Thunder Forecast: February 8
This was taken from Yahoo! Sports, but I think that it perfectly sums up the current position of the team, and their playoff outlook for this season. I simply could not have said it better myself.
Three-game losing streaks in January aren’t going to sink a team with playoff aspirations, but skids of any length will cause a tumble in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Oklahoma City’s recent slide knocked it out of the top eight.
Though the Thunder began Sunday tied for ninth with Houston and Memphis at 25-21, Oklahoma City was technically 11th due to tiebreakers. In a race that figures to be bunched all the way to the finish, head-to-head records, division records and conference records may all play a part in determining the West’s playoff teams.
That’s why it was crucial for Oklahoma City to beat Denver on Friday. Not only did it snap a three-game losing streak, but the Nuggets are a Northwest Division foe.
“We’ve had some tough losses in the last 10 days,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “It was good for us to come back and get a win.”
Brooks, though, sees plenty of room for improvement if the Thunder are serious about continuing past game No. 82. Oklahoma City also beat Golden State on Sunday.
“We’re getting better, but we’re still not where we need to be,” he said. “The teams that are elite teams come with it every day, and
the great players are consistent and role players try as best they can to be consistent. But the teams that are special in this league bring effort every day, and we’re working our way to being that type of team every night.”
Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 9:00 PM CT @ Portland Trailblazers (30-23) FSOK
It has certainly been a while since Oklahoma City took on Portland; Since November 1 in fact. This is very odd for a Northwest division “rival” to only appear on the schedule 2 times before the All-Star break. Either way, the dynamic between the Blazers and the Thunder is interesting. For one, Portland had hated the Seattle Sonics for years. This is due, in part, to the success that was enjoyed by the Sonics paired with the relative mediocrity enjoyed by the Blazers. Bowie anyone? Anyway, when the Sonics became the Thunder, many Seattle basketball fans jumped on the Blazer Bandwagon. Certainly no shame in that. This is why I would be willing to bet that Portland hates OKC a bit more than the average squad.
Now that Nate McMillan has a bit more of his roster available to him, the Blazers are looking a lot more like that playoff team that everyone was talking 
about earlier this year. Despite three straight losses in the last week of January, which the Thunder can relate to well, they have bounced back with a big win on the road at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City.
Brandon Roy has been a bit shaky health-wise all season. He has missed 9 of his last 10 games with a hamstring injury. The injury is not expected to keep him out against Oklahoma City, but it is certainly a situation to be monitored for Thunder fans. Roy is an elite scorer and distributor in the league, and not having to guard him could be a huge plus. Most outlets are reporting that he will play against Dallas on Saturday.
Prediction (1-0)
The Blazers are not short on talent, but they certainly do lack chemistry. One night, Andre Miller goes off for 52, and the next he only makes 4 shots. What gives? The return of Brandon Roy will be a huge boost to the Blazer offense. Even still, it may take a few games to readjust to his ball-dominating style, especially given their problem with offensive chemistry this season.
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