“That’s every team’s goal,” budding Thunder start Kevin Durant said of the postseason. “That’s one goal we have in mind, but we’ve got to tell each other to take it a day at a time and get better. That’s what we’re looking forward to. That’s what Scotty’s been preaching to us these last couple of years is to always take it a day at a time, each practice and never take steps back.”

Getting into the top eight in the Western Conference for a squad that won 23 games last season does appear next to impossible. Even sticking to the trite “one day at a time” approach, it appears the Thunder have too much ground to make up and too much inexperience to overcome.

Still, the franchise’s foundation is loaded with enough potential to make Presti’s contemporaries drool. Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are the most talked pieces of a roster that continues to improve.

Presti acquired Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic last season, and both immediately stepped into the rotation. Reclamation project Shaun Livingston is all upside and little risk. Second-year guys Kyle Weaver and D.J. White, plus rookie James Harden (fourth overall pick), Byron Mullens and Serge Ibaka are promising youngsters. Brooks knows what he’s getting out of vets like Nick Collison, Kevin Ollie and Etan Thomas.

“I’m looking forward to our team taking another step,” said Brooks, 22-47 as interim coach last season. “We feel that we’ve had a great summer, guys are getting better and guys will continue to get better. Our focus will be continue to improve every day.

“Every day in practice, every shoot-around, every game, every film session is to get better. That’s been my mentality since I’ve taken over and that will always be our mentality as a team. I believe in our guys.”

And they believe they’re destined to do more than just make a modest five-to-10 game improvement in the win column. Realistically, that’s all the front office can reasonably expect. Just don’t fault the players on wanting more.

COACHING STAFF: Head Coach — Scott Brooks, 2nd year overall, 2nd year with Thunder (22-47). Assistants — Ron Adams, Maurice Cheeks, Rex Kalamian, Mark Bryant, Brian Keefe.

LAST SEASON, REMEMBERED: 23-59 (5th in Northwest).

THIS SEASON, PREDICTED: 34-48 (4th in Northwest).

POSSIBLE CHANGES, PREDICTED: General manager Sam Presti is always looking to upgrade the roster, but he likely will resist the temptation to make a major move. Expect small deals that either add picks or more financial flexibility down the line.

Most Disappointing Player: Robert Swift. The injury-plagued center was never able to get on track, despite given every opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation. The former lottery pick played in just 26 games, averaging only 13 minutes. He heads into free agency looking for a new team.

Free Agent Focus: Malik Rose, Desmond Mason and Robert Swift are free agents. The team likely doesn’t have any interest in Rose or Swift, though either may be used in a sign-and-trade scenario. Mason, an Oklahoma State product, could be a possibility if he’s healthy. With so much room for improvement, the team is looking for veteran depth at all positions on the affordable side.

Player News:

• G Russell Westbrook grew up in Los Angeles, so his playoff memories revolve around the Lakers. The titles from 2000-2002 still hold a special place.

“Shaq (O’Neal) and Kobe (Bryant) when they won the three-peat,” Westbrook said. “I went to a playoff game when they played Sacramento. It was exciting. It was a different level.”

• F Kevin Durant said Michael Jordan left an indelible mark 11 years ago. Jordan’s shot to beat Utah in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals still resonates with Durant.

“I was watching that game and I was thinking to myself, ‘There’s no way he’s going to hit that shot,’” Durant said. “But after that move he made, and he made it in a tough Utah arena and they won a championship. That will always stick in my head. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to play in the playoffs and make some of my own memories.”

• F D.J. White  wishes summer league could get going already. After an abbreviated rookie season cut short by surgeries, the power forward wants to get back on the court.

“I’m ready to go right now,” White said. “I only played in seven games. I have a lot of energy. The plan is to keep working out and then play in Orlando.”

Medical Watch:

• G Desmond Mason is expected to make a full recovery. He’ll be ready for training camp if he remains with the team.

Kevin Durant and the Thunder took care of that in the final home game of their inaugural season in Oklahoma City.

Durant had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead three players with double-doubles, and the Thunder knocked the Bobcats out of playoff contention with an 84-81 victory Friday night.

The Bobcats, who already were assured of their best record in franchise history, would have needed four straight road wins to finish the season—and coach Larry Brown said his team didn’t come out with the kind of energy needed in such a “life-and-death” game.

“It’s new for us,” Brown said. “I don’t think they had that in their mind. In their mind, I’m sure they thought they were out there trying. But you can’t go on the road and not play with unbelievable effort right from the start.”

The Bobcats charged back from a 14-point, second-half deficit and took the lead before succumbing down the stretch.

Nenad Krstic added 19 points, Jeff Green had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook had 10 points and 11 assists for Oklahoma City.

D.J. Augustin led the Bobcats with 20 points, including a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left that got Charlotte within 83-81. Green then swatted away a runner by Raymond Felton and Krstic corralled the rebound on the floor with 2.2 seconds left.

After Durant went 1-for-2 from the foul line, Vladimir Radmanovic had one last shot at the tie, but his whirling 3-pointer missed off the front rim.

“We had chances at the end. We missed D.J. wide open, took a bad shot, missed a layup, got a shot blocked at the end,” Brown said. “I thought we did a lot of good things, but just put ourselves in too big a hole and you’ve got to give them credit.

“The crowd was great, they played with a lot of energy and I thought they did a tremendous job of blocking shots and clogging up the inside and making us shoot outside jumpers, and that’s not our game.”

The Thunder played in front of their eighth straight home sellout and snapped a six-game losing streak at the Ford Center. Oklahoma City had 10 blocked shots, one off of its most of the season, and got four in the fourth quarter.

“We did a great job of closing and getting stops at the end of the game,” Westbrook said. “Jeff had a great block.”

Boris Diaw added 19 points, Felton scored 11 and Gerald Wallace had 10 points and 14 rebounds for Charlotte.

Even being in the playoff hunt in the final week of the season was an accomplishment for the Bobcats, who started the season 7-18. Diaw and Raja Bell came over in a trade with Phoenix late in that stretch, and Charlotte has gone 28-26 since that awful start.

“We made a lot of changes to the team, and guys have started to jell well,” Augustin said. “We keep fighting. We’re going to keep fighting to the end, no matter what.”

Diaw and Augustin combined to score 17 during a 19-6 run that cut the deficit to 62-61 on Augustin’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the third period.

Felton’s jumper from the left side capped a stretch of six straight Bobcats points and put Charlotte ahead 67-66 with 10:12 left, its first lead since it was 2-0. That was the first of six lead changes over the next 5 minutes.
Charlotte Bobcats forward Boris Diaw, right, shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder center Nenad Krstic, of Serbia, left, in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Friday, April 10, 2009. Diaw had 19 points for Charlotte, but Oklahoma City won the game 84-81.

Rookie D.J. White scored inside to put Oklahoma City up 72-71 with 5 1/2 minutes left, and Durant added a 3-pointer from the right wing before Shaun Livingston’s jumper on the left baseline. The Thunder protected that lead the rest of the way.

“Down the line, everybody played well and chipped in,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “They all played extremely hard. I told the guys after the game they gave it their all.”

Charlotte, 12-26 on the road this season, would have needed a remarkable finish to earn its first playoff appearance.

In part because of an equestrian event at Charlotte’s home arena that team owner Bob Johnson’s daughter will compete in, the Bobcats are the first team to finish the regular season with four straight road games since the Toronto Raptors 12 years ago. Charlotte also needed Chicago or Detroit to lose all of their games the rest of the way.

The final three games of that stretch won’t matter nearly as much now, after the Bobcats shot just 33 percent and couldn’t capitalize on 24 Thunder turnovers, including a season-high nine by rookie Westbrook.
Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Wallace, right, drives around Oklahoma City Thunder forward Thabo Sefolosha, of Switzerland, left, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Friday, April 10, 2009. Wallace had 10 points for Charlotte, but Oklahoma City won the game 84-81.

“It’s a process of learning what those games mean, and you don’t really know until you miss it,” Diaw said. “It’s a tough way to learn.”

The Thunder emerged with a 48-37 lead at halftime despite committing 15 turnovers—seven by Westbrook—by shooting 55 percent in a first half filled with spurts. Oklahoma City led 56-42 after Kyle Weaver’s driving, left-handed layup early in the second half before Charlotte started its comeback.

Oklahoma City had an early burst of nine straight points and was up by eight before Charlotte responded with a 10-2 run to tie the game at 17. Oklahoma City then scored the final 10 points of the first quarter on its way to building a 39-25 lead.

“We got better and better during the season,” Diaw said. “We definitely had a rough start, but I think it’s good for the future. We’ve got a pretty young team and we’re working hard and getting better.”