Leading the Surge

With just 15 games remaining in the regular season, the Thunder are once again led by the dynamic duo of Durant and Westbrook.

By Kristina Callahan

AP Photo/ LM Otero

Spring is just days away and when the flowers begin to bloom in the Northeast, that means March Madness and the NBA Playoffs are in sight. In less than a month, the NBA will be finishing the regular season and will be days away from beginning the first round of the playoffs. The Thunder have already surpassed the 50-win mark and have two of the top six leading scorers in the NBA on their roster. Oklahoma City has already clinched a playoff spot and is just one game behind the Western Conference leaders, the Spurs.

Kevin Durant is already a three-time scoring champion. He’s currently leading the NBA in points per game as we speak with 28.3 and is shooting over 50 percent. Last night in a win against the Dallas Mavericks, the former Texas Longhorn scored 19 of his 31 points in the 4^th quarter but it was his teammates that may have won the game for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook finished the game with 35 points, which included the go-ahead jumper with 1 minute left. While it may be Durant that leads the league in scoring, Westbrook is sixth in the league with 23.4 points per game and is the Thunder’s leading scorer in the past 20 games.

With both Durant and Westbrook peaking at the right time, the Thunder are peaking at the right time. Last year, OKC fell in the Finals but they have that experience under their belts this year. If the duo keeps playing like they are, the young Durant and Westbrook may bring a reason to celebrate to Oklahoma City.

Northwest Conference at All-Star Weekend

The Northwest Conference was well represented in Houston for the All-Star Weekend festivities.

By Kristina Callahan

AP Photo/ Eric Gay

With the first half of the season behind them, it was time for some of the NBA’s best to show off their skills while having a little bit of competitive fun. The West escaped with the win, led by the All-Star MVP, Chris Paul, who finished with 20 points and 15 assists.

The Northwest Conference had three representatives in last night’s win. Dynamic duo Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, both of the Thunder, contributed 30 and 14 points, respectively. LaMarcus Aldridge of the Trailblazers also played some minutes for the West.

If you’ve ever watched the All-Star game before, you know that the entire weekend is filled with fun. On Friday night, rookies and second-year players participated in the Rising Stars Challenge. There were four players hailing from the Northwest Conference in that contest. Damian Lillard from Portland, Alexey Shved and Ricky Rubio from Minnesota and Kenneth Faried from Denver all were able to have some fun while being coached by either Shaquille O’Neal or Charles Barkley. Denver Nugget Kenneth Faried took home MVP honors after scoring 40 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Saturday night featured the Slam Dunk Contest and the Taco Bell Skills Challenge for guards around the league. Portland Blazers guard Damian Lillard was the first rookie to win the Skills Challenge by defeating Jrue Holiday by 5.8 seconds.

"I think the biggest thing for me was to try not to be too cool and speed through it," Lillard said, "but take my time with the passes and shots."

Lillard’s victory won a $25,000 scholarship from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston for a young man names Poppie Simmons.

"I was honored to win this competition," Lillard said. "The bigger thing for me was the fact that I was able to get the scholarship money for him. I come from a tough situation. If it wasn't for sports, I probably wouldn't have been able to attend a college. It means a lot for me to be able to do that for him."

The Slam Dunk contest may be the most anticipated event of the entire weekend. Last year’s champion, Jeremy Evans of the Jazz and Kenneth Faried of the Nuggets both participated in the popular event but didn’t come out as the winner. Toronto Raptor’s Terrence Ross brought home the trophy.

Title Contenders?

After this week, the Thunder might be able to bring a trophy to Oklahoma City

By Kristina Callahan

AP Photo/ Matt York

The Thunder had a dominant week, to say the least. OKC added four wins to their record, but they did it with an exclamation point. Those victories were won by an average of 25.5 points and all by at least 21. The average score to those games? 114-88. Last week goes on record as being the single most dominant week in Thunder history. Here are a few stats from last week’s wins:

·      The Thunder averaged 26.5 assists.

·      In the four wins, the Thunder shot an impressive 50.1 percent from the field.

·      Another promising number: 51.1 percent from behind the arc

·      It is clear that OKC can put the ball in the basket, but the 12 steals per game also shows that some defense can be played too.

As the NBA gets ready for the All-Star Break, the Thunder are peaking at just the right time. OKC hits the road to take on the Jazz, then hosts Miami before the break. Both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be taking the court for the West All-Stars on Saturday night in Houston.

OKC Loses Friend and Teammate

The Thunder lost a key teammate last weekend.

By Kristina Callahan

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be without their best friend and teammate when they kick off the 2012-2013 NBA season on Thursday night. James Harden was traded in a shocking deal to the Houston Rockets. A contract extension couldn’t be reached, so Oklahoma City opted to trade the Sixth Man of the Year.

AP Photo/ Alex Brandon

Miami Heat guard, Dwayne Wade was surprised but thinks both teams got a fair deal.

“It was shocking but they made the move they felt was right for them. It shakes up the West a little bit. I think both teams got fair value. I'm not a GM or anything but both teams came out pretty good,” said Wade.

Even Heat teammate and MVP Lebron James thinks it will affect the Thunder and the entire league.

"I think we all know that James Harden was a big part of their team," James said. "He was a big part of why they made it to the Finals. They got a couple pieces back that are really good as well. But we don't know how it changes their team until they actually get out there."

In exchange for Harden, the Thunder acquired guards Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick in the deal. The small-market Thunder has already signed Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook to long-term deals. Harden wanted a long-term deal and big salary like his other teammates, but that’s something OKC couldn’t offer.