2012–13 Oklahoma City Thunder season
The 2012–13 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 5th season of the franchise in Oklahoma City and the 47th in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After their trip to the NBA Finals, despite losing the Finals to the Miami Heat in five games, the Thunder improved on last season's output, winning 60 games, earning them the top seed in the Western Conference. The first round pitted the Thunder against the eight-seeded Houston Rockets, led by James Harden, a former Thunder player. Despite a season-ending injury to Russell Westbrook in game 2, the Thunder still managed to breeze past the Rockets in six games, to advance to the next round, where they faced the Memphis Grizzlies. The absence of Westbrook, however, affected the Thunder and they would end up losing to the Grizzlies in five games.
| 2012–13 Oklahoma City Thunder season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Scott Brooks |
| General manager | Sam Presti |
| Owners | Professional Basketball Club LLC |
| Arena | Chesapeake Energy Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 60–22 (.732) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Northwest) Conference: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference Semi-finals (Lost to Grizzlies 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Oklahoma |
| Radio | |
Key dates
- June 28: The 2012 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Draft picks
Going into the draft on June 28, 2012, the Thunder retained only their first-round draft pick, their 2012 second-round selection having been previously traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the acquisition of Lazar Hayward.[1]
The Thunder used their first-round pick (#28 overall) and only pick to select forward Perry Jones III from Baylor University.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Perry Jones III | PF |  United States |
Baylor |
Off-season
Head athletic trainer for the Thunder Joe Sharpe was named as one of the medical staff members for USA Basketball's Olympic team in London.[2]
In May 2012, Thunder shooting guard James Harden was selected to the 18-man preliminary roster for the USA Olympic basketball team, joining teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.[3] On July 7, 2012, all three were announced as members of the final 12-man roster representing the USA in the London Olympic Games.[4]
In addition, Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, a naturalized Spanish citizen, was named to Spain's Olympic basketball team for 2012, making four Thunder players represented at the 2012 Olympics.
Late on October 27, 2012, the Thunder and the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade that sent G James Harden, C Cole Aldrich, G/F Daequan Cook and F Lazar Hayward to Houston in exchange for G Kevin Martin, G Jeremy Lamb, Houston's 2013 first-round draft pick, the Toronto Raptors's 2013 first-round pick (acquired in the Kyle Lowry trade) and the Charlotte Bobcats's 2013 second-round draft pick.
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Pre-season
| 2012 pre-season game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 4–3 (Home: 4–0; Road: 0–3)
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| 2012–13 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Game log
Standings
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c-Oklahoma City Thunder | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 34–7 | 26–15 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x-Denver Nuggets | 57 | 25 | .695 | 3 | 38–3 | 19–22 | 11–5 | 82 |
| Utah Jazz | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17 | 30–11 | 13–28 | 9–7 | 82 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 27 | 22–19 | 11–30 | 6–10 | 82 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 31 | 51 | .378 | 29 | 20–21 | 11–30 | 4–12 | 82 |
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c-Oklahoma City Thunder * | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs * | 58 | 24 | .707 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x-Denver Nuggets * | 57 | 25 | .695 | 3.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y-Los Angeles Clippers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x-Memphis Grizzlies | 56 | 26 | .683 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x-Golden State Warriors | 47 | 35 | .573 | 13.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x-Houston Rockets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Dallas Mavericks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Portland Trail Blazers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 27.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 31 | 51 | .378 | 29.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Sacramento Kings | 28 | 54 | .341 | 32.0 | 82 |
| 14 | New Orleans Hornets | 27 | 55 | .329 | 33.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 25 | 57 | .305 | 35.0 | 82 |
Playoffs
| 2013 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–1)
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Conference Semi-finals: 1–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 0–2)
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| 2013 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Injuries and surgeries
In July 2012, center Kendrick Perkins underwent surgeries for a torn ligament in his left wrist as well as a right groin muscle, both injuries suffered during the 2012 playoffs.[5]
Transactions
On June 26, 2012, the NBA assigned the Thunder's 2013 second-round draft selection to the Boston Celtics in compensation for a lack of information disclosure in the February 2011 trade that sent Jeff Green to Boston.[6]
On July 4, 2012, the Thunder announced they had reached a two-year agreement with unrestricted free agent center Hasheem Thabeet, at a reported minimum NBA salary (approximately $880,000 in 2012–13).[7]
Also on July 4, the Thunder announced a four-year contract extension for head coach Scott Brooks, keeping Brooks under contract with the team through the 2015–16 season with total compensation reported at $18 million.[8]
On August 18, 2012, the Thunder signed a four-year contract extension with forward Serge Ibaka, paying him a reported $48 million and keeping Ibaka under contract through the 2016–17 season.[9]
Overview
| Players added
Via draft Via free agency
Via trade |
Players lost
Via trade Via free agency |
- a Cut from the roster during the pre-season.
Trades
| October 27, 2012 | To Oklahoma City Thunder
Jeremy Lamb Kevin Martin 2013 top-3 protected Toronto first-round pick 2013 top-20 protected Dallas first-round pick 2013 Charlotte second-round pick |
To Houston Rockets
Cole Aldrich Daequan Cook James Harden Lazar Hayward |
Free agents
| Additions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Date signed | Former team |
| Hasheem Thabeet | July 11 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| DeAndre Liggins | September 12 | Orlando Magic |
| Subtractions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Date signed | New team |
| Nazr Mohammed | July 27 | Chicago Bulls |
| Royal Ivey | July 27 | Philadelphia 76ers |
References
- "Timberwolves Trade Lazar Hayward to Oklahoma City". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 13, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- "USA Basketball Announces 2012 Men's National Team Medical Staff". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. June 27, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- "James Harden, Anthony Davis Added To Olympic Pool". CBS Local Media Inc. Associated Press. May 3, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- "USA Basketball announces final roster for 2012 Olympics". www.nba.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 7, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
- "Thunder's Perkins has surgery on left wrist". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- Mayberry, Darnell (June 26, 2012). "OKC Thunder loses second-round pick to Boston". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- Mayberry, Darnell (July 4, 2012). "OKC Thunder, Hasheem Thabeet agree on two-year deal". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- Mayberry, Darnell (July 4, 2012). "OKC Thunder: Scott Brooks' bond with players key to new deal". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
- Wojnarowski, Adrian (August 18, 2012). "Serge Ibaka reaches agreement on four-year extension with Oklahoma City". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 7, 2012.