Oden is Blazer; Durant a Sonic

Portland opted for the 7-foot Greg Oden and his defense with the No. 1 pick.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers got Greg Oden and felt like they won a championship.

The Seattle SuperSonics settled for Kevin Durant — but their night wasn’t quite the celebration.

The Trail Blazers ended months of debate Thursday night when they chose Ohio State’s Oden over fellow college freshman Durant with the No. 1 pick in a highly anticipated NBA draft.

Portland opted for the 7-footer who can dominate a game with his defense over the sensational scoring of Durant, who would have been the No. 1 pick in many other years after one of the most outstanding freshman seasons in NCAA history.

But franchise centers are hard to find, and most believe the Blazers got one.

“I was on the phone with the radio station back in Portland,” Oden said. “They said they stomped the floor like they won the NBA championship once they called my name.”

Fans rushed the court at the Rose Garden, where a perennial playoff team has fallen on hard times after some worse behavior. But the Blazers got Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy last year and got an early start on having next season’s winner when they grabbed Oden to play alongside LaMarcus Aldridge.

“They did have a bad [reputation], but I think Brandon and LaMarcus kind of turned that around,” Oden said. “I hope that I can come and just push that along some more.”

Even with Durant, feelings weren’t quite the same in Seattle.

Fans booed Allen trade

Moments after he was picked, Durant saw on TV that the SuperSonics had traded All-Star guard Ray Allen, their leading scorer, to Boston. Fans booed the Allen trade at a draft party for the Sonics, who still face losing Rashard Lewis to free agency.

But the 6-9 Durant, wearing an orange tie to match Texas’ colors, doesn’t consider himself the Sonics’ savior.

“Not at all, not at all,” Durant said. “When you play since you were 8 or 9 years old, you know the game is not a one-man sport. I’m far from being a savior.”

Oden led Ohio State to the national championship game despite never playing at full strength after surgery on his right wrist. Still, he averaged 15.7 points and shot nearly 62 percent while drawing comparisons to Bill Russell for his rebounding and shot blocking abilities.

“I’m a better player because of that year in college,” Oden said. “Coach [Thad] Matta, he taught me so much, first about being a young man growing up in Columbus.”

The Pacific Northwest rivals got an immediate jump-start to their rebuilding plans by moving up in last month’s lottery to grab the top two picks. Though this is considered the deepest draft in years, Oden and Durant are regarded as the only can’t-miss players.

Green joins Durant

Joining Durant to help the Sonics rebuild is Georgetown’s Jeff Green, picked by Boston with the No. 5 pick. Durant knows Green from growing up in the Washington, D.C. area.

The Atlanta Hawks used the No. 3 pick, their first of two in the lottery on Al Horford, who saluted the pro-Florida crowd with the Gator chomp. The two-time defending NCAA champions became the first school with three players selected in the top 10 of the same draft.

They made it when Corey Brewer went to Minnesota at No. 7 and Joakim Noah — donning a brown bow tie and getting a huge reaction from his hometown crowd — was taken by Chicago two picks later.

“This is an unbelievable experience” Horford said. “Winning two national championships. Moving up to the next level is unreal.”

The Hawks passed on Michael Conley Jr., even though they still need a point guard after passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams two years ago. The Memphis Grizzlies then grabbed Conley, Oden’s teammate since their junior high days and the third freshman in the top four picks.