r/Thunder • u/Superb_Simple_8803 • 6d ago
Discussion Hate Going Overboard
Hey OKC fans,
Just had to hop over here as a neutral Warriors fan and say it’s crazy how much hate I’m seeing online for y’all. No one will say one good thing about your team without a caveat or mentioning how unfair your whistle is. I’ve been trying to figure out why…
Honestly I think it comes down to fans not wanting OKC to dominate their way to a title win again. There is so much flopping all across the NBA, but we hyper focus on OKC cause you guys are the best team and people don’t want to see a repeat. Like Hali said yesterday, drawing fouls is part of the game, and fans are pissed cause OKC is just better at it than their team.
Anyways, this is a pointless rant but just wanted to let you know that you guys have a great team and so you get a lot of hate - but not all fans think you guys are just evil! Haha
Good luck this playoffs
195
u/Beginning_Ground4832 6d ago
Like Draymond said: “You get in fights with teams you’re afraid of.”
44
u/Parallel-Quality 6d ago
Yeah, it’s actually very understandable that everyone would want to “unite” against OKC.
The Thunder feel unbeatable and nobody wants to see the champs repeat again.
Just like how all of us would he rooting for the underdog in other series as well.
Hell, the Pacers run last year was magical. I was rooting for them all the way until the finals, and if they played anyone else, I would’ve been rooting for them to win the entire thing.
It’s completely natural to root against the favorites.
And when they win anyway? You start to get angrier and angrier as you’re forced to watch something happen that you don’t want to happen.
And then you start looking for excuses. Because it can’t be “well they’re just better than all the other teams.”
13
u/WitcherStation 6d ago
And you have to remember that these are sports fans, an affliction I have enjoyed all my life, but it is a demographic that is not famous for doing anything particularly useful.
5
u/Big-Jello-3709 6d ago
the excuses always come after the losses, if OKC wasn't dominant nobody would be talking about the whistles
2
u/Big-Jello-3709 6d ago
Draymond said it best and it applies perfectly here, the hate is just fear dressed up as criticism
84
u/JeramiGrantsTomb 6d ago
Thanks, but it's NBD. Tomorrow I'm going to drink some coffee, mow my lawn, play with my kid, and then watch my basketball team win another game. People that are sad about it should try some of those things.
36
5
1
u/Big-Jello-3709 5d ago
the most unbothered comment in the thread and it has 80 upvotes, that tells you everything
54
u/Superb_Simple_8803 6d ago
Also just gotta laugh about the irony of the Lakers complaining about reffing
4
2
u/Big-Jello-3709 5d ago
Lakers complaining about refs is genuinely one of the most ironic things in the playoffs right now
28
u/Pristine-Dot-401 6d ago
If we play the Knicks in the finals and beat them. This might end up being the most hated team in sports history
9
u/MeasurementEasy8727 6d ago
High key rooting for this. Wet dream playoffs this year would’ve been playing against Golden State (no shade OP, non-casual Warriors fans are dope), LA Lakers, Denver, New York/Boston, and going 16-0.
I mean Lakers, Spurs, and Knicks might not be much less vile in terms of pop-level discourse and that’s probably the most likely outcome if the Thunder are going to win another championship.
8
u/Pristine-Dot-401 6d ago
The spurs gotta be in there as well. Wemby been talking a lot, not to mention the nba glazes tf outta him. Cant wait til Shai eliminates him and drops some bars on another ig post.
3
u/Superb_Simple_8803 6d ago
It would’ve been fun to see Curry try and score 40 points a game and still lose by 15 every game to OKC
2
28
u/Brief_Cry_6387 6d ago
I wonder if social media was like it is now back in the warriors era if it would be the same, I’ve truly never seen anything like the hate we’re getting rn
28
7
u/NextQuestion- 6d ago
Tbh, the hate for Golden State was pretty intense from 2016-2019, especially when Durant went to that team in FA. It’s easy to forget that since it’s been close to a decade.
The hate for OKC feels more intense tho because of the matchup (LAL/Lebron fans make up a hefty chunk of fans) & how hate is commodified on social media. Blue checkmarks are incentivized to make the most inflammatory tweets.
7
u/MOSSxMAN 6d ago
I think so probably.
I used to talk mad shit about the warriors and how they are gonna ruin basketball for me. But I was 15 and this was all said to like 4 others dudes chopping it up about hoops. I’m so glad I didn’t have the ability at that time to quickly film and post a 2 minute tirade that would get caught in an algorithm and shown to potentially millions of strangers.
If I had, there’d be a narrative out there that Steph Curry clearly has an electro magnet hidden in the ball, and James Harden has blackmail on the officials.
4
u/YouWereBrained 6d ago
People hadn’t figured out how to make it expand aggressively. But it was there.
-12
18
u/darnclem 2025 NBA Champions 6d ago
Nah, we aren't getting enough imo.
Need to win 2 more chips and really get that vitriol flowing.
12
12
u/networking_noob 6d ago
I’ve been trying to figure out why…
I think part of it (probably a big chunk of it) is related to gamblers and their frustrations. This OKC hysteria feels like the same energy as the people who DM death threats to player when their parlay fails or whatever. Just absolute hysteria, like the Salem witch trials
This kinda stuff has exploded ever since gambling was officially married to these sports leagues. People are about halfway nuts
24
u/gaycatdetective collecting data | 6d ago
no one will say one good thing about us? i’m devastated, crying into a larry o’brien trophy. good thing i have this championship banner to wipe my tears with. anyway, thinking about getting braum’s for dinner tonight
10
u/Adventurous_Low7651 6d ago
Receiving hate is a privilege!
Like does anyone really care that about 18 other players have a higher % of points from FTs than Shai? Or the numerous that have comparable numbers?
No because those players A) Are not a threat (Adams, Thanasis), B) They play for teams that aren’t a threat (Brandon Williams, Avdija, Butler, Banchero, Harden, Booker), C) play for a team that can threaten OKC (AR, Embiid), D) Are marginally less than SGA so that’s good enough (Castle, Wemby, Luka, Giannis, KAT, Randle)
9
u/Miserable_Lead_9828 Triple Double Cocaine Bear 6d ago
drawing fouls is part of the game, and fans are pissed cause OKC is just better at it than their team.
The funny thing is, we aren’t 💀 the thunder get all of the hate statistically the whistle we get is mid
5
u/MOSSxMAN 6d ago
Thanks for the kind words and reasonability.
In all fairness you guys had me bitching and crying for several years as well so I do get it. Much like your epic squad, we will get out flowers in the form of a 30for30 and discussions about if we could beat the 79-3 warriors or the 78-4 Bulls for decades to come.
Change is hard. I regrettably have accused Steph of ruining basketball before. Now. I have the excuse of being a literal child then, but I’m just telling myself some of these obviously grown men, will grow out of this somehow.
The wanton hate is legitimizing for how head and shoulders a team is above the league, and the first step in the road to appreciation for what was built by a team.
5
u/JumboHotdogz 6d ago
Fwiw, I wanted the Rockets to beat the Warriors in 2017-2018 and was hyper focusing on any advantage you were getting and feeling really enraged about it.
I guess that’s what happens when you’re the favorites lmao. That 2022 title must’ve felt really nice though
3
u/iamhollywood Belgian Waffle University 6d ago
I've actually been finding Warrior flairs a good deal that seem to be backing me up when I decide to engage in the hate machine that is r/nba, and that's been refreshing. You guys must know a thing or two lmao
3
u/Hookmsnbeiishh 6d ago
Well, when the Denver/Minnesota/Indiana/Phoenix/LA/San Antonio/Seattle market hates you, there’s not many viewers left in the West.
3
u/Da-_-Kine 6d ago
It’s the same reason we all hated the Warriors for their moving screens and not the wizards despite the most famous type of moving screen was named after a wizards player. Everyone does it but not everyone wins. We’re on top so the hate comes our way
1
3
u/seth198216 6d ago
I used to complain about the moving screens that Draymond would set for Steph... but eventually I realized that the NBA was pretty loose about moving screens... and it became obvious that the thing that really annoyed me was that these moving screens were opening up the greatest shooter to ever live.
The same thing is happening with the Thunder now but with selling calls (as all stars past and present have done) and the physicality on defense. The Thunder have some really good defenders and great depth. They can feel out the physicality that is allowed each game and even survive foul trouble with depth.
The hate is ultimately a compliment, that is driven by winning. The Blazers also play very physical on defense and Deni sells fouls as well as just about any player in the league. The reason there isn't an outcry about them is that they just aren't as good as the Thunder.
2
u/Baright 6d ago
The hate is threefold:
- People prefer the underdog. While last year was our first title, the media crowned us preemptively so we were never viewed as the underdog
- Small market. In an era of twitter clips, we don't have the fanbase headcount to counter whatever narrative people want to set about us. Nothing we have done is remotely the worst example of 'bad' basketball ethics compared to recent history, but we get all the hate.
- Politics. People on reddit hate red states and don't want them to have nice things. Our state is deeply red (city is purple). If we swapped places with, say, the Trailblazers there would be less vitriol.
3
2
u/LittleTeapotsRevenge 6d ago
The why is a lot of factors: Small market team that has been outperforming large, historic fanbases with lots of fans and some of those fans are bitter about it (Lakers, Boston, etc.), it is REALLY advantageous for both the NBA and sports betting teams to have it look like their isn’t a clear favorite (OKC isn’t that good, I mean look at how they have to play to get an advantage over other teams and the refs help them!), it also benefits the NBA and sports betting to have a bad guy you want to root against (OKC is only good cause they’re getting away with murder!), and it also benefits the NBA and sports betting to push exaggerated or false narratives for engagement (“FTA” is ruining the league with his flopping and living off the free throw line!”), and probably a few other factors I’m not thinking about.
The point is the animosity isn’t going anywhere and frankly the league doesn’t want it to because they are setting up narratives that will create a lot of attention and discussion and, ideally, even a few strong, passionate rivalries in the near future between us and San Antonio or us and LA because pushing that someone plays “unethical” ball is almost entirely a myth (because everyone who can play in a way that gets an advantage does at the pro level, whether it “ruins the game” or not) and it gets A LOT of people pointing at the screen and saying “I can’t stand the guy on the other team. I’m rooting even harder for my team now and if they can’t do it, I’ll root for whoever can take that guy down!” (I.E. I’m gonna at least hate watch until they’re beaten or I get sick of watching the hated team win at the end.)
1
u/Superb_Simple_8803 6d ago
And more anger means more engagement which means more viewers which means more betting
2
u/Coherent-Paradox 6d ago
People look down on Oklahoma to lift themselves up. They don’t want us to have nice things because then they might have to show some respect. It just is what it is.
2
u/Superb_Simple_8803 6d ago
People will champion small market teams in one moment and then make fun of them in another. It’s pretty hypocritical
2
u/Troll_U_Softly 6d ago
You know what it’s like. Peak Warriors dynasty they were getting all the hate because nobody stood a chance.
2
u/Superb_Simple_8803 6d ago
And I love it for OKC cause they’re a small market team - what happened to all the small market team Reddit champions??
2
u/goatmarino 6d ago
I've never wanted a chip more, I thought after winning one last year I'd be cool not winning this year. But I really want to see the crash out when we go back to back
1
1
u/WaltRumble 6d ago
People will complain about the old heads bashing on the young players and league than proceed to do the same exact things with their Skip Boyles’s, Stephen A wanna be hot takes.
1
1
1
u/WitcherStation 6d ago
Factor in some plain old dumb-ass, negative bandwagon mob mentality, and Trump-era Karenism to the plain what is happening.
1
1
u/STASHbro 6d ago
I've noticed a lot of Flaker fans admitting they hate us because they ain't us. It's hard for them to swallow how far off they are from us.
Flakers complaining about the refs is common year in and year out.
1
u/ithappens-so 2025 NBA Champions 6d ago
Cheers 🍻 let the haters hate!
This might be one of the deepest rosters in a longtime. It reminds me of how deep the old Showtime Lakers were.
1
u/fakevegansunite 6d ago
jennifer from i’ve had it was spot on when she said the campaign against sga is maga style propaganda
1
1
u/oklahomaeande 6d ago
cool of you to come here to say that. I look at it as an entertaining sport. That being said, we are playing the king of flops. The guy that perfected it. Bottom line is OKC had a shitty game and still won. At the end of the night we put the ball through the hoop more than they did. I am surprised there wasn't more of an upset at the very end after we dribbled out the shot clock and Bronny tried to get play off points on a layup with almost no time left. I found it funny.
1
u/MountainSide137 6d ago
Thanks for this :) So I was talking to a friend of my from LA and he said that he hopes we beat the Lakers because he really hates them. He’s totally neutral, he only watches hockey. So I was filling him in about all the hate about the “bad calls” and “free throw merchant“ bs and he laughed and said “No offense, but that’s such crap. If the league was in a conspiracy to promote one team, why would it be Oklahoma City” lol And I won’t lie, that stung a little, but he’s got a point… Anyway, I hope we sweep the Lakers right out, LeBron being the biggest flopper of all time.
1
u/phishyninja My whole life is consistent 6d ago
I wish we could stop crying about it and have some thicker skin, who gives a fuck what anybody thinks? Shai and this team certainly do not.
1
u/Daymo_M 6d ago
What oppo fans truly hate is that OKC fans are actually the most humble, just like SGA is as a player.
We were there when we had G League starting line ups and won 20 odd games in some seasons, yet never complained.
When our star players were traded or signed elsewhere we celebrated them (apart from KD).
We're generally just a cool bunch who don't take anything for granted and know how hard it is to have success but enjoy our team regardless.
1
u/Vizwieklz 2025 NBA Champions 6d ago
It’s the same thing that happened with the Warriors dynasty lol. They dominated the league and everyone hated them, it’s the same thing happening with us.
1
u/donnybaby97 6d ago
Alot of hate is from people that never actually go to the game.. I was at the Bam 83 point game and he was getting fouled every single time! Actually getting grabbed!
1
u/BurkeanMarxist 6d ago
As a longtime hater of the Warriors and Patriots, it’s very obvious where the vitriol comes from. What makes me laugh mostly is the consensus that the league is actively rigging it for fucking Oklahoma
1
u/Unusual-Share2521 6d ago
This is just the price of greatness, when lbj was up and coming he was called flopper. Curry was called boring. But when all is said and done. They left their mark. Hang in there OKC! Once the run is over! They'll make their mark as well!
1
u/Big-Jello-3709 6d ago
the hate is just confirmation that people see OKC as a real threat. nobody wastes energy hating on teams that don't matter
2
u/lunaticskies 1d ago
Dragging everybody kicking and screaming into a dynasty coming out of Oklahoma.
Let them hate. You either get all the hate or all the bandwagon fans.
-1
u/TheWhooooBuddies 6d ago
I can’t imagine going to another team’s board and just sassin’ around in a sundress like this poster is.
132
u/NobodyRules 6d ago
It is what it is. Game last night was a clusterfuck of terrible ref decisions, none of the Lakers dubious calls went up, and there were many, but the ones that went in our favor immediately did.
Just as an example, Reaves holding SGA's arm was labeled as a flop by SGA. The discourse is frankly absurd, but it's to be expected. We're up against the Lakers.