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.