FEBRUARY 15 2009
AMERICANWAY 37
The fans stand united until the Thunder
score theirfirstbasket,whichmay takea few
seconds or a fewminutes. ABC/ESPN ana-
lyst Jeff VanGundy says Thunder fans “are
as close toa collegebasketball crowdas you
will get in theNBA. Theyare incredible.”
“I get a sense in the small-market fran-
chises that it is a unifying element in the
community,” adds Stern. “I get a sense —
from everyone I talk with here, from the
governor to former governors to themayor
— that this is a stepping-stone in thedevel-
opment of the community.”
The city and the FordCenter opened the
eyesof the leaguebyopening itsarms to the
NewOrleans Hornets when that franchise
wasdisplacedbyHurricaneKatrina for two
seasons. No one knewhow the townwould
respond to a rent-a-team scenario. Expec-
tationsweremodest, especiallywhen Stern
made it clear that the league would not
abandonNewOrleans.
“The support was unbelievable,” says
Desmond Mason, a shooting guard/small
forward. “Even now, with this team. It’s
another weird feeling, but the support and
enthusiasm about us being here is just un-
believable.”
Masonhasa longhistorywithOklahoma
City, startingwith his days as a college star
atnearbyOklahomaStateUniversity.Here-
turnedwhileplaying for theHornetsduring
their two seasons here and is back again af-
ter beingacquiredby theThunder from the
MilwaukeeBucks inanoff-season trade.
“Itwas different a few years ago, because
I didn’t really expect anNBA team to be in
OklahomaCity. Playing here in college and
thenhaving anNBA teamherewas kindof
a surreal feeling.
“I didn’t know that I’d be back, playing
in Oklahoma City. To be back now with a
totallydifferent teamand theorganizationI
startedwith (Mason startedhis careerwith
the Sonics in the 2000-’01 season) is unbe-
lievable,”Mason says.
The NBA’s sAl Ar y
structureallows small-
market teams like the Utah Jazz, the San
AntonioSpurs, and theThunder tocompete
with the likesof theLosAngelesLakers, the
Chicago Bulls, and New York. Instead of
spend, spend, spend, the formula forsuccess
is spend wisely. The Jazz reached the NBA
Finals in 1997 and 1998 and is againone of
the league’s top teams.But thegoldstandard
The last of the
great independents.
The owner/operators
who give not only fine
beef but their hearts
aswell.
The Independent Retail
Cattleman’s Association
557Mt. Pleasant Road
Kingston Springs, TN 37082
Visit:
St. ElmoSteakHouse
INDIANAPOLIS, IN ..................317.635.0636
Proprietors:
SteveHuse&CraigHuse
III Forks
DALLAS, TX .............................972.267.1776
Proprietor:
Chris Vogeli
AUSTIN, TX................................. 512.474.1776
Proprietors:
CurtisOsmond&JaimeGutierrez
Manny’s
MINNEAPOLIS,MN...................612.339.9900
Proprietors:
Phil Roberts, PeterMihajlov
&KevinKuester
Grill 225
CHARLESTON, SC ..................843.266.4222
Proprietor:
NickPalassis
ExecutiveChef:
DemetreCastanas
McKendrick’s SteakHouse
ATLANTA, GA .........................770.512.8888
Proprietors:
Claudia&DougMcKendrick,
RickCrowe
Malone’s
LEXINGTON, KY......................859.335.6500
Proprietors:
BrianMcCarty &BruceDrake
MetropolitanGrill
SEATTLE, WA ..........................206.624.3287
Proprietor:
RonCohn
Gene&Georgetti
CHICAGO, IL ...........................312.527.3718
Proprietors:
Tony &MarionDurpetti
Rainwater’s onKettner
SANDIEGO, CA ......................619.233.5757
Proprietors:
Laurel &PaddyRainwater
