Oklahoma's NBA team makes the playoffs!

[Laramie]

The NBA is alive and well in Oklahoma as the Thunder have had impressive wins over:

Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics
Dallas Mavericks

Thunder Shaking Up the NBA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdIMBgtt4VQ

NBA playoffs are about to begin.   He are some impressive wins at the Ford Center:

Mavericks @ Thunder

http://www.truveo.com/mavericks-vs-thunder-fanatnews-17/id/893938468


Lakers @  Thunder

http://video.gamesfather.com/youtube/play/video_3jQWjgudNDE.html

[RecycleMichael]

In Major League Baseball, eight out of 30 teams make the playoffs.

In the National Football League, 12 out of 32 teams make the playoffs.

In the National Basketball League, 16 out of 30 teams make the playoffs.

I am not impressed the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team made the playoffs. Win a couple of series and make the conference finals and maybe I will care.

[Conan71]

The NBA is alive and well in Oklahoma City.....

The rest of Oklahoma hasn't forgotten the snob er snub....

[RecycleMichael]

Conan is right.

I am sure I will get over the way the owners treated the rest of Oklahoma. Take our millions in tax dollars, then announce that the team would call themselves Oklahoma City.

Laramie, if you know anybody important with the team, pass on our comments.

Playing some regular season games in Tulsa would go a long way toward forgiveness.

[fotd]

In Major League Baseball, eight out of 30 teams make the playoffs.

In the National Football League, 12 out of 32 teams make the playoffs.

In the National Basketball League, 16 out of 30 teams make the playoffs.

I am not impressed the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team made the playoffs. Win a couple of series and make the conference finals and maybe I will care.

Sorry, but I am real impressed. Way to go Thunder! It's been fun observing their success.

KD is going to sign as their franchise player for over $84 mill....worth every penny.

They'd be nuts to play games here unless we give them the facility costs to have a game here. Maybe Tulsa's largest property owner could cover the cost since they get away with paying no taxes on their real estate.

[YoungTulsan]

If you aren't impressed by the Thunder this year, you aren't a fan of professional basketball, just some casual onlooker putting some politicized opinion on something out there to hear yourself speak.

[YoungTulsan]

They'd be nuts to play games here unless we give them the facility costs to have a game here.

Very true.  Following quote taken from this article: http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/04/05/thunder/index.html

The embrace has been just as strong in return. In football country, with Oklahoma about 20 miles to the south, Oklahoma State some 65 miles to the north and the Dallas Cowboys very popular 200 miles away, the Thunder are averaging 17,978 fans in a building with a listed capacity of 18,203. Loud City, people here have nicknamed the Ford Center.

So they average pretty much the full capacity of their building.  Only a moron would send the team to a different arena for certain games under those circumstances.  I've seen people make the suggestion that they play some games in Tulsa before, and I've always had the same question: Is that something any team in the league does?  Is Mark Cuban going to let the Mavs play a few games in Austin because they are butt-hurt?  Do the Suns play in Flagstaff?  Do the Cavs bounce down to Akron to make them feel better about themselves?  No.

[waterboy]

I agree with what Yt and FOTD just said, it is fun to watch them succeed.  However, did any of those other teams depend on statewide tax support for their existence, then grumble slap the rest of their state? OKC and the Thunder have a mountain of pr debris they have to overcome for support in NE Oklahoma and Tulsa is just petty enough to miss out on the growth of the state's first pro team till our ego is assuaged.

[Townsend]

  However, did any of those other teams depend on statewide tax support for their existence, then grumble slap the rest of their state? OKC and the Thunder have a mountain of pr debris they have to overcome for support in NE Oklahoma and Tulsa is just petty enough to miss out on the growth of the state's first pro team till our ego is assuaged.

Not too hard.  Take the money NE Oklahoma paid to get them to OKC and buy us something pretty.

Then stop making Tulsa a donor city to the rest of the state and allow us to buy something pretty.

[Conan71]

I probably should get over it and should have never had the expectation in the first place that simply because our entire state population is less than that of some of the metro areas for other teams that it would have a state-wide identity.  I simply felt if the owners wanted goodwill and acceptance of Thunder merchandise in the Tulsa area and around the state that branding the team "Oklahoma" instead of "Oklahoma City" would have been a no-brainer.

[dbacks fan]

"Do the Suns play in Flagstaff?"

Well, not Flagstaff, but we did play Golden State outdoors in Palm Springs, Philly in Monterey Mexico, and Portland in Vancouver BC. Yes these were pre season games, but still not played on either teams home court. It's intersting that the Thunder have done well, and I think ithas to do with the change of venue. The AZ Cardinals were an abissmal team until they moved into their new stadium. I wonder if any one has done a study on moving a pro team to a new venue, if they improved how long it took, or if they were on the upswing how long before it slumped?

[YoungTulsan]

"Do the Suns play in Flagstaff?"

Well, not Flagstaff, but we did play Golden State outdoors in Palm Springs, Philly in Monterey Mexico, and Portland in Vancouver BC. Yes these were pre season games, but still not played on either teams home court. It's intersting that the Thunder have done well, and I think ithas to do with the change of venue. The AZ Cardinals were an abissmal team until they moved into their new stadium. I wonder if any one has done a study on moving a pro team to a new venue, if they improved how long it took, or if they were on the upswing how long before it slumped?

Thunder do play a preseason game in Tulsa every year already.  If I recall, the one this year was poorly attended.

[Townsend]

Thunder do play a preseason game in Tulsa every year already.  If I recall, the one this year was poorly attended.

Well sure, if they'd held off on the posters with "OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER...because you suck, Tulsa" maybe more of us would've gone.


Just kidding, they took them down.

[RecycleMichael]

Thunder do play a preseason game in Tulsa every year already.  If I recall, the one this year was poorly attended.

Yes. They played a preseason game in Tulsa last year. The announced attendance was 10,427.

Of course, in the spirit of the Thunder snubbing their nose at Tulsa, they scheduled it on the same night as the University of Tulsa's nationally televised ESPN home game against Boise State. By the way, TU had 30,000 attend their game that night.

[Laramie]

Conan is right.

I am sure I will get over the way the owners treated the rest of Oklahoma. Take our millions in tax dollars, then announce that the team would call themselves Oklahoma City.

Laramie, if you know anybody important with the team, pass on our comments.

Playing some regular season games in Tulsa would go a long way toward forgiveness.

I have always been in favor of playing some regular season games in Tulsa.  The whole state needs to get behind this team.  This is Oklahoma!  The Thunder are Oklahoma!

I will pass this information along.