![\"KOCO](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769787952_390_koco.png\")
<\/p>\nCrashing the Boards: Thunder stars to be re-evaluated after they remain out following All-Star break<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYOU\u2019RE UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST FIRST ALERT FORECAST. EVERYBODY WELCOME INTO THE SHOW TONIGHT. BRYAN KEATING ALONGSIDE HANNAH HOOVER. IT\u2019S TIME FOR CRASHING THE BOARD, BRINGING THE ENERGY TONIGHT. LOVE IT. WELL ALWAYS LOOK WE HAVE NBA AFTERNOON RIGHT HERE ON ABC OKLAHOMA CITY PLAYED GREAT. COME ON. WHAT\u2019S NOT TO LOVE. LOTS TO LOVE TODAY. IT\u2019S BEEN A BUSY WEEK IN THE SPORTS TOP TO BOTTOM. WE\u2019VE BEEN WE\u2019VE BEEN BUSY. WE\u2019LL GET TO THE NBA. WE\u2019VE GOT WRESTLING IN STILLWATER. WE\u2019VE GOT GYMNASTICS NUMBER ONE AGAINST NUMBER TWO. WE GOT A PACKED SHOW STARTING WITH THE PAYCOM DOWNTOWN OKC NOON TIPOFF RIGHT HERE ON CHANNEL FIVE AND THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER. BOY, I\u2019LL TELL YOU WHAT. WITHOUT SHAY ALEXANDER, WITHOUT JALEN WILLIAMS, NO ALEX CARUSO, NO AJ MITCHELL I THOUGHT CHET HOLMGREN WAS OUTSTANDING. HE HAD 17 POINTS 15 REBOUNDS, THREE BLOCKS. MY MAN WAS AWESOME. ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN WAS GREAT. THUNDER SHOT THE BALL. LIGHTS OUT 21 OF 41. THEY WIN IT 121 113. BIG TIME WIN FOR OKC. WE HAD GREAT ENERGY. THREW THE FIRST PUNCH IN THE GAME WHICH WAS IMPORTANT AGAINST A TEAM THAT HAS PLAYED AS WELL AS THEY HAVE LATELY AND HAS AS MUCH FIREPOWER AS THEY DO. YOU KNOW, THEY\u2019RE GOING TO MAKE RUNS IN THE GAME, SO TO GRAB THE GAME THE WAY WE DID EARLY WAS WAS KEY. TODAY, THE WAY THAT WE\u2019RE PLAYING AS A UNIT RIGHT NOW, WE\u2019RE WE\u2019RE FLOWING. THE BALL IS BEING SWUNG. WE\u2019RE WE\u2019RE FLYING AROUND GETTING OUT IN TRANSITION. AND I THINK EVERYBODY\u2019S JUST IN A GOOD RHYTHM RIGHT NOW. SO I WAS JUST TRYING TO CARRY THAT OVER. I THOUGHT THEY WERE GREAT IN A GAME THAT I\u2019M JUST GOING TO BE HONEST. TRANSPARENCY. I THOUGHT THEY HAD NO CHANCE TO WIN AGAINST THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS TEAM THAT HAD WON SEVEN GAMES IN A ROW, BEEN PLAYING GREAT WITH JAMES HARDEN AND DONOVAN MITCHELL. YOU KNOW WHAT THE THUNDER THAT\u2019S WHY YOU PLAY THE GAME. CHAMPIONSHIP KIND OF STUFF. WENT OUT IN DOWNTOWN OKC. THEY WERE JUST OUTSTANDING. IT WAS A GREAT GAME. AND I GUESS I\u2019LL JUST SAY THIS SHORTHANDED WHO CARES. DOESN\u2019T MATTER WHO IS NOT IN THE GAME. OBVIOUSLY THEY CAN GET IT DONE 21 THREES TO BEAT THE CAVS. THAT\u2019S CRAZY. THEY WERE REALLY SHOOTING WELL FROM DEEP TODAY. AND YOU KNOW STOPPING THE CLEVELAND CAVS SEVEN GAME WIN STREAK. LIKE YOU SAID THEY\u2019VE BEEN ON A ROLL. IT\u2019S NOT LIKE THEY HAVEN\u2019T HAD A TON OF MOMENTUM. SO THIS THUNDER TEAM I THINK WHAT IT SHOWS US IS JUST ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES ARE COMING TOGETHER. YES. YOU DON\u2019T HAVE SGA. YOU DON\u2019T HAVE J-DUB. BUT THERE\u2019S SOME PLAYMAKING ABILITY THAT WE\u2019RE SEEING FROM GUYS LIKE CASON WALLACE, WHO GETS HIS FIRST CAREER DOUBLE DOUBLE TODAY, AND ISAIAH JOE, WHO WE JUST HEARD FROM WITH 22 POINTS. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE AND SHOWING OUT. AND I LOVE TO SEE IT. I ALWAYS KIND OF JOKE WHEN YOU KNOW IT\u2019S CLICHE. YOU GO, WE GOT GUYS OUT MAN. JUST NEXT MAN UP AS IF NEXT MAN. LIKE THERE\u2019S ANOTHER ALEXANDER. NEXT MAN UP MY FOOT. YOU KNOW THAT DOESN\u2019T EXIST. BUT I JUST GOT TO GIVE THIS TEAM A LOT OF CREDIT BECAUSE THEY PLAYED A TEAM THAT HAD BEEN PLAYING GREAT. AND WHAT IT SHOWS ME IS THE REASON THAT THE THUNDER WON THE TITLE THIS YEAR. AND IF THEY\u2019RE HEALTHY, THEY\u2019RE STILL THE FAVORITE. THEY JUST GOT THEY HAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP MINDSET. THEY GOT CHAMPIONSHIP MEDAL, THEY\u2019VE GOT CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE AND IT JUST DOESN\u2019T MATTER IN THE SITUATION. FOR THE GAME. I JUST WAS VERY IMPRESSED THE WAY THAT THEY PLAYED. WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THESE NUMBERS, ISAIAH, JOE, HE HAS BEEN UNBELIEVABLE ABOUT THE LAST 3 OR 4 WEEKS. HE HAD 22 TODAY. CASON WALLACE IS MAKING A CHARGE FOR BEING YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BEST DEFENSIVE GUARDS IN THE NBA. HE\u2019S HE\u2019S BEEN AWESOME. I THOUGHT CHET HOLMGREN SAID HE WAS JUST GREAT. SINCE ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN HAS GOTTEN BACK IN THE LINEUP, THAT REALLY HELPS THEIR REBOUNDING AND DEFENSE. AND I JUST I\u2019M REALLY IMPRESSED THE WAY THEY PLAYED BECAUSE I DIDN\u2019T THINK THEY WOULD WIN TODAY. THEY GOT A REALLY DIFFICULT SCHEDULE COMING UP, PUT THAT UP. AND SO THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT AS FAR AS THE SCHEDULE AND MAINTAINING THAT FIRST PLACE SEED IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE, BECAUSE YOU JUST LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE, THE GAMES ARE MOSTLY ON THE ROAD. A LOT OF PLAYOFF TEAMS, ESPECIALLY IN THE NEXT WEEK BEFORE YOU\u2019RE GOING TO GET SHEA BACK AT TORONTO, AT DETROIT, AT DENVER, THERE\u2019S GOING TO BE THREE REALLY DIFFICULT GAMES TO WIN. MAYBE THEY\u2019LL HAVE SHEA TOWARDS THE END OF THIS. MAYBE THEY\u2019LL HAVE JALEN WILLIAMS AT THE VERY END OF IT. BUT WE DON\u2019T KNOW. AND SO I GUESS THAT IS MY NEXT QUESTION. WE KNOW SHEA WILL BE REEVALUATED IN ABOUT FIVE DAYS. SO IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF NEXT THURSDAY, JALEN WILLIAMS WILL BE REEVALUATED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. THE THURSDAY AFTER THAT. AND SO THEY\u2019RE GOING TO BE PLAYING WITHOUT THOSE GUYS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. AS THE NUMBER ONE SEED. AND WHAT ARE THE CHANCES AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OKLAHOMA CITY? ONE PLAY WITHOUT THOSE GUYS AND TRYING TO HOLD DOWN THIS SEED? YEAH, IT\u2019S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT WITHOUT JALEN WILLIAMS. IT SAYS YOU KNOW, REEVALUATED IN TWO WEEKS GIVE OR TAKE. AND SO TO ME YOU KNOW YOU\u2019RE AT THAT MARCH 7TH DATE THAT FINAL GAME THAT WE HAVE AGAINST THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS RIGHT HERE ON KOCO. SO I DON\u2019T KNOW. I\u2019M JUST GOING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MAKE A PLAY PLEA, BRING BACK THE STARS SOON BECAUSE IT\u2019S GOING TO BE TOUGH. ESPECIALLY YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE DENVER ON THAT LIST LIKE YOU MENTIONED. AND THESE ARE GAMES THAT HAVE GIVEN THEM TROUBLE IN THE PAST. SO YES THE DEPTH OF THIS TEAM IS GREAT. AND WILL THEY BE ABLE TO PROVE MAYBE A GUY LIKE YOU WRONG TODAY AGAINST THE CLEVELAND CAVS. BUT THIS IS A STEEP ROAD SERIES LIKE YOU MENTIONED. AND THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENCE WITH THOSE ROAD GAMES. AND JUST THEY KIND OF THEY WEAR ON YOU. IT STARTS TO GET TO THE DOWNHILL SLOPE OF THE SEASON AND IT BECOMES DIFFICULT. SO BRING BACK THE STARS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NOT TO SAY THAT ALL THE OTHER, YOU KNOW, GUYS AREN\u2019T JUST JUST AS HELPFUL AND GREAT, BUT WE GOTTA HAVE THE STARS. BRIAN, YOU\u2019RE WINNING NOTHING WITHOUT YOU SAID NOTHING WITHOUT JALEN. I MEAN YEAH, EXACTLY. THOSE GUYS THERE\u2019S NO NEXT MAN UP THAT\u2019S GOING TO JUST TURN INTO NUMBER TWO. AND NUMBER EIGHT. YOU JUST GOT TO SURVIVE UNTIL APRIL AND YOU GOT TO GET HEALTHY. YOU GOT THAT I MEAN THAT\u2019S THAT\u2019S JUST WHERE WE ARE WITH THIS TEAM THAT STARTED 24 AND ONE. YOU\u2019RE ASKING CAN THEY BREAK ALL THESE RECORDS. AND NOW YOU JUST SURVIVE THE INJURY BUG. GET THROUGH IT. LET\u2019S GET TO APRIL. LET\u2019S GET TO APRIL HEALTHY. AND THEN WE LIKE OUR CHANCES I THINK THAT\u2019S WHAT THEY TELL YOU. AND I JUST THOUGHT TODAY\u2019S WIN AGAINST THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR A LOT OF REASONS. BECAUSE IT KEEPS THE SPURS AT ARM\u2019S LENGTH ARM\u2019S LENGTH OVER THERE. IT KEEPS THE NUGGETS IN AND YOU PLAYED GREAT. AND SO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME OF THESE GUYS TO PLAY I THINK THAT\u2019S POSITIVE WHEN YOU GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS I DON\u2019T KNOW WHAT THE ROTATIONS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE, BUT YOU\u2019VE GOT A PUNCHER\u2019S CHANCE AND BETTER THAN THAT WITH SHEA AND JALEN WILLIAMS. IF THEY\u2019RE HEALTHY, I LIKE THEIR CHANCES. THEY GOT TO\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Crashing the Boards: Thunder stars to be re-evaluated after they remain out following All-Star break<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 2:16 PM CST Feb 23, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n