Oklahoma City attempted to shock the NBA world by starting the season 3-0 but fell into a common theme from last year. The Thunder forgot how to hold onto the ball or make shots when it counted, and Portland pulled away at the end. Now comes the fun part, as both Finals teams travel to the Ford Center this week with a trip to Houston in between. All of a sudden the exciting start to 2009 could result in familiar territory for the second-year franchise.
Maybe I should have continued my sabbatical until oh....XMas or so just to see how the Thunder handle the pressure of being named basketball's team on the rise. Whichever publication you prefer to browse, everyone seems to have fallen for the OKC medicine this flu season. The group of young guns may be fun to watch but another high draft pick still appears more likely than a playoff run.
Don't get me wrong -- I want to be talking Thunder come May, so here's hoping my predictions are completely off-base. If the league switches New Orleans (KC?) Hornets to the Northwest and puts OKC in the Southwest, the postseason is much more of a possibility. The Spurs and Rockets are aging, and Dirk can't carry Dallas forever in the SW. Denver and Portland should own the NW for awhile, and Utah seems to hang around as well.
Kevin Durant needs to be the man every time out for the Thunder to be competitive, and to me that is still the downfall for Scott Brooks' crew. The 09-10 campaign will be a growing period for OKC, and now is the time to find out if Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are truly ready to be KD's running mate. Because if they are not up to the challenge, Chris Bosh will be waiting with open arms and an open bank account.
