Oklahoma City finished the month of January on a down note with an ugly loss to the Jazz in Utah (110-90). That pulled their monthly win/loss total down to .500 at 7-7, a much improved number for a team that won just four games in the first two months of the season, and while they've enjoyed a solid January, February, might not be so kind to the Thunder. Outside of two games versus Sacremento, one game against Golden State, and one game against the Grizzlies (only 1 of those at home), they play will playing the cream of the crop in the NBA. The Thunder will face the LA Lakers twice, the Portland Trail Blazers twice, the New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks once. READ MORE...
At quick glance, its looks hard to justify thinking the Thunder will end up with more than 4 wins in February. The two games vs Sacremento, 1 game against the Warriors, and 1 game against the Grizzlies are four games you could make arguments four, but these are four games the Thunder can also lose, especially if they play like they did last night. I would expect at least one win against Sacremento being as we play them once at home, but the other three games versus the teams listed above are on the road, and are also teams we've lost to before, with Golden State, and Memphis both coming off heartbreaking losses the last time they met the Thunder, so they'll be out for revenge.
When you look at teams like the Blazers, Lakers, and Hornets, you'd like to think this team is playing the level of basketball to take wins from these teams, but if you take a step back, and really look at the Thunder schedule in January, these are probably not winnable games. Of the 7 wins in January, only two came against winning teams, the Detroit Pistons, and the Utah Jazz, both of which were teams that are only 5 games over .500. Not exactly the Lakers, Blazers, and Hornets...Oh My!
Optimistically, I'm thinking 4-8 for February, with maybe 1 win over someone they are not supposed to beat, but looking at that daunting schedule, its hard to fathom any more than four wins, and for Thunder fans its really time to brace yourself for what could potentially be a "Winless" month, and I know I'm going to take some flack for saying it, but the Thunder do have a real chance at going 0-12 this month. I certainly don't expect it, but it is a possibility. 0-12, 1-11, 2-10, 3-9, and 4-8 look like the most likely of possibilities this month with an outside shot at 5-7, and 6-6 would be a miracle month with this schedule.
Plus you have to factor in the February 19th trade deadline, and what that might bring to the team, we could have half the roster turn over before the deadline, and have a totally new team that will have to play and get accustomed to playing with each other, and during this stretch of games, it will only worsen the Thunders chances of taking down the big boys.
Brace yourself Thunderfans, it will indeed get very COLD in February.