The first thing striking me from the lofty perch of Cloud City is that the Thunder seem to be playing not only against their opponents, but also themselves.  It’s true that many teams have outplayed us, and I’ll even concede that the majority of teams in the league have an advantage over us in either skill, physicality, or experience.  But in many of the Thunder losses, most notably in our most recent loss to the Rockets, the difficulty lies in determining which team we lost to, us or them.  And I’m forced to conclude we beat ourselves.

Petro and Westbrook combined to miss four consecutive free throws in the 4th quarter (Rockets shot 93% from the line).  Westbrook made some beautiful steals, but then gave the ball away trying to set the perfect alleyoop for Durant.   We had the ability and the opportunities to climb back into contention, but we would lose concentration by getting ahead of ourselves.  It’s not the mark of a bad team, just a young team with plenty of talent and very little confidence.

Let’s conclude by taking a look at a few of those “silver linings” (this name is so rich, I can hardly stand it).  Here’s a few things we can take comfort and courage in while we cheer this team on to their full potential:

1. Durant is not the only scorer on the team. Green can offer some serious help.  He sank two of his three 3-point attempts, and if he continues to stay aggressive, he will force defenses to respect his presence on the perimeter.
2. Westbrook is as good a defender as advertised.  Anyone who can nab 3 consecutive steals in the 4th quarter of an NBA game certainly garners that respect.  Steals are going to be a very interesting stat to keep an eye on as he matures.  He’s only going to get better, and as his defense improves, the offense of the entire team will follow suit.
3. Swift can play the big man inside.  Yeah, he’s not the dominating center, or the silky smooth passer every team would love to have.  But he can block a little and shoot a little, and he makes us better.  Plus he’s just downright fun to watch.
4. The Thunder can move the ball around effectively.  We see flashes of this crisp passing, and it was there in the first half of Monday’s game.  When they move without the ball and get open, and work to get their teammates open, they’re the team we expect to see.
5. We the Fans — I commend the fans who stayed and cheered even to the final seconds of the game.  The stalwart remnant who can stay and cheer even when the game is effectively over show the kind of determination we rightly expect to see from our team.

So let’s set the tone for the team, and, as Coldplay would say, Don’t Panic!