Thunder, Sooners overcome odds for statement road wins

Wednesday night’s results are hard to beat for a good many of you out there who root for the Thunder and the Sooners; similarities abound.

Both cager squads were on the road, 3.5-point underdogs, in consequential games, with pivotal starters injured & out. And both come through as deserving winners.

In Boston, OKC outcoached & outplayed the defending NBA champs. In Round 1 of the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Oklahoma did likewise to a red-hot Georgia club with a home crowd advantage.

Both with star point guards – an in-his-prime SGA and OU’s plucky true freshman Jeremiah Fears – who dominated the ball & much of the games.

Both have head coaches who’ll win the majority of games with their own players and a majority of games with those of opponents.

Both coming in hot – albeit ‘relatively’ warm for the Big Red while Big Blue’s been on a season-long heater. But you can bet your bippy that the Sooners feel as gratified after winning three in a row & 4 of its last 6 SEC games as the Thunder feels about winning & 17-of-its last 18 and 54 of 66. As we might say in the free-spirit decade of the seventies, “everything’s relative, man, relative.”

While other similarities exist, the fact is that the two don’t have much in common when it comes to the remainder of the season. While Oklahoma hopes to upset Kentucky in tonight’s Round 2 game and a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma City is (hopefully) looking to earn homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs and play for its first NBA Championship.

But there’s one other critical similarity. BOTH coaches can look forward to continuing coaching at their current places in 2025-26.

Porter Moser, the one who gets in 20,000 steps a half pacing OU’s sideline during games, has earned his way into another season after he looked like a Dead Man Walking ever since OU finished its unblemished 13-0 non-conference schedule.

In the meantime, Mark Daignault, whose step-count is closer to 500 per game, has no peer right now in the Association. At this moment in time, I can surely envision annual chances for multiple NBA titles.

So, as we’ve all been reminded of in the recent past, we’re best served by savoring the triumphs. You’ve got a free pass for peace & sanity on this V for Victory Day here in God’s Country.