Fans in and around Oklahoma City have Thunder fever. It's impossible not to feel the presence the NBA franchise has in its new hometown.
But finding an identity on the court won't be easy for team expected to return to the lottery next summer. "For us right now, the emphasis is way more on defense," coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "We were not a good defensive team last year. All you have to do is look at San Antonio, Detroit, Boston and L.A., the teams that have won championships recently are all not good, but excellent defensive teams."
The Sonics struggled mightily on the defensive end last season, and the opener was much of the same for the Thunder. On Saturday, the Bucks took an early double-digit lead that swelled to 24 in the second half before Milwaukee cruised home to a 98-87 win.
"We did not play very well, period," Carlesimo sighed.
The Thunder's best unit ended up being its second team. Russell Westbrook, Joe Smith, Desmond Mason and Chris Wilcox showed the spark missing from Kevin Durant and his fellow starters.
ROCKETS 89, THUNDER 77: Oklahoma City dropped to 0-2 with Saturday night's loss in Houston, as the franchise suffered its eighth consecutive loss to the Rockets.
Kevin Durant bounced back from a subpar opener with 26 points. Jeff Green and Johan Petro added 10 each for Oklahoma City, but Houston led most of the night despite an uneven offensive showing.
Tracy McGrady paced the Rockets with 22 points, while Yao Ming added 16. Carl Landry had 14 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds. Ron Artest, Luis Scola and Rafer Alston also hit double figures for the Rockets.
