OKC Thunder: Top 10 moments of 2009-2010 season

LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 22: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on December 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 111-108. 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 2009 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Rising stars

As a Sophomore, Russell Westbrook participated in his second NBA Rising Stars Challenge (then the poorly-titled Rookie Challenge) in 2010. James Harden was selected to participate in his first. Along with the event that will be shown on the next slide, this weekend was an introduction of the Thunder on the grand stage.

With two up-and-coming stars and one who was slightly more established, OKC declared itself to the NBA world as a potential force to be reckoned with down the line.

Russ’s 32 minutes were the most in the game. In something of a foreshadowing of his future All-Star weekend tendencies, Russ scored 40 points on 18-29 shooting.

The Rookies, however, led by assistant coach Kevin Durant and a quad of 20 point scorers that included James Harden, won the game 140-128.

The timing of this game is very interesting. Players like DeJuan Blair, OJ Mayo, and Jonny Flynn having washed out of the league entirely. At the same time, those like Anthony Morrow and Derrick Rose are on the back ends of their careers. And then there were those like Russell Westbrook and James Harden, currently in charge of the league.

These two were just stepping onto the All-Star stage, but Kevin Durant was already there.

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