Oklahoma City Thunder 2009-2010 Season Preview, Picks & Odds

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Oklahoma City Thunder 2008-2009 NBA Record: 23-59, 5th in Northwest Division

Oklahoma City Thunder 2008-2009 ATS (Against The Spread): 45-36-1

Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Trends & Betting Angles:

• • 7-1-1 ATS past 9 at home to T-Wolves

• OVER is 13-4 past 17 games on no rest

• 12-3 ATS past 15 games within Southwest

• 15-5 ATS past 20 as double-digit dog

• OVER is 10-2 past 12 trips to Denver

• OVER is 8-1 past 9 at home to Nuggets

• 9-3 SU, 8-4 ATS past 12 at home to Portland

Oklahoma City Thunder 2009-2010 Preview & Prediction

The Thunder is a still a very young team and their on-court leader will be all of 21 years of age when the regular season begins. S0, they will still have a lot to learn about winning, but another year of experience will help. Oklahoma City will probably be able to steal a few more wins and will likely improve on the 23 wins in 2008-09 season.

However, what’s to stop them from making a strong playoff push? Brooks and Durant think the team must improve defensively to take the next step. That defensive commitment was lacking, particularly early in the season, but Brooks is determined for the team to improve defensively.

Durant is expected to play at an All-Star level. If the complementary players can produce career seasons or something close to that level, the Thunder just might be able to achieve their goal of reaching the playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder Coach: Scott Brooks (2nd season)

Oklahoma City Thunder Returning Players: Forwards Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Thabo Sefolosha, D.J. White; center Nenad Krstic; guards Shaun Livingston, Kyle Weaver, Russell Westbrook.

Oklahoma City Thunder Key Additions: Guard James Harden (draft), forward Serge Ibaka (draft), center B.J. Mullens (draft), guard Kevin Ollie (free agent), center Etan Thomas (trade from Timberwolves).

Oklahoma City Thunder Key Subtractions: Guard Chucky Atkins (traded to Timberwolves), swingman Damien Wilkens (traded to Timberwolves), forward Desmond Mason (signed with Kings), forward Malik Rose (free agent), center Robert Swift (free agent), guard Earl Watson (signed with Pacers).

2009-2010 Oklahoma City Thunder Off Guards:

Thabo Sefolosha, acquired in a trade deadline deal, is turning out to be better than expected. The fourth-year guard started in 22 of 23 games for the Thunder and averaged 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. His shooting (41.7 percent) won’t overwhelm opponents, but Sefolosha is a solid wing defender and doesn’t need to touch the ball to be effective.

If the Thunder are seeking offense from the bench at the position, Brooks will turn to rookie James Harden, the third overall pick of the draft. What impressed Brooks is Harden’s ability to score points in a quiet fashion, and he displayed an all-around game that was not often seen during his collegiate career.

2009-2010 Oklahoma City Thunder Small Forwards:

Durant’s scoring average of 25.3 points a game ranked sixth in the league and represented a five points a game increase compared to the 2007-08 season. And it wasn’t just his scoring that improved. Durant’s 2-point shooting, 3-point shooting and rebounding numbers increased. Durant knows big numbers are nice for individual accolades, but it’s the team goals that he’s focused on. While he is quick to push back on any playoff talk, he is ready to lead me Thunder to me next level of the league’s echelon.

2009-2010 Oklahoma City Thunder Power Forwards:

Green is another important piece to the Thunder’s climb. He averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds last season and proved to be the perfect complement to Durant. Green is shaping up as a versatile option at forward, capable of overpowering small forwards while being quicker than some power forwards.

Even though he comes off the bench more often than he starts, Nick Collison is consistently among the team’s rebounding leaders (team-leading 6.9 a game last season). The 6-10 product of Kansas not only rebounds, but he gives the Thunder needed toughness in the post area. Collison isn’t afraid to swing a few elbows and dear out space near the basket either.

2009-2010 Oklahoma City Thunder Centers:

Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti was able to convince Krstic to return and play in the NBA by telling him his game would be a nice fit with the Thunder. Krstic, who at 7 -foot is more of a perimeter player than excelling in the post area, didn’t put up big numbers (9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds), but he certainly discovered his niche within Brooks’ system on offense.

What Krstic didn’t possess is strong rebounding skills or physical play, an element the Thunder
lacked last season. The Thunder acquired Etan Thomas in a trade with Washington. Thomas’ reputation as a big physical player who focuses on rebounding, defense and shot blocking, are all areas that the Thunder need help. Thomas will be a nice change of pace from the finesse style of Krstic.

Oklahoma City Thunder 2009-2010 Season Predictions

We predict that the Oklahoma City Thunder will finish 5th in the NBA Northwest Division .

Oklahoma City Thunder Betting

Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Championship Odds: +5000

Oklahoma City Thunder Eastern Conference Odds: +12500

Oklahoma City Thunder 2008-2009 Betting Stats

Oklahoma City Thunder Straight Up: 23-59

Oklahoma City Thunder ATS: 45-36-1

Oklahoma City Thunder Home ATS: 21-19-1

Oklahoma City Thunder Away ATS: 24-17

Oklahoma City Thunder Record As Favorite: 6-5

Oklahoma City Thunder Record As Dog: 17-53

Oklahoma City Thunder Over/Under: 41-41

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