Two years ago, I gushed about the Trail Blazers after they beat the Celtics in a hard-fought game. They were an indie gem at the time, perhaps rising to challenge the league's elite. But now that Greg Oden's career is dangerously close to its end, Rudy Fernandez pouts about la lluvia in Portland and several other players have left, that moment has dissipated.
Fortunately, the Thunder have coalesced to take their place. Obviously, they have Kevin Durant, one of the NBA's best players, but even without him here in Boston last night, they defeated the Celtics in a tough game, when they were also missing Jeff Green, their third-best player, couldn't make a shot for the whole fourth quarter, and faced a hostile crowd. It certainly qualified as a statement game, with gutsy play, led by point guard Russell Westbrook.
The Thunder find themselves in the same place as the Blazers did two years ago: They have a staggeringly young roster filled with lots of athletic, versatile players who seem to genuinely like each other and realize they can do something special together. Even better, the team gives Oklahoma City some cache and makes it seem cool; the roster is multicultural like the Blazers' was; and guard James Harden has an immense, awesome beard. In his most recent column, Bill Simmons, who also has overheated about the Blazers and the Thunder before, urged everyone to calm down about the Thunder after their start wasn't flawless, but why not get excited? This moment -- where everyone understands what's happening, appreciates the potential and starts to click with each other -- is an exciting one. It applies to plenty more moments than sports, even relatively mundane ones that aren't driven by celebrities.
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