Not a single one of the Thunder’s so-called Big Three players particularly well yesterday. Not reigning Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook, who posted a triple-double but shot only three of 17 from the field. Not Carmelo Anthony, who put up zero assists and 12 points off 14 attempts as a far third in the pecking order. And most certainly not Paul George, who should have been due big numbers, but who instead did not better than five dimes and 12 markers, also off 14 tries.
The good news is that, for all of the Thunder’s shocking lack of production from its marquee names, they still wound up with the win. They had to, of course, and not just because they were coming off a demoralizing home loss at the hands of the otherwise-underwhelming Hornets. More importantly, they needed to prevail against the host Pacers in support of George and, in the process, allow him to move on from an acrimonious split.
Parenthetically, the franchise that George called home for the first seven years of his National Basketball Association career was in no mood to forget his transgression. If nothing else, the Pacers were still smarting enough to wallow in pettiness. Prior to the start of the match, they saw fit to show a protracted video of all former players they deemed to be of significance. And while all the usual suspects were on it (including veteran Jeff Foster and recently disgraced Chuck Person), he was not. The 17,923 who were on hand at the Fieldhouse loved it, to be sure; they booed him at every instance, and even the locals who wore his jersey relished making him feel decidedly unwelcome.
Under the circumstances, George should have been pumped. He should have had yesterday circled on his calendar, armed with the resolve to play his best, the way most other stars visiting old haunts invariably do. Instead, he was passive from the get-go, handling and getting rid of the rock as if it were on fire, and it’s telling that he didn’t get his first bucket until there were but three minutes and change left in the second quarter. That said, the Thunder were there for him; as Westbrook noted in the aftermath, “we came out and competed for him.”
Considering how the Thunder came close to snatching defeat from the throws of victory, they’re far from the powerhouse preseason prognoses figures would challenge the Warriors and the Rockets at the top of the West. Still, there are silver linings; they got a W without Andre Roberson, their best perimeter defender by far, and on the strength of yet another monster performance from slotman Steven Adams. Given the latter’s superlative showing of late, they wouldn’t be faulted if they began touting a Big Four.
Indeed, yesterday wasn’t pretty, but the Thunder at least proved they could protect a lead. They still have two-thirds of their 2017-2018 campaign to get better, and they will. The question is how much, and whether it will be enough to get past the established elite.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
