Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

OKC Thunder: Roar from the Silence

By Stephen Dolan

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 4: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder stands during the national anthem prior to the game against the LA Clippers on January 4, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 4: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder stands during the national anthem prior to the game against the LA Clippers on January 4, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder
OKC Thunder (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The years of fear

I don’t know if you went to a small high school, let alone if you played sports. If you didn’t, bear with me. If you did, either or both, I’m sure you faced, occasionally, a team from a school you had hardly heard of, a school who had no business competing with yours, a team who ran you right off the court/field/pitch/whatever.

Having established the national opinion of Oklahoma City, you can see that’s how the fans of other teams saw the OKC Thunder from 2008 to 2015.

“Oh, we’re playing the Oklahoma Th— oh, the Oklahoma City Thunder, that’s right. Yeah, they’re really good! Just haven’t thought about them in a while…”

The OKC Thunder were the team from the sleepy, tiny town that nobody knew anything about. You never thought about them until they showed up to your gym and kicked your behinds. You landed in their town and yawned dramatically, sarcastically even, until the visceral sensation of Russell Westbrook roaring right in your face woke you all the way up. You never thought about them until they were balling.

They were free of drama, free of expectations. It was honestly annoying. The contract dramas of KD, then Russ, then Russ, then PG, then Melo were the first times that off-the-court matters eclipsed the OKC Thunder’s on-the-court existence. It was rough, and it brought a hot, hot spotlight onto the team – one the fans weren’t used to.

OKC’s predicaments were bandied about the airwaves for entertainment, for ratings, for tauntings. The OKC Thunder had never, ever been in the spotlight for basketball less than they were during those years. Even when the reports were on the court, they were linked to potential departures. They were hinted at as reasons for leaving.

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