Week in Review: Alphabetical Order

All-Star Snubs

Well, the Thunder will have just one representative in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game — Russell Westbrook. Paul George, who leads the league in steals, ranks 14th in the West in scoring, and is shooting a career-best 42 percent from three, was not selected.

Westbrook will be a member of Team LeBron, having not been selected last. In case you didn’t hear, LeBron James posted a tweet showing his roster, and Westbrook’s name was listed last. Westbrook thought he was the last pick. “I see I was the last pick on the list. I was just trying to figure out how,” Westbrook said before a reporter informed him that the list was alphabetical. He then turned to Carmelo Anthony and yelled, “See, I told you man! Alphabetical order! Of course I was first.”

Of course.

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Westbrook + George

George’s omission from the All-Star team perturbed Westbrook, to say the least. Westbrook called George’s exclusion “outrageous,” and proceeded to throw shade at the Warriors and Damian Lillard. George responded with appreciation to Westbrook’s comments, and, in some of the strongest statements yet of his free-agency plans said, “The fact Russ had my back, that’s my guy forever, and it’s more apparent what this decision needs to be made when it comes down to it.“

Though we’ve heard a certain star small forward give lip service to staying in Oklahoma City before, the circumstances are a bit different this time, since George’s comments have centered so much on his relationship with Westbrook. And Westbrook clearly values relationships, telling reporters that “brotherhood… is lifetime.” It’s an interesting take and gives some further insight into why Russ was so upset that Durant jetted to San Francisco.

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Hot in Cleveland

On the road in Cleveland, the Thunder turned in one of the best offensive performances in franchise history. The 148 points scored is the most the team has ever scored in regulation. It’s also the most points scored by any team in regulation since the Golden State Warriors put up 149 points against the Lakers in November 2016.  In fact, in the last 10 years, only three other teams have scored 148 or more points in regulation.

Oklahoma City also set a franchise record with 37 assists, breaking the previous record of 36 set against the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this January.

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Jerseys

Last night against the Washington Wizards, the Thunder debuted the fourth jersey, the “City Edition.” Now, with all of the new Nike jerseys revealed, it seemed like a great time to rank my favorite Thunder uniform options.

(4)  City Edition. I will say they look better in real life vs in NBA 2k18 but these are easily the worst of the bunch. The Thunder already has color overload — claiming no less than five different “official” colors (navy blue, light blue, orange, yellow, and white), and for some inexplicable reason, the base color of the City jersey is gray. So, yeah, these jerseys contain six different colors, and to add to the mess, include swoops and a stylized “OKC.” Whew.

(3)  Icon Edition. The Icon Edition is your typical away jersey but this season the Thunder has the option of selecting any jersey they want at home. As a result, we’ve seen the Thunder sport these jerseys at Chesapeake Energy Arena this season. They aren’t amazing but they aren’t bad. Really, the worst part of these jerseys is the fact that “Oklahoma City” has so many darn letters.

(2.) Association Edition. The Association Edition is your typical home jersey. This jersey was a bit underwhelming when first revealed after the team relocated from Seattle, but it’s grown on me. It’s such a classic look.

(1)  Statement Edition. Best jerseys in Thunder history. I love the dark blue base with the contrasting orange letters and numbers.  Plus, the stripes and the lightning-like OKC add just enough pizzazz to give the jerseys a unique look without going overboard.

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Shoe Shopping

If you’re looking for some new kicks, Paul George and Nike announced the release of his second signature shoe, the PG2. The PG2 “Playstation” is a unique shoe that’s inspired by George’s love of video games, even so far as sporting the PlayStation logo.

If George’s shoes don’t strike your fancy, Westbrook’s already-announced Jordan Why Not Zer0.1 has a forthcoming colorway — the “Cotton Shot.” Named after Westbrook’s signature mid-range jumper, the bright-orange shoe looks like something out of the future — a future I very much want to be a part of.

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A Game-Winning Drive

Down by one to the Brooklyn Nets with just seven seconds to go, I knew Westbrook was going to launch a contested 30 footer. Instead, we got Westbrook making an aggressive drive to the rim, scoring the games’ final points and securing the Thunder’s fifth win in a row.

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AND ONE MORE MAKES SEVEN

Play of the Week

The reigning MVP goes up high and… you guessed it… down hard.