I feel kind of bad for seattle supersonics fans..

[cman88]

goign through all the ups and downs of that team and having to watch a team that shouldve been theirs go to the finals.

and OKC fans who really havent been through those ups and downs reaping the benefits

[Who]

Yeah, it sucks.

A team should have to give up it's talent in an expansion draft when it relocates.

[twinbree]

Yeah it's a tough situation for them. They were so passionate about their team. Then you look at the apathy of Miami with two of the best players in the league. Such a shame. 

[get_banners]

OKC ownership screwed over Seattle pretty badly. While I don't dislike anyone on that team, I am not really overjoyed about any success they have (they also got incredibly lucky with ping-pong balls - their 3 stars were all top-4 picks in drafts they weren't supposed to pick that high), because of how they screwed over a great basketball city in the continual extortion racket that is the "build us a new stadium on your dime even though it won't help you economically" game.

[KGs Knee]

Yep, Seattle got screwed.

Those were some passionate fans.  They didn't deserve their fate then, and now it's just cruel.

What the NBA did was criminal.  It really is messed up that the NBA can hold cities hostage the way they do.

It's no fault of the players or coaches, and the OKC fans certainly do not deserve blame.  In fact, OKC's fans being as awesome as they are, is about the only decent thing that's come from the situation.

Still, there is no way I could ever root for that team.  Their fans may deserve it, but the franchise does not.  In a "fair" world, OKC would have been the new, "old" Clippers for perpetuity. 

[GDAbraham]

Eh, it sucks, but you know what? Anyone who loves basketball knows these two teams are separate now. The shared history is bull donkey. You can't do anything about what could've been and I know that I'll be much prouder when they rise again and their time comes than if I latched onto the Thunder and pretend they represent my Pacific Northwest ties and those ideals. It hurts to hear an announcer being forced to talk like they're one and the same. One day it will be different.

I'm proud of George Karl and Nate McMillan overcoming adversity. I'm proud of the old days when they faced the almighty Michael Jordan and went down swinging. I know what it is to struggle not just in sports, but in life as well. So when you get yours in that headspace (even if it isn't the ultimate prize) you appreciate every second. I don't want no mojo on anybody, but God forbid, how would Thunder fans react if KD had a career ender or there was a scandal that ended up being a nuclear bomb for the organization indefinitely? Or they get zonked by the Celtics and never make it back because they can't keep the team together? Perhaps they wouldn't fare as well as Seattle people or people who know what it is to scratch and claw endlessly. Maybe, maybe not. They're doing awesome with their culture and more power to them and those players. As long as they have respect (including fans) I have no ill will towards them. The Sonics had and will have their day.

[pearljammer10]

Yeah seattle got screwed big time. its too bad cause seattle is my favorite city in america, it needs basketball. OKC has great great fans however. Well done oKC.

[get_banners]

I remember this piece re: the shady Clay Bennett (OKC owner) and how Seattle lost the Sonics. Pure extortion. Also...good Ray Allen quote at the end. Screw the Thunder for Bennett and Stern's gangster moves on Seattle, one of the great hotbeds of basketball in America.
http://www.thenation.com/article/grand-theft-hoops-stealing-sonics

[xmuscularghandix]

Watch this documentary, it will make you nice and angry.

http://vimeo.com/34273095

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

The most atrocious aspect of this situation is the awful OKC uniforms. 

[LarBrd33]

What I said in another thread

My friends here in Seattle are distraught right now.  My best friend ( a former hardcore Sonic fan) will be rooting for Boston even harder than I will if we manage to beat Miami (I still say miami wins the next two easily tho).... For my friends here it is still deeply personal... As much as following a sports team can be.  I know that most everyone outside of Miami arguably is rooting for Miami to lose... That pales in comparison to how badly Seattle fans want okc to suffer.  My friend suggested that okc fans were the least deserving in all of basketball and it's tough to disagree.  They had exactly one lotto year and it didn't matter because they already had durant and westbrook on board... Since then they have had one 1st round exit, a wcf exit... And now this.  The hell with okc and their front running fans.

[StarzNBarz]

Cmon you guys act like OKC fans don't cheer for them or something. In my opinion they have the best fan base in the NBA. Just an amazing crowd. Always loud, cheer really hard, and actually applauded the Spurs after beating them, so they are respectful. Also, not only do they sell out, but they have thousands of fans OUTSIDE of the arena as well cheering for them. It's also pretty cool that they have all white/blue shirts, and the fans don't think they're "too cool" to wear them, every single person in the arena wears a blue/white shirt.

[bopna]

It isn't just fair to Sonic fans but to other expansion ballclubs as well who are enduring the bottom of the league and have to make their way up through the draft whereas OKC just inherited the Sonics team.... I too agree that it should have been an expansion draft that OKC had to go through to form a team.  A franchise this young should have gone throught he pains of bottoming out...The THUNDER are not the Seattle Sonics no matter how the league would spin it...Because in the future, if a team was again put up in Seattle, they will be called the Sonics 100%, it was the reason why the Supersonic monicker was left in Seattle.  The league should be ashamed of themselves, thouh I have all the respect though for these OKC fans, they really do support their team 100 % unlike fairweather bandwagoners of the cHEAT.

[guava_wrench]

I will believe in the OKC fanbase when they show up after the honeymoon is over. They got a team with great young talent. They can look forward to Durant's career. They have improved every year, but that will change. That arena can easily become a wasteland when fortunes change and some teams never recover from that loss.

One the bright side, that is the only pro team in town.

[Home7]

Ah-hah