The Oklahoma City Thunder is on a mission.  Last season’s first-round elimination in the playoffs was a learning experience, and the mission this season is securing home court advantage.  The OKC arena still plays like a college atmosphere; few can forget how loud the hometown fans were in the playoffs, even registering 109 decibels at one point (the human pain threshold is 110 Db).  And few doubt this crowd has been a factor in pushing the team towards wins.

The Thunder’s current record is 27-14, which ties them in first place with the Utah Jazz atop the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.  If the season ended now, the Thunder would have home court advantage locked up; however, there are still 41 games left to play.

Let’s recap the franchise’s first postseason experience last season.  With an ending record of 50-32, the Thunder was tied in sixth place in the Western Conference with the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers.  With a 1-3 record against both the Spurs and the Blazers during the regular season, OKC was relegated to an eighth-place seeding and faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

The Thunder-Lakers playoff series proved to be one of most exciting match-ups of the 2009-10 postseason.  The Lakers won the first two on their home floor, and the Thunder prevailed on their floor in the next two games.  The Lakers easily took the next game back in Los Angeles.  Game 6 in Oklahoma City was one for the ages.  Pau Gasol’s winning tip on a Kobe Bryant missed jumper with .5 seconds on the clock effectively ended the Thunder’s run 4-2.  What happened next was remarkable; instead of OKC fans hanging their heads and lumbering toward the exit doors, they cheered and clapped for a solid twenty minutes in appreciation of a job well-done.

Knowing how supportive these fans are, night after night, we wondered if the team had home court advantage thoughts on their minds now.  The reactions we obtained ran the gamut between various players.

"Last year we knew that was a big part, especially in the playoffs," point guard Russell Westbrook told HOOPSWORLD.  "It’s a big thing to have the home court advantage."

"You gotta start thinking about that now," he said.

Teammate Daequan Cook agrees that all eyes must be firmly set on securing home court advantage with every game played.  Players understand why this is critical to their postseason success.  The Houston Rockets made history winning the 1994-95 NBA Finals without home court advantage in any round, but no team is anxious to face those odds anytime soon.

"What’s important now is winning every game possible," Cook began.  "Having the home court advantage in the first round is one of the biggest factors going into the playoffs.  It’s important (in) every game we play to make sure we go out there with the mentality that it’s gonna count at the end.

"We play a lot of teams that are under .500 that’s not really thinking about the playoffs," Cook continued.  "And it’s important for us to win (those) games.  It’s always important to have the mentality to go out there and win each game knowing that we want home court advantage."

{AUTHOR_BOX}Other Thunder players believe that the halfway point of the season – the exact point of the team’s season right now – is a bit too early to start looking toward the playoff situation.

"We’re not even thinking that far ahead," shared Jeff Green.  "We haven’t even had the All-Star break yet.  Right now we’re trying to finish up until the All-Star break, and then take it one game at a time and see what happens."

"It’s too early to start thinking about it," agrees Serge Ibaka.  "(We’re trying to) just win a lot of games.  We know what to do."

With expectations high for the Thunder to extend their postseason run this season past the first round (and even longer, fans hope), could pressure on this young team become a real issue?

"No, there’s no pressure," guard Eric Maynor said with conviction in his voice.  "Just trying to take advantage of every game, and just trying to win every game.  Maybe you start looking at that deeper into the season about trying to make a playoff run, but not right now."

So when do you put home court advantage forefront on your mind?  Thunder coach Scott Brooks fielded that one.

"I’m not sure, but I know it’s not now," he answered.  "We have to still work on what we do and keep improving on our team and take care of the things that we can take care of and see where that gets us during the later parts of the season."

Every Thunder player we talked to on this issue mentioned that the overall approach is simple: take one game at a time.  With 82 games played in an NBA season, that’s probably a wise course of action.

"There’s a lot of basketball left, and that’s what makes this league unique," Brooks said.  "You have a lot of games.  You put a lot of stress mentally and physically on your body, and you have to be able to perform at a high level in order to get a win."

"The playoffs is not something I have talked about with our guys," revealed Brooks.  "I just know we’re a good team trying to become a better team."

Westbrook, who has jumped into a valued leadership role for this team, shares his basic philosophy with regard to playoffs.

"Just try and win as many games as possible every night; play hard regardless who it is, that’s the key.  It puts you in a good spot."

It is a long season, and the Thunder’s winning focus is clear.  Should they end up with home court in any playoff round or not, their fans will be ready to act as the sixth man.