OKLAHOMA CITY — Last-place love, apparently, is in the eye of the beholder.
The warm civic bear hug applied to the Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly of Seattle, has continued unabashed through a most-miserable start with only one win in 12 games, and now, a nine-game losing streak.
It hit nine when Oklahoma City blew a 15-point second-quarter lead to the struggling Clippers on Wednesday night in front of 18,312 at the Ford Center.
The Clippers' 108-88 victory came via a collaborative effort as every starter finished in double figures. Chris Kaman (25 points) and Cuttino Mobley (23) had season highs, and Mobley had a career-high seven steals, four in the first quarter.
Crowds of this size here have been the norm. It wasn't just because the Clippers (2-9) were in town, though two locals admitted that was part of the draw.
"That's why we came to the game. We knew we were going to win," said Jay Colt of Oklahoma City. "I don't care if they're in last place. I still love them."
Colt and his friend were speaking at halftime. The Thunder was leading, 52-49, at the half, and the way the Clippers have been fading in the latter stages, a Thunder victory didn't seem out of the question.
Instead, Oklahoma City virtually disappeared in the third quarter. The Clippers went on a 14-2 run, which included a 12-0 surge, starting with 6 minutes 41 seconds to play.
Thunder Coach P.J Carlesimo had hoped it would take the Clippers a little longer to figure things out, saying beforehand, "Give me one more not-quite-the-real-Baron Davis game out of him."
But you can't underestimate the dubious distinction of landing in last place as a motivational force. Relief was the prevailing sentiment in the Clippers dressing room afterward.
"Yeah, I think so," said Marcus Camby, who had 14 points and nine rebounds. "We all joked about playing for last place. We didn't want to have that title. Especially tonight."
Said Mobley, of his seven steals: "Baron said before the game, 'You've got to get focused.' We're talking about the whole team. I was sitting on the bus and I was saying, 'I'm just going to try to play as hard as I can defensively and see what happens.' "
Davis' game ignited eventually as he scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half, and made two three-point baskets.
"We need to go out on the road and play in hostile environments and come together," he said. "It makes you focus a little bit. Things are not comfortable. You're not in a comfortable position.
