2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder season
| 2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder season | |
|---|---|
Conference champions | |
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Scott Brooks |
| General manager | Sam Presti |
| Owners | Professional Basketball Club LLC |
| Arena | Chesapeake Energy Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 47–19 (.712) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Northwest) Conference: 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (Lost to Heat 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Oklahoma |
| Radio | |
The 2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 4th season of the franchise's existence in Oklahoma City as a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Thunder continued to build on recent success in previous years by making the NBA Playoffs, first defeating and sweeping the defending NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks, in four games in the First Round, then defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the Semi-finals, and finally, defeated the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996, when the club was based in Seattle.
In the NBA Finals, the Thunder faced off against the Big Three-led Miami Heat, who made an appearance in the previous NBA Finals, but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Despite winning Game 1 in the NBA Finals, the Thunder would then go on to lose the next four games and the NBA Finals against the Heat.
Other season highlights included forward Kevin Durant's third consecutive NBA scoring title, and Durant being named the MVP of the All-Star Game.
Key dates[]
- June 23: The 2011 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.[1]
Draft picks[]
In contrast to 2010, the NBA draft for the Thunder on June 23, 2011 held little drama. After previously trading their 2011 second-round pick to the Miami Heat,[2] the Thunder were left with only the No. 24 overall pick. They used it to acquire rights to Reggie Jackson, a guard from Boston College.[3]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Reggie Jackson | PG |  United States
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Boston College |
Roster[]
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Pre-season[]
| 2011 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
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| 2011–12 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season[]
Standings[]
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Oklahoma City Thunder | 47 | 19 | .712 | 0.0 | 26–7 | 21–12 | 10–3 | 66 |
| x-Denver Nuggets | 38 | 28 | .576 | 9.0 | 20–13 | 18–15 | 6–7 | 66 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 36 | 30 | .545 | 11.0 | 25–8 | 11–22 | 9–4 | 66 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 28 | 38 | .424 | 19.0 | 20–13 | 8–25 | 4–10 | 66 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 26 | 40 | .394 | 21.0 | 13–20 | 13–20 | 4–9 | 66 |
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c-San Antonio Spurs * | 50 | 16 | .758 | – | 66 |
| 2 | y-Oklahoma City Thunder * | 47 | 19 | .712 | 3.0 | 66 |
| 3 | y-Los Angeles Lakers * | 41 | 25 | .621 | 9.0 | 66 |
| 4 | x-Memphis Grizzlies | 41 | 25 | .621 | 9.0 | 66 |
| 5 | x-Los Angeles Clippers | 40 | 26 | .606 | 10.0 | 66 |
| 6 | x-Denver Nuggets | 38 | 28 | .576 | 12.0 | 66 |
| 7 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 36 | 30 | .545 | 14.0 | 66 |
| 8 | x-Utah Jazz | 36 | 30 | .545 | 14.0 | 66 |
| 9 | Houston Rockets | 34 | 32 | .515 | 16.0 | 66 |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | 33 | 33 | .500 | 17.0 | 66 |
| 11 | Portland Trail Blazers | 28 | 38 | .424 | 22.0 | 66 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 26 | 40 | .394 | 24.0 | 66 |
| 13 | Golden State Warriors | 23 | 43 | .348 | 27.0 | 66 |
| 14 | Sacramento Kings | 22 | 44 | .333 | 28.0 | 66 |
| 15 | New Orleans Hornets | 21 | 45 | .318 | 29.0 | 66 |
Game log[]
| 2011–12 game log Total: 47–19 (Home: 26–7; Road: 21–12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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December: 5–0 (Home: 3–0; Road: 2–0)
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January: 11–4 (Home: 5–1; Road: 6–3)
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February: 12–3 (Home: 7–0; Road: 5–3)
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March: 11–5 (Home: 7–3; Road: 4–2)
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April
: 8–7 (Home: 4–3; Road: 4–4)
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| 2011–12 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs[]
Game log[]
| 2012 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
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Conference Semi-finals: 4–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–1)
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Conference Finals: 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–2)
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NBA Finals: 1–4 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–3)
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| 2012 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards, records and milestones[]
Awards[]
Weekly[]
- Westbrook was named Western Conference Player of the Week for January 23–29,[4] and February 6–12.[5]
- Kevin Durant was named Western Conference Player of the Week for December 25 – January 1,[6] February 13–19,[7] and March 19–25.[8]
Monthly[]
- Kevin Durant was named Western Conference Player of the Month for February[9] and March[10] 2012.
- Coach Scott Brooks was named Coach of the Month for games played in December and January.[11]
All-Star[]
- Durant was named as a starter for the Western Conference in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game played in Orlando, earning the game's MVP Award.[12]
- Russell Westbrook was selected as an All-Star team reserve by a vote of the Western Conference coaches.
- Thunder Coach Scott Brooks coached the Western Conference team in the All-Star Game due to the fact that the Thunder lead the Western Conference in winning percentage heading into the All-Star break.[13]
Season[]
- Durant won the regular season scoring title by averaging 28.0 points per game, making him only the seventh player in NBA history to win three scoring titles in a row.[14]
- Reserve guard James Harden was a runaway winner of the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, garnering 115 of 119 first-place votes.[15]
- Durant was voted to the All-NBA First Team for the third year in a row, whereas Westbrook was voted to the All-NBA Second Team for the second year in a row.[16]
- Forward Serge Ibaka was voted to the All-NBA Defensive First Team.[17]
Milestones[]
Injuries and surgeries[]
Backup point guard Eric Maynor had a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in action at Houston on January 7.[18]
Starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha had a chronic sore right foot, forcing him to miss 23 games from January 30 through March 13.[19]
Shooting guard Daequan Cook sustained a mild MCL sprain in his right knee against the Utah Jazz on March 20, sidelining him for an estimated 2–3 weeks.[20]
Guard James Harden was diagnosed with concussive symptoms after being elbowed in the back of the head on April 22 by Lakers forward Metta World Peace. Harden was cleared to play for the Thunder's regular season finale against the Denver Nuggets after undergoing NBA-mandated post-concussion tests, but instead sat out until the first game of the playoffs. World Peace received a seven-game suspension for the incident.[21]
Transactions[]
Current roster[]
On June 28, 2011, the Thunder exercised its fourth-year options on guard James Harden, forward Serge Ibaka, guard Eric Maynor and center Byron Mullens, as well as its third-year option on center Cole Aldrich.[22]
On June 29, 2011, the Thunder signed center Nazr Mohammed to a one-year extension through 2011–12, avoiding his becoming an unrestricted free agent.[23] Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reported to be $3,750,000 for the year.[24]
On June 27, 2011, the Thunder provided guard Daequan Cook a qualifying offer of $3,126,764 for 2011–12, making Cook a restricted free agent under the terms of the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire after June 30, 2011.[24][25] Cook's contract situation was resolved after the NBA lockout when the Thunder signed him to a contract extension paying him $6.5 million through the end of the 2012–13 season.[26]
On December 13, 2011, the Thunder traded Robert Vaden and two conditional second-round draft selections to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Lazar Hayward.[27]
Free agents[]
On March 21, 2012, the Thunder signed point guard Derek Fisher for the remainder of the 2012 season, after waiving its second-round 2010 draft pick forward Ryan Reid.[28] Fisher had previously been traded form the Los Angeles Lakers to the Houston Rockets on March 15, but the Rockets subsequently bought out Fisher's contract making him an unrestricted free agent.
Transaction summary table[]
| Date | Transaction Type | Thunder Acquired | Thunder Subtracted |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 11, 2011 | Draftee signing | Reggie Jackson
|
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| December 12, 2011 | Draftee signing | Ryan Reid
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| December 13, 2011 | Roster trade | Lazar Hayward
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Robert Vaden (to Minnesota) • two conditional second-round picks (to Minnesota) |
| December 19, 2011 | Roster trade | 2013 second-round pick | Byron Mullens (to Charlotte)
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| December 24, 2011 | Waiver | Nate Robinson
| |
| March 21, 2012 | Free Agent Signing | Derek Fisher
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| March 21, 2012 | Waiver | Ryan Reid
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References[]
- ^ "Report: NBA draft moving to Newark". ESPN.com. October 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ "Thunder Acquires Pleiss, Williams, Reid and Future First Round Pick in 2010 NBA Draft". www.nba.com/thunder. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
- ^ Mayberry, Darnell (June 26, 2011). "Thunder draft pick Reggie Jackson might be Russell Westbrook 2.0". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ "Heat's James, Thunder's Westbrook named Players of the Week". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. January 30, 2012. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Knicks' Lin, Thunder's Westbrook named Players of the Week". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "LeBron, Durant named NBA Players of the Week". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. January 3, 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Heat's James, Thunder's Durant named Players of the Week". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. February 20, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Durant, Johnson named Players of the Week". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. March 26, 2012. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "LeBron James, Kevin Durant win Player of the Month honors". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 2, 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Pierce, Durant named Eastern, Western players of the month". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 4, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ "Thibodeau, Brooks named Coaches of the Month". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ Peay, Carla (February 27, 2012). "Durant wins NBA All-Star Game MVP as West beats East". Washington Times. The Washginton Times, LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ "All-Star coaches Brooks, Thibodeau come from same NBA tree". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. February 24, 2012. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ Shuster, Rachel (April 27, 2012). "No Kobe Bryant means NBA scoring title to Kevin Durant". USA Today. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Falgoust, J. Michael (May 10, 2012). "Thunder's James Harden wins Sixth Man of the Year award". USA Today. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ Mayberry, Darnell (May 24, 2012). "OKC Thunder: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook earn All-NBA honors". The Oklahoman. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ "OKC Thunder: Serge Ibaka named to NBA's all-defensive team". The Oklahoman. May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ Mayberry, Darnell (January 9, 2012). "OKC loses Maynor to first major injury". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ Mayberry, Darnell (February 1, 2012). "Thunder notebook: Thabo Sefolosha sits; Daequan Cook starts". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ Rohde, John (March 21, 2012). "Thunder notebook: Daequan Cook out 2–3 weeks with injury". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ "Thunder's Harden cleared but sits against Nuggets". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ "OKC Thunder exercise contract options on 5 players". The Oklahoman. June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ Mayberry, Darnell (June 29, 2011). "Nazr Mohammed Agrees To Extension". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "Oklahoma City Salaries". www.hoopshype.com. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ Mayberry, Darnell (June 27, 2011). "Thunder makes Daequan Cook a restricted free agent". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ Mayberry, Darnell (December 9, 2011). "Thunder notebook: Guard Daequan Cook agrees to two-year extension". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ "Timberwolves Trade Lazar Hayward to Oklahoma City". NBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 13, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ Latzke, Jeff (March 21, 2012). "Derek Fisher signs with Oklahoma City Thunder". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
Categories:
- Oklahoma City Thunder seasons
- 2011–12 NBA season by team
- Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons
- 2011 in sports in Oklahoma
- 2012 in sports in Oklahoma