Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Lesser of Two Evils: an OKC Thunder fan guide to Western Conference Final Game 7

By Stephen Dolan

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 17: Oklahoma City Thunder players, from left, Russell Westbrook #0, James Harden #13 and Kevin Durant #35 listen during the National Anthem before facing the Miami Heat in Game Three of the 2012 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 17, 2012 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JUNE 17: Oklahoma City Thunder players, from left, Russell Westbrook #0, James Harden #13 and Kevin Durant #35 listen during the National Anthem before facing the Miami Heat in Game Three of the 2012 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 17, 2012 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Run as One

As a Thunder fan, the case for cheering for the Houston Rockets to beat the Golden State Warriors is comprised mostly of one idea: it’s always, always, always good when the Warriors lose. But that’s the obvious part. Of course we want the Warriors to lose, but there are actually several other reasons to root for Houston other than “root against Golden State.”

First, foremost, and most purely, wouldn’t it just be great to see someone else win the Western Conference than Golden State? That’s something all NBA fans outside of the Bay can agree on, even if they feel no animosity for the Dubs. Variety is the spice of life, and Warriors sauce on the chicken wings of our Finals is getting old. Some Houston barbecue sounds mighty fine right about now.

KD

ICYMI, below is a tweet from Mary Babers, mother of Draymond Green, throwing Kevin Durant under the bus following the Warriors’ Game 2 loss in this series. And, if you’re plugged into NBA Twitter, you know that she’s far from the only person with this opinion.

OKC Thunder fans have known for a long time that KD is prone to taking tough, iso shots. Close your eyes and picture the following image: shot clock at 15, Russell Westbrook hunched over, stationary, dribbling at the top of the key, KD open on the right wing, or rather he thinks he’s open, somehow, inexplicably, because there’s a defender literally hugging him. Still, his left arm is stretched to the sky, calling for the ball. Russ floats him a pass.

That image is burned into the retinas of every single Thunder fan, and it’s part of the reason it’s so infuriating when Russ gets labeled as the lone reason for the Thunder’s historically muddy offensive style. We all know that Kevin Durant was just as much at fault as Russ or Scott Brooks, but Warriors fans are just figuring that out.

How did it take you so long to see that? For Thunder fans, this is what that willful ignorance looks like:

Which brings us to the next reason to root for the Rockets: Kevin Durant would look bad. This may seem, on the surface, like the petty wish of a dumped ex. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll discover that to be absolutely true. Thunder fans are a spurned lover, and they wish KD no happiness in his new relationship.

However, if you dig even deeper, you’ll find there’s actually a holistic, for-the-good-of-the-league reason to root for his failure. It may be a long shot, but his epic failure is the only thing that could realistically cause this Warriors dynasty to fall apart. That’s something 29 teams are rooting for.

Ultimate Goal

Perhaps the best reason to root for the Rockets to win Game 7, and the one that would render all of this rationalizing moot, is the best case scenario for Thunder fans. The only way to true happiness, at the end of the day, is neither of these teams winning the championship.

Either team would be a betting favorite against LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers, but it’s an undeniable truth that the Rockets would be more likely to lose (especially if Chris Paul is not 100% healthy).

It’s ironic that, should the Rockets pull off the upset against the best team ever assembled, we’d all go right back to doubting them against the Cavs, but them’s the breaks.

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