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Thunder cling to 2012 for little signs of hope

By WTOP Staff

JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Basketball Writer

All the Oklahoma City Thunder can do now is cling to history.

Two more victories by the dominant San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, and Kevin Durant and the Thunder will be just that.

The Thunder stagger home down 0-2 in the series, smarting from a 35-point beat-down in San Antonio in Game 2 on Wednesday night. It’s the same deficit the Thunder faced against the Spurs in the 2012 Western Conference finals before they won four straight and advanced to the NBA Finals.

“We’ve been there before,” Durant said after managing just 15 points in the 112-77 defeat. “You know, we try not to just say since we were down 0-2 two years ago and we end up winning, we’ll do the same thing. We’ve really got to figure it out on how we need to get better, and we’ve always done that. We’ve got to just stick together and believe in each other that we can come out and try to get Game 3 on Sunday.”

The situations are similar only at first glance. Sure, the two-game deficit is the same, but the hole seems so much bigger.

Back in 2012, the Thunder dropped the first two games in San Antonio by a total of 12 points before using their superior athleticism, and a boost from a raucous crowd in Oklahoma City, to surge past the Spurs.

This time around, the Thunder have lost the first two games by 52 combined points and looked completely overwhelmed. Durant and Russell Westbrook are struggling to hit shots on offense and no combination that coach Scott Brooks scratches together on defense has been able to slow down the Spurs.

Back in 2012, the Thunder also had James Harden and Serge Ibaka, two stellar supporting players who could pick up the slack when OKC’s dynamic duo wasn’t clicking.

This time around, Harden is in Houston and Ibaka is on the bench with a calf injury. Oklahoma City’s remaining role players haven’t done a thing. Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha and Nick Collison — the Thunder’s other three starters — have combined to score nine total points in the two games.

“As a group, we’ve got to play much better,” Brooks said. “It’s obviously nobody on our team feels good about what happened (Wednesday) night, and that’s what I love about our group. We take a lot of pride in what we do and how we do it and who we do it with, and Game 3 is going to be a great moment for us to bounce back and play much better.”

In a way, the 2012 series also plays against the Thunder.

As dominant as they have been in this series, the Spurs haven’t forgotten their stunning collapse two years ago. It’s in the forefront of their minds as they prepare for Game 3 in Oklahoma City, and they vow to be ready.

“Yeah, I remember the series very well,” said Spurs guard Danny Green, who hit 7 of 10 3-pointers in Game 2 to bury the Thunder. “It’s a series that I won’t forget.”

There is a lingering wariness among the Spurs at just how easy the first two victories have come. They know Durant can resume his MVP form in the blink of an eye. They know Westbrook can catch fire with the smallest of sparks. And they know the Thunder crowd will have their team amped from the opening tip.

“We were in that position in 2012. We were up 2-0, and so I know after the game, nobody is very happy in their locker room,” Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. “Everybody is very focused, and we respect that team. We know that they’re very capable of a comeback, and they did that against us in 2012. We’re just very focused, and nobody is satisfied.”

As great as the challenge was for the Thunder to overcome in 2012, it pales in comparison to the one they face right now.

“It’s easy for you to go hide and run and be negative and clash, but it’s hard for you to stay positive at a time like this when we lost by a lot two games in a row,” Durant said. “It’s hard for you to stay together, but we have a group full of guys that (are) not front-runners, and we’ll figure it out. That’s all we’ve got to do, come in and figure it out, stay together.”

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Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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