Ruth Ann Mertens-Oklahoma City Real Estate

The Oklahoma City Thunder NBA basketball team has, to say the least, been struggling in their first season in OKC. They find themselves in the cellar of the league. It was to be expected that it would take some time to get in the groove with their move from Seattle, many young players, coaching problems and subsequent changes. For much of the first of the season, it was really almost painful to watch.

Of late, however, the Thunder have really started to turn the corner. They have had recent losses by only a couple of points to good teams, where they have played well and could just as easily have won. Last night they defeated the Chicago Bulls on their home court by a score of 109-98 in over time. They played with a good energy which had not been seen earlier in the season, rebounded exceptionally well, and did better in controlling the ball, an area that has caused them numerous losses.

Star Kevin Durant played well, achieving a double double. New Thunder recruit, Nenad Krstic, recently from Russia via the New York Nets, made a significant contribution to the victory on both ends of the court. This big man should certainly improve the Thunders' prospects. The future is definitely looking up for the Thunder!

In spite of their struggles, the OKC community has given the Thunder tremendous support, with most games at or near capacity attendance in the Thunderdome. Thunder games are televised, and we watch whenever possible, having seen most of their games. Last night was an exciting game that was fun to watch. Congratulations Thunder! We look forward to seeing more games of this caliber as the team continues to build.

Last night we attended our first Thunder game at the Ford Center. After a nice Mexican meal at La Luna, we joined over 18,000 other OKC fans on a beautiful, crisp fall evening at the newly refurbished Ford Center to watch the OKC Thunder take on the Orlando Magic. We had attended a number of Hornets games when the team called OKC home, and always loved the excitement, even when the Hornets were having less than a winning season. Once again, we found it exciting to be part of the crowd. But, you know it's a bad night for the home team when the crowd gets excited that the team is only down by sixteen, rather than the 32-point deficit held by the Thunder at one point in the game. When you dig a hole that deep, it's almost impossible to climb out of it. Give it to the OKC fans, they remained supportive to the end, cheering their team on in the face of being on the wrong end of the 109-92 final score.

We never expected the Thunder to be in play-off contention this year, nowhere near. They are a young team, they have just relocated here, and had a miserable final season in Seattle. We were not even expecting anything close to a winning season. However, last night the Thunder just could not seem to do anything right. To be fair, they were missing their star, former rookie of the year, Kevin Durant, due to an ankle injury. Their loss last night, however, cannot be attributed merely to Durant's absence. Also, to be fair, we have watched most of the Thunder games on TV, and they certainly have shown improvement and potential. Oftentimes, they have held leads, but have seemed somehow unable to close out the game.

Not last night. Last night they shot just over 37 percent, seemingly unable to get even uncontested easy lay-ups to fall. Rebounding was equally dismal, as often there seemed to be no Thunder players under the basket. They had headed back down the court before even seeing if a shot fell or not. And as for defense, you know it's going to be a bad night when the opposing team has scored 71 points by half-time. When the announcer came over the public address system saying that they were going to show replays from the first half, I really couldn't think of anything that I wanted to see again. Once was more than enough.

Will we return to the Thunderdome? Sure, we'll be back. We're willing to stick with the team while they're building and getting better. We like to be part of the Thunderdome excitement. But it sure will be more fun when our team at least makes a game of it.

CNNMoney.com offers a feature which allows you to search for your Best Place to Live based on several criteria, including Housing Affordability, Plentiful Leisure Activities, Plentiful Cultural Options, Job Growth, Sunny Weather, Short Commute Time, and Good Health Care Access.

The above criteria were assessed in the following manner:

Affordable Housing-Median home price in area

Plentiful Leisure Activities-Number of sports, concerts, family/arts events, movie theaters and restaurants

Ford Center Events

Oklahoma Redhawks Baseball

Paseo Arts District Activities and Events

National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center

Plentiful Cultural Options-Number of museums, arts theaters, and orchestras

Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Oklahoma City Philharmonic

Lyric Theater

Job Growth-From 2000 to 2006

Sunny Weather-Average number of clear days per year

Short Commute Time-Median commute time in minutes

Good Health Care Access-Number of teaching hospitals in area

If you indicate that all the above factors are Very Important to you, results show Oklahoma City as the Number 2 Best Place to Live in the U.S.!

CNNMoney Best Places to Live Search

We are fortunate to live in an area with such affordable housing and such great amenities!

image courtesy of freefoto.com

For two seasons, Oklahoma City was the temporary home for the New Orleans Hornets NBA basketball team due to the damage sustained by New Orleans during hurricane Katrina. During their time in OKC, the city embraced them, and sold-out games were the rule, rather than the exception. (GO HORNETS!) Now that the Hornets have returned to New Orleans, OKC looks to be the likely new home for the current Seattle Supersonics, as they have been purchased by investors from the metro area. If Seattle continues to refuse to build a new state-of-the-art arena for the team, it will apply to relocate to Oklahoma City.

With this opportunity to have our own permanent NBA team, rather than one "on loan" for a while, the city and its citizens are faced with a decision. We are being asked to finance improvements to our own arena, the Ford Center, to make it more attractive to the NBA. It is proposed that the improvements be financed through a temporary sales tax of 1%, which would, of course, be paid by all citizens, whether they attend basketball games or not.

Those that oppose the financing arrangement cite the fact that the money could be used for other purposes, such as upgrading of streets and transportation, which would be of greater benefit to the citizenry in general. They also feel it is unfair for those who do not attend the games or have interest in them to be asked to help finance a private business enterprise for wealthy club owners, and think it places a financial burden on those with limited incomes. There is also the concern that in another ten years, we too would be facing building of a new arena or losing our team to yet some new venue eager for NBA status. Those with these concerns favor private financing or possibly charging a sur-tax on tickets so that those who reap the benefits of the improvements are the ones who pay for them.

The mayor and those who support the idea of public financing cite the fact that the NBA presence would have a significant impact on the way others perceive our city, attracting more new businesses and improving the economy for all of us.

Good arguments on both sides! Do any of you have experience with similar situations in your locales? What is your opinion?

Oklahoma City Ford Center Website

I don't know about you, but Indian food is some of our favorite! When we can't wait any longer for some wonderful Indian cuisine, we make a bee line for Taj India Cuisine at 5801 Northwest Expressway. They have a wonderful fresh buffet, offering many vegetarian choices like Vegetable Korma, as well as some great old stand-bys, such as Chicken Tika Masala, Spinach Pakora, and Vegetable Samosa. You can also order from the menu, and we strongly suggest the Chicken Badami Pasanda, and well as the Chili Chicken, this last one if you like things spicy! Of course, the chef will prepare any item to your taste, from mild to extra hot.

We ate at two five-star Indian restaurants when we visited New York City, and neither compared to the cuisine at the Taj! In addition to wonderful food, the owners, Mani and Shantha Raju, make you feel like special guests in their own home. You will want to return again and again for their food and for their hospitality. They also have great special buffets for holidays, such as Valentine's Day, New Year's, and the Indian Festival of Lights.