A message to Thunder Nation from TI scribe re: enjoying the OKC Thunder season.
Dear OKC Thunder Fans,
Here it is. After the best offseason in franchise history, opening night is just 10 days away. Before the season starts, I have one simple requests to the best fans in basketball.
No matter what happens, enjoy the season.
Here’s a question. When was the last truly enjoyable Thunder season? Think about it. While Westbrook’s individual season last year was amazing to watch, it was painful at times from a team standpoint, especially when the playoffs rolled around. In 2016, the entire season was spent worrying about whether Kevin Durant would leave. Even when OKC went up 3-1 on Golden State in the Western Conference Finals, it felt too good to be true. It was. 2015 was the injury riddled season where the OKC Thunder missed the playoffs for the first time since 2009. That certainly wasn’t fun. 2014 was a great season. But that feels like such a long time ago. Especially with Durant, the man who made that season so incredible, is now public enemy number one.
The point is, while the OKC Thunder have had some great teams the past few years, it has been incredibly stressful from a fan standpoint. Even this year, both Paul George and Carmelo Anthony could bolt at the end of the season. Please don’t let that impact how you watch this year.
Growing pains are almost a certainty this season. The Thunder will not beat every awful team by 20 points, and will invariably lose some games against bad teams. There will be times Westbrook, George, and Anthony just take turns isolating on offense, abandoning any signs of ball movement. There will be times Andre Roberson’s shooting makes you want to change the channel. Despite being in year five and getting a 100 million dollar contract, there will be times Steven Adams remains hesitant on offense. There will be times Billy Donovan experiments with lineups that clearly have no business playing together. There will be times where either someone like Semaj Christon or Kyle Singler is getting minutes. Don’t let any of this or anything take away how great this season is going to be.
If you’re a true Thunder fan, you’ve seen how painful things can be. All the untimely injuries, all the Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Klay Thompson explosions that have prevented this team from winning a title. The Thunder hit rock bottom last year when Durant left. The organization was in flux. Would Westbrook ask for a trade? If so, why would Billy Donovan want to stick around? He signed up to coach two hall-of-famers, not run a rebuild. And why would Presti want to go back to the bottom? A major market team would certainly field him an offer.
But that’s not where the Thunder is right now. Russell Westbrook, arguably the most likable player in the league, is here for the next six seasons. Paul George is a bona-fide superstar who will only get better next to Westbrook. And for the first time in years, Carmelo Anthony is on a good team. His motivation will be at an all time high to get back to the playoffs and make a title run.
On one of ‘The Starter’s season preview episodes, fans voted the Thunder as the team under the most pressure this season. Why? What do the Thunder have to lose that hasn’t already been lost? They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Even if a doomsday Summer occurs and George and Anthony decide to leave, it will be nowhere near as bad as last offseason. The OKC Thunder knows how to deal with adversity, which takes all the pressure off of this upcoming season.
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When you think about it, there are only a few teams at most in a better place than OKC right now. With a great roster, coach, general manager, and an ownership group that is willing to spend, the Thunder will be ready to go toe-to-toe with the league’s best.
The Warriors may look unbeatable, and are rightfully the overwhelming favorites to win it all this season. But remember, things happen. Stephen Curry, who turns 30 in March, has a history of ankle injuries. Durant has suffered significant injuries in two of the past three seasons. And who knows if a Draymond Green temper tantrum could cost the Warriors dearly. There’s a reason games are actually played and not just simulated. In the NBA, you have to expect the unexpected.
So every time Roberson airballs a free throw or Melo shows no interest on defense, just think back to how painful the playoffs were last year watching Westbrook run out of gas trying to do everything by himself. Make no mistake, the OKC Thunder are title contenders this season. Not many teams can say that. When this team learns to play together, it will be like poetry in motion.
The next six plus months will be a roller coaster of ups and downs. But like roller coasters, the Thunder’s season will be an awesome experience. Also like rollers coasters, it will come to an end. So for the next 82 regular season and however many playoff games, enjoy the ride, before its time to get off.
Thunder Up,
Austin Sternlicht