October 23, 2026
October 23, 2026
2009-2010 Oklahoma City Thunder: Welcome to The Thunderdome
There was certainly an adjustment period for a franchise that had previously spent 41 years in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. No longer the Seattle SuperSonics, the Oklahoma City Thunder still struggled in their very first season in Oklahoma, going 23-59 in the 2008-2009 NBA season. However, optimism filled this revived franchise, as it had a superstar player who was on the verge of taking off and making a name for himself.
The 2009-2010 Oklahoma City Thunder went 50-32, finishing just 3 games behind the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division, according to Basketball-Reference. The Thunder went 27-14 at home, in a venue Thunder fans would give multiple nicknames, such as Loud City and The Peake. Probably the most fitting nickname was “The Thunderdome,” because of how consistently loud the fans in the arena would get. The Thunder went 23-18 on the road and 9-7 in divisional play. They went 9-6 in December, 8-7 in January, 9-2 in February, 11-5 in March and 4-4 in April.
Small forward Kevin Durant was that emerging superstar, having left Seattle after spending just his rookie year there. In the years to come, Durant would be compared to other superstars such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony in debates over who was the most explosive scoring threat in the NBA. Durant had 2,472 points, 623 rebounds, 231 assists, 112 steals and 84 blocks, making 128 of 351 3-point shots and 756 of 840 free throws. Durant would make his first NBA All-Star Game and the All-NBA First Team, and he would win the NBA Scoring Title.
Point guard Russell Westbrook had 1,322 points, 401 rebounds, 652 assists and 108 steals, making 23 of 104 3-point shots and 329 of 422 free throws. Power forward Jeff Green had 1,239 points, 490 rebounds, 104 steals and 72 blocks, making 104 of 312 3-point shots and 165 of 223 free throws. With the 3rd overall pick in the 1st Round of the 2009 NBA Draft, the Thunder chose shooting guard James Harden from Arizona State University. The Thunder trusted him to deliver on the court, and Harden rewarded them in his rookie season with 753 points, 137 assists and 80 steals, making 93 of 248 3-point shots and 194 of 240 free throws. Harden would make the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Center Nenad Krstic had 639 points and 383 rebounds, making 281 of 560 field goal shots and 76 of 106 free throws. Shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha had 489 points, 387 rebounds, 145 assists and 97 steals, making 41 of 131 3-point shots. Sefolosha would make the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Power forward Serge Ibaka always proved good for making key defensive stops, as he often led the Thunder in blocks. Ibaka had 461 points and 97 blocks while making 201 of 370 field goal shots. Center Nick Collison had 439 points and 384 rebounds while making 182 of 309 field goal shots. Point guard Eric Maynor made 17 of 47 3-point shots.
Head coach Scott Brooks would be named the NBA Coach of the Year for doing a great job of turning the 2009-2010 Oklahoma City Thunder around from where the team once was. Shining proof of this remarkable turnaround came in the form of a 9-game winning streak, which began with a 101-84 win over the Denver Nuggets on January 29. The streak would end with a close 109-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 21.
On February 20 at Madison Square Garden, the Thunder claimed their only overtime win of the regular season by narrowly beating the New York Knicks 121-118. Kevin Durant had 36 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists while making 2 of 6 3-point shots and 14 of 15 free throws. Russell Westbrook had 31 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. Jeff Green had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals while making 2 of 2 3-point shots.
In what would foreshadow things to come in the near future, the Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 91-75 on March 26 at the Ford Center. Durant had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists while making 7 of 7 free throws. Westbrook had 23 points, 6 assists and 4 steals.
The very thought of making the playoffs was like reaching uncharted territory for Kevin Durant, who was still early in his NBA career at the time. Such a thought had been simply unthinkable for residents of Oklahoma City before the Thunder came to town, since the community had never had full-time professional sports. The Thunderdome would be rocking in the First Round of the 2010 Western Conference playoffs, but the Thunder would be shown an early exit courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers, falling 4 games to 2.
In Game 3 on April 22 at the Ford Center, the Thunder beat the Lakers 101-96. Kevin Durant had 29 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists while making 12 of 13 free throws. Russell Westbrook had 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists while making 4 of 5 free throws. In Game 4 on April 24, the Thunder defeated the Lakers 110-89. Durant had 22 points and 4 rebounds while making 9 of 11 free throws. Westbrook had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Jeff Green had 15 points and 9 rebounds while making 2 of 7 3-point shots. James Harden had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while making 2 of 4 3-point shots and 7 of 8 free throws.
Even though their first playoff appearance in Oklahoma City ended in disappointment, the start of the Kevin Durant Era signaled many bright things ahead for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they would not only return to the playoffs consistently but also make the NBA Finals just 2 years later.
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