The good thing for me was that I was in a state of euphoria following Auburn’s amazing overtime win over Kentucky to advance to their first ever Final Four. I must admit… at that point I pretty much decided to take a break from the Titantic-like Thunder and get ready for the Duke vs. Michigan State game. A very smart move on my part and one I had made around 9:00am given the situation with the self-abusive Oklahoma City Thunder basketball squad.
Of course, I’m weak and a self admitted hoops junkie and couldn’t hold true to this pledge and punished myself by watching around half of the Thunder’s predictable 106-103 home loss to the tanking Dallas Mavericks who on most nights aren’t even trying to win games at this point in their season.
I’m not an unreasonable blogging person. I pride myself on being fair and even handed. There comes a point when you can only challenge a team’s lack of heart in print so many times that it becomes as predictable as hearing the Thunder homers make excuses for what has happened to this team since the game before the All-Star break in New Orleans.
I’m not Jim Traber. He doesn’t like the Thunder. I like the Thunder even though their media relations/communications approach is a literal piece of dog shit. Consider this…if the Thunder had taken the polar opposite approach of what they do…maybe the Thunder players would think there’s a degree of self accountability on how they compete night in and night out. Maybe…if they weren’t coddled and pampered at some point as a group a collective competitive anger would swell inside of them and they would find a way…any way to become a better team than what they’ve shown the past twenty-two games where with one of the highest payrolls in the league and a primary owner who has gone through two major health issues in the past year…. maybe, just maybe as a group they would pull themselves together and play hard and with some mental focus with just a touch of professional pride attached.
But apparently that isn’t the case with this Oklahoma City Thunder squad who for whatever reason quit on themselves, their coach, their owner and their fans way back in New Orleans on a Thursday night just before the All-Star break thinking nothing more was required of them as a team.
Next up…the LeBronless LA Lakers inside Cheasapeake Energy Arena.
If you live for the butterflies and rainbows approach this blog probably won’t be for you until the Thunder show some heart.
*On recheck…I correct myself, the dead team walking Thunder are 7-14 since New Orleans. It’s the best I’ve felt about this team since the Miracle in Philadelphia.
When you have some talent, a good coach and a truckload of heart this is what can happen even when your best player can’t go because of a season ending knee injury. Winning is fun and becomes contagious.