#1 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS. #5 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
It’s a high-octane offense built around Kevin Durant against a rock-solid defense when the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Memphis Grizzlies to see who moves on to the Western Conference finals. The Thunder lost all-star point guard Russell Westbrook to an injury in their first round win over the Rockets so they’ll be looking for other ways to be effective. The Grizzlies powered past the Clippers in six games.
Marc Gasol is the soul behind the Grizz defense and he has played key roles in big playoff wins in the past, including a shocking win over the Spurs in the first round not too long ago. This will be no picnic for the Thunder, but homecourt advantage could give them the little extra needed to get past Memphis.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER FRANCHISE FACTS:
Founded: 1967 as the Seattle Supersonics
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Stadium: Chesapeake Energy Arena
Conference: Western Conference
Division: Northwest Division
Mascot: Rumble the Bison
Dancers: Oklahoma City Thunder Girls
Notable Players: Fred Brown, Jack Sikma, Gus Williams, Kevin Durant
Oklahoma City Thunder Championship Titles: 0
Oklahoma City Thunder Conference Titles: 4
See Also:
Oklahoma City Thunder Playoff tickets
Oklahoma City Thunder Season Preview History
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER INFORMATION:
The Oklahoma City Thunder may be one of the most welcomed surprises to come out of the Western Conference since they debuted in 2008. Still, while the Oklahoma City community has embraced the franchise with open arms, the team was known as the Seattle SuperSonics throughout much of its history.
Although the ball club has made quite an impact since moving south, its tenure in the Evergreen State was significantly highlighted by two consecutive NBA Finals in 1978 and 1979, both times pitted against the Washington Bullets. The Sonics finally triumphed during their second round in the championships on the strength of leading scorer Gus Williams and Finals MVP Dennis Johnson.
Soon thereafter the squad tailed off and experienced a period of mediocrity during the 1980s until hiring Coach George Karl and signing a pair of future superstars, Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, who were both major title contenders in the early '90s. It was during this time that the Sonics posted a 64-18 record during the 1995-96 season, an all-time best. Unfortunately, the team met the nearly unstoppable Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals and lost in six games. The ball club then went on to experience futile playoff attempts throughout much of the 2000s, with the exception of a standout year in 2004-05 where they won 52 games. However, they later lost in the second round of the playoffs to the San Antonio Spurs.
Lagging attendance in Seattle forced the team to move in 2008, and luckily for the Oklahoma City fans, the Thunder already had superstars Kevin Durant and Jeff Green waiting in the wings from the 2007 draft. In the Thunder's inaugural 2008 season, the squad experienced some growing pains but started to show the signs of a contender. It was only a year later, during the 2009-10 season, that the Thunder posted its best record by cruising to 50-32. The Thunder even gave the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers a run for its money in the first round of the playoffs, but eventually floundered in the series and lost in six games.
The future is bright for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are one of the most profitable franchises in the league and enjoy overwhelming support from their dedicated fanbase. It's likely the squad will continue to build around its star power to become a force in the Western Conference.