Those heartless wags at ESPN sure had some fun with the latest dose of disgrace to strike our hapless Thunder.

That occurred Saturday night, when 3-27 Oklahoma City hobbled into the nation's capital for a back-alley showdown with the 4-23 Washington Wizards.

The Wizards, bless their souls, were the one team in the NBA doing their best to make the Thunder feel hopeful about its league-worst situation.

So what if the Okies had just three victories? Why, that's only one fewer than the Wizards had before tipoff Saturday.

Going strictly by the teams' respective records, the game marked the second worst matchup in NBA history.

Rising to the occasion, the SportsCenter sages introduced the game highlights variously as the "coal in your Christmas stocking" and the "Second Worst Show on Earth." The producers trimmed out the color and dressed up the highlights with a vintage Charlie Chaplin effect.

It was a feast for the senses.

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Bremerton's Marvin Williams shows off his subtle-to-the-point-of-invisible Mohawk as he defends against Kevin Durant during the Atlanta Hawks' 99-88 victory over the Oklahoma City Okies on Tuesday

Marvin Williams has never been the kind of NBA millionaire to make outlandish fashion statements.

And he probably never will be. There is precious little of the flamboyant and next-to-nothing of the Dennis Rodman in his boy-next-door makeup.

Nonetheless, the Bremerton export's finely tuned Mohawk is all the rage among NBA cognoscenti.

OK, maybe it's sort of the rage.

Williams, who left North Carolina after the Tar Heels won a national title during his freshman season, debuted the new look Dec. 13 when the Hawks opened an eight-game homestand with a 97-92 victory over Cleveland, one of just four losses for the Cavaliers this season.

Perhaps the new 'do is working as a good-luck talisman for Atlanta, which is 6-1 on the homestand following Saturday's 129-117 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

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After resurrecting the moribund Sonics and taking them to the NBA Finals in 1978, Lenny Wilkens was named the News Tribune's male sports figure of the year. Better things yet were ahead in 1979.

They never got a victory for Christmas.

When it came time to tip off on Dec. 25, the Seattle SuperSonics seemed to play under the curse of Ebenezeer Scrooge.

In their 41 seasons, the Sonics played 11 times on Christmas Day. They lost every time.

That blue trend held even during the most glorious season in franchise history, as the San Diego Clippers dropped the Sonics to 0-7 on Christmas games with a 123-118 victory at the Kingdome on Dec. 25, 1978.

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With plunging temperatures in Lyubertsy no doubt aggravating his surgically repaired left knee, Oklahoma City is looking like a real-life Shangri-La to Nenad Krstic.

Only the notorious Russian winter holds the epic power make Oklahoma City look like paradise to poor Nenad Krstic.

Knowing well the lessons of history, Krstic wanted out before it was too late. If frigid Mother Russia could bring the Nazis and Napoleon to their respective, power-mad knees, what horror might she deliver poor Nenad?

Thus Krstic decided that life with Triumph Lyubertsy was a dead end street and signed an offer sheet with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

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Rainier Beach's Jamal Crawford, left, dropped 50 points on Charlotte on Saturday, two nights after Garfield's Brandon Roy unloaded 52 on Phoenix.

On Friday afternoon in Tacoma, the over-the-hill gang on the Trib's copy desk was abuzz about the 52-point tour de force Portland's Brandon Roy laid on the Phoenix Suns the night before.

The question arose as to whether Roy's 52 pickup was the all-time NBA high for a Seattle-bred player. Suffice it to say there was a good deal of head-scratching and that not one of us quick-witted sports savants could think of any performance that might rival Roy's.

As if on cue, former Rainier Beach High star Jamal Crawford went for 50 the very next night in Golden State's victory at Charlotte.

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Desmond Mason cracked the starting lineup for the Thunder on Friday and helped Oklahoma City improve to a heady 3-24 with a solid all-around effort.

The Thunder's debut run in Oklahoma City has been, to put it charitably, difficult.

How difficult?

Victories have been such unusual phenomena that at least one or two hoops-loving denizens of Oklahoma City chose to interpret Friday's 91-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors as a miraculous event.

Yes, the headline introducing the Oklahoman's story on the Thunder's victory over the Raptors was, "Yes, miracles do happen."

How does this happen?

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Be it the 76ers or Lakers, Wilt Chamberlain usually had his way with the Sonics. In this game from November 1970, the Dipper towers over Seattle's Dan Kojis (22), Pete Cross (41)and Dick Snyder while teammate Jim McMillan watches with awe.

Wilt Chamberlain had a tendency to defy the natural landscape.

Forty-one years ago today, the towering colossus capped an extraordinary Yuletide season against the expansion Seattle SuperSonics with what for him was just one more eye-popping game.

Chamberlain, the Philadelphia native who was dubbed "Wilt the Stilt" but preferred to be called the "Big Dipper," poured in 53 points and grabbed 38 rebounds as the 76ers coasted to a 160-122 victory before a crowd of 7,714 at Seattle Coliseum.

The Sonics saw enough of Chamberlain and the defending NBA champion 76ers that month to last them an eternity. The teams played four games that December in three cities, and none of them was Philadelphia. Philly won all four by double-digit margins.

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Interim maestro Scott Brooks directs the Thunder during Tuesday's 99-88 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Brooks and the departed P.J. Carlesimo are now dead even in Oklahoma City annals with 1-12 records.

Scott Brooks carved out a spot alongside P.J. Carlesimo in the Thunder record book Tuesday night.

Brooks tied Carlesimo’s 1-12 mark for the best 13-game record in Thunder history as the Los Angeles Clippers spanked Oklahoma City at the Ford Center on Tuesday, 98-88.

It wasn’t easy, but Brooks persevered and pulled it off. After guiding the Thunder to victory (111-103 at Memphis on Nov. 29) in just his fourth game, he needed to string together eight consecutive defeats to match Carlesimo.

Such a run appeared unlikely, as it included home games against Golden State, Memphis and the Clippers, three teams that limped into the OKC Corral a combined 17-47.

It stood to reason that the Thunder, buoyed as it was by credibility factor added when Brooks replaced Carlesimo, would find a way to win one, maybe two of these games.

Maybe all three.

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The Sonics couldn't stop the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 years ago, but they put away the Lakers nonetheless.

Thirty years ago tonight, with Christmas bearing down on Puget Sound shoppers, a spirited crowd of 20,178 turned up at the Kingdome to see the Seattle SuperSonics score a 117-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fred Brown broke out of a shooting slump in dramatic fashion, scoring 20 points in the decisive second half on 9-of-12 shooting and finishing with 28 points. The Sonics improved to 20-6 in what was destined to be a memorable season in Seattle. The Lakers fell to 19-12.

Dennis Johnson added 27 points for Seattle, and Paul Silas contributed 12 points and 15 rebounds. Jack Sikma, while losing his statistical battle with Kareem Abdul Jabbar (31 points, 11 rebounds), had a career-best eight assists.

Lakers coach Jerry West downplayed the showdown of division rivals. Asked if the outcome had any special significance, he replied: “Absolutely none whatsoever.”

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NBA legend Charles Barkley offered moral support for Thunder interim coach Scott Brooks, saying the only person he could think of who might do a better job is blind pop icon Stevie Wonder.

All was quiet on the OKC front Friday.

The No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team was chilling close to home, preparing for Saturday’s game against Utah.

The No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball team found its way to San Jose, where it’s playing in a prestigious tournament called the “Bay Classic.”

The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners football team is on furlough till Jan. 8, when it faces Florida, with the winner being crowned King of the Universally Approved BCS System.

And our beloved Thunder? The pride of the Oklahoma City hardwoods is doing the I-35 shuffle in Texas, preparing for weekend games against Dallas and San Antonio.

In its neverending and admirable quest to find positive stories about the 2-21 Thunder, the Oklahoman’s basketball roundtable hit paydirt with an off-day story headlined "Charles Barkley stands up for Thunder coach Scott Brooks."

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Say it ain't so, Joe: The Thunder squandered a 21-point lead against Memphis on Wednesday and lost its 10th straight at home - a sad fact no amount of whining by OKC's Joe Smith could alter.

Some days nothing can save you.

Not your best intentions. Not youthful athleticism. Not pregame hugs.

Not even 21-point leads on your home court.

That's just the kind of hard day's night the Thunder endured Wednesday at the Ford Center.

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Not even a season-best 41 points from Kevin Durant could save the Thunder from a 112-102 home loss to the previously reeling Golden State Warriors and an NBA-worst 2-20 record.

All signs pointed to a joyous homecoming for the Oklahoma City Thunder, which rolled back into the Ford Center on Monday night after a stressful four-game road trip through the American South.

Sure, the Thunder had wobbled to a 2-19 record in its first 21 games and had lost eight straight at home, but things were looking up for Oklahoma City's NBA heroes.

For one, Golden State stumbled into town looking like the NBA version of a sacrificial lamb. The Warriors arrived in the heartland in the throes of a nine-game losing streak and fresh off a 35-point gutting in San Antonio. Better still, the Warriors were without two of their top three scorers, Stephen Jackson (20.1 ppg) and Corey Maggette (19.1) sat with injuries.

Even the Las Vegas sharps had a good feeling, making the Thunder a 3-point favorite against the Warriors. That may not sound like much, but it was the first time since Nov. 2 that those wily oddsmakers had shown such confidence in the Boomers.

Then Kevin Durant went off on the Warriors for a season-best 41 points – one for every season the team played in Seattle as the SuperSonics prior to getting Clayjacked – to go along with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

How could the Thunder lose?

Let us count the ways.

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For better or worse, Xavier McDaniel brought passion and swagger to the game of basketball, traits clearly exposed by his notorious choking of unfortunate Laker Wes Matthews.

While we wait to see what if anything develops in the future as it pertains to NBA basketball in Seattle, we’ll provide an occasional look back into the SuperSonics’ past.

On this day 18 years ago, an era ended in Seattle when the Sonics traded fan favorite Xavier McDaniel to the Phoenix Suns for Eddie Johnson and two first-round draft picks.

The X-man received the news during warmups prior to a game against the Orlando Magic, a game that the Sonics lost 106-100 while McDaniel stewed in his hotel room.

The news was received with considerable consternation among media and fans. At The Seattle Times, columnist Steve Kelley could only muster one word of lamentation: Ugh.

“Eddie Johnson and a couple of draft picks for Xavier McDaniel looks like another Sonic recycle job in a season stuck in reverse,” Kelley wrote.

Ugh!”

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ESPN's John Hollinger breaks down the Oklahoma City Thunder's season to date, and says the team is on track to finish with a 9-73 record, which would tie them for the worst record ever in the NBA with the 1972-73 Philadelphia team.

Right now, Oklahoma City has a place among the worst teams ever in NBA History.

However, Hollinger says that it's unlikely the Thunder will continue to play that badly, pointing to the likely improvement of young players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green, along with veteran players like Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison and Earl Watson, who have underperformed so far this season, playing better the rest of the season.

It will be interesting to see which way the team goes under the new guidance of head coach Scott Brooks.

Also, Bend it like Bennett has a youtube post of a new song dedicated to the Thunder performed by local rapper MC Flame. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a chuckle this morning.

Seattle deputy mayor Tim Ceis was back at it on Monday, as the City of Seattle again pursues $75 million in state authorized, King County taxes to help pay for a remodel of KeyArena.

Ceis presented his proposal to a seven-member task force assigned by state lawmakers to figure out how to deal with the pool of King County taxes available, with several other groups, including the University of Washington and the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, interesting in using funds for major porjects.

You can read about the meeting in this story.

Ceis presented the city's proposal as an improvement to the overall plan to revamp the Seattle Center, a 20-year face lift that includes a remodel of Memorial Stadium and other facility upgrades.

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Scott Brooks is no longer winless as Thunder coach.

They nearly stood alone, looking up from the bottom of the abyss.

On the verge of making franchise history in the midst of their Oklahoma City honeymoon, the Thunder came up short when it defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 111-103, on Saturday night to snap their losing streak at 14 games.

Those 14 consecutive losses matched a record it took the late SuperSonics 41 seasons to establish in Seattle. The Boomers (AKA Thunder) might get another shot at this record in what is shaping up to be an unforgettable season, but they let this opportunity slip away.

What went wrong?

Blame falls squarely on second-year stars Kevin Durant (30 points) and Jeff Green (22 points, two clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter), who worked their nefarious magic and paved the way for interim coach Scott Brooks' first Thunder victory.

Also culpable was rookie point guard and No. 4 overall draft pick Russell Westbrook, who got his first NBA start and contributed 12 points, five rebounds and four assists while playing a career-high 38 minutes.

Troubling existential question: If the Thunder beats the bumbling Grizzlies in Memphis and no one notices, does it still count in the NBA standings?

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