The NBA Cup and Thunder grades
The Oklahoma City Thunder have advanced to the NBA Cup for the first time. John Napier and Brandon Rahbar break down the team's dominant win over the Utah Jazz at the Paycom Center, the NBA Cup's format, and whether the tournament—and its cash prize—is really a big deal?
Listeners also get a taste of Brandon's famously tough* player grades, sparking a friendly debate: is Professor Rahbar being too harsh on Dillon Jones and Andrew Wiggins, or should they complain to SGA+ for setting the curve?
As always, they break down the Thunder's recent play and preview the games ahead (Raptors and Pelicans) while dishing on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP-worthy stretch, ESPN’s "25 Under 25" rankings featuring Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, and the Thunder's opening NBA Cup matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
Show notes:
- 00:00 - The Thunder advanced in the NBA cup last night against the Utah Jazz
- 02:43 - How the Thunder advanced to the NBA Cup in-season tournament
- 06:50 - Previewing the Thunder/Mavs Knockout Round
- 08:15 - Should we really care about the NBA Cup?
- 11:07 - Thunder/Jazz recap
- 13:58 - SGA: Player of the Month, MVP chances?
- 15:49 - Chet vs. JDub
- 17:50 - Recapping the road trip
- 22:54 - What happened in Houston?!
- 26:42 - Rockets and the trade market
- 29:42 - Previewing OKC/Toronto
- 30:58 - Previewing OKC/New Orleans
- 31:53 - Previewing OKC/Dallas
- 33:14 - Alex Caruso's return ETA?
- 34:23 - First quarter Thunder grades
- 34:37 - Dillon Jones' grade
- 35:42 - SGA+ & Andrew Wiggins's grade
- 37:04 - Jalen Williams: All-Star
- 38:25 - Lu Dort's grade
*Editor's note: AI said this so it must be true.
