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OKC Thunder Sunday Social Swag and Shade - Zaza This

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:54 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Tamberlyn Richardson/FanSided via Thunderous Intentions

January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (27) fouls Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) receiving a flagrant foul during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday has arrived and therefore it’s time for TI’s weekly OKC Thunder column: Sunday Social Swag and Shade. Edition 3 features the best in social media for the week of January 16th through 22nd.

Every Sunday on Thunderous Intentions we dive into social media to capture the best of the week in social media. Moreover, as the title suggests ‘Swag and Shade’  selects the best in tweets, vines, snap chats etc which tend to fall in one of the two categories.

I  hope you enjoy this week’s compilation and invite viewers to submit your suggestions  to Thunderous Intentions twitter and facebook pages.  for next week and interact with us

With that, I give you the best of OKC Thunder Swag and Shade from the week of January 16th through 22nd.

Clearly this week’s column will reflect two major OKC Thunder events: the second game versus the Golden State Warriors and Russell Westbrook’s snub from the All-Star Game starting lineup.  Suffice to say, as I began preparing the column I wondered if Episode 3 would be just a shade and shade column given the week that was, but mixed in with all the shade there were definitive swag moments.

Shade:

Westbrook Omission from All-Star Starting Line-up Shade:

Though Zaza Pachulia will offer plenty of fodder for this segment of today’s column, undeniably the shade of the week by far was Russell Westbrook‘s omission from the starting lineup of the All-Star Game.

Reaction to the snub:

Leave it to Kanter to make the most obvious statement:

One evening prior to All-Star Game starter announcements, the Thunder played their second game at Oracle this season.  Going in there was already plenty to focus on with no Steven Adams and the on-going Durant-Westbrook feud.

Little did we know there would be so much shade inspired pre and post game, but it was the Zaza shot heard round the world that caused the most commotion.

January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0, right) dunks the basketball past Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Warriors Pregame Shade:

Whether some of these tweets were real or just fans showcasing creative thinking, they merit inclusion just for their audacity and humor.

Although pregame activity was filled with plenty of shade, no one expected the game would play out in the manner it did. Without Steven Adams most pundits and analysts had the Thunder getting the smack down early.

When the half arrived and the teams were tied at 56 it showcased just how much the OKC Thunder and Westbrook are inspired to beat the Warriors.

Yet, it was the Zaza shot (and,no I don’t mean an alcoholic drink) which blew up social media during and after the game.

Zaza Takes a shot at Westbrook:

At the time of the incident most of the Thunder players backs were turned away. That said, I’m of the opinion one of his teammates should have stepped up and taken a technical foul, just to let the Warriors know this action was unacceptable to the team.

Even the reaction of the fake tough Warriors is unacceptable. Steph Curry is seen laughing when the referee explains the flagrant to Steve Kerr. You can see Draymond Green clapping in the background following the incident.

You can bet Zaza would have thought twice about it if Steven Adams was in the game or on the court. Moving forward, Westbrook made it known post game, he won’t forget the incident. Clearly, February 11th at the Peake, just got a heck of a lot more interesting.

The post game commentary was rife with sarcasm and shade to which Zaza just couldn’t resist adding even more salt to the wound….

As per Tim Bontemps’ article when Zaza was aked if he was looking forward to the February 11th meeting in OKC:

“You know, what? Honestly, I don’t care about next month’s OKC game,” Pachulia said. “All I care about is the next game. It was our 42nd game, we have 40 more to go. So we can’t be waiting for next month’s game.

“Every game is so important, because we have a bigger goal than OKC does: to win the championship. They’re just trying to make the playoffs. Nothing wrong [with that] … I’ve been on that side, too. Nothing wrong with it. But there is amazing talent in this locker room, and as a part of this team. I’m going to worry about this team.”

More from Bontemps (on Zaza’s response to Westbrook saying he would be looking for payback):

Kevin Garnett had a previous altercation versus Zaza himself. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like he calls out Pachulia for being a guy who does it for the accolades on court, but walks past you with his head down on the way to the bus.

Stephen A.’s Durant Shade:

Stephen A.  Smith has often found himself on my own personal shade list. The irony is half the time he says something I agree with and the other half he says such outrageous things I want to bang my head against a wall.

Notably in the above video Stephen A. tells viewers that Durant did in fact say he left OKC because he didn’t believe he could win with Westbrook.

Moreover the point is made, the manner in which  Durant left (read: cowardly) without giving Westbrook a heads up left Russ as the one having to  answer why KD left.  Suffice to say, February 11th, can’t come soon enough for Thunder fans!

Jan 11, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) reacts after a play when he was hit in the mouth against the Memphis Grizzlies during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of these two big incidents there was other shade tossed around this week.

Kanter Shade at Trump:

Man, Enes Kanter is starting to become a player I’m equally intrigued by on or off the court.

Kanter had a difficult time hiding his horror over the air ball free throw tossed up by DeAndre Jordan.

Although it didn’t fall under the two main categories of shade this week, I have to admit it made me laugh out loud!

Warrior fan’s signs shade:

The following tweet by Shea Serrano offers the perfect example of an understatement. After all, these fans are in and around Silicon Valley, right?

ESPN Stat:

Not sure if this truly falls into the shade category,  but it does deserve mention given it punctuates just how difficult it is for Westbrook to get assists.

I’ve been debating this with a couple of the BBoyz (and Harden fans) for months. Simply put, exchange Westbrook to Houston and Harden to OKC and what would their assist totals be?

I’d wager money Russ would be on pace to set a historic seasonal assist average while Harden might still be doing well, but likely not near his same average.

With this much shade, and difficult as it is to believe there was plenty of swag this week as well.

January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the basketball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Andre Roberson (21) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

I’d be remiss not to touch on the great man and what he meant to each and everyone of us. With the current state of unrest, this day and MLK Jr.’s message has never been more relevant.

Like Christmas Day, MLK Day has become synonomous with the NBA. Each team celebrates and honors Martin Luther King Jr. in their own way. Here’s was the OKC Thunder tribute

OKC Thunder Fan Swag:

While OKC Thunder fans knew it was a long shot for anyone other than Westbrook to make the All-Star team it’s still great to see the fan base fully support the OKC Thunder. This tweet by LaKisha Harris was one of many who did exactly that.

Aside: the article mentioned below is a must read if you haven’t caught it yet: TI’s own Jeremy Lambert drops an amazing rap with Steven Adams as his subject:

More Fan Swag:

Ashley Holcomb sums up what many of us were thinking watching the Russ daggers sent Durant’s way:

Cute fan swag:

Roberson D and D Swag:

If you could give any player on the Thunder a consistent shooting stroke (even from mid range) is there anyone more deserving than Andre Roberson? His defense keeps the Thunder relevant in games and is often over looked simply because his offense is limited. This video however is a nice homage to Roberson’s dunks and blocks this season.

One more on Roberson’s defense as Full Court Prez pointed out his stellar defense on three different Warriors (almost Kawhi-like) in just one possession:

Moving forward with the Swag section, one OKC Thunder player was featured almost as much as Westbrook this week and was extremely active in social media.

Mar 28, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (34) reacts from the bench area during the first half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Just like Zaza could have filled the entire S&S column today, likewise Enes Kanter offered plenty of fodder this week especially in the Swag section. Whether he was being philanthropic, defending Westbrook or cooking up a storm, Kanter was everywhere this week.

Kanter Swag:

Enes trip to hospital

Enes was busy during this rare 4-days with no games as he took a family shopping:

I just can’t, this is so funny:

Speaking of Enes he sure did his fair share of supporting Westbrook this week, actively retweeting to get Westbrook in to the All-Star Game (in what might be the coolest, swaggiest NBA All-Star tweet):

After what was a tough week at the office, it’s time to pay the cyborg, better known as Russell Westbrook his appropriately due Swag:

January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Westbrook Swag:

This past week may have felt like Westbrook was the top shade target (not from Thunder fans), so it feels only appropriate to finish this segment with a few selections of Russell Swag.

Though the Thunder lost the game there were still major pluses to take away from Oakland, including OKC’s first half defense. Of course Westbrook did his best to keep the team in it and still delivered an incredible performance highlighted by an incredible block and dunk (hee hee) over Durant:

For  those wondering what Russell did the day after discovering he would not start in the All-Star Game:

And finally….

Remember to Interact with Thunderous Intentions on social media and you could end up featured in next week’s Sunday Social Swag and Shade.

More from Thunderous Intentions

That wraps up the very busy  Swag and Shade week of January 16th through 22nd. This coming week the Thunder are back on the road to play an important match versus the Jazz. They’ll also travel to New Orleans and Cleveland with one home game in the middle versus Dallas.  Enjoy your week and remember to return next Sunday for the best social media of the week.

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