Start of an era

The Oklahoma City Thunder's first game went without a bang. This will go down as a great day for Oklahoma, and the Thunder organization, but it wasn't a great day of basketball. A Milwaukee Bucks team that has looked atrocious both in the preseason and in their loss to the Chicago Bulls one day earlier had their way with the Thunder for 3 quarters, until Carlesimo found a group willing to make a run (led by Joe Smith, Russell Westbrook, and Desmond Mason). Fighting, clawing and making stops, the Thunder fought back into the game, and the crowd came alive. You could taste a fairytale ending. But after cutting the 20+ point deficit to 11, Smith and Mason turned the ball over due to bad communication and Mason missed a layup to cut it to single digits and that was that. The Bucks pulled away for a 98-87 win over the OKC Thunder in their NBA debut.

While this won't be the only loss the Thunder experience this season, it probably served as a shock to the home crowd who likely felt they could will any team to a win. They had first-hand experience afterall, seemingly willing a below-average Hornets team into the playoff race three years ago. The problems that plagued the Thunder tonight are ones that plagued the Supersonics last year: An inefficient offense that has trouble scoring, and a young team that just hasn't had to time to meld together. This team is going to be good, as GM Sam Presti is going to keep on building his roster with the right players. With a wealth of draft picks (including what's likely to be a very high one of their own), the Thunder will have the ability to add another front-line talent to join Durant and Westbrook. I can tell you that alot of fans would be ecstatic to add Oklahoma's Blake Griffen to the mix next year. This team isn't built for 2008, its being built for a playoff run in 2010. They'll make it. Just give them time.

Some observations:

• Russell Westbrook is for real. He has absolutely lightening quickness and made Tyronn Lue (no slouch in the speed department) look silly a couple of time in the 4th quarter. He has a great handle, and is going to be able to get to the rim at will. I doubt that he'll ever have a great jumper, but he can be an elite point guard in the NBA.
• Jeff Green needs to come off the bench. I understand that the team wants to develop Green, who was the centerpiece of the Ray Allen trade (heck he might be the ONLY remaining piece), but he just doesn't bring anything to the table at this point. Green is a pure tweener, he doesn't have the perimeter skills or shooting ability of a small forward, and doesn't have the size of a starting power forward. He's best served to play on the second unit and maybe develop into a really solid 6th man. But when talking about the future, I don't think Green warrants mentioning as a future cornerstone. It's Durant and Westbrook for now. Moreover, Green needs to vacate the small forward spot for...
• Kevin Durant. As I've discussed before, Durant is a small forward. Carlesimo can keep playing him at the shooting guard slot all he likes, but Durant simply isn't a fit. Defensively, he has neither the quickness to keep up with the opposing guards, nor the strength to fight around picks. Offensively, he can shoot over the smaller guards, but he hasn't demonstrated good enough shooting ability to actually make this a worthwhile advantage. Durant has the moves to get around defenders, let him take the big boys off the dribble. As far as tonight, when he wasn't been abused defensively, Durant demonstrated a nice mid-range game that wasn't necessarily pretty, but he's got a shot he can get anytime he wants now. He's clearly been working on it
• Much as Kurt Thomas was last year, Joe Smith and Desmond Mason will be the veteran anchors. They keyed the Thunder's comeback in the 4th quarter and Mason electrified the crowd on a fastbreak dunk (beautifully orchestrated by Earl Watson). I'm happy to have them on the team.
• Chris Wilcox had another standard Chris Wilcox game. I'm sure he drives management crazy. He has the truly rare athletic skills for a big man, but inconsistent effort has plagued him for years. I'll put it this way. He had 15 points and 7 boards in just 27 minutes and I wasn't complaining when P.J. took him out. He'll be gone the instant his contract is up. No fouls in 27 minutes by the way. It's okay to foul sometimes Chris.
• The Thunder only shot 6 three-pointers, which is actually great news. This team doesn't have a single deep threat (Durant has the potential, but hasn't developed it yet), and can easily shoot themselves out of games. Watching the teams three-point attempts as the year continues will give a barometer of Carlesimo's control over the team.
• Johan Petro isn't the answer in the middle. I know this comes as no surprise to anybody who watched the the Sonics last year, but he just looks the part. Statistically Petro hasn't improved at ALL in his 3+ years in the league. That said, given the post options for the Thunder, he's going to get his 20 minutes a game.
• Oklahoma City packed the house with 19136 new Thunder fans for the franchises first (of many) sellout. They didn't get chance to live up to the loud city rep tonight, but its coming.
• I really wish they wouldn't play YMCA over the PA. Does this crap happen at other NBA arenas? Maybe Salt Lake City?

Thunderstruck.