Seattle NBA fans reacted strongly to the Thunder's Game 1 upset of the Warriors.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s surprising 108-102 upset of the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals appeared to strike a nerve with Seattle NBA fans on social media.
The Sonics were relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. Efforts to build an arena here with the hope of attracting a team were dealt a blow this month when the Seattle City Council voted against vacating a street for a proposed Sodo District arena. The vote made it “less likely that the NBA will return to the city of Seattle,” Mayor Ed Murray said.
Oklahoma City was a 7 1/2-point underdog against the Warriors, who won a record 73 games in the regular season. The reaction among Seattle NBA fans on Twitter prompted Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin to weigh in.
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And this tweet after the game did not go over well with Seattle NBA fans:
The Sonics, not the Thunder, faced Golden State in 1992, and Seattle NBA fans are quick to remind people of that:
It’s not the first time the Sonics’ history has been lumped in with the Thunder’s. When Clay Bennett and his ownership group moved the team to Oklahoma City, he agreed to leave behind the Sonics’ name and team colors but took the stats and history.
Now that Oklahoma City has won Game 1, one ESPN analyst says it is favored to win the series:
Not exactly what Sonics fans want to hear. We’ll brace for the social-media reaction if that occurs.