The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to reveal their city jersey tonight against the Washington Wizards. What we didn’t know is that the Oklahoma City Thunder were already supposed to wear the “City” jersey previously in the season. Paul George told me that the OKC “City” Jersey was supposed to be revealed against the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. Paul also was able to tell me that it was a Nike malfunction that prevented the team from debuting the jersey then. The Oklahoma City Thunder had to wait for Nike to redo the first batch of jerseys that were made because the material was ripping easily. With the second batch of jerseys that OKC wore tonight it was long overdue and Paul George definitely loved the new jersey just check the clip below.
With that being said Paul George also had put on the Nike PG1 “City” PE to compliment the jersey. The Nike PG2 was already past that “City” jersey moment and that was the reason why the PG1 was worn tonight. Nike has already whipped up some PG2 flavors for the Star and they will be hitting the court very soon.
I was able to talk to Carmelo Anthony and Paul George briefly about the direction of their sneaker lines. Paul George stole the show when it came to the debut of his PG1 in London and had the “Shoe of the Year” in a lot of sneakerheads minds hands down. Well, this weekend he topped the shutdown in London when he was able to debut the Nike PG2 in a collaboration with Sony PlayStation. Carmelo Anthony, on the other hand, has been going into his retro bag all of a sudden wearing the Melo 1.5. Melo has been with Jordan Brand his whole career and has had some dope sneakers over the years that had sneakerheads wanting more from his line. Check out below to see what both OKC Stars talked about as they gave me a look at their lines and the future of what’s to come for the public.
SR: I think you’ve had the best sneaker debuts as far as signiture athletes in my opinion with the PG1 and now following it up with the PG2.
PG: You think so? Well I appriciate that for real.
Below are the pictures of both the Nike PG1 (London) & Nike PG2 (Cleveland) in their debuts.
SR: What is the difference between the PG1 & PG2?
PG: As you can see we took the strap away from the forefront. We wanted to still keep that lock down feel with cuts and turns for all basketball players. Removing the strap also made it a lot easier to get in and out of the sneaker after wearing them. The biggest thing is the traction got a lot better. You won’t be doing any slipping or sliding in the PG2 as it’s very good performance wise. I wanted something lighter but also keep that glove-like material from the PG1.
SR: What can we expect from the Nike PG2 line now after the PlayStation debut the other night and the new PG2 tonight?
PG: We will be having a lot more Flavors for you guys coming really soon. The colorways are going to be endless on the PG2 its special but I can’t wait until the PG3. That’s going be the one right there man for that stamp of approval.
SR: I can’t wait to see the PG3 now but who does PG have winning the SuperBowl? You got my Patriots
PG: No comment on the PG3….(laughs) but I had the Jags beating you’ll this past weekend but since you guys won I’ll go with the Patriots to win the SuperBowl.
I was able to check out the Flavors that Paul George wore against the Nets and they’re extremely light. I love the endless possibilities with the materials whether it be patent leather, suede, leather, or etc. This will be one of those sneakers that everyone will want to hoop in just like the PG1. The color schemes are going to be dope and PE colorways that PG have lined up are sick. While I was holding the sneaker I realized the sock liner was a lot more cushioned and the sneaker has a very easy lacing system to get in and out of after wear. PG wanted this sneaker to be based on performance but it still gives you that street appeal as well which made the PG1 so EPIC. I told him this was the best Nike collab since the Nike KD 4 Nerf and he was definitely happy with the input. Overall PG is one of the most humble stars and I’m looking forward to the growth in his line and his game as time goes by. Can’t wait to see more colorways on the PG2 and can’t wait to see the PG3 he was hyped up about it but we got a long way to go before those flavors.
Carmelo talked to me about the direction of the Melo line line a couple weeks ago as you can watch below. After watching that check out what Melo let me know is in store for his line for the consumers.
Carmelo is one of the best players to go to for quotes and he was able to give me a couple of gems after the win against the Nets.
SR: Everyone is feeling those Melo 1.5s that you been wearing including players. They’re definitely dope is JB coming back with any retros?
CA: Yeah I been wearing the 1.5s getting into some of the retros now. Be on the lookout after All Star Weekend the 1.5 will be dropping.
SR: Wasn’t the plan after the M13 to get you wearing the Jordan Retros like Ray Allen and etc?
CA: That was initally the plan but why wear the Jordan Retros when I have my own Retros after playing for 15 years and I’m comfortable with them.
SR: My favorite Melo all-time is the Melo 5.5s I can’t wait for those to come back.
CA: Just wait until next year for those
Photo by (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Thunder dominated the Lakers from the tip of this game and didn’t look back at all. The Lakers were trying to keep pace with the Thunder Big 3 but just couldn’t. Julius Randle led the team with 16 points and was able to keep them within 10 points until Carmelo Anthony took over the game. The Lakers were playing without Lonzo Ball but thats no excuse as you have to hold the players accountable as professionals. The Thunder noticed that they were without Ball and exposed every mismatch that was present. The Lakers haven’t won a game with Lonzo out of the lineup and tonight wasn’t any different tonight.
The Thunder were able to do anything they wanted tonight inside and outside the paint. Russell Westbrook was able to bully any Laker that was guading him and made it tough on them. The best thing about this Thunder team this season is the fact that they have 3 players that demand double teams. George, Anthony, and Westbrook all demand more attention and that opened up things for Steven Adams in the paint. When Adams gets the chance to establish the paint like he did tonight against Lopez nobody can stop this Thunder team. While Adams is clogging the paint that is opening more chances for the Big 3 and other players to create and score. The Big 3 combined for 61 points tonight and were able to get involved on the defensive and offensive end at the same time. It was great to get Roberson back into the mix tonight on the defensive end as he was able to help on the back end and help OKC vocally as well.
Overall this team is special to watch when everyone is on the same page and clicking on the defensive/offensive end.
The Thunder were coming into this game against the Sacramento Kings trying to build off the win against the Hornets over the weekend. OKC was able to play to their strengths and attack inside the paint with ease. When the Thunder have the chance to attack the paint like they did tonight that makes everything easier for the offense. The Thunder had 5 players in double figures tonight and were able to get everyone involved and they got the ball movement going smoothly. The Big 3 of Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony combined for 57 points on the night and were able to get into a groove on offense. Paul George has found his rythym in this offense and has been able to create for himself and his teammates on both ends of the floor. The way that George can impact the game on each end gives the Thunder a huge advantage night in and night out in his SF matchups. Not a lot of small forwards are knockdown shooters and lockdown defenders at the same time and George showed his worth tonight. George had 5 steals in the game and was able to use his defense to get his offense going in the right direction.
Carmelo Anthony took over the game in that 3rd quarter and it seemed as though Russell Westbrook and the Thunder were looking for Melo. When your shot is going in like it did for Melo tonight you can finish a quarter with 15 points. When Melo is on fire like that it’s very hard to get him out of his rhytym or his game. Carmelo and Paul both had mismatches and were able to use their size and quickness off the dribble to punish the Kings. Russell Westbrook took over the game like he always does when OKC needs it and almost finished with a triple double coming up just shy of his 10 assist on the night. De’Aaron Fox couldn’t check Russell Westbrook all night and it was very obvious that OKC knew where to go with the mismatches. Russell Westbrook has improved on his mid-range jumper and he’s also improved on getting his teammates in their hot spots since the beginning of the season. Late in the 4th Russell Westbrook was ejected from the game as he drove to the basket and got hit in the face but didn’t get a foul call instead he got a travel. He got up pissed off and went to the referee who then tossed him with a double tech.
The Kings tried to make a late game rally at the end but Buddy Hields 16 points weren’t enough to help the Kings get the late game win after Westbrook exited the game. The Kings couldn’t hit anything tonight and struggled from the field in crucial moments. The Thunder struggled as well but turned it up when they needed too all throughout the game.
The Thunder will be facing the Lakers on Wednesday and want to continue this win streak heading into Cleveland for Saturday.
Yesterday before Lebron James & the cleveland Cavs hit the court to take on the Boston Celtics King James gave us a look at the upcoming Nike Lebron Zoom Generation SVSM colorway this colorway is dedicated to Lebron James fighting Irish High School basketball team that being these are set to release sometime in March no exact release date has been confirmed as of yet as soon as an exact release date is announced Sneakerreporter.com will have it here for you. Peep The Gallery To see Detailed Images Of The Upcoming Nike Zoom Generation SVSM. (more…)
