You have to crawl before you walk.

The Thunder have four wins and that is a very big thing.

Not because it is a franchise record but that they did it more than a month and a half faster than they did last year.

If you are of the camp that all the Seattle records, history and stats should remain in Washington, then the Thunder, in only their second year, have made a huge strides.

They started off last year with twenty nine losses before they reached win number four on New Year's Ever. This year, they reached four wins on Veteran's day with only four losses.

Time will tell if they can keep this momentum for an entire season and make a run at a playoff spot in their second year in the OKC but it seems early in the year that it is a no-brainer that this team is vastly improved.

They have yet to lose a game by 10 points this season. Last year by their fourth win they had lost more than a handful by 10.

Two of their losses were extremely competitive that just came down to making shots and plays at the end which they did not. They are still terribly young and need experience in more close games before they can be expected to win the close ones more often than not. However, Being competitive in all eight games thus far is a huge step forward for this team who was often out of games last year by the fourth quarter.

They have played good teams well. The Thunder have played both teams from last years championship and took one to overtime and the other they blew out by 28 at home. While the doubters will say neither team was at full strength, Even Orlando's coach Stan Van Gundy said, "The Thunder are much better than us right now. They would have [won] if we had everybody."

While the Thunder are no where near being the same caliber of either of these teams being competitive and being able to take advantage of one on a bad night shows a lot.

So while winning four games is a somewhat laughable milestone, it is the symbol of so much for the young Thunder. It is a sign that Scott Brooks dedication to defense can yield results even with a terribly young team, that Sam Presti may actually know what he is doing, that the Chicago Bulls made a huge mistake releasing Thabo Selofosha and so much more.

Most importantly, it shows that the Thunder have made immense improvement in just one short year.

If they continue to grow as a team at this pace, they will be a force to deal with in no time. 

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In the high-flying Western Conference, where 10 teams are averaging over 100 points a game, only one team is holding their opponents under 90. No, not the Spurs; the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder.

Young teams are not supposed to win this way, and last year the Thunder proved that. They fit easily into the mold of young talented teams. You live and die by shooting percentages.

This year, the Thunder have gotten off to a respectable start in a way that young teams seldom do: with dominating defense.

Last year, they added guard Thabo Sefolosha for one of their coveted draft picks after the Tyson Chandler deal fell through. While the move had many scratching their heads, Sefolosha's impact was felt immediately. The Thunder had already started to improve, but he showed the young team how much good defensive effort can impact the game and the Thunder have apparently took that lesson to heart.

While it was expected the Thunder would improve on both sides of the ball as they gain experience, the total transformation and dedication to defense was not.

The most impressive increase in defensive intensity has been down on the low post. The finally healthy Nenad Krstic and veteran Etan Thomas are matching the efforts of Sefolosha in the post as well. Jeff Green and Durant have not been afraid to go low and help out when needed.

Many are now picking the Thunder to make the playoffs. They definitely have the talent, but are extremely young. They may still be a year away, but with their defensive effort and great young core, the Thunder's future is as bright as any teams in the NBA. The scariest thing is they still have tons of room to play around before their roster is locked.

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Defense may win championships, but winning any game is tough when asked to do it all alone. 

The Oklahoma defense is championship caliber and did everything it could Saturday. It only allowed Nebraska into scoring range once, when a missed tackle led to a 60-plus yard run. Even then, they got a turnover to keep the Huskers from scoring. 

Landry Jones threw five interceptions. Holding down the Huskers offense was a monumental accomplishment. However, two of those interceptions were too deep to shut them out completely. One led to a field goal and the other, a one-yard touchdown drive.

Those 10 points were all Nebraska needed as the offense struggled all night. Nebraska deserves the majority of the credit, but not all of it.

The Sooners moved the ball well and on most of the interceptions, an open receiver was overthrown and an even more open defender was waiting.

Let face it, OU should have put a nickelback on offense to cover Matt O'Hanlon. He was open all night and was Jones' favorite target.

Jones reminded us all what Sam Bradford made us forget: what a freshman quarterback looks like.

Just a few weeks ago, he was the next Heisman contender at OU, now Sooners fans are checking their watches to see how long till recruit Blake Bell steps on campus.

Sooners fans criticized Kevin Wilson for not opening up the playbook for Jones in the BYU and Miami games. Now we know why he did. Wilson knew how terribly inconsistent Jones can be.

It is not time to give up on Jones after his first bad game, but it is time to realize he is a long way away from being able to be counted on week-in and week-out.

Stoops had never failed to score a touchdown as a head coach. Now is he not only faced with the worst offensive performance of his tenure at OU, but possibly his worst team and record.

The 7-5 record of 1999 will be hard to beat. They need wins over both Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

If the performance in Lincoln is any indication, the defense will slow both teams down but both opponents will score a few points and the OU offense may not be able to counter.

Let's face it, there has not been much improvement this year for OU. The problems of the BYU game were almost identical to the problems of the Nebraska game. Penalties, poor line play, inconsisternt effort from the receivers.

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