Animal Kingdom pulls off an upset at the Kentucky Derby. Manny Pacquiao defeats Shane Mosely in Las Vegas. The Lakers put together one of the ugliest collapses in NBA history. Al Qaeda hasn't blown anything up yet. It's been a decent week, except for one thing.
The Oklahoma City Thunder. I've been slowly converting to a Thunder fan. I do enjoy watching them play basketball. They are one of the most exciting teams in the NBA right now. I've always been a Detroit Pistons fan. When I was a kid Isiah Thomas was my favorite player (besides Jordan) and I learned the importance of rebounding by watching Dennis Rodman. So of the pro sports teams I've claimed to be a fan of throughout my life, the Pistons are among the oldest. The majority of the Thunder games I've attended have been when the Pistons are in town.
But times change and I've been trying not to follow the Pistons for two reasons:
1) They are in a painfully slow "rebuilding" phase. Most of the guys I watched win a ring only a few years ago are gone. The ones that are still there are little more than mentors to the new kids. Rasheed Wallace retired, Chauncy Billups is doing great with his new team. So it's hard for me to rally behind a new team that is trying to find its game.
2) To get to a point where I can call myself a true Thunder fan. I've talked to a lot of people that only started to pay attention to the NBA because of the Thunder. I can see why it's easier for them to jump on the band wagon without guilt. A few years back when the Pistons played the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets I joked with some "Hornets" fans about who to cheer for. They were ripping me for cheering for the Pistons (who were having a great season) and accused me of being a band wagon jumper. I laughed and told them to "talk to me when Oklahoma City gets their own team."
I guess now that we have our own team, and we're in the playoffs, it's time to jump that band wagon.
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