Thunder in Oklahoma

I'm traveling in Oklahoma this week, and last night was pretty exciting in Oklahoma City as the local NBA franchise [The OKC Thunder] hosted its first ever NBA play-off game, facing the storied LA Lakers. The city is excited, enjoyinig the national attention of TV -- though going up against the prime-time NFL Draft. And to make it sweeter, Kevin Durant (now known as KJ, a sure sign of stardom in the NBA) and The Thunder pulled off a win against the Lakers. They are to play again Saturday night, and could even the series.

I'm not here to attend the games. Instead, I'm involved in church meetings. It's neat, though, to see how the OKC community has responded to the team that first came to the City as a refugee from the Katrina-swamped New Orleans. The crowd in Ford Arena last night was electric, and the players responded.

Oklahoma City has been racked by a number of devastating events in recent history, most notably the bombing of the Federal Building metnioned on this page a few days ago, and also the mega-destruction from tornados in mid-decade. So though I don't live here, I am proud of the accomplishments of their young NBA team. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if they surprised everyone and took the series!

I've railed against the whacked out priorities we have with regard to sports -- college and professional. But in this case, it's clear to me that this basketball franchise has meant much more than just a winning season.