The Thunder entered Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals still the big favorite to win the NBA championship. And status as the NBA franchise with the brightest future, at least over the next few years.
A superstar. Young, elite talent. Manageable payroll (though increasingly less manageable). Lots of draft capital. Strong culture. Basically, the Thunder is the total package.
Except there’s been no Larry O’Brien Trophy. No NBA championship parade. No flag to fly forever in Oklahoma City arenas. And until that flag flies, the Thunder will live in the land of potential.
Which is why winning the championship this season is quite paramount.
Thunder Timberwolves Basketball
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are under as much pressure as any team has ever been to win a championship this season, since windows of opportunity in the NBA are always fleeting. Abbie Parr, Associated Press
Anymore, things change in the NBA. Things change quickly. The Celtics are Exhibit A.
In the Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown era, Boston chased another NBA title for years, finally won it last June and seemed the favorite to win again. Then Kristaps Porzingis got sick, the Knickerbockers won two inexplicable games in Boston, Tatum tore his Achilles and now the Celtics are talking rebuild.
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You never know what’s just around the riverbend.
The Tuesday ScissorTales look at the Southeastern Conference’s domination of the diamond sports, introduce you to the Oklahoma Golf Trail and address the issue of re-seeding in the Women’s College World Series. But we start with the Thunder’s need for urgency.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just reaching his prime, and Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren not there yet, and the Thunder sporting a deep and young roster, and Sam Presti possessing the draft picks to make all kinds of moves, an NBA championship surely is in the Thunder future.
Of course, we said the same thing in May 2011, when the Thunder reached the West finals with a core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka. None were older than 22.
If some infidel had told us that by the time fireworks lit up the July 4 sky in 2016, all but Westbrook would be gone and the Thunder would have no trophy, we’d have declared them heretics and hung them in Thunder Alley effigy.
But it never happened. The Thunder held onto the rope longer than most, then rebuilt more quickly than most, and now have emerged as title threats sooner than anyone could have hoped.
And the Thunder is not alone. Franchises rise and fall at alarming speeds (well, the Hornets and Wizards don’t vary much). With everything from style of play to the collective bargaining agreement to kooky owners who grow restless, teams’ fortunes fluctuate wildly and quickly.
I mean, the Mavericks have gone from perennial Western Conference contenders to derelict franchise and back to rosy future, the latter courtesy of the lottery balls, all in the span of four months.
The Spurs haven’t made the playoffs this decade(!) yet appear ready for another golden era, with Victor Wembanyama, who some say has grown to 7-foot-7.
In the span of 12 months, the Cavaliers have gone from up-and-comer to historically dominant to upset victim with all kinds of payroll problems.
The Pacers and Timberwolves have come from anonymity to make the conference finals two years in a row. The Knicks have awakened. Here come the Rockets. Any team with Nikola Jokic is dangerous.
Nothing is guaranteed for the Thunder. Nothing is assured.
With all due respect, the Thunder’s bright future means it has homecourt advantage in these playoffs. To borrow from George Allen’s Washington Redskins, the future is now.
It’s time to win. Flags fly forever. Opportunity does not.
OU vs Alabama
Oklahoma enters the Women’s College World Series as the highest remaining seed. Daniel Shular, Tulsa World
Mailbag: Women’s College World Series bracket
The bracket is set for the Women’s College World Series, and some have noticed that it is lopsided.
Tony: “Why in the world would the college softball decision-makers not re-seed the eight participants in the college World Series? I’m not an OU homer at all. In fact, I’ll be partial to Tennessee, more than likely. So this isn’t about ‘OU is getting screwed!’ However, OU is the highest seed at 2 in the World Series, yet they are on the same side of the bracket as the 3, 6 and 7 seeds. Doesn’t seem quite right to me. Thoughts?”
Berry: I hate re-seeding. It’s a tournament, with a bracket, so stick to the bracket. The thing to remember about seeding is that seeds are not settled science. They’re not absolutes. They were not signed by the founding fathers. Seeds are a tool to give a tournament some structure rather than randomness.
The committee’s seeds — 2-3-6-7 on one side, 9-12-16-and whatever Ole Miss is, on the other — are top heavy. But who’s to say the seeds were correct in the first place? Why was Texas A&M No. 1 to start with? Why was Arkansas No. 4? What if the seeds were the problem in the first place?
Not even the football committee has a clue, and football is by far the easiest sport to seed.
The belief that seeds have some kind of official status is nonsense. Seed the teams, produce a bracket and let’s play ball.
NCAA Tournament Baseball
Tim Corbin’s Vanderbilt squad is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Mark Humphrey, Associated Press file
SEC dominates diamond sports
When the SEC added OU and Texas, we talked football a lot and basketball a little. And this being Oklahoma, softball always was on our mind.
As it should have been. The SEC has formed a virtual cartel in the diamond sports. The SEC domination of both softball and baseball national tournaments is unlike anything the NCAA has seen.
The sports have similar formats and the same number of teams, 64.
OU has incredible softball tradition and good baseball tradition; eight national championships in softball, two in baseball. Texas has been quite successful in both, particularly baseball, with six NCAA titles.
And the results have been stunning. The committees of both baseball and softball are quite smitten with all things SEC.
The baseball brackets were released Monday, and six of the top eight teams are from the SEC: 1-seed Vanderbilt, 2-seed Texas, 3-seed Arkansas, 4-seed Auburn, 6-seed Louisiana State and 7-seed Georgia. Those teams will host Super Regionals, should they advance.
Two more teams will host regionals: 10-seed Ole Miss and 14-seed Tennessee. That gives the SEC eight of the top 16 seeds. OU, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi State also made the field.
Compare that to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which in recent years has emerged as the SEC’s chief baseball rival. The ACC had one top-eight seed (North Carolina), two more regional hosts and nine teams overall.
And the SEC’s softball domination was even more pronounced. Seven of the top eight seeds were from the SEC, two more were regional hosts and 14 teams made the field.
Turns out, the SEC seeding domination was justified. Five of the eight teams in the Women’s College World Series this week are from the SEC: 2-seed OU, 3-seed Florida, 6-seed Texas, 7-seed Tennessee and unseeded Ole Miss.
The SEC climb in softball has not resulted in a huge number of championships. Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings, OU stars of the previous four seasons, won more NCAA titles (four) than has all the SEC combined (Florida in 2014 and 2015; Alabama in 2012).
But OU and Texas figure to help the SEC solve that dilemma. The SEC’s hold on the diamond sports seems supreme.
010424-tul-nws-lafortunegolffuture-p4 (copy)
LaFortune Park Golf Course is among four Tulsa golf courses and eight in northeast Oklahoma to be designated as part of the Oklahoma Golf Trail. Mike Simons, Tulsa World Archive
Oklahoma Golf Trail unveiled
The state of Oklahoma is proud of its golf. For good reason. Now the state plans to market itself via golf. The Oklahoma Golf Trail was launched last week, a partnership with 18 courses across the state, designed to boost tourism and honor Oklahoma’s deep golfing roots.
The Oklahoma Golf Trail hopes to provide an exceptional golfing experience that showcases the state’s scenic beauty and sports heritage.
“This initiative shines a spotlight on some of Oklahoma’s best and most unique courses, positioning our state as a top-tier golf destination while driving tourism,” said lieutenant governor Matt Pinnell.
Pinnell noted that the U.S. Golf Association reported 28.1 million people played golf in 2024. “We’re extending an invitation for those golfers to experience the Oklahoma Golf Trail — where every round is an American adventure.”
Four of the designated courses are in Tulsa County: Owasso’s Bailey Ranch, Catoosa’s Cherokee Hills, Tulsa’s LaFortune Park and Sand Springs’ The Canyons at Blackjack Ridge.
Four more are in northeast Oklahoma: Grove’s Patricia Island, Miami’s Peoria Ridge, Monkey Island’s Shangri-La and Afton’s The Coves Golf Club at Bird Island.
The Oklahoma Golf Trail Commission was formed to spotlight the Sooner State’s golf culture and diverse landscapes. Pinnell played an active role in the development of the trail.
“The Trail celebrates the incredible range of courses across Oklahoma, so whether you’re a scratch golfer or picking up a club for the first time, there’s something here for everyone,” said Sheila Dills, the commission’s chair. Dills served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, played for OSU and is a four-time Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur champion.
Other courses involved with the Oklahoma Golf Trail are Boiling Springs in Woodward, Dornick Hills in Ardmore, KickingBird in Edmond, Lincoln Park in Oklahoma City, Oakwood in Enid, Riverside in Clinton, The Territory in Duncan, WinStar in Thackerville, Chickasaw Pointe outside Kingston and Winter Creek in Blanchard.
The List: State’s NCAA championship teams
OU is in the Women’s College World Series starting this week, and the OSU and OU men’s golf teams are in the NCAA quarterfinals starting Tuesday. So more national titles could be coming our way. Here are the programs in Oklahoma that have won the most national championships:
1. OSU wrestling, 34
2. OU men’s gymnastics, 12
3. OSU men’s golf, 11
4. OU softball, 8
5. OU women’s gymnastics, 7
5. OU football, 7
5. OU wrestling, 7
8. OSU men’s cross-country, 5
9. Tulsa women’s golf, 3%5E
10. OU baseball, 2
10. OSU men’s basketball, 2
10. OU men’s golf, 2
13. OSU baseball, 1
13. OSU equestrian, 1
%5E TU won the 1980 AIAW title, before the NCAA began sponsoring women’s sports. TU won both the AIAW and NCAA titles in 1982, then the 1988 NCAA title.
*In 2016, OSU’s 1945 football team was retroactively named the national champion by the American Football Coaches Association.
berry.tramel@tulsaworld.com
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