Issue #133: Thunderous Applause
A quick show of appreciation for the Oklahoma City Thunder
I don’t like the state of Oklahoma. I have only been there one time and I vowed to never return. When I moved from the east coast to the west coast, with my wife and corgi, we drove across the country. We went through a ton of states. One of them was a brief stint in Oklahoma.
It may have been short, but that was all the time I needed to know that I was all set with Oklahoma. And this is after I had already watched Tiger King. That show should’ve been enough of a reason to never go there.
If I’m being honest, the reason I don’t like Oklahoma is completely irrational. It’s out of pure spite and pettiness. As we made our way across the country, Oklahoma was going to be one of our stopping points.
My issue with Oklahoma happened while we were driving though. There were no car issues. We weren’t pulled over or given a ticket for any traffic violations. No, this has to do with Oklahoma’s tolls.
There were so many tolls. And good luck if you don’t have their toll pass, which of course we didn’t have because we aren’t from Oklahoma. So we had to pay cash, or more accurately change. They had no messaging to indicate what each toll would cost until you were at the toll. Each time we rolled up to a toll, it was a mad dash to get the correct amount prepared.
Oklahoma tolls are diabolical too. It’s as if the devil himself planted these tolls to mess with people. They would be for strange amounts. 90 cents. 85 cents. 60 cents. Always some random amount of change that would be hell to pull together. Who has stray dimes or nickels hanging around their car? And of course, it had to be exact. There was no human to help and no way to get any change back.
Eventually, we had to pull over before a toll, to get more change and cash. After numerous adventures at different toll booths, we thought we were finally prepared. I had the change I needed ready to go and as I paid the correct amount, it still said I was short. It didn’t register one of the coins. Now, I was paying more than the listed toll! This happened multiple times. Oklahomans can thank us for their future infrastructure improvements.
After that experience, I said I would never return to Oklahoma. I’ve kept my word.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the only thing I find interesting about the state of Oklahoma. It’s baffling to me that they have an NBA team. They don’t have any other pro sports teams. The Seattle SuperSonics relocated there in 2008.
They’ve had some incredibly talented players. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden led them to a Finals appearance in 2012. Chris Paul and Paul George had brief stints on the team. Now, they have SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and Chet Holmgren. You may know them as the R&B duo in the new AT&T commercial.
They’ve had some bad luck in recent years. In Chris Paul’s only season with the team, and SGA’s first after being traded to them, they had their season shortened as a result of COVID and lost to James Harden’s Rockets in the Bubble. The next year, 2020-2021, was also shortened and SGA missed most of the season with various injuries. They finished 20-35. They followed that season up with a 24-58 record, but SGA was showing impressive growth. The bright spot from that season was earning the second pick in the upcoming draft, which they used to land one of the top prospects, Chet Holmgren.
That hope dwindled quickly after Chet injured his foot in a completely meaningless Pro-Am game and was forced to miss the entire season. Can’t get more unlucky than that.
Except, SGA jumped to another level. He earned his first All-Star game appearance and averaged 31.4 points per game, almost a seven point improvement from the season before. The team also went 40-42 and made the play-in, despite not having Chet all year.
This season, everything fell into place, probably sooner than anyone expected. Chet was able to play his “rookie” season and has looked incredible. His length and athleticism are only matched by Wemby. Just look at how Chet can extend his arms:
Obviously, that’s not Chet’s arm wrapped around everyone, but it looks like it and you wouldn’t be shocked if it was. That’s how impressive he is, physically. And the stats are there too.
SGA has continued to ascend to new heights, averaging over 30 points again and earning another All-Star nod and more MVP chatter. He’s a legit top 10 guy now, borderline top 5. The Clippers have to be kicking themselves for letting him go.
That’s not all either. The Thunder have had a treasure trove of picks that they’ve been able to use to fill out their roster, adding great players along the edges to round out their team. Guys like Jalen Williams (not to be confused with Jaylin Williams who is also on the Thunder) and Lu Dort.
Their coach, Mark Daigneault, will likely win Coach of the Year this year. And rightfully so. They ended up finishing first in the West and had a 57-25 record. That’s a 30+ win improvement from just two seasons ago and 17 win improvement from last season. Just a remarkable turnaround.
The Thunder are well ahead of schedule. They are the youngest team to earn the top seed, with an average age of 23.9! They shouldn’t be here, and yet here they are.
This is what makes the league great. The Thunder aren’t a destination team. They’ve had to use trades and the draft to build up their roster. They’ve developed players and centered their team around their stars. They got better and are now in a position to really compete. I still don’t plan on returning to Oklahoma, but this team has convinced me that I should reconsider my opinion on Oklahoma.
Sometimes the journey can be a little messy, and frustrating. But, when you finally get to your destination, you realize it was all worth it.
See you next week!