Oklahoma Rising?

It's been a pretty exciting last few days for our Thunder. First, a convincing win at home against the Toronto Raptors, 91-83. Second, an exciting game against Bron-Bron and the Cavs, a 102-91 loss. Finally, news that the Thunder are trying to sign veteran Center Nenad Krstic.

A Full 48 against the Raptors

Obviously, when you're 2-24 at the time a win is a win. A couple things made this one so much the better. First, it was at home. It had been over 40 days since the last home win and watching so many defeats had grown long in the tooth (see previous post). That's 13 trips to the Ford Center where the team and it's faithful left disappointed.

Also, while I wouldn't say the Thunder were dominant, they did play with confidence and they were in control from start to finish. It could have been the infusion of Desmond Mason into the starting lineup or maybe, at some point, you have to look yourself in the mirror and say enough is enough. One thing I thought was particularly interesting was a moment late in the game. Coming out of a timeout you could tell the emphasis was on finishing. The team came out of the huddle and went to the scorers table and did their pre-tipoff handshakes, fist-bumps etc., with team officials. It was as if the game were starting over at 0. Interestingly, the Thunder outscored the Raptors 15-5 in those final minutes.

Something else that sticks out about this win is that it came against a Raptors team that was full strength. The Thunder have recently lost games where teams were short-handed. Golden State (minus Monta Ellis), the Los Angeles Clippers (no Chris Kaman) and Phoenix Suns (no Shaq) all come to mind. The Raptors, while not necessarily on par with Phoenix are similar to the others. Beating a team at full strength, playing well for a full 48 minutes and coming out with a victory provided a much needed shot of confidence. Especially with LeBron coming to town.

A Measuring Stick for Improvement

Last time the Thunder played the Cavaliers it was the worst game of the season for the Thunder. It was a 35 point shellacking where LeBron was needed all of 17 minutes. This time around, the Cavs needed Bron-Bron for over 40 and this one wasn't decided until the 4th quarter.

This was a very acceptable loss. The Thunder went toe-to-toe with one of the beasts of the East. There are only a handful of teams with a realistic chance of winning a title. Cleveland is one of them.

Not only was it entertaining, not only was it close, not only did the Thunder play really well, but it also came in front of a packed house. The importance of this cannot be overstated. This game, along with the Hornets, Lakers and Celtics is guaranteed to bring everybody out. It's in these situations when you can have your deepest impacts on a fanbase. By putting their best foot forward against the most exciting player on the planet the Thunder took a big step towards endearing themselves to the city.

The crowd was absolutely awesome. There were tons of Cavs jerseys but Cleveland left town as bullying villains. Let there be no doubt that the Ford Center is Thunderdome.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the Thunder's improvement comes from the Cavs. LeBron said, "Young teams feed off the crowd and the crowd was into it. They stuck in there and played hard." And, quoth Cavs coach Mike Brown, "The Thunder are young, and their confidence is starting to show." Then this, ''The first thing is they play extremely hard and not only that, but I think [Thunder coach Scott Brooks] has found a combination of players that he knows he's going to get that from every night,'' Brown said. ''The athleticism they have, the toughness they have is tough to match.''

The Thunder are indeed proving to be very difficult to match up with and they are finding ways to exploit their athleticism at all times. This has to be the best team to ever flirt with the NBA futility record.

I Nenad My Krstic

Here's what we know about this guy:

• He's a 7 foot center
• He was one of many NBA free agents to bolt for Europe
• He's the first to come back to the NBA
• Evidently he can shoot and pass very well and has a nice feel for the game
• He tore his ACL in 2006 and prior to that averaged 16 points and 7 boards per game

From the Thunder's perspective it looks like this guy will be smart enough to not only fit in with this team's style of play but also complement it. It also says something about what they think of Johan Petro and Robert Swift. He also gets added to the list of potential trade bait.

All in all an interesting move that really has little downside for the Thunder both in the short and long term. Reportedly, he could be in the fold by New Year's Eve.

Clippers 98, Thunder 88

Stop me if you've heard this one before. The Thunder come out of the gates slowly, resulting in a double digit deficit at the end of the quarter. The Thunder work their way back into the game eventually taking the lead in the second half. In the 4th, untimely turnover, missed free throws and a run by the visitors eventually doom the Thunder.

Another loss. To be fair, the Clippers are a team on the rise. Zach Randolph is a good addition and Eric Gordon is an impact player. Nonetheless, it's now been 45 days since the Thunder won at home. On a personal note, I didn't even see the victory against the Grizzlies because of the Bedlam game.

It's getting hard to handle. It felt like there was no life in the Ford Center at the start of the game last night. There was a palpable sense of impending doom. It's like nobody wanted to go all-in cheering for this team only to have it go for naught. And, regrettably, the feeling was well founded.

It takes a lot out of me I have to admit. It's not like I go home and kick the dogs or anything but when you lose by 10 and have 20+ turnovers to go along with 60% free throw shooting it's frustrating.

The Oklahoman suggested that maybe the Thunder are pressing at home, desperate to give the hometown crowd something to cheer for. I can see it.

While there is the aforementioned palpable sense of doom there is also a tangible sense that the fans desperately want something to cheer about. They want to connect with this team and vice versa.

Not only that but the Thunder did not play nearly as free as they did against the Mavs or Spurs. Jeff Green in particular struggled more than usual.

If I would have written a post last night after the game it would have sounded really bitter and ungrateful.

So here's a list of cliches, anecdotes, etc. that I keep telling myself to cope with the bitter defeats:

• This time last year there was no NBA team in town to root for.
• It's easy to root for a winner.
• It's better to get in on the ground floor.
• You have to pay you dues.
• It's just karmic retribution and it eventually will pass.
• How fun will it be when this team wins?
• Sustained success is built through the draft.
• We have a 25% shot of getting Blake Griffen- by most accounts the only sure-thing in this draft.
• It beats sitting at home.
• My hometown is a major league city.

Mavs Win Late, Thunder Serve Notice

The Mavericks won it late. But let there be no doubt, the Thunder were the better team. The Mavs won behind Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry. In every other aspect of the game the Thunder had a mismatch.

The Thunder put the fear of God in the Mavs and served notice of the possibility this team posesses if they stick together. If I were a betting man I would say the Thunder eventually win nearly half of their last 30 games of the season. This team can be good.

It took nearly a career night for Nowitzki. After Nowitzky and Terry, the rest of the team combined for shy of 30 points.

It was great coaching and really great execution by the Thunder. Jeff Green played awesome. Durant was outstanding and Westbrook played well also.

Another development was the old guys playing in one group with the Young'ns playing the starter role It was a great dynamic and when Jeff Green eventually joined them it seemed like the perfect fit.

This game felt like good growth.

Towards the end of the game after a questionable out of bounds call that went against the Thunder, Jason Terry gestured to the stands waving his arms. It felt like the equivalent of when a football player celebrates celebrates a garbage touchdown or a hitter hits a solo shot up by six. It actually served as recognition of how lucky the Mavs were.

Puke early or late?

Here's what we know definitively about this 2008-2009 Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team; They are, hands down, the worst team in the NBA (applause).

Here's why. They defend like the French, they commit inexplicable (and usually untimely) turnovers, they can't shoot free throws and they have the respect of nobody (the other team and especially the referees-see below).

So, the question occurred to me as I left another crushing loss the other night to the witless Grizzlies, if the Thunder are the de facto worst team in the NBA how can you truly measure the quality of their opponents?

My theory is you can tell if the Thunder "puke" early or late in ballgames. For example, against the Cavaliers, Lebron and the boys jumped on the Thunder early and fought off a late charge for the win. The Cavs are on the short list of teams who can win the Title this year. The Thunder puked early against them. The Thunder also puked early against such opponents as the Celtics, Jazz, Hawks, Magic and Hornets. All more likely than not to make the playoffs.

Now look at the Grizz game the other night. The Thunder at one point had a 21 point lead. They puked late and lost. The Grizzlies are not going to make the playoffs. Not even close. The Thunder also puked late against the Suns, Timberwolves, Warriors, Pacers and Knicks. The Pacers and Suns might make the playoffs but they are by no means expected to do anything.

So with that I will put the theory to the test this weekend. A Texas two-step is on the schedule with a game tonight against the Mavericks and a game Saturday against the Spurs. I don't think the Mavericks are that good. I would offer that they are hanging on to playoff hopes with grit and veteran moxy. I predict the Thunder puke late against them and lose.

The Spurs, on the other hand, are rounding into form. They feature a hall of fame coach, one of the greatest forwards to ever play the game and a nice complement of skill players, veterans and a winning pedigree. I bet the Thunder puke early and lose by about 15.

One last thought

It's obvious that certain players get calls from referees. Dwyane Wade won a championship on this premise and it's just commonplace. That said I have to gripe about what happened the other night against the Grizzlies. First off, the Grizzlies are terrible. They have two stars; O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. Mayo is a rookie and Rudy Gay, while good, is not in the Kobe, Lebron, Dwight Howard, D-Wade category yet. Not even close. Yet, both these players were getting calls all night long. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, who is a budding superstar (at least on par with Rudy Gay) gets no calls. None.

I hate to blame games on referees but this had a serious impact on the game the other night. Gay-Mayo had five fouls between them whilst Durant, Westbrook and Green had 12. Again, I'm not blaming the disintegration of a 21 point lead on the refs but it was just blatantly awful refereeing the other night.

Warriors 112, Thunder 102

Oh boy. Another step backwards. The Warriors came limping in losers nine straight. Monta Ellis is still out after crashing a moped, Stephen Jackson and Cory Magette were also unavailable for the Warriors.

The Thunder for their part played the two Florida teams tough and were ready to be welcomed home from their longest road trip of the season.

But it was back to old ways. Poor free throw shooting, awful defense and silly turnovers. This recipe produced a 19 point deficit for the Thunder at the half and the Warriors shot over 60 percent.

That's the bad news.

If there's good news it was that Kevin Durant was worth the price of admission. KD owned the 4th quarter. He got to the basket at will and made well-defended three pointers. 19 points in all for the quarter with the Warriors knowing that the ball was going through him the entire time.

This is definitely one that got away. You win games like these and hell you might win 20 games this year. As it is the Thunder are at two wins and still in the hunt for history.

Wednesday night brings Memphis, a team the Thunder know they can beat. C'mon boys.

Weekend Wrapup

Did you know that the Oklahoma Sooners have lost four straight BCS games? It's true. And I promise that if you have been living under a rock and haven't heard that, you will about 1 trillion times before January 8th. You see, that's when the Sooners take on the Florida Gators in the BCS national championship game. The Sooners will be going for national title number 8. Sadly, Texas made it to neither the Big 12 championship nor the BCS title game. Sucks to be them.

In Thunder news, the boys lost two in their Florida swing. Friday night was a loss to the Magic and Saturday a loss to the Heat.

I missed the Saturday night game because I was in Kansas City watching the Sooners pick up Big 12 Championship number six. The score looked competitive and by all accounts it was, but a loss is a loss. According to reports, the Thunder had their chances late but went cold shooting the ball and the Heat pulled away down the stretch.

I did watch the game against the Magic on Friday. For first time watching a Thunder game I didn't have that feeling of dread where I was just waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Usually I have this feeling, something bad happens, then I have the feeling again and it gets worse. Next thing you know the Thunder are down 10 in the 1st quarter and 25-30 in 4th. Not so in this game. The Thunder played great. In the 3rd quarter I told my best girl I didn't care if the Thunder won or lost because they were playing great basketball and if they lost it just meant the Magic played better. Well, the Magic wound up just being better. But, they had to make nearly 20 3-pointers to do it.

When the Magic were in the Ford Center a few weeks back it was an absolute laugher. It literally looked like the Dwight Howard show and I said in a post afterwards that it was the most fun home atmosphere to that point because the outcome was never in doubt. People could just enjoy themselves. The Magic had to have been surprised at how markedly different this one played out.

Friday I mentioned how ESPN is now keeping a running account of how bad the Thunder are. It appears The Oklahoman is piling on with this article.

The Thunder really have a chance of winning tonight. They've been playing well, it's at home and really the Warriors give no real cause for concern. They score a ton but give up even more. They have no one that's really scary. Really, their franchise is in far more disarray than the Thunder. So, I'm feeling a win. Hopefully it comes to pass the way those feelings of dread used to.

Good News: The Thunder are Featured on ESPN Bad News: It's for This

See for yourself

It's an ESPN link to a running record of the worst teams in NBA history. On the list, our beloved Oklahoma City Thunder.

"This isn't exactly what the folks in Oklahoma City had in mind."

Really doctor? I'm guessing this won't be printed on any of those gameday programs the Thunder hand out and it probably won't be made into a t-shirt.

I do hope the team sees it though. Not because they should be ashamed of themselves or because the good people of Oklahoma City deserve better or any of that. I hope they see it because it's bullshit that ESPN's making a mockery of them and it should light a fire under their collective asses.

The good news is with Scotty Brooks at the helm the team is improving. They really could play themselves off this list. 16 wins will do it. 14 more out of 62. This seems so doable.

You can look back already this season and find a slew of coulda-woulda-shoulda's on the schedule. The Timberwolves a few nights back, the Phoenix game before that. Last night in Charlotte.

It's like in golf where you tally up your strokes at the end of the round and it comes back 92 or 102 or whatever. Then you think back to the 3-putts, the brain-farts, the lost balls and you realize how close you really were. Focus, concentration and pride. That's the difference. OK, probably a lot of skill and a little luck helps too.

For the Thunder, as the Charlotte game proved, it's free throws, rebounds and turnovers. Focus, concentration and pride.

The Thunder can do this. They have the skill. They are gym rats from the Head Coach to the superstar. And they are thisclose.

Just a quick post today before the boys take on the Charlotte Bobcats. I'd like to mention a couple of interesting tidbits that have resulted since Scotty Brooks took over as coach.

First, the changes he's made to the lineup. Most notably, Russell Westbrook taking over the starters role at Point Guard and Nick Collison heading to the bench in favor of Chris "Weezy" Wilcox. Westbrook and Wilcox have only started one game, the Thunder's most recent against Memphis, and the Thunder won. Though it's only one game it's been coming to this for a while as Brooks seems to favor speed and athleticism so the Thunder can spread the court and create mismatches.

Check this out though, courtesy of 82games.com. It's the top 5-man combinations for the Thunder this season. It's put in order by total minutes played together but look at the +/- stat for the units (+/- is the net point differential between the 5 man unit and the 5 man unit they played against).

The worst 3 units for the Thunder (Min. 20 minutes together):
Watson-Durant-Green-Collison-Petro (-50)
Watson-Durant-Green-Wilkins-Collison (-43)
Watson-Durant-Green-Collison-Swift (-41)

The best 3 units for the Thunder (Min. 20 minutes together):
Westbrook-Mason-Smith-Green-Wilcox (+3)
Westbrook-Durant-Mason-Smith-Wilcox (+3)
Westbrook-Durant-Green-Wilcox-Collison (-9)

This could mean many things. First, Uncle Rusty was stubborn because these worst 3 lineups are also the top 3 lineups as far as minutes played together. Second, it could mean it hasn't been updated in a while to reflect Damien Wilkens insertion into a starters role since Scotty took over. Third, it means that Westbrook on the floor, and Weezy to a lesser extent, have a positive impact on the game.

The other interesting factoid resulting from Scotty taking over also reflects the above. Courtesy of Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:

"In 15 games under Carlesimo, the Thunder averaged 88.9 points. Under Brooks, OKC is averaging 98.2, which increases to 101.4 if you throw out the Cleveland clunker."

Of course, we're still in the honeymoon phase with Scotty but one has to be encouraged of what has been happening over this relatively short progress. At the very least it represents the kind of progress that everyone had hoped for from the beginning. Hopefully it portends that the season is not lost and the Thunder can quit being a freebie on everyone's schedule.

Tonight it represents an opportunity to start a winning streak.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

It was a long Thanksgiving holiday and I hope everyone had a great one. Since Wednesday, the Thunder have gone 1-2 with a trouncing at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a last second loss to Minnesota and a win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Because Thanksgiving is all about reuniting with friends and family and recounting tales from the days of yore, let's compare the weekend's events to classic memories from my past.

Wednesday, November 26th: Cavaliers 117, Thunder 82
Lebron and the Cavaliers more or less pistol-whipped the Thunder. It was over really before it started as the Thunder were completely overmatched. They had no answers, no control and the best thing they could do was learn from it and move in.

It reminds me of the first time I got drunk. I got picked up by some of my baseball teammates in high school and we headed out to the lake. I proceeded to drink Bud Ice as quickly as I could. Before I knew what happened I could barely pee standing up, I couldn't run without falling and as we headed home at the end of the night I threw up in my buddy's Ford Escort. I, like the Thunder, was overmatched, dominated and clearly not ready for the big time. Bud Ice would be ranked last in the league if such rankings existed.

Friday, November 28th: Timberwolves 105, Thunder 103

A buzzer beating dagger to the heart reminds me of the time in college where I made my first (and only) attempt at long distance romance. I met a girl who went to Mizzou and for a semester we traded letters, talked on the phone forever and saw each other when we could. The Sooners were scheduled to play Mizzou in Columbia. Perfect excuse to go see her. It felt like it had been forever since we had seen each other. I drove up, met her at her house with roses in hand. She then proceeds to tell me she's cheated on me multiple times and it was over. There I stood, roses limper than you know what and that classic look on my face that said it all; "What the @#$^ ?"

That was me, sans the bouquet and lost love but with the "What the @*#&" look on my face, at the end of the this game.

Saturday, November 29th: Thunder 111, Grizzlies 103
Again, a college memory. Me and many of my friends were die-hard fans of the band Phish. A group of us decided to take a road trip to see them in Kansas City and St. Louis. There was only one problem. My family was in Florida on vacation and I wanted to meet them since, you know, an all expense paid trip to the beach is pretty awesome too. So we saw the band in KC and it was predictably awesome. The next night was St. Louis and my plan was to stay at the show as long as possible but leave early to catch a cab to the bus station and head to Florida to meet the family. The cab never came and I missed half the show, which, according to my friends, was twice as good as the night before. I did make it to Florida though and it was one of the best vacations I remember.

What does this have to do with the game? Nothing really. But it's the closest thing I could think of. I missed a rare Thunder win (the Phish show) because I failed to set my DVR and I was with most of my family watching the Sooners beat the Cowboys 61-41 en route to leap-frogging Texas for the rights to go to the Big 12 Championship (Florida vacation).

The Bedlam Preview

Lots at stake today. OU has an opportunity to stake its claim to a spot in the Big 12 Championship game and to keep its BCS title game hopes alive. For OSU, the first 10 win season in history and a chance to do every OSU fans favorite thing; ruin OU's season. Families are divided today. I know. Mine is.

This is going to be a great game to watch. Two high octane but more or less traditional (dba balanced) offenses loaded with playmakers and two of the college game's best offensive minds playing chess.

It's also senior day for the Cowboys, it's at the T. Boone Palace and it's the marquee game in the country in prime time. Everything that worked in the favor of OU last week is now in OSU's favor this week.

That said, OSU is not winning this ballgame.

It boils down to two factors. One, who has the better defense and two, who stands the better chance if their respective running game is shut down.

OSU's defense has improved this year but how it could it not? It was abysmal last year. It simply hasn't improved enough to put the fear in this Sooners offense. The Sooners have way too many weapons and is too good at spreading the ball around. Six players have scored 7 or more touchdowns for the Sooners, 12 in all. The Sooners receivers are deadly after the catch. They also have two Running Backs in DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown who not only constitute the best tandem in college football but also have rushed for nearly 1,000 yard each.

The Cowboys meanwhile are potent on offense but really only have four stars. Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, Brandon Pettigrew and Dez Bryant. The Sooner secondary shut down Michael Crabtree last week and the rest of the crew is going all in to stop Hunter and Robinson. Pettigrew stands to wreak the most havoc. But letting him get his will not be enough to keep pace with the Sooners. He has yet to score a TD this year.

The Sooners don't need to be able to run as badly as the Cowboys to win. The Sooners could go to a Texas Tech style offense and still put up 50. But if the Cowboys become one dimensional what then? The Sooners will pin their ears back and Robinson will be running for his life.

For the Sooners I see Juaquin Iglesias having a big game. This is his type of atmosphere. For the defense I see Travis Lewis racking up a kazillion tackles.

For the Cowboys it's all about Kendall Hunter and their D-Line being able to do what few others have and that's get to Sam Bradford.

I'm nervous about what the Cowboys have in terms of intangibles but 10,000 empty seats will put a damper on that. I like the Sooners 52-35.

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

I swear that last night as I was walking up to the ThunderDome I saw PJ's loafers and khaki's sticking out from underneath the building and then, as I got closer, the loafers disappeared and the khaki's shriveled up. Two and a half hours later 19,000 plus munchkins were still in the stands and on their feet cheering a one point loss (99-98 and Steve Nash proved he is still one of the best in the game).

This was a new chapter in Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.

Look, PJ isn't the wicked witch. I've only met one person associated with this team and it was PJ. He was, dare I say, delightful and it's foolish to say that everything is his fault. But the contrast between the Hornets game last Friday and the game against the Suns last night was staggering and the only difference was no PJ at the end of the bench.

Some "beyond the box score" examples:

On Friday night when Jeff Green was introduced to the crowd he walked out like he was meeting a Jehova's Witness at his front door. Against the Suns it looked like all the players were on trampolines.

People were smiling everywhere. During one timeout, with the crowd on its' feet, the coaches huddled up on the court like they always do and Mark Bryant had to bite his lip to keep from smiling and the coaches all just looked at each other and shook their heads like, "Can you believe how much fun this is?"

The players were clearly having fun also. The bench was on its' feet at the end of the first half and most of the second. Players raced to pick each other up off the court. They were more demonstrative than any game that I can remember. They were being creative and it showed with 28 assists (they average 17 on the season).

The energy was palpable throughout the arena and the entire game. There was that synergy between team and fans that had defined the Hornets era. The fans for their part learned that these guys can be likeable and good and a hell of a lot of fun to watch. The players got to see the infectious energy and enthusiasm this crowd can provide. Until now it was only the stuff of legend.

One moment though will stay with me. At the end of the game, after having lost by one point, Kevin Durant stood under the basket by himself and he was just looking around, soaking everything in. He looked like he was trying to capture the pain of the loss and the feeling of how creative and fun basketball can be. I don't know if that's what he was doing but if so it was a neat thing to see.

At the end of the day the standings will say 1-14 but in my mind the Thunder are a competitive 0-2 and the future is looking brighter. Close losses to the Hornets and Suns are nothing to be ashamed of and with the way the team is playing the wins will come soon enough.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Change We Can Believe In? We'll Find Out in a Hurry

Scotty Brooks is wasting no time making changes to the Thunder lineup. Johan Petro is riding the pine. Damien Wilkens is in at Shooting Guard. Kevin Durant is moving to Small Forward, Jeff Green slides to Power Forward and Nick Collison completes the circle by sliding to Center.

By all accounts, KD has been playing out of position his entire (if not short) career and so has Jeff Green. I cannot do the X's and O's anymore justice than what Chris Silva from Thunder.NBA.com has already done so you can read it about it here.

I do know that the game tonight against the Phoenix Suns represents a fresh
start what with a new coach, a new lineup and a second chance to make a first impression on
the fans. That said, few teams could provide a better litmus test for the
effectiveness of these changes than the Suns.

Tonight we'll see KD mixing it up with Amare and Shaq, Westbrook against Steve Nash, Shaq against all comers. Not to mention Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Grant Hill and the goofier looking Lopez twin, Robin (the real life inspiration for Sideshow Bob and pictured, at left).

Moving KD to the PF is something that's been talked about since last year.
The reason it's never happened is because he's built like Bambi and these are grown men he'd be thrown in against on a nightly basis. But if you're the Thunder you're staring 1-14 in the face. Is there a better time to start getting on with it than right now? While we're at it, if Scotty is going to be open to lineup tweaks, I doubt it's long before Westbrook is inserted into the starting lineup. He had 11 assists off the bench the other night and if he keeps that up how can you not make the move.

PS- Scroll down for my breakdown of the OU-Tech game. Looks like I forgot to drink my Sooner Kool-Aid when I made my score prediction eh? The Bedlam preview is forthcoming. Hint: You should be worried Cowboys fans.

Encouraging Interview

Check out this video from The Oklahoman today. It's the first practice with interim head coach Scott Brooks, dba Scotty.



Am I being overly optimistic or does there sound like there's some pep and rejuvination in KD's voice? This is what I talked about yesterday when players are willing to go to war for coaches. KD says that Scotty helps him on and off the court and that they tell each other they love each other. Apart from blatent homoeroticism doesn't that sound like KD, if not anyone else, is going to play hard for the guy? Wouldn't it be ideal if KD plays hard then everyone else might follow since, at least today, KD is the de facto Alpha Dog on this team?

It just seems like the effort was there against the Hornets on Saturday night, even in a losing cause. Now you hear KD talking with some energy in his voice and you can see the beginnings of what hopefully is improvement.

I watched a recording of the Hornets game on Sunday and the difference between Friday night and Saturday was staggering. The Thunder passing was markedly improved. The shooting was better. There were no long scoring droughts.

Could it be a one-game anomoly? Sure it could. But it could also be that PJ and this team were just a terrible fit and the 25 point loss at home to the Hornets was the Thunder hitting bottom and now the rebound is on.

Uncle Rusty is Gone

Color me surprised. I thought PJ would get at least half a season. I guess inherent in that statement is that he was more or less a dead man walking. By that reckoning why not make a move now? You could argue that by drawing this process out you reinforce bad habits and make things that much worse.

Still though, it's quite a development. I must admit that during the Hornets game two things stood out to me as it relates to the firing. First, the Thunder stayed in the locker room at halftime much longer than the Hornets. The entire Hornets team had been warming up several minutes before the first Thunder players appeared. I doubt this has any bearing whatsoever but something seemed amiss. Second, I looked through my sportglasses at the the Thunder huddle during one timeout to check out the body language. PJ was being very demonstrative, lots of body language etc. Meanwhile not even half the players, in particular players that were going to be on the floor post timeout, were paying any attention.

The bottom line is the players just were not playing for PJ. It's a shame that the coach takes the fall but that's the nature of the business. In a book called Loose Balls (highly recommended and a review is forthcoming once I finish it), players describe playing for two coaches, Slick Leonard of the Indiana Pacers and Bill Sharman of the Utah Stars. Players describe the love they had playing for these guys and how they would go to war for them.

The Thunder should be so lucky to find someone who can bring the best out of these guys and get them on the path towards improvement and respectability.

Chapter 1, Hornets- Chapter 2, Thunder

It's the big question of the day. Do you openly root for the Hornets? Do you cheer for both teams? Do you cheer for the Thunder?

The answer is really simple. You turn the page and cheer for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are playing the New Orleans Hornets. They aren't the Oklahoma City Hornets. They aren't the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Mark it down, though. Some dimwit (probably many dimwits) will be wearing their now retro OKC Hornets gear.

It's fine to cheer and pay respect to the Hornets in the pregame introductions. After all, we essentially owe our NBA membership to them. They were OKC's "First Love" and they are all very likable players and coaches. I'll probably "ooh and ahh" after a pretty Chris Paul pass or the 93rd Paul-Tyson Chandler alley-oop. I'll probably wish the players could trade uniforms. I can't imagine anyone booing them or heckling them or anything. They are the only visiting team who should ever get a cordial reception.

But I won't cheer for them and neither should you. Imagine you have an ex come into town for an evening. You and your new best guy/gal meet up with that person. Would you ever say to your new person, "Hey, so and so was my first love so, if it's cool with you, I'm going to relive the good times with him/her tonight and tomorrow it'll be you and only you again. Cool?". You can't do that in sports either.

If the game should happen to be close I will honestly be surprised and/or dismayed if the overwhelming majority of fans are not lustily cheering on the Thunder. To not do so seems inconceivable to me.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are our team now.

Friday's Off Topic: Sooners v. Red Raiders

Holy smokes am I excited for this game. There hasn't been a game this big in Norman since Nebraska came to town in 1999. The atmosphere will be special and Bobby Stoops really didn't need to call out the fans for it to be (Even though I think he's right and it was funny).

For OU to win they have to eliminate unforced errors, namely those god-forsaken kickoff returns. I swear if that happens I might throw myself out of the back of the stadium. My seats are high enough I can do it.

The Sooners also need to get some turnovers. This is entirely possible. I've seen Graham Harrel make some real bonehead throws and OU has the athletes in the secondary to come down with tips. They also have guys who can jump routes. I think it's entirely possible the Sooners could come away with 2 turnovers.

Finally, they need to play vintage Brent Venables "Bend but Don't Break" defense. The Red Raider dink-and-dunk is fine but the d has to tackle well. I hate the bend but don't break defense but it's made for offenses like this.

One more note on the Sooners defense. The Red Raiders have not faced anything like the Sooners d this year, even Texas. No one matches up better. The Sooners have former safeties playing Linebacker and former Cornerbacks playing safety. This means that there will be no mismatches anywhere on the field that the Red Raiders can exploit. It simply comes down to execution on the part of the Sooners.

Offensively for the Sooners they need to keep on trucking. I would choose the Sooners offense over the Red Raiders offense any day of the week simply because of it's balance. The Sooners can find mismatches I don't care how improved the TT d is.

Final Score: Sooners 56, Red Raider 35.

PS. I wrote this with my Crimson Colored Glasses on obviously.

Forget the Ceiling, Where’s the Floor? Or, Can a Turd be Polished?

These are the questions I pondered as I walked out of the Thunderdome following a 108-88 loss by the Thunder to the, apparently not as hapless, Clippers. This was not very fun.

For the first 20 minutes the Thunder clearly were better than the Clippers. They played confidently and raced out to a 15 point lead. They passed well, they defended, they ran the fastbreak well off of turnovers, they played unselfishly and the scoring was coming from everywhere. Then, as if every Thunder player had downed a Silver Bullet and a couple Xanax bars before tip-off, lethargy kicked in at about the 4 minute mark of the 2nd Quarter. That 15 point lead had dwindled to 3 at halftime and had turned into a 15 point deficit with about 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

It was truly painful to watch. At one point the Thunder were booed. I don’t believe in booing the home team but I don’t blame the people who did. There’s a difference between getting beat and being embarrassed. The Thunder players should feel embarrassed for their play during that stretch. To call it uninspired is being polite. Also, for the record, the boos happened one time right before a timeout and for the remainder of the game everyone was trying to help the team get back into it.

That said, this did not feel like a baby step towards progress. In keeping with the idea of being able to polish a turd, however, perhaps this is part of rebuilding (I will keep telling myself this over and over and over). Just throw questions such as, “Can this team win 20? 25? 26? or, Will we have an All-Star? or Will they make the playoffs in a couple of years?” out the window. Screw it. The question now is how far must they (nee can they) fall before pride, heart or something else wills these guys to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and do something about actually getting better.

So, here are some basic questions that have to be answered; Is there a leader? Is there chemistry? Do the players respect and buy into the coach and his system?

Is there a leader? LeBron, Kobe, D-Wade, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, Steve Nash and so on and so forth. More than just being exceptional talents these guys don’t let their teams lose. They get in the middle of the huddle and they demand and extract excellence from their teammates.

Today, Desmond Mason looks like he probably is and wants to be the rah rah guy. Regrettably he’s in street clothes during games (I say street clothes but his idea of street clothes and mine are different. His make him look like he could go up to a group of women and point out the ones he wants and say you’re coming with me. Mine do not. And yet I digress).

More important than a rah-rah guy they also lack a floor leader. Someone who makes the players around them better or makes the game easier for his teammates. Against the Clippers the Thunder had more turnovers than assists.

The team drafted Russell Westbrook with him in mind for this role. But the more you watch of him the more it looks like he would just be a huge beneficiary of someone else with these credentials. Even if it is Westbrook it’s not going to happen anytime soon. He’s a rookie, it’s KD’s team and he doesn’t even start yet. He’s not in a position socially to take over this team. Chris Paul did it with the Hornets his first year but as we will find out Friday there is but one of him.

Do they like each other? Well, they stand up and cheer for each other an awful lot. When someone comes off the bench they go down the line and high five everyone. KD, Jeff Green and Westbrook were at the OU-Davidson basketball game together on Tuesday night. They help each other off the floor. As the game winds down and the crowd gets louder they get more and more into it. So, yeah it appears that they like each other. It seems like this is the easiest part, and it is for this team, but it’s much harder to achieve than people realize. All this losing is going to test it also just watch.

Do the players respect and buy into the coach’s system? It’s just too hard to tell at the moment. First, what is the system? At times, the offense looks absolutely stagnant because the passing is either non-existent or lethargic. It makes a Kelvin Sampson offense look revolutionary. It’s obviously predicated on defense which, at times, looks pretty good. That’s why Uncle Rusty needs more time. However, those quarter or half-long stretches marred by a blatant lack of energy, lack of aggressiveness, scoring droughts, mental lapses and leads given up make you wonder how much is youth and how much is Uncle Rusty. We just don’t know yet. Until such time that it becomes obvious I will err on the side of youth but these lapses sure do call it into question.

The bottom line is this team hasn’t found it’s floor yet and that’s mildly depressing. I might need to call Dr. Rodriguez and get my meds upped if I’m going to sit through 30+ more nights like Thunder v. Clips. In the meantime I will keep polishing this turd and hope for the sake of my enjoyment of this ride that Thunder v. Clips was the bottom and now the rebound begins.

Other Notes

I ordered my Go Big Red shirt (shameless plug) yesterday and if Bobby Swift’s performance against Chris Kaman was any indication, it might have been premature. My friend Nate labels someone on the Oklahoma Sooners secondary as “Gas Rag McGee” every year. It’s for the person who gets lit up the most in pass coverage on a consistent basis and generally proves to be a defensive liability. Well, Robert Swift was Gas Rag McGee last night. He made Chris Kaman look like he should have been on the Olympic team. Kaman is not bad but geez the fire department needed to be there with those fire retardant blankets for ol’ Swifty.

Some woman named Kathy Kuck won the award for filling out the most All-Star Ballots by filling out 3400. There’s no way she could have seen any of the game and that might be a good thing. The thing about ol Kathy is she won on Monday also. She also got the same prize; a Thunder jacket and NBA2K9 for the Xbox 360. I will start to worry about Kathy if she wins again on Friday. She looks like she’s about 35 by the way. Maybe she’s trying to collect Christmas presents.

The halftime show was a locally based yet internationally renowned magician. Didn’t catch his name. Probably the lamest magic show ever. I love the cornball halftime shows at NBA games. There’s nothing quite like them.

Fans a Farce? Damn That's Harsh

Perhaps my blood sugar was a little low yesterday when I said the idea of Thunder fans being the best in the NBA was a farce. I don't completely take it back because I do believe it's just a little premature to wear the crown and it is BS to leave, of all sporting events, a basketball game early when the outcome is far from determined.

Nonetheless I would love to one day be able to say that Oklahoma City has, without a doubt, the best fans in the NBA. And, perhaps it takes less time to get there than I thought. I offer the following quote from this ESPN Fantasy Blog as proof.

"With only three games to track Monday night, I had the luxury of being able to watch a large portion of every contest. And while the marquee match up in NBA terms was easily Jazz-Suns (more on that in a bit), I was particularly interested in one squad: the Oklahoma City Thunder.
I enjoy watching their home games because of their enthusiastic fans, who seem to have an absurdly enormous tolerance for pain. Thunder fans can absorb an enormous amount of punishment, yet vociferously applaud even the most marginally positive development. I don't have these numbers, but I bet the divorce rate in that area is fantastically low."

While it may qualify for "Backhanded Compliment of the Month" I will take it as a compliment. Doing so probably proves the point about tolerance for pain since this is one of the nicest things I've read about the Thunder from the national media so far this season (this is one typical and recent example). Regrettably, he couldn't be more wrong about the divorce rate.

Just think of what we're capable of if we win?

Speaking of, tonight one team will walk out of the Thunderdome with, drum roll please, win number 2 on the season (cue one of those party-favor-sized-confetti-poppers going off). This is like a couple of pups fighting over the hind-teat. It's sure to be fun and hotly contested. But in the grand scheme of the NBA it will probably be more comical and sad than anything.

No matter, I'll be there vociferously applauding the most marginal of developments.

Sheik Yerbouti Over to nba.com and Vote!

http://www.nba.com/FanNight/

The Thunder v. Phoenix next Tuesday is up for a vote on nba.com. The winning matchup gets shown that night. Vote early, vote often.

Losing + Used to Winning = Panty Twist

Well, regrettably it is starting to happen. The foundation, at least in some parts, seems to be eroding just a bit due to the Thunder's losing ways. Fire the coach, make a trade, Sam Presti's in over his head, the Thunder will never be more than a mid-level team. OKC deserves better. Some version of these comments can be found at the end of any Thunder article in the Oklahoman. Usually it's just Internet trolls making noise but the OKC base seems to be getting louder.

Oklahoma sports fans are spoiled rotten. How can you tell me Oklahoma City deserves anything in the world of the NBA? Deserves to win? Please. We've played 11 games as a franchise. The only thing you could argue that we deserve is a team, which we have. Frankly, the idea that we've paid our dues and are the best fans in the NBA is a farce. People leave close games with 10 minutes left like someone was flinging poo in their section. Two games have sold out.

And what's so bad about being a mid-level team? First off, that declaration was supposedly given by someone on the Sports Animal which frankly carries about as much weight as a premature twin. When I hear mid-level team I think competing for the playoffs. That's a fine goal. That's like having a goal to get to a bowl game or make the NCAA tournament. What's wrong with that? If you get in you have a chance to do something more. That's all you can hope for is a chance. Anybody who thinks you are going to compete for a championship year in and year out is just fooling themselves and probably a spoiled rotten Sooners football fan. Sure, the Sooners "compete" for a championship every season in football but they haven't played for a championship since 2004 and haven't won since 2001. And they are essentially the Celtics or Lakers of the NCAA.

So, to recap, we have 11 games under our belt and you feel like the Thunder should be on par with the Lakers and Celtics? Look, not finishing last in the league should be a worthy goal. Not finishing last in the division is a worthy goal for this team. Rally around that. The next step would be to become a mid-level team, then a perennial playoff participant, then maybe win one.

The fact of the matter is not only is Sam Presti not in over his head, he has this team poised to be more than a mid-level team for years to come. Believe it or not. We have trade bait out the ying yang in the form of players like Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox, Desmond Mason and Johan Petro. One of those guys might be in a Thunder uniform next year. The Thunder have cap space and are wiping their butts with 1st round draft picks. Tell me why biding your time until the February trade deadline or the draft is a worse idea than having a fire sale today and getting some mid-level player today that can maybe, maybe help the Thunder win two or three more games.

Getting rid of Uncle Rusty could happen this season but I don't think it should or will until at least the All-Star break, if not the end of the season. A team takes on the personality of its coach if it likes him/her and puts in lackluster effort when they don't. At times this team fades into bolivian as Mike Tyson would say. The offense, or lack thereof, is an eyesore by any standard and no defense can improve enough to make up for it. That much is true.

However, crazy as it sounds I can see the offense coming around a bit. It's like hitting in baseball. It really does take care of itself if you have some decent players. Kevin Durant is starting to hit his stride, Jeff Green is turning into the 3-point threat this team desperately needs and Robert Swift (Stay healthy brah) is a quality player. I purposefully omit Russell Westbrook. He is going to be really good but I can't overlook a blown alley-oop from the game last night. Just ridiculously awful. He's in the doghouse for today.

There is something more sinister at play than lack of effort or youth to explain the losing. The vibe I get is that for other teams, the thought of losing to a bottom dweller like the Thunder is a huge motivation. The Thunder have every bit the target on its back that an upper level team does because everyone knows you have to win games against the Thunder. To not do so would be to give one away. Maybe if the Thunder just took on the role of spoiler, starting today, things could be better. Every game is a chance to dump on the dreams of some other hopeful.

Wednesday night the Thunder have a shot at taking a baby step out of the basement. The Clippers suck. This game could actually be pretty fun to watch because you have two teams that suck and they both know this is a rare opportunity. Someone has to win. I'm glad it's at home.

Thunder vs. Knicks 11-14-08 Live Blog

One of my favorite writers on the Internet is ESPN’s Bill Simmons. He’s made quite a living out of doing Running Diary’s for sporting events. Since I am an amateur and imitation is the most sincere form of flattery I thought I'd try my hand at it. It’s good practice right?

6:08 All settled in for the pregame. The dogs are fed, the beer is poured and KD is set to play. Little known fact; KD accounts for 25% of the team’s offensive production. Only Tim Duncan accounts for more of his team’s offense. The Spurs record; 2-5. The Thunder are 1-7 heading into tonight.

6:09 Brian Davis put his best outfit together for his trip to the big apple. He murdered someone’s plaid couch and made a coat out of it to go with his paisley tie. Also, Clyde Frazier showed up and it looks like he’s wearing his 70’s era travel suit himself.
Side note: We’ll also be checking out the Sooners v. American. That games boasts a chance to watch would-be Thunder #1 pick Blake Griffin.

6:15 KD tells Brian Davis the Knicks don’t have a shot blocker like the Magic and Dwight Howard. No one does, KD.

6:20 Why does Uncle Rusty wear reading glasses at practice that are smart looking, no glasses for pre-game interviews and then 80’s bifocals when he’s on TV and the nation is watching? Does he think douchebaggery is a secret weapon?

6:26 If you want to get obliterated try this drinking game. Everytime there is a Chesapeake, SandRidge Energy, Devon Energy, Oklahoman or Midfirst commercial take a drink. Conversely, stay sober as a kitten playing the reverse of this game.

6:31 “Welcome to the financial capital of the world, or what’s left of it” begins Brian Davis. Early candidate for wet blanket statement of the night.

6:36 After our first commercial break I’m now wasted.

6:40 Robert Swift gets his first start tonight. I believe this might be the third different starting lineup. The second was when KD was injured.

6:41 Big Red wins the opening tip and Earl Watson knocks down a shot. Big Red gets a board and KD knocks down a shot. Good start and since it’s on the road, to be expected.

6:45 Grant Long is explaining what a good shot is. Doesn’t necessarily have to go in but it’s one you’re teammates expect you take and make. You mean like an open shot?

6:48 Big Red has 5 boards in 5 minutes. Meanwhile, it doesn’t look like a Friday night tilt twixt the Thunder and Knicks is the hottest ticket in town.

6:52 Uncle Rusty inserted Joe Smith and predictably he knocks down his first shot. I love Joe Smith and his foggy mask.

6:53 The Knicks have already tried 9 three’s, making 3. The Thunder average a shade under 10 attempts per game.

7:01 According to Grant Long, Brian Westbrook learned from Block Fest 08 and passed the ball to Petro for an easy buckets rather than getting stuffed. I couldn’t agree more. Regrettably he followed it up with a brick the next trip down the floor. Knicks 34, Thunder 20 btw.

7:05 Earl Watson goes “back to the well” and misses. The well dried up at the 11:38 mark of the quarter.

7:06 End of the 1st. Knicks 37, Thunder 20. Good times.

7:14 Supposedly the Thunder are getting into a rhythm. If steadily getting further down is a rhythm so be it. I suppose a 14-2 run constitutes a run and they find themselves down 16.

7:15 Drink for a Chesapeake commercial.

7:18 A quick check of the Sooners game finds the good guys up 9-2 early. Willie Warren looks like a big kid.

7:22 Blake Griffin looks like a completely different human being. A man-child actually.

7:29 This might be the fastest game of all time. 3:40 left in the half and the Thunder are down 20. It’s a non-stop assault and the Thunder simply can’t shoot well enough to stay in the game.

7:31 KD is 4-9 from the field for 8. Shooting really well. Of course, he’s on the road.

7:32 I have to admit, as Friday nights in the big town go. I’m home alone watching the Thunder with the Sooners on the picture-in-picture. While on paper this has loser written all over it, it doesn’t get much better than this.

7:36 Well, KD, Earl Watson and Swift appear to have come to play. Regrettably that doesn’t look to be enough at this point. 68-44 Knicks lead at haltime.

7:40 Now switched over to the OU game and wondering why the NCAA didn’t just change the 3-point line to same distance as the NBA? Would it really kill anyone to have a worldwide standard? Especially given the fact high schoolers are now heading straight to Europe or spending only 1 year in college if they are NBA prospects.

7:56 An interesting thing to look at is where the respective teams shoot the majority of their shots. The Knicks have attempted 18 from point blank range. The Thunder have taken 4 and they were all in the 2nd quarter. So, you’re telling me easy buckets are a good thing?

7:58 At the half the Sooners are the Knicks to American playing the Thunder. OU 47, American 24.

7:59 I don’t care how much or how little he scores, Robert Swift is better than Johan Petro and needs to start and play healthy. Emphasis on healthy.

8:00 Should we call the team the OKC Durants? It’s pretty much him or nothing.

8:07 Sherri Coale’s haircut looks good. Really good. Meow.

8:11 The Thunder will be lucky to get 90 points. the Knicks have 92 with 4 minutes left in the 3rd.
Seriously, who is going to be Durant’s wing man? Jeff Green stepped up in Durant’s absence but he’s absolutely shrunk tonight (4 points). Westbrook has 6.

8:14 Grant Long mentions that making a basket on a fast break is one that you have to make. Thanks for that. Whilst I agree you need to have someone that played basketball professionally to be a color guy on TV shouldn’t he bring more to it than me?
So maybe this is a reasonable starting lineup: KD, Watson, Joe Smith, Robert Swift and Jeff Green. Sooner than later Westbrook takes over for Watson but not until he makes more than 15% field goals.

8:21 Westbrook just willed himself to a basket right before the quarter ends. Great work. 93-73 Knicks. Great quarter for the Thunder.

8:25 Don’t look know but, can you believe it, after putting themselves in a giant hole the Thunder are scratching and clawing their way back.

8:26 Knicks 7-26 from 3. Thunder 1-7

8:27 Maybe Westbrook can pass. He just hit Mason on one of the best passes of the season for a rare fast break bucket. 96-81 Knicks.

8:32 Like KD’s shoes. I could be wrong but it could be the first time the team wore black shoes on the road.

8:35 Don’t look now but the Thunder are only down 11 with 6:50 left in the game. Come on boys.
8:35 Westbrook, Mason Collison and Green. No KD and Green make a bucket.

8:40 Green is better off with Durant not on the floor and vice versa.

8:41 Westbrook just destroyed! Now it’s a seven point lead. Offensive foul on the Knicks boards and Thunder ball!

8:44 We need to just spot the other team 30 and get a full 48 minutes to try and come back. Watching the Thunder put themselves in a hole is like watching the Sooners when they give up a kickoff return. You know it’s going to happen it’s just inexplicable that you can’t stop it.

8:49 what a play by KD. Drive, a foul and a prayer that goes in. Can get the Thunder within 8.

8:51 I think Swift just scored one for the Knicks.

8:53 Well, yet another valiant effort. Get down early and make it close late. Then lose by 8. Russell Westbrook has had an awesome game. 19, 9 and 5 for him.

8:55 We’re going to cut this off because it’s more or less over and the lady just brought home Mexican food. Peace out hope you enjoyed.

Back in Time for the Weekend

I've been curled up in a ball, in the dark, sucking my thumb ever since Dwight Howard single-handedly pistol-whipped the Thunder on Wednesday night. Superman was 3 blocks shy of a triple double at halftime. Most of those blocks were on Russell Westbrook who was roughly 0-38 from the floor.

Wednesday proved, if nothing else, the Thunder are not the best team with a singular nickname. The good news is that "nationally known" recording artist Natalie kept the crowd, "hyped" at halftime.

I must say out of all the games at the Thunderdome thus far, this game had the most fun and relaxed atmosphere. I would speculate this is because the outcome was never in doubt. There were never those tense moments where everyone holds their breath and hopes that nothing bad happens a la the Atlanta game. Quoth my sister who made it to her first game, "If you can't have fun at a Thunder game, you're not a fun person." Well then.

Also, in case anyone thinks Kevin Durant doesn't make a difference on the defensive end of the floor think again. 71 points for the Magic at the Half! We need KD back and how. And whilst he lulls people to sleep with smoothness, he evidently is much of the heart and soul. This fact evidenced by the lack of either on the floor for the Thunder in the first half.

So, it's on New York tonight. If the Thunder get off to their patent-pending slow start this could be a nightmare. The Knicks are not winning a title this year but they certainly score in bunches. If the Thunder don't have it together this could easily be a 120-92 type game. That would not be the party-time Friday night Thunder fans are looking for if you are scoring at home.

Saturday it's on to Philly in what, I'm guessing, is a little better matchup. It'd be nice if the boys can come home with a split.

Go Big Red

Robert Swift, dba Big Red, is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Eager to capitalize on this, I've created a Go Big Red t-shirt. All the kids are sure to want it and Christmas is just around the corner.

Go Big Red

Another Day....Another Learning Experience

We knew going in it could be like this. Losses piling up like bacon at a Holiday Inn breakfast buffet. This vision conjures up abject mediocrity. A level of losing such that the Thunder should never be in games. Lose from start to finish. Desirable? No, but fairly easily accepted after a while especially given the expectation.

But games like Utah, where a valiant comeback comes up just short. Atlanta, carrying a lead through three and a half quarters only to lose it in the last six minutes. And now, at Indiana, racing out to a big lead against a team that is shorthanded, only to once again lose in the final minutes.

The thing that makes it hard is these guys are trying. They are close. They're likable and some of them are damn good.

I'm going to keep telling myself that losses like these are going to make the next win that much better. The first two game winning streak will feel like 10 straight and maybe, someday, the playoffs will feel like winning the lottery (instead of the draft lottery like the Thunder is on the way to doing).

Oklahoma City is an NBA baby. The Thunder are, for the most part, babies in terms of experience. We are all crawling through this learning curve. Can we please start walking?

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

It's Monday and it's raining. Over the weekend the Thunder dropped one to the Utah Jazz. Once down by as many as 30 they showed some heart and valiantly came back before falling by 7, 104-97. Then, on Sunday, the Thunder lost what looked like almost sure victory against the Atlanta Hawks. The Thunder led by as many as 6 in the 4th quarter but turnovers doomed them and the Hawks won on the free throw line 89-85.

Disappointing though these losses may be, hopefully two key lessons can be taken away, one from each game. In the Utah game it's pride. Down by 30 and basically being mocked and toyed with by the Jazz, the Thunder collectively said enough is enough. The emergence of pride and tenacity was great to see. In the Hawks game the Thunder also came back from a miserable first quarter but put together roughly 3 quarters of quality basketball. Prior to this they've played one, maybe two quality quarters. They had a lead for a majority of the game. They need to learn to keep it. So, baby steps I suppose.

Since it's Monday and one of the highlights of Monday during the football season is Peter King's Monday Morning QB column, I thought I would blatantly rip off Mr. King with my very own 10 Things I Think I Think section, now 6 games into the season and standing in the rain with a 1-6 record.

Ten Things I Think I Think:

1. I think I can't decide if Russell Westbrook or Kevin Durant is better. KD's game is so subtly smooth and when it's clicking a joy to watch and Westbrook looks like a runaway freight train most of the time but he's fearless and clutch. I'm excited to have this duo as the nucleus of this time for the next few years at least but one of these guys will need to emerge as the Alpha Dog for this team to go places.

2. I think P.J. Carlesimo (dba Uncle Rusty) has had so many different lineups on the court I'm not sure which one is best but I think I like this one; KD, Westbrook, Earl Watson, Jeff Green and (Joe Smith or Nick Collison or Dez Mason or Chris Wilcox or Robert Swift or Johan Petro).

3. I think before the season started I thought AC/DC's Thunderstruck would get run into the ground at home games and now I think it's not played near enough.

4. I think you could watch 50 random NBA games and not see a single team go through shooting slumps like this one does.

5. I think (nee, I know) I will be making a Robert Swift T-Shirt that says Go Big Red on the front with his number on the back. I will do it as soon he starts getting more playing time. He's a crowd favorite (or at least a crowd curiosity).

6. I think Earl Watson of all people could ultimately be a huge key for this team. The Thunder need a distributor for KD, Westbrook and Green.

7. I think if you want to pick up Thunderwear, the only place to do so is at the Thunder Shop at the Ford Center. Not Leadership Square, not the Internet. It's ridiculous what they have there that cannot be found anywhere else.

8. I think I like the energy of Westbrook, Dez Mason and Joe Smith. Having the veterans really energized says a lot to me and it's fun to watch.

9. I think the OKC fans have been really good. But they will not be great until they can keep from leaving close games early. It absolutely baffles me. Less than 10 points and 6 minutes left in the game does not mean it's over. Not even remotely.

10. I think we need a consistent 3-point shooter and I think we might have one. Jeff Green.

Who I Like Tonight and I Don't Mean Dancing with the Stars (Also a blatant ripoff of Mr. King):

I hope I'm wrong but at Indiana tonight I think the Pacers are a one or two years ahead version of the Thunder and they know this is a must win game for them. That said, they are imminently beatable and the Thunder have been in virtually every game. I'm quaffing Thunderblue Kool-Aid at this point so I'll say Thunder 94-Pacers 91.

A Glimpse of What Oklahoma City Should Strive For

Tonight the Thunder take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are the archetype of what NBA basketball in Oklahoma City should look like. OKC is off to a good start what with choosing a singular nickname.

But more than a nickname the Jazz are the only professional game in town like OKC. They have been solid for going on three decades and the reason is continuity. We may never see a coach in any major league last as long as Jerry Sloan. He goes for his 1,000th career win against the Thunder tonight.

The Jazz also have the best crowd in the NBA. Whilst OKC would like to say they do they don't. OKC has to prove it for many years before such a claim can be made. The Jazz sellout every game, the fans are loud and they stick around the whole game.

What should give Oklahoma City hope is that other than beautiful scenery what advantages does Salt Lake City really offer that OKC cannot in terms of retaining talent year over year? Salt Lake City is probably the only NBA city with less black people than OKC. By virtue of the Mormon population the nightlife can't be better than OKC. You have to buy a membership to get into a bar. Seriously, if Utah can attract players why can't OKC?

From a basketball standpoint I don't like the chances for the Thunder. The Jazz are off to a 4-0 start without their best player, Deron Williams. The Jazz were 37-4 at home last season. Maybe the Thunder get off to another good start and steal one. I don't really see it.

And since I have nothing else to add, please enjoy this expose' on the Thunder Girls forthcoming calendar by the Oklahoman's Angi Bruss:

Thunder v. Celtics- Drag Racing Gone Bad

The 1st quarter of the Thunder's 96-83 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday seemed like magic hour. The Thunder played their most inspired ball of the season. They got to the basket, hit shots, played solid D. They looked like a team. They sprinted to an 8-point lead to the delight of a crowd who was very into it.

And then, after scoring 29 points in that 1st quarter, the Thunder did their best impersonation of a Top Fuel Dragster crash, skidding to 26 total points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined. The Celtics, conversely, put the hammer down.

The Celtics not only got back into the game but took the lead for good with beautiful passing and tenacious rebounding and by forcing the Thunder to settle for jump shots which they did not often make.

The Celtics passing was awesome to watch. They whipped the ball around the perimeter in a blink with picks set up to give Ray Allen or Paul Pierce or whomever else an open look at the basket. Unlike the Thunder they hit many of these shots with deflating regularity.

No one believed the Thunder would win this game. No one certainly expected it so let's look and try to take some positives away.

• The Thunder did play absolutely beautifully in the 1st quarter. If they can replicate that for 4 quarters, in the same game, they can hang with anyone. It's great to see that a high level of play is possible for this team.
• Jeff Green played one of his best games probably. He definitely showed his range in scoring both inside and out. He finished with 14 points and 6 boards.
• After attempting only 10 3-pointers through the first 3 games combined, the Thunder connected on 6 of 13. Buyer beware; part of the reason for this is the Celtics defense forcing the Thunder into taking jumpers. Nonetheless, maybe these guys do know what that semi-circular line means after all.
• The babies, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook led the team in points and were the only three players in double figures. Glass half-full they played well. Glass half-empty, nobody else scored.
• While I was hoping the Thunder could narrow the losing deficit to less than 10, 13 isn't embarassing considering the competition. The line, I heard, was 23. Also, Doc Rivers played his starting lineup in crunch time to stave off the Thunder who did not quit.

Other notes:

• I didn't think I would miss the loud-asses who have sat behind us in each game thus far. However, when the Celtics started coming back it was as though the team and crowd were content watching them go to work. The loud-asses in 309 would have been an asset and I intend to tell them as much when they come back.
• Way way way too much Celtic green in the Thunderdome. I can understand people rooting for other teams when the Hornets were here but this is our team. I honestly don't know how you can live with yourself if you are from OKC and don't support the Thunder. There are very few excuses for this. So few, that I'll have to approve each of them in writing and consider them on a case by case basis. Submit excuses here. This has to be the worst it will be save maybe for the Lakers. I think I'm just sick of Boston sports and their bandwagon fans that literally canvas the entire country.
• The sportglasses I purchased were probably the best $25 I've ever spent and easily paid for themselves the first time the Thunder Girls took center court for a dance routine. Thank you Hans Lippershey.

KD Speaks

This is The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry speaking to Kevin Durant at practice. I can hardly understand what they are saying. Evidently, Mr. Mayberry makes these videos himself. I appreciate his efforts nonetheless but think it's hilarious the difference in size between these two guys.

Enjoy.

Yes We Can!

Yes we can , Thunder fans. We can beat the Celtics. The long road ahead will be daunting, the price steep. (In a low whisper, yet optimistic) Yes we can. Shooting will be difficult, stopping the Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen nigh on impossible. But from the humble beginnings of a 1-2 season to the promise of a greater tomorrow with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder can seize control of it's destiny and set itself on the path towards greatness with a victory over the Boston Celtics tonight at the Thunderdome. (Now in a more guttural roar) Yes we can!

Apologies, I got a little overwhelmed there by the election.

Seriously, it's going to take a herculean effort from the boys tonight to pull this one out. A fast start will be key, especially from KD. The Thunder need to run and gun and get to the foul line a lot more than the Celtics. The Thunder need to rebound even better than they did against Minnesota. In short, the Thunder will need to play their best game yet to have a shot.

There is a chance though. The Celtics have shown they can be prone to turning the ball over. They are playing the second game of a back-to-back. Houston pushed them pretty hard last night.

Still, these are the champs. Let's prove we're not the chumps.

In other news:

The Thunder signed seven-footer Steven Hill. Hill is the defending SEC Defensive Player of the Year. But by all indications Hill will most notably serve as a warm body in practice and at the end of the bench as well as being another goofy white guy for Robert Swift to talk to.

John Lucas III We Hardly Knew Ye

John Lucas III was released by the team today. From an OKC fans perspective you hate to see a "hometown" guy go. Even if he was a Cowboy. Nonetheless it's a business this NBA. He had virtually no chance of seeing any significant time. He hadn't dressed for any games to this point.

Still, this leaves the Thunder one under the roster limit of 15. Very intriguing. Are they positioning for a move, a waiver wire pickup or just content with what they have?

A reliable outside threat would be ideal but so would a true big man. It seems to me the lean would be towards a shooter though since the Thunder have Mo Sene and Robert Swift who are still getting back to 100%.

Kyle Weaver seems like a big X-Factor to me. He's played barely a minute so far this season. He's obviously not a point guard. He must be a shooter right? This Wednesday against Boston isn't a good place to find out. Unless it gets ugly (and it could). According to his bio he does a little bit of everything, most notably defense.

In any event it's interesting to think of trade possibilities given that the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets just traded Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess for Allen Iverson.

Not Just Any Victory

The Thunder's 88-85 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night was more than just the franchise's first victory. It marked an important step in developing synergy between the team and its new fans.

I think it's fair to say that many season ticket holders are either bigger fans of OKC than NBA basketball or bigger fans of the "Hornets Circus" than basketball. That's fine, especially in the case of wanting to support OKC.

That said, the crowd, along with the team, learned just how much they are going to mean to each other this season. As the second half began and Minnesota went on a 10-0 run, it was the effort of the players who got the crowd going. Then it was the players,now feeding off the crowd, who held the TWolves to 12 4th quarter points and a huge first victory.

I think the crowd began to realize that, more than just blindly throwing themselves behind whatever cast of characters we got from the move, this is a team of hard working players who dislike losing as much as anyone else.

Everyone got into it. Kevin Durant had some ferocious dunks, Jeff Green got it going, Desmond Mason hit a big time shot to end the 3rd quarter. Nick Collison kept doing the little things that has him on the fast track to becoming a fan favorite. Russell Westbrook continue to gets better and better. Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith played solidly and even Earl Watson played in control.

The important thing for the players to know is that as long as they can keep it close the crowd will always be there to help push them over the top.

What was really cool to see was the players getting more and more involved as the fans got louder and louder. Then to see Joe Smith, the oldest player on the team, start waving his arms asking for more crowd noise. They all had smiles on their faces that you could even see from Section 309. The entire team stood along with the fans. And, collectively, everyone realized how much fun winning is.