Sooners fans’ night got even worse after Oklahoma lost to Alabama in the College Football Playoff
The Sooners lost to Alabama and the OKC Thunder lost to the Timberwolves.
Most Oklahoma Sooners fans, at least those who live in Oklahoma, are also OKC Thunder fans. On Friday, after the College Football Playoff loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, things only got worse for fans. The Thunder, the best team in the NBA, the reigning NBA Champions, and an NBA-best 25-2, have now added a loss to that record.
Just under an hour after the Sooners lost, OKC lost, and this is a team that doesn’t lose much. So, it likely made the entire night a bit worse for fans of both teams.
OKC Thunder head coach talks loss to Timberwolves
“We had a lead going into the closing possessions, and then they just made a couple more plays than we did… It could have gone either way,” OKC Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said after the loss. “We’ve played a lot of these games this season. We’ve won a lot of them. We want to learn through the wins, and we have to learn through the losses.”
While OKC losing a game isn’t the end of the world, or even the end of the season, it’s still a loss that fans will likely get upset about. This is a team that can certainly break the all-time wins record in a season held by the Golden State Warriors. And, the Timberwolves are one of their bigger rivals.
OKC still has the rest of the season, with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to help them through it. With the way he’s playing, as he had 35 points, seven assists, and five rebounds on Friday night, he’s likely to be a favorite to land the award again.
These two losses are similar in a lot of ways, in that you cannot hold your head down about the loss. Or, you shouldn’t, anyway. For OKC, they are still the most feared team in the league. There is still a lot to be happy about for both teams, despite the loss.
“This doesn’t take away from the pride I have for the group of seniors, and guys that won’t be here in the future,” Sooners head coach Brent Venables told reporters directly after the game. “I couldn’t be prouder of them and the deposit they chose to make in an environment where everyone is trying to get theirs.
“This is a group of guys who chose not to take a withdrawal but to make a deposit. Leave your mark and do what we need to do to elevate this program and move forward. Couldn’t be more thankful and proud for that group of guys and the ones that are returning.”
Now that the Sooners’ football season is over, many fans will turn their attention to basketball full-time. Whether that’s the Thunder, the men’s basketball team, or the women’s basketball team, there is plenty of good basketball going on in the OKC metro area.