Rohde: Oklahoma City Thunder lacked effort in season opener

This season could be longer than originally thought, Thunder fans.

Given what transpired Wednesday night at the Ford Center, patience not only will be a virtue with the Thunder, it will be a minimum requirement.

The Thunder got rolled by the Milwaukee Bucks 98-87 on opening night inside the Ford Center.

The home team trailed by double-digits for the final 29 minutes and trailed by as many as 24 at one point.

Granted, it's only one game, but is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Keep in mind, people, the Bucks aren't very good.

Much like the Thunder, no one is picking Milwaukee to play more than 82 games this season.

The Bucks wore green, but they hardly resemble the world champion Celtics, who next Wednesday will make their only visit here.

“We didn’t play like we were capable of playing, and that's a shame,” Thunder coach P.J. Carlesimo said afterward.

The Thunder struggled from the very beginning. The effort in the first half was questionable.

All summer long, we've been selling this team as a group that might not win, but it will at least play hard.

The Thunder did neither, and that's unacceptable, even to a bunch of forgiving, impressionable newcomers like us.

The effort improved in the second half, but the outcome never was in doubt.

The sellout crowd of 19,136 was above-average in its performance, which is acceptable given how the Thunder was below-average.

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