Some people live and breath the NBA... How important is the NBA to you?

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I could live without it,but I like having it here and I will pay to see as many games as possible!

I watch every Thunder game, every TNT broadcast (Tuesday and Thursday), most every summer league game on NBATV, Training camps, and check NBA.COM at least twice a day.... so yeah.. I guess it's important to me..

Not at all. MLB and NCAA football only.

Most of what I catch on the team is from here.
A wee bit from telly.

FWIW, I don't attend or watch much in the way of other sports teams either. It's more a somewhat fading indifference than anything.

Having been an OU football season ticket holder since 1971, nothing will replace that, but this team has caught my attention and fancy like none other in Oklahoma besides OU.

I pretty much live and breathe NBA. I'd always loved the league, so having our own team just intensified my interest.

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Not very. I think if I had a company with a national presence, it'd make a difference in that I wouldn't have to constantly explain why on Earth I was based in OKC.

There was a time when I watched the NBA religiously. Now? Eh...not so much. We DO watch every Thunder game, but beyond that we just rely upon ESPN to give us the scores. So I guess I have a bit of 'tunnel-vision'.

Very Important. I always liked the NBA, but, did not have a true connection to any particular team, but, now with my very own home team representing my State, I am an ardent Thunder fan, engaged in almost every aspect of their existence. This NBA team is very important to me for more that just the sport but also the exposure and prestige it brings to my home State

The NBA is important to me and my community in that it gives us support and the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder becomes a vehicle by which our community is united; this team becomes our rallying point!

Not very. I think if I had a company with a national presence, it'd make a difference in that I wouldn't have to constantly explain why on Earth I was based in OKC.

From what I can remember growing up with you, you never really were a sports fan, so I completely agree with you--on your reasoning.

For myself, before the Thunder came to town, or even before the Hornets were here, my friends and I would mostly just watch the playoffs or watch certain NBA traditional dynasty regular season matchups (pretty much, LA vs. Boston), or I'd watch the games during the holidays. Now that the Thunder has a permanent presence here, I don't always try to attend every single game that I can but I do try to watch them every opportunity that I get, whether it's at home, at a friend's, at a sports bar, or where ever I may be. Last year I programmed their home schedule into my phone's calendar (it'd be insane to put in 82 games)! I'm attentive to their presence here in the community and it's a positive mark for this city so I'd say overall, I'm 65% vested into the NBA. 80% to the Thunder ;)

Before, never watched a game. Maybe the finals, and not really with much interest or attachment to a particular team.

Now...

EVERY Thunder game, start to end. I also tune in to other games if we are playing one of the teams soon to see how they are doing. But I don't watch those games much, might watch a few minutes and turn back to Deadliest Catch or whatever, and check back in when a commercial break comes up. But like I said, when the Thunder is on, nothing else will be happening, I will be watching the game start to finish -- and the postgame wrap-up too!

I'd say they mean a ton. They represent our city on the national and world stage, and they do a damn fine job at it and I am proud.

I was once a huge fan of the NBA (Jordan particularly), not so much now. But, since OKC has been in the league (Hornets and now Thunder), I have ALWAYS been a fan. We don't have a team in Seattle anymore - so I am 100% behind the OKC Thunder and also like to casually follow the Chicago Bulls (still somewhat of a diehard), LA Lakers, and to a much lesser extent NO Hornets (CP3 made his bones in OKC, so I still follow).

Other than that, I couldn't really care less about the rest of the league - I have my teams and am 100% behind the Oklahoma City Thunder! I'm even hoping to come to a few games - but first I need to get back from China (wink wink).

As fas as me personally, I could hardly care less. We've been to one game. I just don't like basketball very much. As far as OKC becoming a true big league city. I'm a major fan. If it ever came to us having to go to games to save the team we'd be right in line for season tickets.

Before, never watched a game. Maybe the finals, and not really with much interest or attachment to a particular team.

Now...

EVERY Thunder game, start to end. I also tune in to other games if we are playing one of the teams soon to see how they are doing. But I don't watch those games much, might watch a few minutes and turn back to Deadliest Catch or whatever, and check back in when a commercial break comes up. But like I said, when the Thunder is on, nothing else will be happening, I will be watching the game start to finish -- and the postgame wrap-up too!

I'd say they mean a ton. They represent our city on the national and world stage, and they do a damn fine job at it and I am proud.

This is exactly how I am. Thank goodness for being able to stream WWLS over my cell phone so I could listen to the game while driving between Jax and ATL every week.

I am not a huge fan of the NBA or any sport for that matter. I will watch football, basketball or baseball on tv occassionally but, I am never the type to by gear, go to a live game or pay for a game on pay per view. I will probably be one of the few people who will never go to a Thunder game in OKC. I might go if someone gave me tickets but, I doubt I would sit through the entire game. I just have other stuff that keeps me entertained mainly the wife.

I am not a huge fan of the NBA or any sport for that matter. I will watch football, basketball or baseball on tv occassionally but, I am never the type to by gear, go to a live game or pay for a game on pay per view. I will probably be one of the few people who will never go to a Thunder game in OKC. I might go if someone gave me tickets but, I doubt I would sit through the entire game. I just have other stuff that keeps me entertained mainly the wife.

Getting wrapped up in the fortunes of a particular sports teams is definitely very unimportant in the overall scheme of things. It certainly has it points though. It can fill in the down times of other events in your life and give you something to look forward to when other parts of your life seem a little boring. Most people live vicariously in their favorite teams. The number of fans far outnumber the number who attend events.

It is hard for me to get extremely involved in a sport that seems to be so "hollywood", where the name on the back of the jersey is more important than the name on the front. No other league sells individuals to the fans like the NBA does. They may like the marketing scheme, but to me it just makes it less of a sport and more of an event with celebrities.

It is hard for me to get extremely involved in a sport that seems to be so "hollywood", where the name on the back of the jersey is more important than the name on the front. No other league sells individuals to the fans like the NBA does. They may like the marketing scheme, but to me it just makes it less of a sport and more of an event with celebrities.

That is probably true and OKC does hype KD, but i think that that kind of culture is less evident here than in the "major makets". I think we enjoy the sport more than just the celebrities. Other than Barry Switzer, we are used to our sport celebrites being a more fleeting existance.

For me, the NBA is my 4th favorite sport to watch. My top 3 are MLB, NFL. and NCAA Football.

Of those 4 sports, I think the NBA is the best to watch live, followed by NCAA football. NBA tickets are the most affordable and give fans better value than any of the other 3 major sports. In addition to that, you don't have to worry about bundling up for freezing temperatures, dealing with 50 MPH wind gusts, or baking in 90-plus degree temperatures. Being part of a raucous crowd (like the crowds the Thunder had in the playoffs) is fun, too.

To put the affordability aspect into perspective, take this example:

The cheapest ticket for a Denver Broncos regular season game costs $55. This will get you a seat in the upper level of Mile High, where you're closer to God than you are to the players on the field. When the Nuggets made the conference finals last year, i bought tickets for $60. That $60 got me a seat in the upper level between the baskets. Not bad value, IMO.

Affordability is somewhat relative. While I would willingly and happily pay $75.00 - $100.00 to attend some OU or NFL games, paying $10.00 for an NHL game would mean it is overpriced to me.

Yeah.. the NBA is definitely peaking my interest! In the past, I wouldn't say it was of any importance but am finding myself becoming more fascinated...

-Scout

I have become a much bigger NBA fan than ever before, for obvious reasons. I also think it has coincided with some of my disdain for what college football has become. I used to live for college football and could watch any game, anytime, but, while I can still watch any game, the structure of the sport in general has become sort of silly to me. Every time I am watching a college football now, there is always a little doubt about whether it means anything or not, or how much politics will be involved in deciding a "champion". Any sport where I can justifiably put champion in quotes is fundamentally goofy, imo.

I think I also think it is exciting to watch a team build and get better. There is so many "unbelievable" moments because you didn't expect much. Now that OU has gotten back to a point where many feel that beating Texas is more important than championships, or where fans actually think winning any bowl game is better than losing in the "finals", it has just gotten too silly sometimes. So, I am really enjoying watching a game and having season tickets to a rising team that plays a game where championships are always the end goal.

I guess it says a lot that I probably know more about NBA players this year than I do about college football players going into the season. Just a few years ago, I knew the name of every OU recruit, even if they weren't on campus yet. Now I actually know who is playing D-League in Tulsa Oklahoma. Ha!

Most important things in my life in order are: NBA/Sex/Breathing. j/k

OKC having an NBA team was one of the main reasons I accepted a job transfer here. I enjoy going to sports events a lot, and the fact that OKC does not have a major-league baseball team or NFL team was a major letdown to me. Honestly, as stupid as it sounds, if the Thunder weren't here, I probably wouldn't have transferred.

And, of course, I'm stoked that there are two jayhawks on the roster!

In the broad scheme of things, not important at all. However, its so great to have an OKC team to root for in the major professional leagues.