Did you know there was an NBA team called the Oklahoma City Thunder? Uh, this was news to me, considering the only teams whose games I’d ever seen were the Lakers, the Celtics, the Mavericks and the Heat. Maybe there was a team called the Nuggets? That could just be me thinking of my late night dinner yesterday.

Needless to say, the so-called “Thunder” did the unthinkable last night, destroying the Los Angeles Lakers in a Western Conference game we’re sure will haunt Kobe for days to come. The Thunder’s all-stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook carried their team with 25 and 28 points, respectively, ending the game with a 106 – 90 lead over Kobe’s dream team.

Many analysts are pinning this disappointing loss on the Lakers’ new point guard Ramon Sessions, who they acquired in March, and whose dismal performance last night lead to several turnovers and may have cost the team a much-needed win. Others are claiming that Pau Gasol’s lack of spark in the last few games has been a major factor in the ousting of the team from the playoffs, but the clear truth is that the Lakers are not the team we’ve come to know in the past. As a person who considers themselves to be a Lakers fan, at least in the way that I know more than one player’s name and occasionally watch their games if they happen to be on in the same room as me, I sure hope they can get their groove back and make next season a better one.

Until then, Go Thunder! They go up against the very tough San Antonio Spurs on the 27th, who are currently on an 18-game win streak, to see who will take the Western Conference. We’ll keep you updated!

Sources:
LATimes
THHerald