Thursday, October 30, 2008

And With the First Pick...

Well we aren't quite to that point yet. Yet is the most important word for the Thunder after last night's opener. The Bucks dominated every phase of the game, and the final score wasn't a good indicator of just how bad things went for Oklahoma City.

Because this could be the start of a very long season, I am not going to dwell on the negative. Instead I bring you three reasons to be optimistic for Saturday's first road game.

1. Healthy Players: The Thunder threw everyone at Milwaukee, getting 11 players in the game. Chris Wilcox came off the bench after missing the last couple of preseason tune-ups and led the club in scoring and rebounding (15 and 7).

2. 08 Draft Results: Russell Westbrook continued to impress, hitting the lone 3-pointer for OKC and finishing second on the team with 13 points. Kyle Weaver also made his NBA debut, picking up an assist against the Bucks.

3. First Game Jitters: Sold-out arena, check. NBA bigwigs in attendance, check. Too much adrenaline, you get the picture. From now on the game on the court can be the story, hopefully without many more distractions.

From the outside looking in, Milwaukee came ready to play after looking flat in their opener. They caught the Thunder at the right time and taught them an important lesson. Nothing is a given in the world's best basketball league, and OKC has a lot to learn.

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