vs. 
Los Angeles Lakers (5-5, 4-1 home) vs. OKC Thunder (6-1, 2-1 road)
TV: TNT (Cox 31, HD 730)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 9:30 CT
Thunder lead series 2-1
View from the enemy: Forum Blue and Gold
I’m not sure if I like this quick turnaround or not. The wounds of Game 3 haven’t healed quite yet and it’s hard to get mentally ready to go through the emotional rollercoaster that is an NBA playoff game just 24 hours later. Then again, there’s an opportunity to wash a bad taste away very quickly.
This is the Thunder’s first adversity of the postseason though. The first game that didn’t go their way. Obviously they were close and really should’ve won the game, but it’s the playoffs. Losing a game is to be expected. It’s not a cakewalk. It’s never fun to drop one and the world kind of feels like it’s crashing in when it happens, but you’ve got to bounce back, get up and move on.
Because if not, then things start getting scary. It feels like you can say any game in the playoffs is extremely important, but Game 4 certainly has implications. A win for OKC and the Thunder bring home the chance to close the series out on their home floor. A loss, and it’s 2-2 making Game 5 extremely critical (and terrifying).
OKC needs to focus on re-establishing Russell Westbrook though. He was a menace in Game 1, held down in Game 2, and was average in Game 3. After registering nine assists in the first game, he only had one Friday. Westbrook is the head of the snake. When you cut him off, you have a good chance to control the one of the best offenses in the NBA. Kevin Durant was able to score well in Game 3 and James Harden did his efficient thing. But Westbrook, while he finished with 21, wasn’t all that effective.
The Thunder are better than the Lakers. I’m thoroughly convinced of that. But that doesn’t mean that this series is theirs or that they should expect an easy win. They have to go take it. All signs point positively to a Thunder advantage tonight, which is an uneasy feeling.
Tip at 9:30 CT. Go Get It.
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/05/kd-ices-the-lakers-as-okc-takes-game-4-103-100/
Someone posted it earlier, but i have to post it again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAcBbSzL-aU
SEE KOBE GASOL ISNT SOFT
Lakers fans are going totally ape sh*t over this. I love it! Oh and did anyone see what SAS said on ESPN??
Pretty much said the series is over on Monday and anything other dreams or thoughts we might have contrary, is OVER! LOL
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q627/gmurias1/photo4-2.jpg
kobe's clutch shot is worse then I thought
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1128962/blake-fall.gif
@EatSleepThunder I can't believe that was a Tech..
@EatSleepThunder what a little bitch.
@EatSleepThunder T should be rescinded and then given to blake for another flop
I'm not surprised Kobe parked the bus on Pau but the game plan late was poor from Brown/Kobe. You can say he needs to be more aggressive, and he probably does, but the game was winnable regardless.
@Jooseppi Pushed him under the bus, drove over him, stopped, backed over him, stopped, pulled forward, parked on top of him. Great teammate, great leader, uh huh...
@courtsense All I know is Pau's autobiography in 10 years is going to be legendary.
@courtsense Jackson-Buss fallout, Kobe, two championships, failed trade, wife rumors.
First Sentence of Recap from ESPN:
"With Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant engineering yet another late comeback, the Oklahoma City Thunder pushed Kobe Bryant to the brink."
Note they said Kobe not the Lakers. It's like everyone believes he's the whole team.
RT: @TrueHoop: Kobe Bryant checked in with an 11-point lead, made 2 of 10 shots, and Lakers lost by 3. Persistent crunch misses have a cost.
and one of those was a gimme at the buzzer the Thunder didn't care about.
In other news San Antonio hasn't lost in over a month. They're due
@KellOne For like 4 the next 2 weeks
@KellOne like tomorrow? or after tomorrow?
@andyworcester I'm going with after. Work with me here ; )
Wait a second. Kobe just claimed that he got fouled on a few shots and didn't get the whistle. What about all the ones where he got the whistle without a foul?
good god I'm getting ram rodded right now, anyone else getting hit?
@C_Dub My house was shaking a while ago
Realistic kobe question: "kobe how many shots will you have to miss in the last minutes of a game before you stop trying to carry a team on your shoulders?" Someone told me he hasn't hit a game winner in the playoffs since 06, was like 0-7 or 0-8 since then, man what a closer.
@SaraKim None of the rest of his teammates have the fire to takeover is a lot of it.
@ThunderWins @SaraKim And that's by design. Think of how many more championships the Lakers would have won had Kobe not essentially insisted on getting rid of Shaq. He's a great player, but his need to be the only center of attention has hurt the Lakers over the years.
@ThunderWins
Sure they do, thing is they have to be involved the whole game I mean artest was the head guy for the kings, gasol for memphis, bynum could lead a team as well but they are always getting scraps falling from bryants mouth. The saddest part is how laker fans act like kobe is so great and say five rings all the time. A ring is a TEAM accomplishment, not like kobe told them "take a seat guys I got this" and just got all the rings. Man has one mvp and he stole that from chris paul, some fans make me sad with their logic.
Hey, remember when KD and Russ had that big fight on the court and that falling out early in the season at Memphis, and it ruined the team and the season and they had to be split up for good?
Me neither.
@courtsense Hey, remember when people were wanting to trade Russ for some center that is having back surgery right now? You know, that one that threw his coach and team under the buss instead of fighting every last inch of the way to a victory?
Me neither.
@alvarex You have one hell of a memory. Touche!
I wanna read Royce's postgame write up before turning in.
Come on...get it online!
Almost 2000 comments. I am helping us get there.
This comment has been deleted
@MisterJohnsonOKC They were both very quiet in tonights game.
@alvarex @MisterJohnsonOKC In way the Pau has been quiet for so long now thats odd when does have a big game. For the last two years playoffs he's been MIA.
@ThunderWins @alvarex @MisterJohnsonOKC He's had some big games this year. Overall quiet but higher highs.
@alvarex @MisterJohnsonOKC Ibaka with a quiet 14 points and 5 blocks.
@Jooseppi @MisterJohnsonOKC Well not quiet on the stat sheet. One of those "Do you remember how he got those points" kind of games.
Why dont we try something next game.... FRONT ANDREW BUYNUM
@tromeo143 Scott Brooks: Its a trap! They want us to front him!
@tromeo143 Genius! How do u do it?
@KellOne
Common sense my dear Watson... HAHAHA. Hope Scotty is reading this.
Good night all! Glad we could pull this one out, but it is on to the next one.
Try to get to the free throw line? Man you had 18 attempts yesterday and 17 today.
For those not following, Kobe saying Pau and teammates in general need to step up. Saying he and Bynum are getting game-planned out of the offense late.
So when the lakers win it's all kobe but when they lose the team needs to work harder........maybe they should just stop giving him the ball in the fourth quarter and pretending he is a "closer" which he has proven he is not. Of course I'm not complaining I hope they do keep shoveling him the ball and he keeps losing games.
@SaraKim F***, that's a great comment right there.
My goodness...what WAS that?
Damn. I was hoping for a "Do you, do you think you can beat them?"
@alvarex I think someone asked that.
@EVDebs Did they? Damn, must have missed it.
@alvarex @EVDebs They asked it, but he didn't answer.