Random NBA .GIF of the Day: Serge Ibaka forgot how to dunk.

Oops. A little too much iron on that one.

6 for 17 from the field and 2 missed dunks. It's okay, dude. I miss Russell Westbrook too.

Marc Gasol does not like to be touched.

Via: @cjzero

This is the face of a man that has just seen the ghost of Derek Fisher, God knows how therapy session he would have to go through before he can forget this traumatic, near-death experience. Pray for Marc.

Serge Ibaka gets a flagrant 1 for punching Blake Griffin in the groin.

Looks like Serge Ibaka took some notes from Nicholas Batum in the Summer Olympics game. After leading by as much as 19 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to crawl within three in the final 2 minutes, where Serge Ibaka hits Blake Griffin in a particularly sensitive region in their fight for rebounding position.

While the hit looked malicious, Serge was only given a flagrant 1 foul. Which really should been an ejection. I don't care if some of you conspiracy theorists that thought Ibaka might have missed, you are getting an ejection for any assault attempt at one's private area. No one should ever stoop that low (pun intended, of course).

But the foul didn't do the Thunder any good either. They end giving up a a 7 point possession to give the Clippers, their first lead of the game. However, things would go south again for the Clippers, as Serge would foul Blake out of the game on a 3 point play to really get the better him. What happened to "no bad deed goes unpunished." Did my mom lie again?

Caron Butler spikes Serge Ibaka's shot into the face of a NBA official.

This is the season of the NBA referees, you guys. I am telling you, in the history of NBA, there has not been so many referee related incidents. Earlier this season we had an official caught secretly working for the Miami Heat, then another one blocking free throw shots, one stalling games on national TV and one that danced Gangnam Style with a mascot. Finally, we have an innocent official getting a surprise from Caron Butler. I hope David Stern calls Derek Richardson (victim) tomorrow and give him a flop warning for that, because flinches resulting from actual hits can't put you on the floor. That is unless Caron Butler possesses an advanced, state of the art, biologically engineered arm that can send a man through the crust of the Earth and deep into the mantle. But that's probably impossible, so the only reasonable explanation is that, there must be something in the water of the LA Clippers facility that makes everyone exaggerate their body movements. In that case, I would like advise against Blake Griffin from drinking that water, he is way too hopped up on that stuff.

Nick Collison reveals what his Thunder teammates do on the plane.

In most NBA plane stories, it involves players sleeping, getting their picture taken while sleeping, and embarrassed on Twitter by their teammates. In other situations, a lot of gambling occurs on the plane, NBA players have an excessive amount of money, so it only makes sense they make their travel as enjoyable as possible, at least until someone doesn't pay up and they start fighting. The Oklahoma City Thunder are a unique team, and has some weird personalities. As one of the younger teams in the NBA, they often set unofficial new trends on and off the court, which includes things to do on plane rides as well. I will let Nick Collison, one of the more normal members of the Thunder to fill you in with the deets, or in this case, tweets.

From GQ:

@nickcollison4 What really goes on during team plane rides?
I'm on the plane right now, so let me fill you in. Kendrick Perkins is knitting a sweater. He's really into knitting. Scarves, sweaters, mittens, etc. Russell has his pottery wheel out again. It makes a mess but it helps him relax after games. He made me a vase. It's sooooo dope. Hasheem, Reggie, Perry, DeAndre and Jeremy Lamb are in a heated debate over which budget cuts congress needs to make in a debt reduction deal. Actually, it's kind of hard for me to write with all the yelling. Serge is painting a portrait of Thabo while Thabo paints a portrait of Serge painting a portrait of him. KD and Eric are playing Jenga, while all the coaches shoot dice.

I am pretty sure he's joking, because I can't possibly believe any of that. I am not doubting the possibility of their hidden artistic talents but some of those things don't work on the plane. Jenga and painting (I am guessing on canvas) is impossible with the turbulence. But I can totally see Russell Westbrook wearing his hipster glasses, and some sort a fancy scarf with a beret on his head doing pottery. Seems like very normal thing for Russell to do.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook handshake fail and other funny things in the OKC-LAL game.

This must be what they call a "Deja Vu." If you can still remember things back in 2010, there was a similar, nearly identical situation that occurred during a NBA game. The moment that I am referring to was the infamous Kevin Love and Wesley Matthew's awkward handshake, which you can view down below.

When this was first caught on tape, not only did it instantly become the joke of the NBA, it also spread like a wild fire across the internet, and inspired a series of hilarious commercials. I don't know if Russell Westbrook being Kevin Love's UCLA roomates and teammates had to do with it, maybe the Bruins don't teach students how to properly finish a handshake. Don't worry though, Russ did eventually get his high five. Kevin Durant is the real leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder and sometimes he has to let his team know that he is in charge. Even if it means punishing Russ for those ill-advised PUJITs, by leaving him hanging and embarrassing him on national television.

In other funny things: Kendrick Perkins have caught the Magic Johnson fever, trying another fancy pass in transition that will land him in Shaqtin' a Fool a second time in a row.

In FashionNews: My advice is to get a nice classic suit to avoid looking like these people. Who unfortunately has all the money in the world, but decides to dress like weirdos.

First up from the Motorcycle Gang x Rockstar collection: We have Russell Westbrook wearing a Marilyn Manson original. The purse is a must need accessory. (Via: @cjzero)

Then from the Summer collection, we have Steve Nash wearing a vest made out of Pink Panther fur to match Serge Ibaka's salmon pants. Cute. (Via: @jose3030 and @cjzero)

Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Brooklyn Nets [12/04/12]

Oklahoma City Thunder 117 - Brooklyn Nets 111

The Good

Thunder: OKC is never short of surprises, the young talent on this team just keeps improving. Serge Ibaka has already developed a nice mid range game and now Thabo Sefolosha is a legitimate threat from three. They do have the benefit of having Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant to draw defenses away for a ridiculous open look, but if they can keep this up, forget Harden. Losing him might turned out for the better.

It is evident that these guys love playing (BASKETBALL) with each other, just the synchronization of their defensive rotations shows the trust they have in their teammates. Add that with the length of each player, you can imagine how hard it is to make a pass inside, let alone getting an uncontested look in the paint. As for the offense, the Thunder shot 61 percent from the field in this game, if they were not getting easy looks from the Russ-KD pick and roll, they were getting free throws.

More on the two man game in the bad section of the Nets.

Nets: The short amount of time this team took to get things together is baffling. Although Avery Johnson's coaching is questionable at times, he has done a great job to implement all the new pieces his rich Russian owner got him. I mean, even Andray Blatche looks like a real NBA player, you got to give him credit for that.

Deron Williams is the key component of Brooklyn's offense. If he starts making his shots, everything else will follow. Consistency is an issue for Deron, one night he can show you why he is considered as the top candidate for the best point guard in the league and look completely average in another. But without Mr. Hair Helmet, his team scrambles to find a good shot in half court. His play making is vital, especially when Joe Johnson is not playing at the level that they expected from him.

Offensive rebounding and three point shooting kept them in the game. In the third quarter comeback, Avery went with a small line up that placed Gerald Wallace at the 4 to space out the Thunder defense. An issue arises for Serge Ibaka when he has to defend a 4 that can shoot, his tendency to stay in the paint to help after a pick and roll leaves his man at the top for open shots. As streaky as Gerald Wallace is, he knocked back to back to back threes to help outscore OKC by 11 in that quarter to be give them a real scare.

The Bad

Thunder: Considering how well the pick and roll/pop with Kevin Durant worked against the Nets defense, there were way to many Russell Westbrook isos. Having the second best player in the league watching you take a lower percentage shot is not an ideal possession.

The only other bad thing was KD missing a potential dunk of the year. This would have marked the end of Gerald Wallace's career.

Nets: Brooklyn's defense was not as bad as it sounded, they just didn't make the right adjustments for a team like OKC. Their biggest problem was over hedging. The purpose of hedging is for the defender of the screener (usually a forward) to show enough to deter the ball handler from driving into the basket and give your guy time to recover. Against an explosive guard like Russell Westbrook, it would only make sense to do this every time. But not when the screener is Kevin Durant, if you hedge for a second longer, a short pass from Russ will leave the NBA scoring champ open. It is really a pick your poison situation for the Nets, the best choice is to trust that your help will bail you out if Russ blows by D. Will.

Brook Lopez (Injury) is not good defender by any means, but the missing height in the front court definitely hurt them. And some inside scoring would have helped too.

Stephen Jackson threatens to go in Serge Ibaka's mouth.

We all know Stephen Jackson and Metta World Peace are bros, they played in Indiana together when MWP was still Ron Artest. They went through Malice in Palace together, and even though Stephen Jackson knew he was putting his NBA career in danger, he still fought with Ron Artest because he protects his family.

So when Serge Ibaka got a little too close in MWP's mug, Captain Jack took upon twitter to call him out.

While Jackson is not the most physically intimidating player compared to the likes of Ibaka, he is a real scrappy dude and everyone he played with have all said they wouldn't want to be on the opposite side in a fight. I have seen him beat dudes to a pulp and would never doubt his abilities, but if I was Serge Ibaka how are you suppose to be scared of a guy that admitted his guilty pleasure song was Ashlee Simpsons' pieces of me.

For real. That is actually what he said in the recent interview with ESPN. And apparently he listens to it right before games. My whole world just exploded, along with the coffee that I spewed out of my mouth when I read the article. I can not believe this, a guy that got into a club fight, hit by a car at 45 mph, lost all his teeth and had plastic surgery on his lip without anesthesia listens to Ashlee Simpson to relax before games. Excuse me while I curl up into a ball and allow this emotional roller coaster that I am experience to sit for a minute.

Notes: Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder [11/28/12]

Oklahoma City Thunder 120 - Houston Rockets 98

The Good

Thunder: They shot 54% from the field, everything fell into and through the hoop. Serge Ibaka's jump shot has noticeably improved, he went 11 of 13 for 23 points. Good Russell Westbrook showed up, he was somewhat under control (5 turnovers), his dribble penetration and usage of the screens makes the floor so much bigger for his teammates. The pick and roll tore up the porous Houston defense, Russ was given all the options. Depending the direction of the screener takes (in most cases, it is Serge Ibaka, but this works with Nick Collison too), he will read it and make the right decision. On top of that, Kevin Durant did the best Kevin Durant things, 37 points and got himself to the line.

On defense, they were in sync, their rotations can not be any better. The ball handler trap off the screen forced multiple turnovers. Every James Harden move was read to perfection, and prevented. He basically got blocked every time he tried his luck in the paint.

Rockets: Patrick Patterson (27 points) seems like a guy that can consistently help with the scoring load. He takes good shots and is decent in the low block. Omer Asik finally learned how to how to do a lay up, which will be useful in future. A sudden improvement in his offensive repertoire that goes under scouting reports can surprise a few teams.

The Bad

Thunder: I hate to say none, but they played a perfect game.

Rockets: The non-existent defense and bench play. They are mismatched in every position, Russ shattered Jeremy Lin and Kevin Durant torched any one within his parameter. On offense, they could not execute plays, once they get stuck in the OKC ball handler trap, they have already lost half of the shot clock. As a result, most shots came from isolations. They dribbled more than they passed and barely moved without the ball.

James Harden did try to do a lot on his own, and it obviously didn't work. He needs to get his teammates involved, or nothing will happen. Jeremy Lin is not quite ready to be a play maker, and with Russ draped all over him, his sub-par ball handling forced him to pass early. This team is still too young, they need time to develop and an answer to their identity crisis.

Kendrick Perkin refuses to sing with his teammates in a local commercial.

One thing you need to know is that Kendrick Perkins is serious all the time. It is not an act, he is serious 24/7 and will not break no matter the circumstances. On the other hand, we have Nick Collison, who is of course the most convincing salesman of the bunch, with his smooth voice and slick hair-do, who wouldn't be like the fellow below.

Sources: SB Nation