete, build on it,
but you're not a playoff team. But now you got three healthy twenty twenty two draft picks that are Jalen Williams with a knee, Jalen Willams with an e Uzman Jangs, all finding a way to play valuable minutes, and one of them, Jalen with a knee, might be the best rookie in the league not named Palo Ban Carrol. Right now, in his last ten games, Jalen Williams is averaging twenty point four six and five and two steals per game.
I mind you stole him, stole him.
Jalen with and I is averaging seven to five and one in his last ten and Uzman Jang is coming around as well, eight four and one in his last ten games. Quick trip to maschool, let's do that for a second, shows that the thunder have three rookies on this team contributing thirty five, fifteen and seven. Did I mention again, Chet Holmgren sitting on the bench, Liz Frankentry, he was the one who was supposed to be bringing
it home. He hasn't played one NBA minute yet and also taking Jumper's pregame he's currently back in the gym.
Come on, this is ridiculous. This is ridiculous.
Most teams would hope that just one rookie can get fifteen minutes without destroying the team chemistry and turning the ball over a million times and not being in winning basketball situations. All three of the rookies averaging anywhere from eighteen to twenty seven minutes per game and winning and in the playoff hunt.
This is scary.
Here is something that should scare everyone who is not a fan of the Thunder. The average age of the Thunder is not even twenty four years old. Wow, there's no one on this roster over the age of twenty eight. Dario Sarich, who was let's be honest, came in on a salary dump. He was born in ninety four and he's three years older than the next oldest player, which is Lyndy Walters, who is ancient for this team at
twenty five. For this team to be this good, with this many players who can contribute on a night to night basis with no chet this fast, Oh my god, it is scary.
Ours.
Be afraid. If your favorite team is in the Western Conference, be afraid. Look at these numbers of the last ten games. Josh Giddy seventeen nine and eight with a steel per game, Shay thirty five five and five with two steals per gamee those are the as a laughable stat line.
Lou Dort fourteen four to two with the steel per game. They all are averaging a steel.
They also, mind, you have deep bench guys like Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe trey Mann, Kenrick Williams. Guys that if the mainstream media doesn't know who Shay is, I promise you they don't know who Kenrick Williams is, all contributing at various times.
These kids don't even care that they.
Get DMP coaches decisions, dmpcds. They're like, they will sit out three straight games for no reason whatsoever, and then all of a sudden, get twenty eight minutes and put twenty five up on your head.
That's how ready they are. They stay ready, and then they've got this Poku kid who.
I've talked about before, Alexi Pokashevsky, who's been on rehab in the G League. Be afraid of him as well. He could be ready by playoff time. He is giving buckets up. He is blowing the doors off p.
In the G League.
Quick question, if you're a top four seed the West, are you afraid because I would?
Do you want any part of the okay Seat Thunder in the playoffs? I would not. I would not.
The Kings and the Thunder would be an amazing match. I would love to see a two A two seven Kings Thunder matchup. The Suns obviously don't want any part of the Oka Seat Thunder because they were up how much with two minutes left to go, and then all of a sudden they look up. They're like, this dude's has scored twenty straight points on us and we have scored zero in the span of three minutes. We looked like we had a comfortable lead to all of a sudden.
We were like, uh oh, this is not good. They can score fast.
The runs are largely based off of deflections, steals, block shots.
Quick little fact.
For you, okay See is third in the NBA in steals per game. What this little ramshackle team third in the league in steals per game. Baby team, they are a problem. They're growing up right before our eyes. This team actually reminds me of the Memphis Grizzlies the year that they knocked off the Warriors in the play in tournament and then they played the Utah Jazz and they beat the Utah Jazz in the first game of the playoffs, and everybody's like, oh my god, what is going on.
Dylan Brooks just put up I think twenty five in that game, and Jaw was looking crazy and Utah looks scared in their boots. Utah ends up winning that series pretty comfortably. But you think to yourself, oh, yeah, this team's pretty good. This team could be.
Really really good fast. That's the Okac Thunder right now. So will they win it all this year? Of course not.
But when you add Chet Holmer into this team, and they have two first rounders in the coming draft, one of which will surely be a lottery.
Pick, Sky's the limit. Sky's the limit.
The thunder I'm calling it now, could be a new power in the West before you know it.
So, speaking of the.
Thunder, I thought I would update everyone on this NBA reffing situation. We talked about this what last week with Fred van Fleet. So you remember Fred van Fleet. He lit up Ben Taylor, who had called texts on him at grotesque, inappropriate, disproportionate levels. Right, Fred van Fleet said Taylor was fucking terrible. I think on most nights, you know, out of the three officials, there's gonna be one or two they just fucked the game up. That was Ben Taylor, Right,
Tell me how you would really feel, Fred. Predictively things A couple of things happened. First, the league, of course, find Fred van Fleet. You knew that would happen. Second, multiple players that we discussed, like Marcus Smart came out and were like, yes, Fred is the man. He is right, listen to him. So it got worse it did. It's now getting at a boiling point. Mark Dagnio, the OKAC thunderhead coach that nobody knows who. Yeah, we did a peace on him a couple of weeks ago because nobody
knows who he is. He said, I didn't get any technicals in my first two years. I'm prioritizing getting my point across at the expense of getting a technical, fairness and consistency. We need those things from the league and from the refs. So I have a theory about Mark Dagneol that I'm gonna run by you guys. Which is that Mark Dagneol? His name is really Tony from Long Island. He's in witness protection program and he's now the head coach of the OKC Thunder because he's.
Laying low and no one knows who he is.
But now Tony from Long Island's coming out and straight up yelling at refs.
Did you see what he said? He said, if you're not talking to me, I'm not talking to you.
What I think he is now putting himself squarely on the radar of Jimmy Baxter and them boys.
He is now enemy number Well, they're like, yo, Tony, Is that is that Tony from Long Island? No? No, that's Mark Dagno. No, you see how he just said, are you talking to me? If you're not talking to me, I'm talking to you. That's Mark Dagnol.
What a better way to hide in plainsight than to become the head coach of the OKAC Thunder Where Sam Presty protects all Sam Presty takes players in and rehabs them, takes people who are running from the mob and rehabs them. This is the perfect place to become someone else. So when the NBA's only coaching the Witness Protection Program risks flowing his cover and becomes a target, you know that you fucked up. If you're not talking to me, I'm not talking to you. Turns us back on, points straight
into his face. Yo, we got a referee problem, folks. Memo to Adam Silver, you need to fix the ship with the refs, and fix it fast, because you can't have another Scott Foster situation in the playoffs, and you can't have our son Mark Dagnol aka Tony from Lyng Island getting put back onto the radar of those he's running from.