vs. 
LA Lakers (2-1, 0-1 road) vs. Okla. City Thunder (1-2, 1-0 home)
TV: ESPN (Cox 29, HD 720)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 8:30 CDT
Series: Lakers lead 2-1
View from the enemy: Forum Blue and Gold
The celebration is over. The emotion is out. The big moment for this city and this state have passed. Now it’s about winning another basketball game. It’s going to be hard to get over what happened on Thursday night. I know I’m having trouble. I’ve watched the game twice already on my DVR. I can’t get over it. I hope the team can. It’s almost like we forgot you had to play more games. The crowd will be loud and proud again. I don’t think it will affect OKC in a negative way. Now it’s not about cheering because of the moment, it will be about cheering because we want to influence the outcome of a basketball game.
Game 4 will be huge test of the Thunder’s mental fortitude. Can they forget about what they did to the defending champs and come out and play ball? Will they be able to absorb the punch the Lakers are sure to throw because they want blood now? These are questions we’ll obviously find answers to in a bit, but things that are concerns now.
I don’t know if the Ford Center will be able to duplicate the atmosphere from Thursday. I mean, that was… something. I spent yesterday trying to recover and come down from that high and I don’t think I’m there. I’m not mentally prepared for tonight. Us Thunder fans aren’t used to the playoffs. They are draining, man. One BIG game after another. It’s exhausting. But the Ford Center needs to bring it again tonight. And I think OKC will respond much better early because all the fanfare is out of the way. They’re reading for the energy they’re going to get and they’ll feed off it, hopefully much in the same way they did in the fourth quarter.
This game is pivotal. A win means we can start getting serious about this thing. A loss and we’re back to hanging on by a thread as the team makes the Dead Man Walking flight back to LA for possible execution. This is big time.
Tip at 8:30 CDT. Go Louder City.
Gotta love this exciting Thunder team! Can someone please explain to me why our half-court offense is so bad? Why do we have Kristic or Collision setting the screens? It should be a person that attacks the rim like Green, Ibaka, or Durant. You know, similar to how Utah Jazz run it w/ Boozer and Williams. Boozer will set screen for Deron and quickly turn around and run to the rim while Deron bounce passes it to him in split second. Imagine if Durant is setting the screen for Westbrook and do same thing w/ consistency! Instead, we have Kristic setting the screens and he pops out to catch and shoot a jumper!
@shannon
I know just how you feel. I was very happy when Oklahoma City got a team. Frankly, I would have settled for any team. But the fact that our getting a franchise meant Seattle was losing theirs...well, I've never much liked Seattle anyway, so I was Just Fine with that. And THEN they started in with all the negative comments, which cheesed me off so much that I wrote a whole Facebook post about "Responses to Common Criticisms of OKC's New Team," or something like that.
Nor has it abated. In fact, just this last week when I was at the Spokane airport wearing my Thunder shirt, I got pulled aside for "extra screening" by a TSA agent who spent the screening time telling me how upset they had been that we'd stolen their team! So part of what made yesterday's blowout so sweet for me was the knowledge that every single thing they said was wrong.
I'm gonna go look up that Facebook post.
I wonder what all the seatle fans who predicted gloom and doom for the OKC franchise are saying now? Okc is to small of a market, the fans wont come blah blah blah. It just makes this sweeter
@GAP
...pass the salt...
Man, I haven't posted much lately because everytime I start to type someone already says what's on my mind anyway. Good job by my boys and I almost peed my pants when I saw Russ manage this game like he's been here before.
For every bad thing I said about Russ, I must say that my crow is kinda sweet. :)
I just got home. WOW! Game 6, here we come.
that was quite a littlew vicyory for the tunder......nice to see lord byron (mullens) get a little taste of the action tonite
now that you mention it Justin, this series and Boston / Chicago are eerily similar.
young teams giving the current champions a very hard time.
the difference is that we're in a better shape, because we have KD and Russ is doing pretty much what Rose did that series.
and yes, these were epic games, but we still have place for that in our series :p
Vince :No matter what happens going forward, the way that Westbrook has played is just huge in terms of the development of this team. I would argue he’s been the best player in the series.
It's not even a question... he's been far more effective than Kevin Durant, and after tonight's game, I think I'd put him above what Gasol's been doing as well.
Last year Derrick Rose had a great series against Boston (though nothing like what Russ is doing) and carried that success over to the regular season. If Russ does any semblance of that we're in great shape...
I know everyone is talking offense and needed production from Green/Harden/Kristic, but our defense is what is winning these games. If OKC can get solid contribution from BOTH Durant and Westbrook in game 5 (something that didn't happen in game 1 or 2) we have a solid chance of winning. I can't see Green and Harden reverting back to their former selves in LA. But if we continue to get easy fast break baskets from our defense (25+ in todays game) then we have a hell of a shot of stealing that game and brining it home in game 6!
No matter what happens going forward, the way that Westbrook has played is just huge in terms of the development of this team. I would argue he's been the best player in the series.
just got home... we kicked their ass. it was sweet.
Challenge yourself: Don't laugh when Kobe tells you that he felt he managed the game well.
Best part of the night... watching Thunder highlights on Sportscenter every 5 minutes.
Some of the numbers in game three (game four hasn't been charted yet).
Lakers only took 18% of their shots at the rim.. Thunder took 39% of their shots at the rim.. The Lakers shot 81% at the rim in Game 3.
The key seems to be to pack the paint and not allow the Lakers to get shots at the rim. We seem to be doing a great job of dissuading them from doing so most of these games.
Laker fans might complain about the FTA disparity but we're getting a lot more shot attempts at the rim than they are.
@Sas
True that.
@JelloPuddinPup
I loved the comment of "If we could make free throws like professionals do."
LOL at Phil Jackson's comment about the Thunder playing great free-throw defense. I may hate a lot of the "mind" wars he wages through the media and his comments about certain players. But man, he can be hilarious!
http://docfunk.blogspot.com/2010/04/lakers-vs-thunder-game-4.html
And then my favorite:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CqDk4jAv_Y4/S9PBn-F0ITI/AAAAAAAAB4U/ywxp4fQj_V8/s1600/06.jpg
@Vince
Very small.. we knew Russ had a chance to play well, but not THIS well. His TS% is nearly 64% (4% higher than Durant's for the season), he's getting to the line, he's not turning the ball over, and if Green / Krstic were hitting shots he'd probably have 8 assists a game.
Russ' play, and to a lesser extent, Harden / Ibaka the last two games off the bench have largely made up for Green / Krstic not hitting.
Russ' PER for the series is something like 28.0. He's been ridiculous.
@justin
One big reason why we won was we were hitting FTs when LA was missing them. That had to be pretty disheartening...
Also, it's sad to get on the ESPN boards and see tons of "The game was rigged!" (albeit with much worse spelling...) What good are FTs if you can't make them? Sheesh.
if Harden carries his performance in OKC to the Staples Center, we definitely have a shot.
calls will be hard to come by in LA, but if KD, Russ and Harden all score eficiently, we can play any team in the league.
if a 4th guy steps up (i'm looking at you, Jeff), we have at least a 50/50 chance of winning.
@Wesley
There are some "classy" people on espn threads.
@Justin
What odds would have you asked for if someone bet you the Thunder would be tied 2-2 with Green AND Krstic shooting the way they have? 20-1?
I said before the series the Thunder would have to make jumpers to win. I can't believe I was that wrong.
That forum sounds like the 40 year old guy at the Y trying to play ball and suddenly gets hit in the head with a reality stick. All of a sudden he knows what everyone else already knew...he's old.
PACE: 91.4
ORTG: 120.6
DRTG: 97.3
Well.. the stuff I was concerned about didn't happen. We continued to get to the line and the Lakers continued to brick their jumpers and free throws.
The difference in this game was the free throws. Our agression attacking the rim, especially by Westbrook and Harden, was the difference and set the tone. As KD said in the post game, the defense tried to close the paint and get the Lakers to take jumpers. They were successful in stretches, and when they weren't the Lakers were not hitting their foul shots.
We still have to tighten up the half court offense and shoot better. 41% FG won't cut in in LAL because we're not likely to get to the line as much. Can't count on the Lakers missing so many freebies either.
We're going to need Jeff Green and Krstic to start hitting their open shots if we're going to (gulp..) win game five. They bricked a ton of open looks and our half court offense is really struggling because of the difficulty those two are having.
Westbrook, Durant, and Harden all had very efficient nights scoring, and Maynor looked pretty good as well.
Great game... we know if nothing else this team isn't settling for these two wins. I think we can take the Lakers in game five if we get better shooting from Krstic and Green.
by the way, Lakers fans are distraught over there in Forum Blue and Gold :p
"Where did this Thunder team come from? Green with a reverse layup now, everything is falling for them, including their FT’s tonight."
"The Lakers are exposed to the world, no bench, can’t shoot, no defense and old tired legs!
This is something that we recognized the last month of the season."
lol at the panic :p
Snowflake :
I feel as if I should report the rape I just witnessed to the authorities
I like this statement.
On another note, I saw this in the ESPN game thread a few minutes ago. It kind of made me feel like a proud parent to read it.
"PaulPierce34 fan forever (4/24/2010 at 11:20 PM)
OKC looks like a fun town. I would give anything to be at the gym tonight."
@AC
his response to the reporter's question was awesome, the guy told him "you don't look impressed at what you guys just did here", and he bluntly said "it's a 7 game series".
I love it.
I feel as if I should report the rape I just witnessed to the authorities
Enjoy it! Enjoy it! OKC!
I wish I could hear the Laker locker room right now!
LOL at durant for giving an interview with a towel helmet
Do the Thunder not know that this is supposed to be a 4 or 5 game series!!!!!!
...if you look at the box score totals on ESPN it says we have 6 TOs....but if you count them up we have 8 at least inside the box score.
I just can't believe the thunder are playing mop up duty in a pivotal play-off game!
is mullens Mirrison's brother?
Unless I've been tracking wrong, we've only turned the ball over FIVE TIMES in this game.. that's amazing..
Ollie needs a basket.
It's craz how they say sportscenter after the game in OKC!!
Is that a unibrow on Lord Byron?
way to get a bucket, Shaggy
Woo Hoo Mullins!
Mullens and Morrison together on the court lol
MULLENS!!!!!!!!...needs a haircut.
And now they're saying that Kobe went back to the locker room to go ahead and "get treatment". B.S. ALERT!
YES!!!
@JelloPuddinPup
Yeah but after the way they scraped by in Game 2, and OKC has all the momentum right now. Plus bryant is obviously hurt
B.J!!!!!111
Mullens!!!!
are you kidding me :
HOw much in doubt are the lakers about this series now?
Not at all until we take a win in LA. :/