OKC Thunder Growing and Durant Maturing

Let’s face the facts; OKC Thunder has the league’s worst uniforms, worst logo, and the biggest bunch of rookies in one team. They might not be the best team in the league right now, but the OKC Thunder is hanging in there. And so is Kevin Durant.

Durant has found himself in a team that needs him as much as he needs it. With recent string of victories happening for the Thunder, many have changed their impression on a team that has been a cellar dweller since the start of the season. Thunder may not win the championship this season, but they suck no longer. Durant, along with forward Jeff Green and guard Russell Westbrook, has provided the firepower and much needed hustle to get the Thunder clapping.

The good thing about them is that they are a bunch of fresh legs.

No, saying that the Thunder is a good team would be an overstatement. But they are not mediocre either. They are growing, and their last game against the Memphis Grizzlies has been the team’s validation of their growth. Clinching an impressive after blowing a sizeable lead late in the fourth quarter may not be new for a superstar team, but OKC Thunder is no way near super. Yet they won.

Durant, who has led the Thunder since the beginning, has found himself a hole where he can establish himself into a legitimate superstar and become one of the best. As for the Thunder, they still have many seasons to go before they could potentially nab a title, but know this – they no longer suck.

The Latest Sports News Before February Comes

The Frustrated Sports Analyst has been busy for the past weeks, which is kind of obvious since I only have one blog post for the month of January. With that being said, I still have attuned myself to some sporting news and kept in touch with the latest in the sporting world. So far, here are the good bits I have gathered:

Mexican boxing legend Antonio Margarito has changed his name to what seem to be more like a nickname – The Hands of Stone. Yep! That is his official name and will be called as the Hands of Stone from henceforth. But to his family, he will still be Tonio.

The Hands of Stone got it going with Shane Mosley as the first mega bout in 2009. While the Hands of Stone is durable, he was proven no match against Mosley in a nine-round demolition of the Iron Man myth that was Antonio Margarito. Noth fighters performed well, but it was Mosley who came out the better man. No doubt a classic bout and a contender for the Fight of the Year honors.

Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton will finally end together inside the four-sided ring after all. After a series of disputes with the pocket shares, the two camps finally agreed on a 58-42 profit sharing, with the best of the slice going to Pacquiao. The mega bout between the PacMan and Hitman happens on May 2, 2009 in Las Vegas.

The All-Star Season is in the air, but a lot of A-class players have not been included in the stellar list, including Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Vince Carter. How can the selection team miss any of these players when their performances, individual and as a team player, are worth the nods for the All-Star selection? Sure, the young guns are taking the floor now, but they still have to prove themselves against these guys if they really want to be deemed as All-Stars.

Tennis superstar Roger Federer seemed to have his supernova snuffed by the younger and hungrier Rafael Nadal during last year’s major tournaments. And all have expected Federer to fade away. But with a commanding series in the 2009 Australian Open, where he will face his rival Nadal in the Finals.

Prior to reaching the finals, Federer had to oust Andy Roddick, the player with the most number of aces in the tournament.

Extolling Holyfield, What's in 2009 for Pacman

It’s 2009 folks and it’s been a while since I have jotted down anything on this blog of mine. There are many things that occurred in the world of boxing worthy of noting. To start off, I am forced to serve myself some ‘humble pie’ for predicting a Holyfield beatdown courtesy of Nikolai Valuev.

Although I have forecasted that Valuev will win, I did say that the Russian giant will make a pulp out of ‘The Real Deal” Holyfield. Was I so wrong.

Holyfield was neither great nor classy in that fight, but he still showed some flair in the ring, ducking the big shots while unleashing a barrage of his own. Holyfield clearly used his speed to outpoint the Russian mountain in several instances. However, Valuev was the better man as he went home still tugging the WBA Heavyweight title.

Speaking of speed, Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who was very deft in using his quickness against the epic Oscar ‘Golden Boy’ De La Hoya, is slated to face junior welterweight kingpin Ricky Hatton of England sometime in the early quarters of 2009. Although Hatton wanted the fight to be held in his home country, promoters thought the proposal was not a viable in terms of money. The fight between the two natural brawlers will be held in Vegas, baby.

Now that money has been mentioned, it is very likely that Floyd Mayweather will come out of retirement to face the man who inherited the mythical Pound 4 Pound mantle should he win against Hatton.

Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao for bagging numerous awards this year, including Fighter of the Year. Same goes to Freddie Roach, Trainer of the Year!