Ridiculous Opinions #194
Readership on my posts always varies depending on the subject matter, so I expect today’s numbers to be LOW, because today is about the final game of the Oklahoma City Thunder, my favorite NBA team. But though most of you are probably uninterested in a sport that caters to a certain subset of people, perhaps you should read on to find out why I feel so strongly about this team/organization.
I have a perpetual desire to fight for the underdog. It doesn’t really matter who they are, my overall philosophy is that I shall forever side with the group that is undermanned and outfought, as long as their philosophies are sound. What I like about OKC is that they’re just a good team.
I don’t mean this as if to say that they are good basketball players. I say it because they are good people. That’s important to me. OKC doesn’t chase stars. OKC doesn’t whine and complain. OKC isn’t dirty-handed and they don’t have to cheat their way to the top. They are one of the smallest markets in the NBA and their general manager, Sam Presti, knows this. He knows that no one wants to come play in OKC. It’s not Miami. It’s not Los Angeles. It’s not New York. It’s a small town in a backward-ass state. It’s hard to convince multi-millionaires that this is the place to be.
This is part of the reason why I will always like Russell Westbrook. When the big star of the team left, Westbrook stayed. Why? Because he believed in the culture of the Thunder. Sam Presti created an organization that allowed this big star to stay. And when it wasn’t successful, Presti gave Westbrook an out that was satisfying to everyone. Loyalty was rewarded.
But OKC has had to rebuild from scratch, so the last two years have been filled with teams full of scrubs and players that had potential that wasn’t reached. Presti knew that the team wasn’t going to lure a big star, so he found other ways to make his team better. He made deals to get future superstars (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). He drafted excellent young players (Josh Giddy, Jalen Williams, and Jaylin Williams). He hired an inexperienced, but philosophically sound coach (Mark Daignault). He pulled good players from the wreckage of bad teams (Isiah Joe) and in some cases from literally out of nowhere (Lu Dort). And they formed a core group of people that were aligned philosophically and became a team. It wasn’t about an individual getting all the accolades; it was about a team philosophy.
OKC was projected to win 17 games this season. They won 40. They are the youngest team in the NBA. They made the play-in tournament. They have consistently overachieved. And though they lost tonight (badly), they are the type of team that I will consistently support, because their philosophies are about more than money, superstardom, and individualism. They are a team full of good people.
I only wish the world were more like this team.
OTHER NEWS
As you probably know, I abandoned Twitter a while ago. Substack has a new, Twitter-like area called Notes. If you’re interested, check it out. I am republishing some Maurice comics there.
I can’t NOT promote Maurice, so here’s some links:
BOOK ONE - MAURICE THE BEAVER: AMERICAN PATRIOT (PAPERBACK)
BOOK ONE - MAURICE THE BEAVER: AMERICAN PATRIOT (HARDBACK)
BOOK TWO - MAURICE THE BEAVER: THESE ARE NOT MY MONKEYS (EXPENSIVE COLOR VERSION)
BOOK TWO - MAURICE THE BEAVER: THESE ARE NOT MY MONKEYS (BLACK & WHITE CHEAPO VERSION)
Read more about Maurice’s exploits on Reddit & Instagram!
I wish you were all as wonderful as my friend, Shane, who recently posted THIS on Instagram…
FUN STUFF
Here is a ranking of the most-used emojis in the world.
Here is the previously posted link to the live feed from Namibia. I look at it every day.
Here is a picture of my cat:
Enjoy your weekend…
