Oklahoma City Thunder fan: With playoffs in sight, 'we feel duped'

So Tuesday night, the Thunder lost a tough game to the injury-depleted Charlotte Hornets. The team appeared to fight hard for the win in spite of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's absence with a sprained ankle, but there were several times when coach Mark Daigneault put lineups on the floor that made no sense. This team is near .500 on the season and is in contention for a playoff spot, and suddenly he's giving extended play to bench players who have seen little playing time all season? My husband and I looked at each other more than once during the game, feeling both incredulous and completely puzzled. "It's almost as if he doesn't care," we said.

Well, in his post-game interview, thanks to some pointed questions about his lineup choices from Berry Tramel, coach confirmed exactly that. He doesn't care if they make the play-in, and that is not a priority for him.

Of course, for the fans, we hear it a little differently. He means us. They don't care about us. In both 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, the team competed for the first 2/3 of the season until the All-Star break and then they just quit. That's hard, but we tolerated it for the lottery pick. We understood — or tried to. But this year ... this year is cruel. To dangle a prize like that, only to be told by the coach with seven games left in the season that he doesn't care about making the playoffs?

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My husband and I have had season tickets since the beginning. Many of the people sitting around us have had their seats for years, too. We've had fun this season, and we all believed this team was trying to compete. We feel duped, like Lucy just yanked the football away yet again, but this time we got closer than ever. Many season ticket holders spend up to 15% of their annual income on tickets. It's a significant investment to feel like you're being taken advantage of. Per ESPN, the Thunder have the lowest overall attendance in the league this year, and I suspect the fact that they have so little regard for their fans is a factor. If you're going to tank, take the San Antonio or Houston approach and make it clear from the jump. Don't break our hearts.

Oklahoma native Shannon Friedman is a professional social worker and a dedicated wife, mother, and sports fan.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder fan: With playoffs in sight, 'we feel duped'