OKC Thunder: All their problems came back to haunt them in Game 6

The OKC Thunder had an up-and-down year and their bad habits came back to haunt them in Game 6. Now the Thunder’s season is done.

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Utah Jazz in Game 6 Friday night, effectively ending their season. The Thunder were trying to overcome a 3-1 lead by the Jazz, but the team’s problems and  bad habits just were too much to overcome on the road.

Carmelo Anthony and Paul George were brought in to help Russell Westbrook get to the next level after the loss of Kevin Durant, but they were only able to get one more win than last year in the regular season and one more win than last year in the playoffs.

In the crucial Game 6, Anthony and George only scored seven and five points, respectively. Just like the regular season, Anthony and George’s play was up and down in the playoffs. They were never able to maintain a long, consistent effort offensively game in and game out.

The knock on Westbrook his whole career is that he just shoots too much. In Game 6, he scored 46 points on 43 shots. Some of those shots could have been allocated to George and Anthony, but they weren’t shooting well either.

The late game play was a big reason that OKC lost a lot of games this year. A loss to the Boston Celtics late in the regular season exemplifies the above statement.

With the game well in hand, the Thunder just had to make free throws and they would’ve won the game. After three missed free throws from Carmelo, the Celtics were able to convert a 3-pointer by Marcus Morris and wound up winning the game.

In Game 6, the Thunder were not able to come through late in the game after plenty of chances to hit a 3-pointer.

There were factors that the Thunder could not control all year either. Paul George, who frequently complained about not getting calls from the refs all season, tried to get a foul called in the act of shooting a 3-pointer, which would’ve got him to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but the refs weren’t biting.

The Thunder felt they were being treated unfairly by refs all year. Carmelo Anthony got thrown out of the game for a flagrant foul in the regular season for contacting Jusuf Nurkic in the chin with his elbow during an And-1.

Everybody on the OKC Thunder was baffled by the call.

It led Billy Donovan to say this, according to ESPN:

"“I’ve never seen in the history of the game a guy get an and-1 play and then get ejected from the game,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters. “That’s probably something you’ve got to talk to the league about.”"

In a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared to step out of bounds before making a game-winning dunk. The NBA reviewed the call after the game and wound up ruling that it was an “incorrect non-call.”

Now the Thunder are heading into the offseason. They will have to try to retain Paul George. That is the main priority.

In the draft, they will only have a second round pick, so trying to get in the first round will always be something to look at doing, especially in a loaded draft. The Thunder lost their first round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Free agency wise, re-signing Paul George is obviously the top priority, but signing a sixth man will be key as well. A lot of the Thunder’s problems could have been solved this season if they had a sixth man to help with the offensive load.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

This year could be the start of something great or this could be the last time we see this Thunder team together. This offseason will be a big one for OKC.