OKC Thunder Wants to Have 'Real Home Court Advantage Again'
The atmosphere at the Paycom Center has seen a drop over the last few years during the rebuild. This is almost expected when a team enters a new era. Roster turnover, not as competitive games and the pandemic were a few reasons this might've been the case.
Things began to turn around last season, though. The hype building around the team improved. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grew from a borderline All-Star to a superstar, and this was by no accident.
“People who are elite at what they do are also people who do monotonous parts of their craft with excellence," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said during his Wednesday presser.
He alluded to Gilgeous-Alexander's offseason training as "intense."
On top of Gilgeous-Alexander's ascension to superstardom, then-rookie Jalen Williams emerged as a potential star. Josh Giddey proved his potential is real and his ability to both improve and grow his game is strong.
Not only did the team over-succeed, but the idea of Chet Holmgren returning this season left even more hope for Thunder fans. While the team began to arrive, Loud City began to improve and more fans were showing up and showing out.
Now, more than ever, it's time for Loud City to do what it's always done and how it earned its reputation. This is for a couple of reasons.
As mentioned, the team is turning a corner. A new era is here, there will be roster continuity moving forward and the fans have a consistent team to cheer for. Kicking off this new era with the same appreciation and support the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook-led teams saw will be a true tone-setter.
Home court advantage is a very real thing. These young players will rally behind a good crowd, and bringing energy on a nightly basis will be much easier if fans truly support and bring the noise.
“What I say to our fans is: enjoy the ride," Presti said during his presser. "We have a great group of guys. And they work hard. They really want to do well for the city, the team and themselves. One day we want to have a real home-court advantage again. And we realize we have to earn that.”
With a new arena on the horizon for the Thunder and a crucial vote in the coming months to build a new arena and retain the team in Oklahoma City long-term, the fan base has the ability to sway the vote and show that the team deserves to stay in the city.
When the Thunder was competing for championships and was a top team in the Western Conference consistently, the support was outrageous. The level of support needs to return to that level as the franchise is hitting a new era of competing at a high level and keeping the team in the city.
So, it's up to Loud City to show why it got its colors and why it has the reputation that it does and show up for the team consistently as they begin to define themselves.
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