ROTATION: Starters -- Point guard Earl Watson, Shooting guard Kevin Durant, Small forward Jeff Green, Power forward Nick Collison, Center Johan Petro. Bench -- Guard Russell Westbrook, Forward Chris Wilcox, Guard/forward Desmond Mason, Forward Joe Smith, Center Robert Swift, C Mouhamed Sene, G Kyle Weaver. PLAYER NOTES:
--F Jeff Green doesn't want the Thunder to be viewed as an "expansion" caliber team, even though the franchise has missed the playoffs five of the last six years and has relocated with a new nickname.
"We're the same team as last year," Green said. "Just a different uniform and different place. There's nothing else different. We have to go out there and win games."
--G Kevin Durant knows his team needs any advantage it can get. A packed house would be one. The team sold out its season-ticket allotment in a matter of days and sellouts should be the norm at the Ford Center.
"Fans don't know how much they mean to us as far as the home-court advantage," Durant said. "They get us into the game. They start us off and we need them to be with us until the end. It means a lot to us to be sold out for every game. It's going to be just like college again."
--C Johan Petro parlayed a solid preseason into a starting assignment opening night. That was about his only highlight. The Frenchman played just 17 minutes, scored two points and grabbed just three rebounds.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--No injuries to report.
