I believe.

[BigRedJed]

For whatever reason, I can't play it, but go to http://www.nba.com/video/ , click on Feb. 4: Kirk Snyder takes off on the Lakers, and I believe that you will all be impressed.

[soonerbrat]

OMG, he HURDLED A DUDE!!!!

[soonerbrat]

I believe I'm going to sleep now.

I believe I will probably see Kirk Snyder hurdling a dude in my dreams

[Jimminy Crimson]

I believe Jimminy has been rubbing elbows with the big cheese.

I believe I wish he had a daughter.

[Jimminy Crimson]

I believe I'm going to sleep now.

I believe I will probably see Kirk Snyder hurdling a dude in my dreams

I believe you will wake up and Kirks junk will be in your face. It's that real.

[soonerbrat]

I believe I have no witty reply to that.

[Czar Soonerov]

[BigRedJed]

This might have already been posted, but I'll post it here anyway. Forget about entertainment value, great hoop, likeable players, I believe THIS is the reason having the NBA in OKC is a good thing:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ant/index.html

The Rant

With Hornets thriving, NBA does right by Okla. City

There are roughly 300 days to go before Sports Illustrated names its 2006 Sportsman of the Year. I'm not waiting. I'm nominating an entire city: Oklahoma City.

One of the best stories in sports has emerged from one of worst disasters we've ever seen. In the aftermath of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the NBA's New Orleans franchise was temporarily placed more than 700 miles away to Oklahoma City, a city not unfamiliar to tragedy with the 1995 bombing of a federal office building. Kansas City, Las Vegas and San Diego were among the other cities interested in the franchise but the NBA opted to send the Hornets to Oklahoma City, which paid for the Hornets' housing and office-space costs and offered the team a guaranteed cash payout if the team's revenues fell short of projections.

These days, the only projection Hornets fans are thinking about is who they'll play in the playoffs. Last year, the team finished with an 18-64 record. If the playoffs started today, the Hornets would be the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The team is 22-22 overall and 13-7 in Oklahoma, including a win over the Kings in January at the University of Oklahoma's Lloyd Noble Center. The Ford Center's upper bowl has been dubbed Loud City. They should call themselves Proud City. The Hornets have played 19 games at the Ford Center and have averaged 18,546 fans --- including 10 sellouts. The in-game atmosphere rivals Midnight Madness. Fans arrive early for games and scream throughout. So much for Oklahoma being a pigskin state.

The NBA is the first major sports league to place a team in Oklahoma City and the league is clearly impressed. They announced yesterday that the Hornets will play 35 games in Oklahoma City and six in New Orleans in 2006-07. The plan is for the team to return fulltime to New Orleans for the 2007-08 season. That's the right thing to do. But Oklahoma City has set itself up as the top choice for relocation if a franchise moves, or if the league expands beyond its current 30 teams.

For years, Oklahoma City has craved a reputation as a first-class, major-league city. Welcome to the club, cowboy.

I could give you links to a dozen other stories in national publications, whose writers' socks have been knocked off by Oklahoma City.

What does this mean? It means when the CEO of a Philly corporation looking to expand, or the site relocation specialist in Sacramento looking for the next boomville is reading his morning paper, he's reading about an Oklahoma City he never knew existed, or even bothered to think about.

THAT'S the benefit Oklahoma City sees from hosting the Hornets here, I do believe.

[yermom]

i believe that is outdated and we'd at least be a 7th seed now

[BigRedJed]

From the Philadelphia Enquirer:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/spo...e/13091102.htm

On the NBA | Oklahoma City should remain Hornets' nest

By David Aldridge

Inquirer Staff Writer

Russ Granik, the NBA's deputy commissioner, recalled the phone call from Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina's making landfall in New Orleans in September.

"We've had tragedy here," Granik recalled Cornett as saying. "We see what's happening in New Orleans. We can help."

And so it came to pass that the Hornets temporarily moved lock, stock and barrel to Oklahoma City, the nation's 45th-largest television market - and a place that knows from tragedy, having gone through the domestic terrorist attack of April 19, 1995, that killed 168 people.

And you know what?

The Hornets should stay there - permanently.

A sports team provides a diversion from reality. In the specific case of New Orleans, it represents a connection to what used to be, providing some semblance of normalcy for a city that has been turned upside down. Surely, the citizens of the city need the team now more than ever.

But what happened in New Orleans trumps standard operating procedure. We are not talking about people who need to take a load off after a hard day's work; we are talking about people without work - and without homes, without schools, and without much hope.

The infrastructure of a city - a tax base, corporate dollars, public transportation, basic emergency services, a middle class with discretionary income - is something New Orleans is currently not capable of providing.

In New Orleans, people have better - and more important - things to do with their time and money than go to games.

Oklahoma City's powerful are trying to do everything not to be viewed as taking advantage of New Orleans.

"Certainly, we're respectful of the series of events that led to the relocation," Cornett said Tuesday, when a sellout crowd of 19,163 filled the Ford Center for Hornets' improbable 93-67 rout of the Sacramento Kings in their regular-season opener.

"But from Oklahoma City's standpoint, this is an opportunity to prove that we're a major-league city. We're excited about it. At the end of this year, the sports world's going to have an opinion. Can Oklahoma City support a major-league franchise? We intend for that answer to be a solid yes."

Support has come from all economic sectors of the city, which is stocked with big companies in the oil and energy businesses as well as such companies as Lopez Foods, one of the country's largest Latino-owned firms. The Hornets have already sold more than 10,000 season tickets in Oklahoma City, putting them in the top 10 league-wide.

"We view it as the ultimate real-time test," said local businessman Clay Bennett, one of the movers and shakers who coalesced the local business community around the Hornets.

"The one great thing about this process was that it didn't require a sales pitch," he said.

The truth of the matter is that it was a tough go for the Hornets in New Orleans before the hurricane. Like Sacramento, Calif.; San Antonio, Texas; and Memphis - and Oklahoma City, for that matter - New Orleans might be too small to support two major-league teams. The more established Saints have four decades of history in New Orleans, and the benefits to a city of having an NFL team, frankly, are greater than those of having an NBA team.

(Along those lines, shouldn't the NFL dip into its stadium building fund and publicly commit to helping build a new football stadium in New Orleans that would assure that the Saints remain there? The league has made untold millions hosting Super Bowls in the Big Easy over the years. It's time to repay that debt.)

No city will support a team with an 18-64 record - the one the Hornets had last season - for long, and Oklahoma City is surely no different. The Hornets are going to continue to be bad for a lot longer than this season. But geographically and financially, it makes sense to leave them in Oklahoma City. Equally important, people in the city are uniquely capable of understanding the pain of loss and shared suffering.

"They were sympathetic because of what they went through," Hornets owner George Shinn said last week. "They understood, and they stepped up. They made it clear to the NBA when they called that [they were not] trying to steal the team. They just want [the Hornets] to have a safe place to land."

And any notion that Oklahoma City isn't a major-league town evaporates the moment you reach the corner of 5th and Robinson.

That's where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building used to be, before Timothy McVeigh's act of madness reduced much of it to rubble.

Now a wondrous memorial to the dead - and the living - has risen from the ashes. And there is a nearby museum that details every second of that horrible day and many of the seconds that have come and gone since. There also is a serene outdoor mall with a reflecting pool that connects one end of the memorial to the other. There are 168 chairs lined up on one side of the memorial, one for each person killed in the explosion.
And on each wall these words are engraved:

We Come Here To Remember Those Who Were Killed, Those Who Survived, And Those Changed Forever. May All Who Leave Here Know The Impact Of Violence. May This Memorial Offer Comfort, Strength, Peace, Hope And Serenity.

Oh, Oklahoma City is big-league, all right.

I believe he is correct about that.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

I believe I went to college with Dave Aldridge

[dolemitesooner]

I belive I will be at the game tonight car or not screaming my face off fro my normal seat praying that ou wins

[BigRedJed]

I believe we might be watching OKC's current and future NBA teams playing each other tonight. Of course, I HOPE we're watching OKC's current and future NBA TEAM tonight:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi...&date=20060208

Sonics could find a suitor in Oklahoma


By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter

OKLAHOMA CITY — Clay Bennett, a prominent local businessman who led a group of corporate investors that lured the displaced New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma City, said he is watching with interest the political proceedings involving the Sonics, the Seattle City Council and the Washington State Legislature.

Bennett is keenly aware of the strife building between city officials and the club, which seeks a taxpayer-funded $200 million for renovations to KeyArena. He also read the comments from principal owner Howard Schultz, who said last week that Sonics owners would be forced to sell or move the team unless they receive public assistance.

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Bennett said that he has not been in contact with anyone representing the Sonics, but "we'd be very interested in those discussions and would pursue them vigorously."

Oklahoma City is caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
Long before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29 and washed the Hornets out of New Orleans, mayor Mick Cornett had pestered NBA commissioner David Stern about relocating to Oklahoma City
Led by Cornett and Bennett, Oklahoma City offered Hornets owner George Shinn an unprecedented package of public and corporate support.

The Hornets were given free rent at 20,000-seat Ford Center as well as furnished apartments for 108 employees and office space for the staff.
If the Hornets fail to earn $40 million this season, the state, the city and a group of local investors will make up the difference up to $10 million.

Bennett said: "I don't have specific info but my sense is they were doing fine."

Doing fine as in selling more than 11,000 season tickets, which, team officials say is sixth in the NBA. Last season, the Hornets were 29th in season-ticket sales.

Attendance has improved by an average of 4,000. The Hornets, last in attendance last season, are now seventh and have likened the crowd to a college environment.

"We won 13 homes games, and I would say they've [fans] had their hands in six of them," coach Byron Scott told The Associated Press. "The energy in the crowds has been a tremendous boost to our team."

The Hornets are 24-23 entering tonight's game against the Sonics (19-29), and if the regular season ended today, they would advance to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. It's a remarkable feat for a team that finished 18-64 last season.

While the honeymoon between Oklahoma City and the Hornets has been blissful, the marriage wasn't built to last.

A week ago, Stern announced the team would play 35 games at the Ford Center in 2006-07, but said he hoped the team will return to New Orleans full time in 2007-08.

Essentially, Oklahoma City is auditioning for the next 1 ½ years for one of several NBA teams.

The Sonics, Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings all seek new or improved arenas while the Atlanta Hawks are a habitual candidate for relocation.

"We are acutely interested and very focused on bringing a team to Oklahoma City," Bennett said. "It's a tricky spot to be in because you don't want to overstep your boundaries ... but the Sonics, yes, are a possibility and a team that would do well not just here, but I'm sure anywhere that they played."

Anywhere, perhaps, except Seattle, where the team says it has lost $60 million because of an unfavorable lease that expires in 2010.

Accompanied by deputy mayor Tim Ceis, Sonics CEO and president Wally Walker will present a proposal to the House Finance Committee on Thursday morning in a last-ditch effort to gain support from state lawmakers.

The Sonics seek to extend the King County restaurant and hotel taxes used to build stadiums for the Mariners and Seahawks to pay for KeyArena renovations or a new basketball arena.

Schultz issued a "sell-or-leave" ultimatum in hopes of prompting lawmakers to make a decision before the legislative session ends on March 9. He instructed Walker "to look into alternatives," but said the team has had serious discussions about moving.

There's no denying that Oklahoma City is growing a NBA fan base and trying to create a climate to support major-league pro sports in a place where loyalties between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have ruled for decades.

"If the Hornets go back to New Orleans, I expect we'll get a franchise," Bennett said. "There haven't been any promises made, but there's been a lot of congratulations offered to us and encouragement and recognition. This a bona fide marketplace for the NBA. We've proven that."

I put a couple of lines in bold italics to point out what I have been saying on this board for several years now. One of the main reasons OKC can be an attractive and successful market compared to other cities is because of the lease that can be offered.

Thanks to MAPS, the Ford Center is debt-free. Giving the Hornets free rent isn't a bribe, or a good-will gesture to the team, it's a smart business decision.

It helps keep ticket prices down, which keeps attendance up. Chances are even when a team locates here for good, they will continue to get free rent. Contrast that with Dallas, for instance, where the Mavs have to help pay for a $400 million arena through their rent. Seattle has the same problem, and that is one of the reasons they're failing.

The city still profits from concessions (which they would not be selling without a tenant), and from sales tax on the entertainment dollars spent in Bricktown and the surrounding area on game day. It's a sweet deal for the city, the team, and the fans. All because of a little penny sales tax we don't even pay any more.

[yermom]

I believe they won a tough game tonight

I believe that 3 to clinch it was amazing

[Sooner_Bob]

The city still profits from concessions (which they would not be selling without a tenant), and from sales tax on the entertainment dollars spent in Bricktown and the surrounding area on game day. It's a sweet deal for the city, the team, and the fans. All because of a little penny sales tax we don't even pay any more.

You think they'd go for a penny sales tax to support the Sooner_Bob franchise?

[soonerbrat]

I believe that was a fun game to attend. I believe almost the whole crowd stayed til the end.

I believe I won't have a voice tomorrow.

[BigRedJed]

I believe they won a tough game tonight

I believe that 3 to clinch it was amazing

I believe it was the best win of the year. Not a pretty game, mind you, and FAR from the best opponent. But they literally had NO point guard for, like, 30 minutes. Freakin' David West and Desmond Mason were bringing the ball up the court, fercryinoutloud!

I also believe if I were Arvydas I would be asking to be traded. If he can't crack the lineup with small/power forwards running the point, Byron has ZERO confidence. I believe that I would also be traveling light if I were J.R. Smith.

And, I believe they won't win too many more like this if CP3 AND/or Speedy don't get healthy. Quick.

[BigRedJed]

I believe that was a fun game to attend. I believe almost the whole crowd stayed til the end.

I believe I won't have a voice tomorrow.

Glad you and Jimminy had a good time in the bleeders. I had a hard time seeing the game from where I was because the referees kept getting in my way.

[ChickSoonerFan]

I believe that was a fun game to attend. I believe almost the whole crowd stayed til the end.

I believe I won't have a voice tomorrow.

I believe you stole my parking spot.

[BigRedJed]

Oh, and I believe the face value of my ticket was $350. BigRedJed price: $0. UPGRADE!