☆☆ 2012 NBA Finals ☆☆ The King has been crowned; Heat win 2012 NBA Finals! Bron Finals MVP.

[Deleted member 38182]

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

And the Sonicsgate dude, is the biggest douche / troll I have ever come across on the internets. I don't post over there anymore, but he used to post on this NBA message board. I also find it funny, somewhat manipulating, how he cashes in on the sorrows of fellow Seattle fans by taking donations to fly himself to various Thunder games, sit front row behind the bench, and look like an **# heckling the players all day while in green and gold.

Same topic, but David Stern said they would even reconsider if OKC can host an ASG potentially in the future. Initial reason was he didn't think we had enough hotels.

Sonicsgate dude is a tool. He was on local Sac radio a few times and would only spread doom and gloom. As soon as the guy hung up our radio guys would just rip how the Sonics fans didn't do jack to keep the team around

 

[scientific method]

Originally Posted by dmbrhs

Originally Posted by Mr Rogers

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

Here are my pics from last night



This is Durant's family. That is his mom, Wanda, his big brother, and his grandma who raised him. They are at every game, normally his other brother there too. His brother has on KD3 IDs that were like a red cobec or patent leather. KD talks to them during game action frequently. Desmond Mason was at the game too, he always is. As always, there's always tons of football celebrities there but I don't follow football so I have no idea who they are.



Hasn't been highlighted enough, this is the 3rd game in a row the starters sat the entire 4th quarter. It's somewhat bad for KD's stats and MVP race maybe, but it should bode well for later in the season.



What does everyone think about the 4th guard spot in the West? CP3 and Kobe obviouslty, Westbrook is in, the 4th is either Ellis, Lowry, Nash off name recognition, or very outside but possible shot for OKC to get 3 and get James in. It has happened often that the team with the best record at the time (and thus their own coach in the game) get 3, hell sometimes even 4. 18ppg or so on the West and possibly league leading team I think might be deserving. Of course this is all speculation based on current records and stats as we could hit a losing skid.



And again, nothing negative to say about Westbrook. 10 straight games of 3 or less tos. He's figuring it out, only made 1 stupid pass last night.



Reggie Jackson is good, but you can tell he's a rookie at times. He gets called for a carry every game (Durant has been too) and isn't near the shooter Maynor is.



Again, I don't see how Knicks fans can stomach Douglas AND Shumpert. Those dudes shoot with an impunity, a confidence, and a frequency that belies how bad they are at it. I'm talking specifically jump shots.

Nice pics.  It started with the displaced Hornets in '05, but the Thunder is makin' Clay Bennett look smart for makin' that move from Seattle to OKC look smart.  Great atmosphere, fans are always bonkers, and the city itself is gettin' some shine nationwide.

What do you mean it makes Clay look smart? He was going to move the team no matter what and it would have worked anywhere. It was an established franchise with a long history of success, they had cornerstone pieces for the future (drafted in Seattle), etc. Yes, it's a great atmosphere because they are winning. The real test of a fan base is shown when faced with adversity, which OKC has not experienced yet (and likely won't for awhile).

Dude we won in the 23 games the first season and still sold out.

As a result of moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle, the team's operating situation improved markedly. In December 2008, Forbes Magazine estimated the team's franchise value at $300 million – a 12% increase from the previous year's $268 million when the club was located in Seattle.[23] Forbes also noted an increase in percentage of available tickets sold, from 78% in the team's last year in Seattle to 100% in 2008–09.[24]

 

[Deleted member 38182]

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

Dude we won in the 23 games the first season and still sold out

Lets be real though, they were gonna sell out regardless during their first season

Plus being the only show in town helps alot.

 

[buc em]

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14

No knock on the Sixers, but are people giving them a little too much credit? Their schedule has been a piece of cake and they've pretty much lost to any good team, except for Indiana.
Losses against Portland, NY and Utah. Wins against Phoenix, GSW, NOH, Detroit, Toronto, Indiana, Sacramento and Washington. 

 I guess you can say they are taking care of business against the weaker teams, but still. 

Who gives them ANY credit? They get no love ever on ESPN and nobody even mentions them on here except for a handful of people.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by rck2sactown

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

And the Sonicsgate dude, is the biggest douche / troll I have ever come across on the internets. I don't post over there anymore, but he used to post on this NBA message board. I also find it funny, somewhat manipulating, how he cashes in on the sorrows of fellow Seattle fans by taking donations to fly himself to various Thunder games, sit front row behind the bench, and look like an **# heckling the players all day while in green and gold.

Same topic, but David Stern said they would even reconsider if OKC can host an ASG potentially in the future. Initial reason was he didn't think we had enough hotels.

Sonicsgate dude is a tool. He was on local Sac radio a few times and would only spread doom and gloom. As soon as the guy hung up our radio guys would just rip how the Sonics fans didn't do jack to keep the team around

What would you expect fans to be able to do other than show up to games? Which they did, btw, no matter what this Scientific Method dude says. I've debunked the myth of attendance and fan support many times on here and he refuses to acknowledge it. I'd post the numbers again but I'd only be wasting my time again. You can talk smack about Seattle sports/Sonics fans all you want, but I watched it all happen in person. And if the Kings ever leave Sacramento, I'm not going to say "I told you so" because it's sad when it happens. And they'll feed you the same lies about how there's no support, which you and I both know isn't true.

 

[scientific method]

Originally Posted by rck2sactown

Originally Posted by Scientific Method


Dude we won in the 23 games the first season and still sold out

Lets be real though, they were gonna sell out regardless during their first season

Plus being the only show in town helps alot.

Well then doesn't that refute your own, "people are going to get tired of them and stop coming" argument? Although they aren't the only show in town (unless you mean the only professional sport but OKC/OU is religion down here), but it's not worth trying to argue that point with people not from here. The Hornets sucked when they were here and sold out.

Only thing, or likely the quickest, to cause interest to wain is if we started signing a bunch of @#@!@*%*@ / criminal guys. Durant was/is the perfect superstar, plus all the other guys. They are all extremely down to Earth, active in the community even outside the impetus of NBA Cares, and embrace the fans wholeheartedly. Just following them on Twitter, they have no problem letting people know where they are going to be at so people can come say hello or whatever. Again it starts with KD and filters down. Bible Belt city, again perfect fit being with KD our superstar who always thanks God and kissed his mother and grandmother at every game, but if we signed like the whole Wizards team AND lost a lot, AND wanted more tax payer, AND I don't know, I mean we're talking about getting 18,000 people out to the arena a day to a city with over 580k population and MANY fans such as myself willing to drive long treks to come see NBA basketball. Also relevant is the fact the recession didn't hit OKC as badly as other big cities, unemployment being around 9% so there's money. They raised ticket prices since I first became a season ticket holder, but marginally.

But according to people not from here, what the hell else are we going to do? Again, refutes your own argument. By that logic, we'll always be selling out.

edit: What attendance myth did you debunk? They were around 14k the last couple yrs, plus Stern/Bennett wanted more in arena restaurants and high dollar seats. End of the day, blame your local government and law makers. None of them gave a !%+! about the Sonics leaving, in stark contrast to what is going on with the Kings right now. The effort the cities made (are making in Sactown's case) to keep the teams there aren't even in the same ballpark.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

Originally Posted by rck2sactown

Originally Posted by Scientific Method


Dude we won in the 23 games the first season and still sold out

Lets be real though, they were gonna sell out regardless during their first season

Plus being the only show in town helps alot.

edit: What attendance myth did you debunk? They were around 14k the last couple yrs, plus Stern/Bennett wanted more in arena restaurants and high dollar seats. End of the day, blame your local government and law makers. None of them gave a *%!% about the Sonics leaving, in stark contrast to what is going on with the Kings right now.

So which is it? Fans or government (because you said "in the end, blame local government"). And they averaged almost 16,000 per game the second to last season (94% of the arena) so don't know where you came up with the 14,000 over the last couple seasons numbers. So there's one number you're completely wrong about.

 

[dmbrhs]

And speaking of fan "support" in Sacramento, they averaged just under 14,000 people per game last year. That's even less than the Sonics averaged their final season. You talk about how Sonics fans didn't support a bad team (they were putrid in 2007 and 200, but it seems to me like they did much better in attendance than the Kings, who supposedly have much better fan support.

I'm really trying not to slam Sacramento fans here, I'm just trying to make a point that you are flat out wrong about attendance and fan support.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

Originally Posted by dmbrhs

Originally Posted by rck2sactown

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

And the Sonicsgate dude, is the biggest douche / troll I have ever come across on the internets. I don't post over there anymore, but he used to post on this NBA message board. I also find it funny, somewhat manipulating, how he cashes in on the sorrows of fellow Seattle fans by taking donations to fly himself to various Thunder games, sit front row behind the bench, and look like an **# heckling the players all day while in green and gold.

Same topic, but David Stern said they would even reconsider if OKC can host an ASG potentially in the future. Initial reason was he didn't think we had enough hotels.

Sonicsgate dude is a tool. He was on local Sac radio a few times and would only spread doom and gloom. As soon as the guy hung up our radio guys would just rip how the Sonics fans didn't do jack to keep the team around

What would you expect fans to be able to do other than show up to games? Which they did, btw, no matter what this Scientific Method dude says. I've debunked the myth of attendance and fan support many times on here and he refuses to acknowledge it. I'd post the numbers again but I'd only be wasting my time again. You can talk smack about Seattle sports/Sonics fans all you want, but I watched it all happen in person. And if the Kings ever leave Sacramento, I'm not going to say "I told you so" because it's sad when it happens. And they'll feed you the same lies about how there's no support, which you and I both know isn't true.

That's the biggest difference between Seattle and Sacramento. Seattle fans thought if they just sold out a couple games it would prove a point. Sacramento fans decided to sell out a few games as well, and then a few hash tag Twitter trends (or whatever the hell those are). From there a few facebook groups started.... skip ahead a few days and we had a full blown grassroots movement that had spread like wildfire. Hundreds upon hundreds, possibly thousands, of people reached out to local government officials in one way or another bombarding them with emails, tweets, voicemails, letters, etc. Sacramento had been losing a 10+ year battle on building an arena. This time the people of Sacramento took up arms and decided that we weren't going to just roll over and die. 
I like to think that outside of Stern's/Bennett's committee, the fan's numerous Here We Stay/Build movements and having a pro-active mayor definitely helped. Because without either of the fan's voice doing something, anything e Stern would have never threw a wrench in the relocation process. EVERYBODY knew the Kings were gone up until the fan's really kicked the local officials in the butt.

In terms of whether or not it was government or fans? I believe they are one in the same when it comes down to teams relocating. Fans need to give local govt officials the desire to take on this issues, give them something worthwhile to spend their time on. 

 

[scientific method]

Both bro. Seattle will get your 30 million dollar settlement though and even more in 2013. If they would have funded the renovations to Key Arena, team would have still been there or at least played out their lease.

2004-05 41 675,490 16,475
2005-06 41 664,157 16,198
2006-07 41 654,163 15,955
2007-08 41 547,556 13,355

I remember last time you and I, or some Sonics fan argued about this they admitted attendance was weak but blamed it on the team not being marketed hard enough with the new, young guys and not knowing enough about KD and them.

 

[gaseousfashion]

Tim Duncan is due for a resurgence any day now.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

Originally Posted by dmbrhs

And speaking of fan "support" in Sacramento, they averaged just under 14,000 people per game last year. That's even less than the Sonics averaged their final season. You talk about how Sonics fans didn't support a bad team (they were putrid in 2007 and 200, but it seems to me like they did much better in attendance than the Kings, who supposedly have much better fan support.

I'm really trying not to slam Sacramento fans here, I'm just trying to make a point that you are flat out wrong about attendance and fan support.

No I agree, the last few years fan support has been weak. Tough to draw fans when your starting line up is Udrih, Martin, Garcia, Thompson, Hawes

I squarely place the blame on ownership getting cheap trying to save their precious casino... which they have basically lost now

I mean the Kings have had a bottom 3 record the past 3 seasons, with pretty much no marketable star. Seattle at least had Ray Allen for awhile

Plus Sacramento has suffered the worst unemployment and foreclosure rates in America. 

If spend money on the team, the fans will spend money on the team as well.

Looking at the Kings franchise since moving to Sac tho:
We sold out 17 of 26 seasons..... The Kings have had a .438 since moving to Sac

 
Sacramento has had 2 of the 5 longest sell out streak in league history. One of those streaks spanned 11 seasons while making the playoffs twice....

I like to think that as a historically %#!% franchise we have had a pretty decent group of fans.

 

[cato312]

Some of you guys should just start blogging, if you're not already.

 

[dipsetgeneral]

Originally Posted by Buc Em

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14

No knock on the Sixers, but are people giving them a little too much credit? Their schedule has been a piece of cake and they've pretty much lost to any good team, except for Indiana.
Losses against Portland, NY and Utah. Wins against Phoenix, GSW, NOH, Detroit, Toronto, Indiana, Sacramento and Washington. 

 I guess you can say they are taking care of business against the weaker teams, but still. 

Who gives them ANY credit? They get no love ever on ESPN and nobody even mentions them on here except for a handful of people.

Philly actually is gettin' alot of D-ride. People are sayin' they are a defensive powerhouse. NBA/ESPN analysts at that!

 

[sneakersoldier]

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

Both bro. Seattle will get your 30 million dollar settlement though and even more in 2013. If they would have funded the renovations to Key Arena, team would have still been there or at least played out their lease.

2004-05 41 675,490 16,475
2005-06 41 664,157 16,198
2006-07 41 654,163 15,955
2007-08 41 547,556 13,355

I remember last time you and I, or some Sonics fan argued about this they admitted attendance was weak but blamed it on the team not being marketed hard enough with the new, young guys and not knowing enough about KD and them.

Are you really trying to compare supporting a team for 3 years to supporting them for 31 years? when you guys were handed the best player in the nba? i cant wait to see oklahoma support the team when kevin durant moves on, it will just be bobcats situation.

 

[scientific method]

So you all think that Bennett owed it to you guys to keep the team there because of past history? What difference does any of that make to him and his pockets? I'm sure the team will move at some point. And as a fan, I'll have to get over it, and have some perspective that who the %$@% am I to tell someone who just pay 350million for something what they can and can't do with it. I probably won't dedicate my life to hating the fans, players, and city that receives the team.

But anyways, the Thunder are the only show in town so we will still attend. There is nothing else to do.

And what the hell, you mad now that the Sonics who eventually became the Thunder drafted Kevin Durant? It was a no brainer. It was KD and Oden, whoever Portland took they were taking the other.

Bobcats situation has more history too with George Shinn and all, but fair comparison. I don't think it will ever get that bad though or like an Atlanta where even in playoff games it looks like nobody is there.

Cities like New Orleans, Detroit, etc. who support drops off a great deal when they go from good to not, again there is a different socioeconomic status there. New Orleans should have been lost their team. Frankly, I thought we were going to just keep the Hornets.

 

[|A-Man|]

Originally Posted by CAto312

Some of you guys should just start blogging, if you're not already.

I have no interest in what's being discussed.

 

[pmatic]

Paul Millsap. 

Edit:

Originally Posted by CAto312

Some of you guys should just start blogging, if you're not already.

I wanted to start one last season but got lazy. The lockout made me not want to start one either.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

https://twitter.com/#!/DraftExpress

https://twitter.com/#!/DraftExpress
https://twitter.com/#!/DraftExpressDraftExpress Jonathan Givony 

Courtney Fortson to the Clippers yet another example of teams not taking talent into consideration when making call-ups. 100% circumstance.

My dude Fortson 

 

[big j 33]

Originally Posted by DipsetGeneral

Originally Posted by Buc Em

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14

No knock on the Sixers, but are people giving them a little too much credit? Their schedule has been a piece of cake and they've pretty much lost to any good team, except for Indiana.
Losses against Portland, NY and Utah. Wins against Phoenix, GSW, NOH, Detroit, Toronto, Indiana, Sacramento and Washington. 

 I guess you can say they are taking care of business against the weaker teams, but still. 

Who gives them ANY credit? They get no love ever on ESPN and nobody even mentions them on here except for a handful of people.

Philly actually is gettin' alot of D-ride. People are sayin' they are a defensive powerhouse. NBA/ESPN analysts at that!

2nd in opponents points per game, 1st in defensive rating, and 1st in points differential.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

Originally Posted by ATGD7154xBBxMZ

Originally Posted by CAto312

Some of you guys should just start blogging, if you're not already.

I have no interest in what's being discussed.

 
Shhhh it doesn't concern your guy's successful franchise. Yall never need to worry bout this *!+

 

[sneakersoldier]

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

So you all think that Bennett owed it to you guys to keep the team there because of past history? What difference does any of that make to him and his pockets? I'm sure the team will move at some point. And as a fan, I'll have to get over it, and have some perspective that who the %$@% am I to tell someone who just pay 350million for something what they can and can't do with it. I probably won't dedicate my life to hating the fans, players, and city that receives the team.

But anyways, the Thunder are the only show in town so we will still attend. There is nothing else to do.

And what the hell, you mad now that the Sonics who eventually became the Thunder drafted Kevin Durant? It was a no brainer. It was KD and Oden, whoever Portland took they were taking the other.

Bobcats situation has more history too with George Shinn and all, but fair comparison. I don't think it will ever get that bad though or like an Atlanta where even in playoff games it looks like nobody is there.

Cities like New Orleans, Detroit, etc. who support drops off a great deal when they go from good to not, again there is a different socioeconomic status there. New Orleans should have been lost their team. Frankly, I thought we were going to just keep the Hornets.

i dont hate oklahoma fans because what are you supposed to do? not go? the fans had nothing to do with it. i hate clay bennet however i dont blame him because he has no ties to seattle. however i hate david stern and howard schultz with a passion, i have not stepped foot into a starbucks since this happened. Stern wanted to show his power and seattle was the most attractive team to sell and move. Also i know a lot of people want a new team but i refuse to support the nba. they will eventually steal a team from a city and try to excite seattle enough to support that team. but all that does it allow stern to continue to try and hold cities and fans hostage.

 

[rashi]

I said this before the season started.

rashi wrote: 12/22/2011

---

I may be in the minority, but the Bulls are a better team than the Heat.


1/15/2012

Bulls: 12-2

Heat: 8-4

 

[DCAllAfrican]

It doesn't matter if the Bulls are "better" than the Heat, they wouldn't beat the Heat in a 7 game series. I am willing to bet any PayPal-ed amount of $ with anyone on here if they meet up in the playoffs.

 

[GaBeGRaMz]

They only 2 games apart tho.