And then we remembered why we suck. Ugh...back to the 20 point losses. We need to clean house and get some NBA players next season. Enough of these CBL level folks.

FT shooting is abysmal, and the turnovers are awful. I wonder how many Durant has a game.

:numchucks

Durant's career average is 2.92 turnovers per game; this year, at 3.0, he's fifth in the NBA. (He's behind Dwyane Wade, Stephen Jackson, Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash. Go figure.)

Then again, Westbrook is 11th, and Watson is 19th.

Chris Paul is tied for 20th. I conclude from this that the more often you have the ball, the more likely you are to turn it over. (You may now speak the Sacred Syllable: DUH.)

Think the excitement of the inaugural season has died off a lot forcing myself to watch a potential record setting horror of a team...Almost laughable how bad they are

Kinda ready for this season to be over already and am looking forward to draft day :whiteflag

I think people are expecting too much too soon. Whether we suck or not, we're lucky to have an NBA team here, and there have been plenty of other cities who have had to put up with abysmal seasons. Why should we deserve more than Philadelphia? We're not the sports center of the universe, that's for sure.

I know there are always armchair quarterbacks, but if Presti has a long term plan, we need to give him time to implement it, instead of demanding instant gratification. In two to three years, if we're not doing well, that's when we should be critical of the rebuilding plan. We're a small market, so it's not going to be easy to get free agents here, and our owners spend LOTS of money to get this team here, so they don't have all the money in the world to buy free agents. It's going to take time, and probably draft picks who aren't so picky about where they live and how much they're paid, to build a good team.

I go to the game for a variety of reasons....to spend time with my friends and family, to watch the team and see who's improving, to enjoy runs when we're ahead, to enjoy the whole atmosphere of being at an NBA game, and to avoid spending weeknights staring at a television when I can be out in the city. Yes, winning would make that much more fun, but I'm still getting a fair amount for my entertainment dollar. And the rest of my family, who are less sophisticated sports fans, are still having a good time.

We said we wanted NBA basketball, and we've got it. Let's figure out a way to enjoy what we've got, lest we lose it.

Come on Betts...I'm sure even you find yourself shaking your head game after game after game

I was expecting bad this year but not record setting bad...Love me some Durant, Green and Westbrook but I find myself switching over to catch The Hills in the 4th cause it's so damn depressing

This is exactly why everyone outside of Oklahoma doesn't think the NBA will make it here... Sadly I'm starting to agree with them a little bit. Sure, we are 2-24... Yeah, were one of the worst teams i've ever seen play the game... and yes it's depressing at times. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE is missing the big picture! WE HAVE A NBA BASKETBALL TEAM!!!! Ask yourself, Would you rather be 2-24 or not have a team at all?!?! I'm SOOOO sick of going on all these OKC Thunder message boards seeing everyone bitch about the players, coaches, owners, front office, etc. Maybe it's because were new to the NBA and many of us don't realize how rebuilding a team works.. You rebuild through the draft and/or trade for young players. Get young talented athletes with lots of potential, let them all gel and form together, throw in a couple solid veterans, get a solid bench and all the sudden you have a Championship contender every year for 5-8 years. Now ask yourself this!! Do you honestly think all that is possible in 1 year? 2 years? No!! Possibly 3, but don't count on it. For anyone who thought this team was going to win 30+ games this year apparently you didn't watch a single game last year when they were in Seattle. All I'm asking is, everyone be patient! It takes ALOT of time to build a championship team! We are not playing or making huge trades to win immediately!! We are now playing towards getting the #1 pick next June! Ok now that all that is said, Sorry for the rant. I had to get that off my chest. It gets so old listening to everyone bitch and complain about having an NBA team.

Definitely happy we have a team...Damn happy...But there is no getting around how bad the team is...No reason to try and dance around it any longer

Was nice to see some clutch shots in the 4th tonight...Ford center was rocking for the 3rd win of the season...Hopefully they can play a little 500 ball for a little while...Think most of us would be overjoyed with that result

Betts and Watson, I'm with you. The Thunder rule!!!! :tiphat:

I'm tired of all the complaining. Remember how bad the Sonics were? Well, we have the old Sonics here. They are now OUR team!! Win or lose, they are OUR team! It will take a couple years too get where we need to be.

Again, regardless, the Thunder RULE!!!!! If anyone part of the Thunder are reading this, WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU!!!!!! :welcome55

Well said Betts and Watson!

This team is not going to play .500 ball now or anytime in the near future. We have a team comprised of players that would either be on the bench on almost every other team in the league, or they wouldn't even be on the team. That's why they're here. If they'd even been decent in Seattle, the city probably would have figured out a way to keep them there.

Now, we slowly rebuild, as Watson said. And try to enjoy the process. I agree it's painful to watch them at times. But I keep watching, because they're our team. And, to be honest with you, with all the losses we've had, we're REALLY going to appreciate every win, rather than taking a decent team for granted. In the long run, if they can just win enough games for everyone to hold on, they may build more fan support than they would if the team had come in with a .500 record....then everyone would be bitching if we didn't make the playoffs or win a few games in the playoffs. Now, we feel like we won a playoff game when we beat a mediocre team. I can guarantee you that if we had a 13-13 record right now, people would have taken the win last night for granted. Instead there was wholesale celebration and excitement. So, there's a silver lining to this cloud, perhaps. We need to remember that if we don't take good care of this team, we won't be getting another.

could be worse folks. there could be some bear of a fella sitting in front of a plate of babybacks in KC thinking ... I wonder where there's a team that the locals wouldn't fuss much if they left, what with the team being a passle of cellar dwellers ... I got time to ride it out and make it work if there is such a group available.

Then again, maybe there is.

Put is this way folks,this year is a bust,but support this team to the fullest and wait for the future!OKc supports a losing team just imagine a winning team to support!,I saw on espn we are are #12 in the nba in attendance at 18,300 and we have king james on sunday(sellout) so it will go up!ya know who we are behind right now?Boston! so keep it up and support our team! one day they will be a contender! and then imagine the avg.attendance!

Hey OKC, don't hate too soon. This team WILL be good. Please please support them up there!!

We ( Yes, we're everywhere) will spend well and get good. Not too mention, this team will improve this season. Please, please, have patience fans.... OKC will improve, just be patient- and we'll be in the playoffs before you know it!!!!!!!!!!!

OKC badly needs to win the draft lottery and grab Blake Griffin. Not only would he help the team on the court, he would help keep the seats warm during the colder times.

It would be so awesome to see OKC draft a local as the number one pick.

This team is not going to play .500 ball now or anytime in the near future. We have a team comprised of players that would either be on the bench on almost every other team in the league, or they wouldn't even be on the team. That's why they're here. If they'd even been decent in Seattle, the city probably would have figured out a way to keep them there.

Now, we slowly rebuild, as Watson said. And try to enjoy the process. I agree it's painful to watch them at times. But I keep watching, because they're our team. And, to be honest with you, with all the losses we've had, we're REALLY going to appreciate every win, rather than taking a decent team for granted. In the long run, if they can just win enough games for everyone to hold on, they may build more fan support than they would if the team had come in with a .500 record....then everyone would be bitching if we didn't make the playoffs or win a few games in the playoffs. Now, we feel like we won a playoff game when we beat a mediocre team. I can guarantee you that if we had a 13-13 record right now, people would have taken the win last night for granted. Instead there was wholesale celebration and excitement. So, there's a silver lining to this cloud, perhaps. We need to remember that if we don't take good care of this team, we won't be getting another.


Awesome post, betts! All of those that are lucky enough to have season tickets or see games on a regular basis, just remember this: you will be able to say that you watched the inaugural Thunder season, and you will be able to have 'grown up' with a team that have come into their own over the years.


Every team has to start somewhere! And with a less than stellar team, every win is that much more of a cherished victory.

The Rotation: Blight Spreads Through the NBA - NBA FanHouse (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2008/12/30/the-rotation-blight-spreads-through-the-nba/)

This team is not going to play .500 ball now or anytime in the near future

Should have been 3 in a row Betts :doh:

This team now has 3 solid scorers and Kristic...Should be able to take care of weak teams at the Ford and actually be pretty decent in the 2nd half of the season...By decent I mean 10 and 30 :woowoo:

Two thoughts watching the Thunder win big tonight...Westbrook was a WISE choice and is most definitely the 2nd best rook in the league right now behind Rose...Keeps playing like this and he may just jump him before year end..Nicely done Presti

Second thought...Anyone else sick of the same 4 commercials played over and over during the breaks?...You would think the major sponsors like MidFirst would film more than two commercials since they bought up that much time :poke:

Two thoughts watching the Thunder win big tonight...Westbrook was a WISE choice and is most definitely the 2nd best rook in the league right now behind Rose...Keeps playing like this and he may just jump him before year end..Nicely done Presti

Actually ESPN thinks differently of Rose.. as of right now they have Rose ranked 4th and Westbrook ranked 2nd behind Mayo. No doubt though, if Westbrook keeps it up he'll be up for the R.O.Y. Award.

Two thoughts watching the Thunder win big tonight...Westbrook was a WISE choice and is most definitely the 2nd best rook in the league right now behind Rose...Keeps playing like this and he may just jump him before year end..Nicely done Presti

Second thought...Anyone else sick of the same 4 commercials played over and over during the breaks?...You would think the major sponsors like MidFirst would film more than two commercials since they bought up that much time :poke:

Westbrook is a beast at both ends of the court and goes hard on every play until the final buzzer. His and Kyle Weaver's commitment to defense have obviously infected this team, as the defensive play team wide has really improved by leaps and bounds these last few weeks. This must be by design - Presti is obviously trying to assemble a group that is willing to go all out on both ends of the court, contrary to the typical lackadaisical style of the modern NBA game.

This team doesn't at all resemble Carlesimo's squad of 2 months ago that I couldn't stand to watch for even 5 minutes. They are playing more like a hungry college team and it is fun to watch!

they killed in tonites game. it was awesome!
they said there was something like 18,400, but did it seem a little bare to anyone watching? and for the most of the game it seemed pretty noise free too.

I'm going to have to eat my words. I'm not even completely sure Krstic is making THAT much of a difference, but rather, that the whole team is better. Even Earl Watson isn't making me groan. If in November you'd told me that the Thunder would win four out of the last 8 games, I don't think I'd have believed it. Since the personnel isn't that different, I think we have to attribute a lot of it to coaching. He's either teaching them more or inspiring them to work harder or both. Probably both. I'm hoping Coach Brooks gets a better contract than interim coach soon.

ESPN's Power Rankings have the Thunder 21st out of 30

Far cry from the disgustingly bad team we watched the first two months of the season

Put a sharpshooter on this team next year via free agency or draft and they will be a scoring machine next year

never forget - The local NBA team has won more games in a single night than the combined total season wins out of Seattle, Las Vegas and Kansas City.

I'm not a big roundballer. Haven't made a game, rarely catch them on tv.

But even a de minimus, out on the fringe, fantoid like me can recognize there's something special in having the NBA in town, win or lose.

Dont forget to throw San Diego and Louisville in the mix.

Does our team freakin' rock or what? I was watching ESPN last night and they were talking about the changes Coach Brooks has made and how it has allowed Durant to begin to develop into a major star. They were also singing the praises of Westbrook and Green. They capped it off by pointing out how the Thunder has stocked up on draft picks. Remember how folks were laughing at us when the Thunder first moved here? Well, there's not too many folks laughing now. And it looks like the team can only get better from here on out. Sweet!

I did not want to gauge our success or lack there of on the Lakers last night. True they are a great team, but is Kobe really over the flu? Yes he led all players with 34 points and I'm just glad he didn't throw down 60 on us. I'd really hate that when I go to the next game (us vs. them on the 24th) that they don't come in here and manhandle us worse than the minimal eight they beat us by on their home court.

I also gotta add a woulda, coulda, shoulda moment, but... Less 2nd chance points by LA and a stronger FG % in the 2nd quarter from us and we would have had that game.

As you can see, I'm rather conflicted because of how they measured up for just this one game. I'm glad that so far in 2009 this team is practically 50/50 & I'm ready for that 3+ game win streak! Lets take our second in a row from Portland tonight! GO THUNDER!!

I just think we're doing good in general. We're close in almost every game these days and we've lost a bundle by under 10 points. With a team this young, I think that's a very good sign.

I just think we're doing good in general. We're close in almost every game these days and we've lost a bundle by under 10 points. With a team this young, I think that's a very good sign.

LOL, I know. Could you imagine if 50% of those were swung our way? This team would be getting a lot more publicity. I love the fact that we have this team and although I'm not interested in seeing this year end asap, I'm totally ready for the draft and next season. I also hope Scott Brooks is named as our full-time head coach, as I would hate to see him go back to being an assistant or taking a head position or staff position on another team. He is very capable of handling the position!

Even a little shout out from Bill Simmons

Jeff Green: Great teammate, tough as nails, gives a crap, does whatever you need. He's the anti-Beasley. What frightens me is that The Team That Shall Not Be Named somehow has become my favorite non-Boston team to watch. Love the Durant-Green-Westbrook foundation, love Scotty Brooks (who knew???), love the spirit of their crowds, love their style of play (attack off every miss, which is exactly how the Bulls should play). It continues to be cruel and unfair that this couldn't have happened in Seattle.

8. Kevin Durant
Put it this way: I had a lot to do this week. I am trying to finish a book. I had to finish this column. My wife and daughter returned from a trip late Monday night and I wanted to see them. I am flying to Phoenix on Thursday and had to take care of all the dumb stuff people have when they are about to leave for a trip. On Tuesday night, under normal circumstances, I would have rather given myself a two-foot-long paper cut instead of going to the Staples Center and spending three hours with Lakers fans. I went there anyway. Only three teams would have dragged me out of the house: The LeBrons, the Celts, and Durant's Future Former Team. That's the list.



(Before you make fun of my bromance with KD, explain how a kid who just turned 20 four months ago has basically been averaging a 29-8 with 49-88-45 percentages and this isn't a national story. I mean, you should be tired of hearing about Durant by now. By the way, he's averaging 31.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 45.4 mpg over the past 12 games, six of them wins. Here's his game log if you don't believe me. And check those numbers compared to a 21-year-old LeBron in Year 2, or Kobe's third season when he turned 20. Hmmmm. What do you think Durant has to do to crack one of the first three segments on "PTI"? Score 40 for five straight games? I'm just curious. Again, he's 20. He's can't drink yet. This whole paragraph is making me feel bromantic.)

KD will be fine, if we can just get him a little more help. Even Michael Jordan needed help before the Bulls became scary. We've got some of the pieces in place. It's not enough yet, but I think we're on the right path.