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My 2nd Favorite Team behind the Thunder is the Trail Blazers. As much as I'm glad we have Durant, I think Oden will end up paying off for Portland this coming year and thereafter. That team is just too talented not to win a few championships in the coming years. Brandon Roy is D-Wade with better leadership skills, Aldridge is Rasheed in his prime without the 'tude, and Oden (if healthy), will be the anchor of that team like Bill Russell was with the Celtics with his stellar defense and rebounding. Not to mention, Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, Webster, Outlaw, and one of the richest men in the world Paul Allen as their owner, etc....jeesh! If only the Thunder had gotten Blake Griffin or a dominant Center, we'd be right behind the Blazers, and the two teams would have ruled the NBA for years! Oh well, our Thunder are still on their way and will be a scary team soon, and we have the better Point Guard and Small Forward! P.S. CAN WE PLEASE GET NEW UNIFORMS???? They are embarrasing!

the sonics! ok they're my first fav team, oh wait they're not a team. geez. i would have said the blazers, but those bastards are actually trying to market their team up here in the seattle area. THE NERVE!
i guess i'd have to say whoever is playing the lakers, the bulls or the knicks.

I'm a transplant to Tulsa from New York, so the Knicks, unfortunately. I also follow the Nuggets because I went to Syracuse and will always root for Carmelo Anthony.

@blazers fan
Thanks for the well wishes! I think a lot of us Thunder fans have respect for the Blazers and hope to mirror what they've been able to do, as far as building a good, young team around a future(or current) superstar. Good luck to ya and we hope to have some great battles for years to come.

well my second favorite team is the nuggets, no i am not a bandwaggoner. i loved watching them play before chauncey was there. i love the fact they traded for him though. next off has anyone looked at the true hoop lately??? okc is ranked #5 for second favorite team!! heck and yes!!!

as a blazer fan my second best team to follow is your guys.I hope you make it to the post season this year instead of the rockets.(hard to like them the way they treated us in that final game at their arena)

I grew up loving the Bulls in the late 80's and most if the 90's.(It was hard not to, right?) I really stopped following The NBA after Jordan did Space Jam (JK).
Then Shaq and Kobe just dominated the league and I hated them for that boring style of play.( But I still respect it cause it worked, though!)
Then, one day, I was watching a Pacers vs. Detroit game that became the saddest and coolest thing I ever saw on live TV.(Sorry guys! When Artest and O'neal went all "G's up, hoes down" on the crowd after some beers being chuncked at 'em, I was like, "THIS is the freakin' NBA now?! I gotta see what happens next!!")
Then my beloved Sooners went down to the Orange Bowl to play little game against a bunch of studs from USC and got pecker-slapped to humility. (I still cry about it sometimes...JK)
...and then I went to The Hornets vs. The Kings on opening night in '05, just to kinda see what The NBA was all about...and it was GREAT! OKC got behind a team that needed support and that really touched me and I've been hooked ever since. To have a pro team in THIS city was unbeliveble, even if on loan for a bit. (That's why The Thunder mean so much to me, personally.)
The Hornets ARE my #2 and always will be. I wouldn't even mind it, (if things go South in New Orleans $$$-wise), if they moved to Seattle! It would only be right and the three cities would forever be intwined in rivalry. THAT would be a story, huh Royce?

@nick
Adding your name to the list.

I'm from LA, used to be a Laker fan until they chose Kobe over Shaq. I DESPISE Kobe and the Lakers now. I'm happy about that. Since then my favorite teams have simply been the teams with my favorite players (that's how OKC ended up being my team- all hail Kevin Durant). I'm a pseudo Clipper fan, but Sterling sucks the life out you when you root for them. So I just root kinda passively, can't say I'm a full-on Clipper fan. I'd say #2 is the Nuggets (sorry Steve)

@stk7
Just teasing dude. The Miller era Pacers were a fine team, but they have been a pretty sorry bunch for the last 10-15 years.

okcnba :
My second favorite team is whoever is playing the Lakers on any given night.

Totally my sentiment. Good call. Hate the FAKERS.

But if I had to choose it would be the modern era Blazers. I hated the Trailgangsta's of the 90's, but with Nate there, and B-Roy and Pryz, what's not to like?

@stk7
Hey, burnt pizza can be pretty good! :P

I pull for the Chiefs because hey have a very bright future. Matt Cassel is a solid quarterback, and they hired Scott Pioli, one of the masterminds behind the Patriots' dynasty, to be the new GM. They will be getting much better very soon, and it isn't a stretch to think that they could make it to .500 this year.

The Nats are a bit different. They are a long-term emotional investment, as they probably won't be serious contenders for years. The previous GM ran the entire organization in to the ground, and they are just now beginning to climb back. They are building the right way by stockpiling pitching prospects, and they have several good players in Adam Dunn, Ryan Zimmerman, John Lannan, and Nyjer Morgan, but the best they will be for next few years is around .500.

@Alex
Raptors are #1 because EVERY international vote goes to the international team.

@Vega
Are you one of those guys who sleeps on concrete floors, eats burnt foods, is entertained by paint drying. At least I will give you loyalty points.

@Steve H
Not following. They were consistently contending for almost a decade and a half, and came very close to ending Jordan's run.

i liked jordan and magic, but i've never been a 'fan' of either the bulls or the lakers. my second favorite team is... no one. i root for the thunder only. i like a handful of players, but i will not root for their teams to win.

as far as other sports, my favorite nfl team is whoever is playing the dallas cowboys. i guess tony romo is my favorite nfl player, because he's a choke artist for the ages. major league baseball is the domain of (extremely) overpaid steroid abusers, and i can't support that farce.

@Chas
I am also a Nationals and Chiefs fan.

@Vega

How depressing (this coming from an Orioles fan).

I became a Suns fan when they traded for Charles Barkley. Followed them ever since. Last summer and the beginning of last season was a little awkward for me. It was a transition that took a couple months from favorite to second favorite.

I am quite fond of the Bucks.

Top 5 from the Sportsnation poll of this same question:
1) Raptors
2) Blazers
3) Warriors
4) OKC!!!
5) Lakers

I don't know anybody who enjoys watching the Raptors, but whatever...#4 is pretty good.

@Steve H
Ya the Nuggets are thugs, But I could watch Najera all game long back when he played with them.

I hated the Hornets. I never thought of them as our (OKC) team. To make matters worse the 2nd season they were doing pretty good and were fighting the Lakers for the 8th seed. I developed a hatred for them that still goes on today.

@stk7
That's just sad.

@Zach
NUGGETS! I HATE the Nuggets! Bunch of thugs(Martin),morons(J.R.Smith)and fluke lucky, heart breaking, buzzer beating shot making SOBs(Anthony)that play in our very own division. Oh, I'm watching you now Zach- if that is your real name. Harruummph.

My second favorite changes from year to year. Ill watch throughout the season and undoubtedly I will fall in love with a team. Last year for me it was the Lakers ( I loved Ariza, kept saying all year he would get them the championship). But the year before I was rooting for Utah and Golden State.

I am SHOCKED at the diversity of answers to this question. I thought the Hornets would win this one walking away. Love CP3. Love coach Scott. The wife and I have caught 6 home games in two separate Nawlins trips since the bees left town. Hell, last year I even felt conflicted when we played the Hornets because the games had so much more significance for them in their play-off seeding. That, by the way, is no longer an issue for me. I have let go of my feelings for the old girl-friend entirely. Woe to all who dare stand before the mighty Thunder in 09/10!

My second favorite team is whoever is playing the Lakers on any given night.

I'm a Cavs fan as some of you may or may not know, and the Thunder are quickly becoming my second favorite team. It was the Warriors before Nellie completely went off the deep end (he always managed to stay right on the line of smallball and insanity, but that changed last year).

I love Durant, who, if not for LeBron, would easily be my favorite player in the league. I love Westbrook because the kid oozes potential and showed flashes last year (I had him on a fantasy team... wouldn't trade him for Rose, that's how much I liked him). And Jeff Green is one of those players you can't help but root for. So, I'd have to say the Thunder have achieved second favorite status for me.

the Nuggets for me

The Pacers ala the 1994 NBA Playoffs. It's actually going to be kind of a deja vu: instead of hearing a career-full of chants of "Reggie, Reggie...", I expect to hear another full of "KD, KD...".

I always loved the Spurs because of David Robinson (just like the other guys). Can you blame me though? He had the best story and was just someone no one could hate. I loved him teaming up with Timmy and was plain depressed that they couldn't play together longer. I like them still, but... all the flopping and wide eyes and domination... it gets old. So, OKC's timing couldn't have been better for me because the Spurs weren't the hard working under dogs anymore. That's how I am though. I cheer for the under dog but when they start winning, I jump off the bandwagon because it becomes blasé. It's awful, I know, but it won't happen when the Thunder become kings.

I have/was a Lakers fan since the '85 finals. I was on vacation with my grandparents at Lake Murray in south Oklahoma,and stayed inside to watch the finals against Boston. From that day until the Thunder Lakers game last season, I was a huge Lakers fan. It was wierd to watch that game last year, because for the first time in over 20 years, the Lakers were the enemy. When Westbrook brought the ball up against Fisher, it just felt weird. My 4 year old is still a Lakers fan. Kinda bummed about that.

I feel like I'm being bandwagon after reading the original article because mine would definitely be the Warriors. When I had league pass last year, they were the only team outside of the Thunder that I would always follow. I don't like them as much as I used to because of the absence of Baron Davis and the addition of Corey Maggette, but they are still really entertaining. Stephen Jackson is my favorite non-Thunder player and I think he's wildly underrated by most NBA fans...plus, I love the idea that he might not be all there.

When I was a kid I was a huge Hakeem Olajuwan fan. I just thought he was the coolest (good moves, cool name, nice guy), so I was always a Rockets fan. Plus, I have family in Houston, so I got to go see a game one year (right after they won their second finals) when they had The Dream, Drexler and Barkley. That was a lot of fun!

I grew up a Celtics fan and remain loyal to them, even though I have Thunder season tickets. I can justify it though, since they are in different divisions and only play twice a year. If they ever met in the Finals, I wouldn't know what to do.

I love reading this stuff. Keep it coming. OKC is so unique because we all didn't grow up loving a team. We either had to toss aside a prior allegiance or adopt a new favorite team. It's interesting.

I used to cheer for whoever Nick Van Exel played for. Which seems like every 3rd team in the league now that I think about it.

Man, that was ages ago. Now I feel old.

I'm a closet 76'ers fan. Have family friends up in Philly and have been there many times. Went to the old Vet to catch a few Phillies games with Kruk and Dykstra. Went to a Lakers-Sixers game back in high school at the Wachovia Center (first NBA game)... by myself because no one I was with liked the NBA. Big fan of AI even with his bad reputation and all.

I lived in Dallas for a little over a year right out of college when they were in the finals. Lived right in the middle of Downtown. Tried to get into the Mavs but just couldn't do it. I don't know why because I really like Cuban even though he's off his rocker. Maybe that's why I like him.

I'm with RH on the Spurs. I was born in 85 so by the time I knew what the NBA was The Admiral was in San Antonio then followed by my favorite college basketball player ever Timmy D. His Wake Forest jersey was and is the only college player's jersey I've ever owned. I just loved the simpleness and greatness of his game. I still like the guy and his game more, even though he does seem like somewhat of a cry baby now days. But anywho, those 2 combined with guys like Sean Elliot and now Manu and Parker, well they're just a well ran franchise that I always pulled for and still do...except for when they play the MIGHT THUNDER!

In short - my no. 2 team is the Spurs, but ever since opening night last year in the Ford Center, the Thunder are and always will be my number 1.

I always liked the Celtics - still keep up with them.

Moved to Dallas just before Cuban bought the Mavs. They've been my team for the last decade. Now that I live in Norman again, it's the Thunder starting with the inaugural season. So I guess Mavs/Spurs kinda tie for 2nd favorite (Spurs were my fav back in the day of The Admiral).

Since the retirement of Michael Jordan and once Desmond Mason got drafted, I have rooted for whatever team he is playing for, which has worked out well for the 3 years of NBA basketball in OKC. Now, however, my second favorite team will be whichever one he signs with.

Mavs, for me. I was a fan before Cuban bought them. I remember when they drafted Nowitski. Me and a buddy had a pretty good rant about Don Nelson drafting Nowitski over Paul Pierce. Pretty funny now that I think about it.

The Spurs. I've always been a San Antonio fan, and was completely sold when I went to Game 2 of the 1999 Finals (not to mention all-star weekend in SA). But my reason was because I had family from San Antonio, and I had no other regional rooting interests.

I'm a huge Thunder fan and read everything I can about them, but I still have a hard time rooting against the silver and black for those 4 games each year.

And deep down, I have a crush on the Trailblazers. The young team, the exciting play, the future (or current) superstar in Brandon Roy. I've always contended that the Thunder is that team minus two years. This would mean Durant would have his first all-star season this year. One can only hope, right?

Anonymous :
Who ever Chris Paul plays for. Currently the Hornets but willing to change if he is traded

Same here.