THUNDER JOURNAL
ALL SIX THUNDER PRESEASON GAMES VIEWABLE FOR FIRST TIME
The Thunder’s six preseason games are all going to be watchable ... with a catch.
For the first time in franchise history, all of the team’s six preseason games will be available to watch. The first two games against FC Barcelona (Oct. 3) and Real Madrid (Oct. 5) in Spain will be available on NBA TV. The Thunder’s first preseason game stateside at Dallas will be aired on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
As in previous seasons, Fox Sports will broadcast one preseason game, but the Thunder is stepping up its coverage. Last season was the first time okcthunder.com and the Thunder mobile app offered a live stream of one preseason game, and this season the team will live stream three games – Oct. 13 vs. Memphis, Oct. 16 vs. Minnesota and Oct. 18 vs. Denver.
The catch: The streaming is limited to NBA regional broadcast rules, meaning the live stream is only available within 75 miles of Oklahoma City.
A deal between Fox Sports Southwest and the Thunder makes the network the exclusive rights holder of Thunder basketball and at least 70 regular-season games annually. Last year, The Oklahoman wrote about how most regional networks make the decision to focus their time and money on the regular season.
Thunder Preseason Schedule
Oct. 3: at FC Barcelona (noon, NBA TV) Oct. 5: at Real Madrid (noon, NBA TV) Oct. 11: at Dallas (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Oklahoma) Oct. 13: vs. Memphis, BOK Center, Tulsa (7 p.m., okcthunder.com) Oct. 16: vs. Minnesota (6 p.m., okcthunder.com) Oct. 18: vs. Denver (7 p.m., okcthunder.com)
WESTBROOK LOSES VOICE, THUNDER NEEDS TO HEAR IT
Thunder training camp is a day old and already it’s taken a toll on Russell Westbrook.
“I lost my damn voice, but that means a good thing,” a hoarse Westbrook said after the first of two practices on Saturday. “Everybody came in and competed at a high level.” Apparently Westbrook helped see to that. Defense was the focus of Saturday’s morning practice, and judging by his fading voice, Westbrook helped set a tone of communication at that end of the court. Coach Billy Donovan said Westbrook was “very, very vocal” on the opening day of practice. Guard Victor
Oladipo joked that Westbrook “was talking way too much.”
“You know how they call people natural-born leaders?” Oladipo said. “He’s definitely one of them, by what he does and what he says. He has so much experience, man. He’s been in the game for such a long time, been playing at such a high level for such a long time that it’s hard not to listen to him.”
Westbrook’s voice matters, maybe now more than ever.
As the Thunder begins its first training camp as a franchise without Kevin Durant, Westbrook is the unquestioned leader of a team with six new faces on the roster. It’s easy for Westbrook to show his teammates how to play – “his energy speaks for itself,” Donovan said – but sometimes he needs to tell them, too.
He, I think, is setting a tone in terms of that, at least from a defensive standpoint, we got to communicate,” Donovan said. “And I think when you the caliber of player like Russell who’s doing it every single time and communicating it and expressing and pointing out the value and the importance of that, I think it carries a large weight. He was great today just in terms of the way he was trying to lead and help the guys and make sure conceptually we were getting things down and we understood what we were doing.”
That role extends well beyond the opening or practice.
“My job is always to be vocal,” Westbrook said. “Not just today. Every day, to be vocal any way I can and be able to help other guys out and help us win some games.”
He did it on Saturday, he said, “screaming at everybody, screaming at myself.” And sometimes the strain on his vocal cords isn’t limited just to the practice. Oladipo joked that Westbrook’s ragged voice was the result both of his practice roaring and off-court crooning.
“Some days at night I can’t sleep and I just call him, and he sings me to sleep,” Oladipo said.
WESTBROOK FIRST LOOK
Westbrook is rolling out a new line of clothing with True Religion, and on Saturday he gave Oklahoma City a fashionably early glimpse.
Westbrook hosted a pop-up event at Nault Fine Art Gallery to debut a line of skinny jeans, t-shirts, hoodies and jackets with True Religion. Hip-hop beats blasted through an open gallery space at an event that would have felt at home in Brooklyn but that Westbrook wanted to hold in Oklahoma City.
He made an appearance between the Thunder’s two practices on Saturday, glancing through his new line on racks and mannequins and signing some autographs for fans.
“I think Russell was incredibly excited to be back in Oklahoma City, and I think it was very important for him – as he explained to us – that he wanted to debut his collection here,” said Tara Peryache, chief marketing officer for True Religion. “He was incredibly thankful and grateful for the fan support, and I think we really felt like it couldn’t be a better place for a town to see a collection that he had such a heavy hand in before the world got a chance to see it. So everybody here in Oklahoma City is the very, very first to get it.”