Thunder Forecast: February 22
It was somewhat surprising to me that the Thunder were able to come out of the All-Star break with so much fire. It was assumed that with a first time All-Star in KD, Russell Westbrook participating in the skills challenge, and James Harden participating in the 
Rookie-Sophomore game, the Thunder wouldn’t be able to continue its momentum. With some teams, especially young ones, the overall drain of the weekend activities is too much.
Forget that theory. The Young Thunder have been able to continue their winning streak, rattling off 9 straight, best in the NBA, after defeating Minnesota on Sunday night. Kevin Durant has also been to extend his 25+ point scoring streak, and now trails on Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan. He is sitting in very good company.
The trade deadline came and went for OKC, without much happening to really make headlines. Former Memphis guard Antonio Anderson has been signed to a 10-day deal, to fill the roster spot vacated by Matt Harpring. I don’t really expect Anderson to see much burn, but that could quickly change if any kind of injury arises.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 7:00 PM CT vs. Phoenix Suns (34-23) FSOK
The biggest thing that happened during the 2010 NBA trade deadline, as it related to the Phoenix Suns, was the fact that Amare Stoudamire is still with the team. The Suns currently sit in the 7th playoff spot in the Western conference. While it is certainly out of 
the ordinary to attempt to trade your best player if you are playoff bound, the Suns needed to make the move. The franchise is no closer to a championship than they were 5 years ago. Steve Nash is past his prime, and Jason Richardson isn’t enough to push them over the top. Their trade deadline predicament was troublesome to the Thunder because Sam Presti hold’s Phoenix’s 2010 1st round pick. A trade of Amare would almost guarantee a shot at the lottery. At this point, it appears that the Suns are playoff bound.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 7:30 PM CT @ San Antonio Spurs (31-23) KSBI
Reports have recently surfaced that Spurs point guard Tony Parker has some pretty serious hip and hamstring trouble right now. Greg Popovich blames the injuries for the subpar season that Parker has put together thus far. Parker will almost certainly miss the contest with Oklahoma City as Popovich has decided to sit him for the foreseeable future. While that is good news for the OKC defense, the issue of Tim Duncan stills must be dealt with. Serge Ibaka is the only real defensive matchup for Duncan, although the quickness of 
Collison and Green have had limited success. I expect Thabo to put the smackdown on Manu Ginobili, with Richard Jefferson having the worst season of his career.
Friday, February 26, 2010, 7:00 PM CT vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-44) FSOK
If you were to say that Minnesota is a much improved team from last season, and even early this season, no one would argue with you. Kurt Rambis has his team playing inspired ball, but he still doesn’t quite have the horses to compete with the big dogs. Johny Flynn is still learning his role in the offense, and fellow guard Corey Brewer isn’t the scorer that most 2 guards are. Trade deadline acquisition Darko Milicic has a solid game against the Thunder on Sunday going for 8 and 8 with a block in limited minutes. He isn’t a big offensive force, but has been known to alter quite a few shots on the defensive end.
Sunday, February 28, 2010, 6:00 PM CT vs. Toronto Raptors (31-24) FSOK
Chris Bosh is obviously the focus of any defensive gameplan, but could also be the focus of the Thunder summer free agent effort. With Bosh’s contract set to expire after the season, his spot on the Raptor roster is only temporary at this point. Hedo Turkoglu was a nice piece
for them to add, but he hasn’t been the same distributor and outside threat that he was with Dwight Howard in the middle in Orlando. Jarrett Jack is a nice piece at point guard, and has even pushed former starter Jose Calderon to the bench. Andrea Bargnani is almost unstoppable from the outside when he is hitting. While not much of a banger, he will still add a few rebounds and block shots on the defensive end.
Prediction (3-1)
I’m sorry Thunderheads, but I cannot, in good conscience, predict an undefeated week against team like these. There will be a loss somewhere. I’m reasonably sure of it. KD always has the opportunity to win any game for his team, but he has to be stopped eventually right? Richard Jefferson is a tough defender in a tough defensive system, even if he can’t make a shot on offense.
It’s also tough to beat a team twice in a week. Minnesota is going to be looking for revenge, and they aren’t going to go away easily.
Toronto and Phoenix are both extremely talented teams, even if their 2009-10 campaigns have been less than spectacular. At any time, those teams can turn it on and beat anyone, even a streaking Thunder squad.
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