Thunder Insider: National television appearances will indicate how hot OKC is

No matter the language, though, the message is being delivered. The Thunder is the new "it" team. Oklahoma City might still trail the L.A. Lakers, and now Miami, as the most glamorous outfits. But the Thunder has climbed atop the NBA's shortlist of sweetheart teams, franchises from which the league chooses a face and ensues to flood promotional spots with throughout the marathon season.

Already this summer there have been real ramifications of last year's success story.

Team USA will reconvene today in New York City, where three of the 15 remaining hopefuls for this summer's World Championship are Thunder players. Kevin Durant, the reigning scoring champ, has graced multiple magazine covers as well as the soon-to-be-released NBA Elite 11.

When the league released the matchups on its marquee dates in 2010-11, the Thunder was featured prominently. OKC grabbed a Christmas game at home against Denver, a Martin Luther King Jr. Day game and two dates inside the hyped opening week.

Now comes the truest indicator of just how hot the Thunder is.