Thunder: Quite a night for the OKC crowd

Quite a night for Oklahoma City. A playoff series victory over Denver in the most dramatic of fashion. Kevin Durant’s heroics. Serge Ibaka’s blocks. Kendrick Perkins even dunked.

I sat on press row, right behind the scorer’s table, so I had a great seat, but that doesn’t mean I had the best view to experience all the atmosphere, during the game and after.

I went to a really good source for that. A better source than the crazy fans who dress up and live and die with the Thunder. A better source than Rumble. A better source than Clay Bennett.

during the NBA basketball game between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs at the Oklahoma City Arena, Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

My wife. Trish the Dish bought two $47 tickets and sat on Row J in Section 311. She took our niece, another big Thunder fan. I went to visit in pre-game but couldn’t stay long. The upper deck gives me the willies; I don’t have a fear of heights, I have a fear of falling.

Anyway, I got home at 2 a.m., so it wasn’t until this morning that I was able to conduct a serious interview on what the night was like. Here is her report.

First, she reported no disgruntledness from the crowd. Down below, you could sense a feeling of unrest. But no booing. Few groans. A little frustration when no one but Durant could make a shot. Apparently, it was the same upstairs. “I didn’t hear any complaining or yelling at the team,” Trish the Dish said. “It was positive. More of a cheering you on type of thing.”

After the game, the fans stayed for several minutes cheering. “I kept thinking, ‘is somebody going to come out and do something?’ because everyone was staying in their seats,” she said.