Berry Tramel

Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel

Oklahoma City Thunder: Who played well vs. Memphis? May 17, 2013 The Memphis series is over, and it’s time to study some plus/minus numbers for the Thunder. Did anyone play well? The answer is yes, and some of the numbers will surprise you. For instance, no surprise that Kendrick Perkins had the worst plus/minus for the Thunder: -40. Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Kendrick Perkins knows about playoff injuries May 17, 2013 Kendrick Perkins was reminded Thursday that this Thunder season isn’t the first time an injury potentially cost him an NBA championship. In 2010, Perkins suffered torn knee ligaments in the first quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. His Celtics led the Lakers three games to two, but LA won Game 6, then rallied to... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Lunch chat May 17, 2013 The Thunder conducted post-season interviews Thursday during my scheduled time for the lunch chat, so I was absent without leave. But I copied the questions and am now prepared to answer them. Thanks for holding out with me. B: Is there a big man out there the Thunder will seriously considering going after this... Read More

Power Lunch: Chat with Berry Tramel

May 16, 2013 Power Lunch: Chat with columnist Berry Tramel Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Analyzing Game 5

May 16, 2013 Well, it’s over, this Thunder season ending just like we knew it would, ever since Russell Westbrook’s injury. Somewhere short of the NBA Finals. I don’t know if looking back at a season-ending game matters, but if it does, here’s what I heard and saw from the Thunder’s 88-84 loss to Memphis: * I’ve... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Amnesty Kendrick Perkins?

May 16, 2013 The question of the day in Thunderville shifts to Kendrick Perkins. Will the Thunder consider cutting Perk through the amnesty clause of the new collective bargaining agreement. Jon Hamm is a reader and an Oklahoman who is a contributor t0 Larry Coon’s website that tries to decipher the NBA’s collective... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Houston TravelBlog May 16, 2013 I’ve been derelict in my duties. I’ve been slow to post travel blogs, which some readers really like. I’m really good at it with college football, but the NBA playoffs are such a grind, I get behind. So I’ll try to do better. Starting here with Houston. We headed to Houston on April 26 for two... Read More

NBA: Oklahoman Sam Hinkie handed 76er reins May 15, 2013 The Thunder got the opening tip of overtime in Game 4 in Memphis, and I immediately thought of Sam Hinkie. Hinkie, 35, is the new president and general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. He comes from Marlow High School; Stephens County is one of Oklahoma’s more hoops-deprived counties. Pontotoc County it... Read More

Big 12: Kansas State's magical year May 15, 2013 Kansas State leads the Big 12 baseball race with only weekend left in the season, and the Wildcats have a healthy lead. The only way KSU doesn’t win the conference is if OU sweeps three games from K-State. If KSU wins just one of three, it secures at least a tie for the title, with OSU or West Virginia needing to... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Analyzing Game 4

May 14, 2013 The Thunder is one loss away from season’s end. Memphis beat the Thunder 103-97 in overtime Monday night to take total command of the Western Conference semifinal series. Here’s what I saw and heard: * Memphis’ defensive plan on Kevin Durant clearly is working. It seems to come down to this. 1. Use... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Could Reggie Jackson be the next James Harden?

May 14, 2013 Kevin Martin stepped into James Harden’s role this season for the Thunder. Reggie Jackson stepped into Russell Westbrook’s role this posteason for the Thunder. But Jackson next season might step into Harden’s/Martin’s role. If Martin doesn’t re-sign with the Thunder, the Thunder will be in need of a... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Series amazingly close

May 13, 2013 The Thunder-Grizzlies series is amazingly close through three games. Hard to imagine how a series could be closer. It’s not that we have dramatic finishes, necessarily, which we had in Game 1 and virtually had in Games 2 and 3. But the games are close throughout the entire 48 minutes. Through three games,... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Shades of 2011

May 13, 2013 The Thunder is in peril as Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals arrive Monday night. But is the Thunder in any worse shape than against Memphis in the 2011 West semis? The Thunder is down two games to one and struggling to find offense. There’s not much optimism outside the Thunder circle that OKC can... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant & the Beatles May 13, 2013 We’ve written extensively about Kevin Durant going into Game 4 of the OKC-Memphis series. I wrote a column about Durant needing more shots, which you can read here, and Mayberry RFD wrote an analysis of Durant needing to do more even though he’s doing a ton. You can read that here. One of our readers... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Analyzing Game 3

May 12, 2013 My first post-game email after the Thunder’s 87-81 loss to the Grizzlies concerned someone bashing Kendrick Perkins. So might as well get right to it. Seems like it’s all anyone cares about. So, OK. Perk played 16:51, after playing 34:16 and 24:13 the first two games of this series. With Perkins, the... Read More

Oklahoma State football: Wes Lunt's departure means what?

May 10, 2013 Quarterback Wes Lunt is transferring from OSU, and a three-man QB derby becomes a two-man derby that really is a two-man job. It seems quite clear that Clint Chelf will start the 2013 as the Cowboy starter, with J.W. Walsh set to be a situational quarterback for short-yardage and goal-line situations. In other... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Translating Russell Westbrook May 10, 2013 Russell Westbrook was charming and insightful through his 17-minute press conference Thursday morning. You know. Unlike anything we’ve ever seen from Westbrook, as I wrote for the Friday Oklahoman, which you can read here. But that doesn’t mean Westbrook went all that off script from the Thunder’s sanitized... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Readers respond to Russell Westbrook May 10, 2013 Russell Westbrook displayed a new personality Thursday in his first press conference since knee surgery on April 27 ended his season. I wrote about the different Westbrook for the Friday Oklahoman, which you can read here. I tried to capture Westbrook’s demeanor, both pre- and post-injury. I worried that the... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Who wins the West?

May 09, 2013 The Western Conference semifinals have gotten awfully interesting. Both series are tied 1-1 (heck, both East series are 1-1, also, though we know which way Miami-Chicago is going). And the Warriors’ stunning performance against San Antonio has opened a whole new world in the West. The Thunder’s loss of... Read More

Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops right & wrong about the SEC

May 09, 2013 Bob Stoops has taken on the Godzilla of sport. No. Not the Miami Heat. SEC football. Stoops had the audacity to say that the SEC’s current status as the kingpin of college football is the result of “propaganda.” Silly thing to say, because you can’t win that one. To the victor goes the spoils, and the SEC... Read More