Local organizations are Thundering up downtown

Take a walk downtown and you'll be able to see all of the hard work the community has put into thundering up, whether it's decorations at the new downtown community basketball court, window art, or sidewalk stickers. 

Here's the latest news from the Alliance for Economic Development. They're among downtown OKC's most hard-working group of Thunder fans:

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The Alliance staff is working with Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. and numerous downtown organizations and volunteers, to dress up downtown in preparation for the international exposure that Oklahoma City is about to experience. The Oklahoma City Thunder will be playing the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals starting tonight. People from around the world will see our great City on TV and we want to make sure it looks the best it can, while showing support for our home team!

“The Alliance is excited to partner with other local organizations and volunteers to help dress up downtown. With the international attention we’re receiving," said Dustin Akers, Project Manager for the Alliance. "It’s a great time to show off everything Oklahoma City has to offer. The exposure the Thunder’s success has provided us is great for our community.”

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Check out the Alliance for Economic Development website to see a great picture of some ways OKC is Thundering Up by Zach Nash, Creative Services Manager for the City.

Find a place to Thunder up

Can’t decide where to watch the game? 

Check out thunder-nba.com. With the Thunder’s Where 2 Watch listings, you can find the closest venue that has pledged to show the game.

This listing of establishments was put together with the help of Anheuser-Busch, and contains bars and restaurants throughout Oklahoma.

Where's the party at?!

No tickets to the finals? Come down to Iguana (9 NW 9th) tonight and tailgate. They'll show the game outside, so bring your tailgating chairs and NBA spirit as we root the Thunder on to a Championship! Party starts at 5, game starts at 8.

They'll serve up food and fun with a special Thunder Goddess Cocktail featuring Diosa Tequila. Get more info on Facebook.  

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If you live in the Plaza District, Gatewood or Classen Ten Penn neighborhoods, you're invited to a Thunder watch party at Paula & Co. Realtors tonight at 7:30 p.m. at 1706 NW 16th. Celebrate with the neighborhood and BYOB! Follow @plazadistrict on Twitter for more info. 

Who's that guy in the beard?

It's not James Harden.... it's Oklahoma's own Gary England!  (Click here. Laugh. Show your friends.)

Oklahoma in the news

Since our Thunder made the 2012 NBA Finals, downtown OKC has been all over the news. Check out how famous our city has become!

MTV.com
The Flaming Lips insist the Oklahoma City Thunder will win the NBA Championship. From the beginning, Flaming Lips fromtman Wayne Coyne was confident that the Thunder would not only rally to defeat the Spurs, but would go on to win the NBA championship. In fact, "confident" was probably an understatement. Get the full story on MTV.com.

NBA.com
A Oklahoma front yard gets Thundered up. See it here.

New York Times
The shooting patterns for the players on the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder reveal where they are most dangerous on the court. Below, compare each player’s strengths using court maps and analysis by Kirk Goldsberry, a geography professor at Michigan State. Read more at nytimes.com.

KWTV9
Clearly, the NBA Finals is generating a lot of excitement that can not only be felt in the air, but seen just about everywhere you look. See the video on News9.com.

Space Jam for the whole fam

The Myriad Gardens are showing Space Jam on the Great Lawn at 9 p.m. this Wednesday, June 13 to celebrate our team going to the Finals. This family-friendly movie is free and open to the public so bring your kids and a blanket. 

Get the scoop

Do you Tweet?  Mashable provides 11 Twitter feeds guaranteed to keep you informed and entertained as the Heat and Thunder do hardcourt battle for eternal NBA glory. From players to beat writers to blogs to columnists, we’ve got you covered with some of the very best. Read more on Mashable.com.

Now that you've got Mashable's recommendations, here are some of our favorites here at DOKC: 

@HardenBeard - the official Twitter account for Jame's Harden's beard

@desmondtmason - Desmond Mason. Former Thunder player and artist

@stevelackmeyer - Steve Lackmeyer. Reporter and columnist for the Oklahoman

@BAMOK - Brandy McDonnell. Entertainment writer for The Oklahoman

@okcthunder - Official Twitter account for the OKC Thunder

@rumblethebison - Offical Mascot of the OKC Thunder, and a good-looking guy

The NBA Finals begin today!

Today's the day!  Tune in at 8 p.m. tonight for the event everyone's been thundering up for. 

...and now for a very important message from the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber:

Thousands of people have come to Oklahoma City to be part of the excitement. A lot of people have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure our guests are well accommodated, and that they understand that Oklahoma City is a wonderful place to live, work and play!

You can help us tell Oklahoma City’s story to a national and international audience. Please consider a Tweet or Facebook message linking to this news release. (You will want to consider shortening the link using a site like tinyurl.com or bitly.com).

This release tells the story of Oklahoma City’s renaissance, and how we are preparing for the finals. It also shares the link to the newsroom we have created, okcnewsroom.com

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