The 2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 4th season of the franchise's existence in Oklahoma City as a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
| 2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder season | |
|---|---|
Conference champions | |
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Scott Brooks |
| General manager | Sam Presti |
| Owners | Professional Basketball Club LLC |
| Arena | Chesapeake Energy Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 47–19 (.712) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Northwest) Conference: 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (lost to Heat 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Oklahoma |
| Radio | |
The Thunder continued to build on recent success in previous years by making the NBA Playoffs, first defeating and sweeping the defending NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks, in four games in the First Round, then defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the Semi-finals, and finally, defeated the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Western Conference finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996, when the club was based in Seattle.
In the NBA Finals, the Thunder faced off against the Big Three-led Miami Heat, who made an appearance in the previous NBA Finals, but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Despite winning Game 1 in the NBA Finals, the Thunder would then go on to lose the next four games and the NBA Finals against the Heat.
Other season highlights included forward Kevin Durant's third consecutive NBA scoring title, and Durant being named the MVP of the All-Star Game. Following the season, James Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets.
Offseason
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Reggie Jackson | PG |  United States | Boston College |
The Thunder had only their own first-round pick entering the draft.[1] The Thunder traded their 2011 second-round pick in the Latavious Williams trade with the Miami Heat back in 2010.[2] The Thunder ended 2011 NBA draft night with Boston College guard Reggie Jackson.[3]
Trades
On December 13, the Thunder traded Robert Vaden, a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 second-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Lazar Hayward. Presti said on Hayward that his "toughness, length, and shooting are attributes that will add depth to our roster."[4]
On December 19, the Thunder traded Byron Mullens to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for a 2013 second-round pick. Mullens only played in 26 games over two seasons being stuck behind Kendrick Perkins, Nazr Mohammed and Cole Aldrich.[5]
Free agency
For this offseason, free agency began on December 9, 2011, due to the 2011 NBA lockout. Daequan Cook was set to hit restricted free agency. On December 9, Cook agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million deal to re-sign with the Thunder.[6][7] On December 13, Ryan Reid signed a deal with the Thunder. Reid was originally selected 57th overall in the 2010 NBA draft but did not a sign a contract in the 2010–11 season, instead playing the season with the Tulsa 66ers.[8]
On December 24, the Thunder waived Nate Robinson. Robinson opted to stay in his hometown Seattle after spending most of his Thunder tenure on the bench.[9][10]
Roster
| 2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
Division
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Oklahoma City Thunder | 47 | 19 | .712 | – | 26–7 | 21–12 | 10–3 | 66 |
| x-Denver Nuggets | 38 | 28 | .576 | 9.0 | 20–13 | 18–15 | 6–7 | 66 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 36 | 30 | .545 | 11.0 | 25–8 | 11–22 | 9–4 | 66 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 28 | 38 | .424 | 19.0 | 20–13 | 8–25 | 4–10 | 66 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 26 | 40 | .394 | 21.0 | 13–20 | 13–20 | 4–9 | 66 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2011 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
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| 2011–12 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2012 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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Conference Semi-finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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Conference finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
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NBA Finals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2012 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Aldrich | 26 | 0 | 6.7 | 52.4% | - | 92.9% | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2.2 |
| Nick Collison | 63 | 0 | 20.7 | 59.7% | 0.0% | 71.0% | 4.3 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 4.5 |
| Daequan Cook | 57 | 22 | 17.4 | 36.8% | 34.6% | 63.6% | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 5.5 |
| Kevin Durant | 66 | 66 | 38.6 | 49.6% | 38.7% | 86.0% | 8.0 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 28.0 |
| Derek Fisher ≠ | 20 | 0 | 20.4 | 34.3% | 31.4% | 92.9% | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 4.9 |
| James Harden | 62 | 2 | 31.4 | 49.1% | 39.0% | 84.6% | 4.1 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 16.8 |
| Lazar Hayward | 26 | 0 | 5.4 | 34.2% | 28.6% | 58.3% | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| Serge Ibaka | 66 | 66 | 27.2 | 53.5% | 33.3% | 66.1% | 7.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 9.1 |
| Royal Ivey | 34 | 0 | 10.4 | 35.6% | 34.0% | 12.5% | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| Reggie Jackson | 45 | 0 | 11.1 | 32.1% | 21.0% | 86.2% | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 3.1 |
| Eric Maynor | 9 | 0 | 15.2 | 35.9% | 35.3% | 100% | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.2 |
| Nazr Mohammed | 63 | 1 | 11.0 | 46.7% | 0.0% | 56.5% | 2.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2.7 |
| Kendrick Perkins | 65 | 65 | 26.8 | 48.9% | - | 65.2% | 6.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 5.1 |
| Ryan Reid ‡ | 5 | 0 | 3.4 | 80.0% | - | - | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Thabo Sefolosha | 42 | 42 | 21.8 | 43.2% | 43.7% | 88.4% | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 4.8 |
| Russell Westbrook | 66 | 66 | 35.3 | 45.7% | 31.6% | 82.3% | 4.6 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 23.6 |
- Led team in statistic
After all games.[11]
‡ Waived during the season
† Traded during the season
≠ Acquired during the season
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Aldrich | 5 | 0 | 5.0 | 44.4% | - | 50.0% | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Nick Collison | 20 | 0 | 16.6 | 64.7% | - | 42.9% | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 3.5 |
| Daequan Cook | 16 | 0 | 6.8 | 37.8% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| Kevin Durant | 20 | 20 | 41.9 | 51.7% | 37.3% | 86.4% | 7.4 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 28.5 |
| Derek Fisher | 20 | 0 | 22.3 | 41.5% | 37.5% | 100% | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 6.3 |
| James Harden | 20 | 0 | 31.5 | 43.5% | 41.0% | 85.7% | 5.1 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 16.3 |
| Lazar Hayward | 5 | 0 | 3.6 | 66.7% | - | - | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Serge Ibaka | 20 | 20 | 28.5 | 52.8% | 25.0% | 72.2% | 5.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 9.8 |
| Royal Ivey | 5 | 0 | 4.2 | 36.4% | 40.0% | 50.0% | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| Nazr Mohammed | 8 | 0 | 10.4 | 50.0% | - | 50.0% | 2.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.3 |
| Kendrick Perkins | 20 | 20 | 25.9 | 41.6% | - | 80.0% | 6.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 4.7 |
| Thabo Sefolosha | 20 | 20 | 22.3 | 40.2% | 32.7% | 88.9% | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 5.3 |
| Russell Westbrook | 20 | 20 | 38.4 | 43.5% | 27.7% | 80.2% | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 23.1 |
- Led team in statistic
After all games.[12]
Individual game highs
| Category | Player | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals Made | Kevin Durant | 19 vs Nuggets on February 19, 2012 |
| Threes Made | James Harden Daequan Cook Kevin Durant Kevin Durant James Harden Kevin Durant | 5 vs Pistons on January 23, 2012 5 vs Warriors on February 7, 2012 5 vs Nuggets on February 19, 2012 5 vs Magic on March 1, 2012 5 vs Suns on April 18, 2012 5 vs Nuggets on April 25, 2012 |
| Free Throws Made | Kevin Durant | 5 vs Kings on April 24, 2012 |
| Double-Doubles | Kevin Durant | 18 |
| Triple-Doubles | Serge Ibaka | 1 |
Awards and records
Awards
| Date | Player | Award |
|---|---|---|
| January 3, 2012 | Kevin Durant (1/3)[13] | December 25–January 1 Player of the Week[a] |
| January 30, 2012 | Russell Westbrook (1/2)[14] | January 23–29 Player of the Week[b] |
| February 2, 2012 | Kevin Durant[15] | All-Star[c] |
| February 9, 2012 | Russell Westbrook[16] | All-Star[d] |
| February 11, 2012 | Scott Brooks[17] | Western Conference All-Star Head Coach[e] |
| February 13, 2012 | Russell Westbrook (2/2)[18] | February 6–12 Player of the Week[f] |
| February 20, 2012 | Kevin Durant (2/3)[19] | February 13–19 Player of the Week[g] |
| March 2, 2012 | Kevin Durant (1/2)[20] | February Player of the Month[h] |
| March 26, 2012 | Kevin Durant (3/3)[21] | March 19–25 Player of the Week[i] |
| April 4, 2012 | Kevin Durant (2/2)[22] | March Player of the Month[j] |
| May 10, 2012 | James Harden[23] | Sixth Man of the Year[k] |
| May 23, 2012 | Serge Ibaka[24] | All-Defensive First Team[l] |
| May 24, 2012 | Kevin Durant[25] | All-NBA First Team[m] |
| May 24, 2012 | Russell Westbrook[26] | All-NBA Second Team[n] |
Injuries
| Player | Duration | Injury | Games missed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||
| Thabo Sefolosha | January 3, 2012 | January 6, 2012 | Flu-like symptoms | 1 |
| Eric Maynor | January 8, 2012 | November 1, 2012 | Torn right ACL | 57 |
| Thabo Sefolosha | January 30, 2012 | March 13, 2012 | Right foot surgery | 22 |
| Kendrick Perkins | February 17, 2012 | February 19, 2012 | Knee contusion | 1 |
| James Harden | February 20, 2012 | February 22, 2012 | Sore ankle | 1 |
| Nick Collison | February 20, 2012 | February 29, 2012 | Quad contusion | 3 |
| Daequan Cook | March 21, 2012 | April 1, 2012 | Right MCL sprain | 6 |
| James Harden | April 13, 2012 | April 14, 2012 | Sore right knee | 1 |
| James Harden | April 24, 2012 | April 28, 2012 | Concussion | 2 |
Transactions
Overview
| Players Added Via draft Via trade Via free agency
| Players Lost Via trade Waived |
Trades
| December 13, 2011[27] | To Oklahoma City Thunder Lazar Hayward | To Minnesota Timberwolves Robert Vaden 2012 second-round pick 2013 second-round pick |
| December 19, 2011[28] | To Oklahoma City Thunder 2013 second-round pick | To Charlotte Bobcats Byron Mullens |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Date | Player | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| December 9, 2011 | Daequan Cook[29] | Multi-Year Contract |
| January 19, 2012 | Russell Westbrook[30] | Multi-Year Extension |
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract | Former team |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2011 | Ryan Reid[31] | Standard | Tulsa 66ers (D-League) |
| March 21, 2012 | Derek Fisher[32] | Standard | Los Angeles Lakers |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 24, 2011 | Nate Robinson[33] | Waived | Golden State Warriors |
| March 21, 2012 | Ryan Reid[34] | Waived | Tulsa 66ers (D-League) |