Howard Schultz’s Biggest Failure Turns Into Oklahoma City’s Greatest Success

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Finals after fittingly eliminating the team who represent the final playoff opponents for the old Seattle Supersonics. San Antonio’s era has one of the best teams in the league is probably finished, and a Thunder squad led by a 23-year-old Kevin Durant is now the clear favorite to win a title after opening their first season in OKC with a staggering 3-29 start.

All of this should’ve been Seattle’s. Durant, James Harden, Nick Collison, and GM Sam Presti were all here when the Sonics were packing their bags and leaving Seattle and bolting for Oklahoma City. Howard Schultz took one of the NBA’s top franchises and ran it into the ground. He took a championship-winning side who had been to 3 NBA Finals in the past, and when he couldn’t get his way towards a new arena deal, he gave up and sold the Sonics to Clay Bennett, who had no intentions of keeping the team here. So what if Bennett lied? He’s a businessman … it’s practically in his blood to do so! And here he is now, NBA franchise in one of the smallest markets imaginable, and the former Sonics have matured into playoff contenders and see themselves just four wins away from winning a championship.

I’ve got no real ties to any NBA team, but it would’ve been nice to see the euphoria you saw in Oklahoma City tonight occur in Seattle. This place hasn’t been that electrified with any sports team since the Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl, which was my first year living in Washington. Now, the Seahawks are promising but for now they are still mediocre, the Mariners are terrible per usual, and the Sounders are still underachieving in MLS playoff competitions (and frankly soccer is never going to grip an American city like baseball, basketball, or football).

Howard Schultz made his money and fortune off of the vastly overpriced coffee in Seattle, and he became a mere demigod in these parts. Now? He should be vilified by Sonics fans and sports fans alike, not Clay Bennett, not the Seattle government, and not completely David Stern (who is all about relocation). Schultz doesn’t care about you and never cared about the Sonics. For businessmen like him they see all of these sports franchises as a plaything, and will bail as soon as they aren’t turning over a profit or aren’t having their demands met by whomever they yell at. It’s sad for the Sonics fans, but it’s pure delight for Oklahoma City, who have shown some fantastic support for their team the last couple of years.

As for the actual basketball? The Oklahoma City Thunder are what the Nash-era Phoenix Suns should’ve been. They’re my favorite team to watch right now. It’s not just their talent, they’re so young, so entertaining, and could easily be a perennial contender over the next several years as long as they keep the core lineup of Durant, Harden, and Westbrook, no matter how often the role players and specialists like Thabo Sefalosha change.

I really can’t bring myself to cheer for the Boston Celtics and probably not the Miami Heat, so I say this without hesitation – Go Thunder!

Miami Heat Up 2-1-1 in Best of 7 After Tying With Boston Celtics Last Night

There was no overtime last night in Boston. Your eyes were playing tricks on you. Portland, Maine’s WMTW has sorted everything out for you! Sports anchor Meghan Torjussen and her equally dimwitted producer deduced that like any other NBA game, an even score after four quarters of basketball means it ends in a tie!

The Heat avoid going back to Miami tied 2-2, instead they take their talents back to South Beach up 2-1-1. But wait! Game 2 also ended in overtime didn’t it? So that means this series is DEADLOCKED at 1-1-2 and if it even reaches the 2-2-3 line after game 7, they might have to go to a game 8, 9, and beyond until they find a winner!

And no, there is no defending a SPORTS ANCHOR for not having the immediate common sense to know no NBA game can end in a tie. I’m not passing that off as a Donovan McNabb-esque mistake, that entire clip reeks of not knowing the game. This is another one of several high-profile goofs by local TV stations across the country, including an LA anchor who was certain the Kings had the ball in the NHL playoffs, and a New York affiliate believing the New York Islanders are playing the Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.

Now if you’ll excuse me, the Oklahoma City Sonics are playing the San Antonio Spurs in game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Final……