While connecting in Miami to my final destination of Trinidad, I figured I would make some Thunder connections. I was stuck in the airport and couldn’t get outside, however. I didn’t see anybody in Thunder blue, but on the jetway I announced to a friendly runway worker that I was from Oklahoma City.

He groaned. A true Heat fan. And then he said, smiling, “Are you going to watch them lose?”

“That last game was tough,” I answered. “But they are young, they could come back.”

“I know, they are so young and so talented!” he said, referring to player Kevin Durant. “I wish I was 23 again!”

Another woman on her way to St. Croix said she, too, was from OKC and quickly headed for her gate.

Thunder Up!” she said down the terminal.

- Yvette Walker

Photo by Bryan Terry: Oklahoma City’s Lazar Hayward, left, Royal Ivey, Cole Aldrich, and Reggie Jackson wait for the start of a practice before Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena, Monday, June 18, 2012. 

Former University of Oklahoma women’s basketball All-American Courtney Paris has signed with The Tulsa Shock, the team announced Monday.

Head Coach Gary Kloppenburg released Lynetta Kizer in order to make room for Paris on the team roster, according to a news release.

Courtney is an inside power player with a soft touch around the rim and ability to score in the paint,” Kloppenburg said. “She is an excellent rebounder at both ends of the floor and with hard work can develop into a solid inside presence for us.”

Paris is expected to be in the lineup when the Shock travels to California to play the Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday. She said in the release that she’s thrilled to be playing on an Oklahoma team again.

It’s nice to be able to play at home and be around such great fans,” Paris said. “I’ve had such a great personal experience in Oklahoma. I love to play basketball and it also means a lot to me that I can do it in this state.”

For more on OU athletics, check out our NewsOK sports page.

Photo by Steve Sisney: University of Oklahoma player Courtney Paris practices before the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA on Saturday, March 21, 2009. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled out a win against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Tuesday night. To help with sports coverage, news reporters pitched in to help cover the atmosphere inside the arena.

Read more about their experiences inside the arena and interactions with fans and facility staff before the players stepped onto the court.

Below are tweets from reporters Juliana Keeping and Bryan Painter from Game 1. If you can’t see the Storify below, click here.

Stay tuned for more Thunder coverage on our NewsOK page.

Our media friends from the North, South, East and West are coming to visit us in Oklahoma City this week for the NBA Finals.

According to the Thunder 411 blog, about 500 media members are expected to cover the games this week, including both national and international outlets.

The Finals games will be seen by millions in more than 200 countries in approximately 45 languages.

NewsOK will be providing special coverage for the Finals, so be sure to follow our Thunder page for more.

Photo by Chris Landsberger: Serge Ibaka talks to the media during the NBA Finals practice day at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday, June 11, 2012, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

This video was tweeted @NewsOK Thursday and shows local artists’ work and support for the Thunder.

The piece was produced by James Harber, who describes the video as a showcase of the art community’s involvement with the NBA team.

James Harden has been making headlines lately after he earned the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award and played a key role in the the Thunder’s sweep of the Dallas Mavericks.

And now his facial hair is back in the spotlight too, inspiring a catchy YouTube music video.

The video is called “Beard Like Harden” and has been viewed more than 8,500 times since Thursday. It takes a few shots at the Los Angeles Lakers and even mentions OKC’s Kevin Durant and his lack of facial hair. Check it out.

For more NewsOK Thunder coverage, click here.