Does Serge return tomorrow? (POLL)

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

I'm going with no. The dude hasn't even been able to run an in ESPN articles he's saying he's in a lot of pain. Even if he returns, I think it will be like Lee last year in the playoffs. Very tough injury to deal with.

[ElNono]

I'm voting no, but it's Scott Brooks we're dealing with here... wouldn't surprise me if he does play and Scotty tries to play him for 30+ mins...

[NASpurs]

I hope he plays and gets an "accidental" kick to the calf by Baynes.

[lil'mo]

tha fuck?

[hater]

Of course he is playing. IBAKA is close to fully healed.

okcs best chance to win is tomorrow. They probably will

[DMC]

It's up to the team doctors. If they say he's cleared, he will play. Scotty is probably fighting for his job as strange as that may sound. He's going to sacrifice his rook to stay afloat. It's a shame too, because Serge could be a dominant force in the league for years to come. OKC could get a real coach and be the team to beat in the West as soon as the Spurs ride into the sunset.

"Right now I'm waiting for the team doctor to confirm, and also it's depending on whether I will go tomorrow, day by day, and see," Ibaka said. "It's 100 percent going to hurt. For sure if the doctor gives me the OK and I feel better tomorrow, I will be 100 percent with the pain for sure, but like I said, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my team."

All that is corporate talk about being the martyr for the team. Ibaka mentioned pain enough times that the team will likely see that as an admission that he shouldn't be out there, but is willing to if allowed.

[Oh, Gee!!]

Nah, he's useless on one leg

[DJR210]

I say yes, but leaves shortly after with a re-aggravated injury. He's facing the summer off, might as well play.

[cjw]

Nah, he's useless on one leg

Guy relies on athleticism that much that while he's more useful than the other junk OKC will throw out at his position, he can't turn the tide. If Thunder do win, it will be Russ and KD going off with a high teens game from a guy like Jackson. Everyone is talking about Ibaka anchoring the D, but their offense badly needs his ability to stretch the floor.

[look_at_g_shred]

Of course he is playing. IBAKA is close to fully healed.

okcs best chance to win is tomorrow. They probably will

[SpurPadre]

He'll play and take 11 shots again...except this time, he'll be 4-11 instead.

[poop]

Yes and no

[spurs10]

He thinks he's coming back because he believes in God. Did God not want him to play during the last two routs? Maybe God doesn't want injured players to play, if so he might be in trouble.

[BC3]

bring on the gimp.if he plays and spurs win medias excuse will e he wasn't 100percent that's why they lost. lame shit. spurs are for real. let me know when media finally figures this out.

[KaiRMD1]

I'd say yes, Brooks will most likely make sure Ibaka plays. Ol' sport has already run Durant ragged

[admiralsnackbar]

Who cares?

[dg7md]

I doubt it, it seems too late into a series. He should have played in game 2 if he were going to play at all. It'd be kind of stupid to risk further injury on a rusty player.


It's up to the team doctors. If they say he's cleared, he will play. Scotty is probably fighting for his job as strange as that may sound. He's going to sacrifice his rook to stay afloat. It's a shame too, because Serge could be a dominant force in the league for years to come. OKC could get a real coach and be the team to beat in the West as soon as the Spurs ride into the sunset.

[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]"Right now I'm waiting for the team doctor to confirm, and also it's depending on whether I will go tomorrow, day by day, and see," Ibaka said. "It's 100 percent going to hurt. For sure if the doctor gives me the OK and I feel better tomorrow, I will be 100 percent with the pain for sure, but like I said, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my team."

It would be absolutely insane to play if he feels as much pain as he's saying, nothing good could come from it aside from revving up the other players, which might be why he's dangling this in front of them. No man should play with an injury if he says it will hurt "100 percent" to play. Ridiculous, this isn't game 7 of the NBA Finals.

[Anonymous Cowherd]

Won't play first half. Second half they'll see if they need to roll that dice.

[Mal]

He wont play.

[Strategic]

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608018759112591868&pid=15.1

[Old School 44]

I think he will play, but just a short stint to lift the crowd. For personal reasons, he shouldn't play at all. Can you imagine what kind of contract leverage he would have if he doesn't play and the Spurs continue their onslaught and sweep?

[will_spurs]

If he plays, does the crowd break into MVP chants?

[siraulo23]

yah without a doubt

[The_Coyote]

27pts, 18rbs, 7blks, 5stls, 1PF in 32 minutes tonight for the real MVP. By the end of the night, Sportscenter will have run several segments cleverly titled with puns based on Ibaka's name and his calf-condition. The Thunder will then go on to win seven straight after tonight, with Ibaka given FMVP after blocking a finals record 50 shots, 20 of them against Lebron.

[benstanfield]

If he plays it is a sign of something beyond desperation and a classless way to manage a franchise. Either they actively lied about the severity of the injury, or they are risking the young career of their most important player because hey, 2014 is the last NBA season right?

There is no way Pop would let Ibaka touch the court in game 3 if he were a Spur. He certainly wouldn't let Ibaka leave it up to Sky Wizard whether he plays or not.

If Ibaka a) plays and b) is effective & not a liability, I will be absolutely stunned. Like, ELE shocked.

[poop]

They have built this up too much for him NOT to play.

If they dont play him tomorrow, it will suck the emotion out of their team and their fans

[Knoxxx]

The game is tonight

[baseline bum]

He's going to play. Oklahoma's season is over if they lose tonight.

[wildchild]

469889896933388288

Nah man, the Big Guy is on our side.

http://i.imgur.com/cQLNadp.jpg

[peacemaker885]

Yes. We still sweep. I think him playing is more of s motivatiion for the Spurs rather than for the Thunder.

[EVAY]

"Right now I'm waiting for the team doctor to confirm, and also it's depending on whether I will go tomorrow, day by day, and see," Ibaka said. "It's 100 percent going to hurt. For sure if the doctor gives me the OK and I feel better tomorrow, I will be 100 percent with the pain for sure, but like I said, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my team."

All that is corporate talk about being the martyr for the team. Ibaka mentioned pain enough times that the team will likely see that as an admission that he shouldn't be out there, but is willing to if allowed.

Or he could have been told to mention the pain a lot so that the comeback will be even more inspirational than ever, i.e., "the wounded warrior" uplift.

[xmas1997]

Geeez, people on here coming up with all kinds of bizarre reasoning.
:lol

[Spurs9]

Did you guys see him walking at the practice facility yesterday? He had a hardcore limp. He may be out there for less than a minute so he can try to "rally:cry: the thunder. He will come in the 2nd quarter, and then sit his ass on the bench as "precautionary". OKC still Clinging to the remote possibility some gimp giant can will them to prevent westbrook from chunking and lower the margin of victory from :lol35:lol

[Knoxxx]

He will be a shadow of himself if he can limp out there. If Ibaka plays I think we win by 30 rather than 20. OKC will be completely crushed after that and we will then fulfill the sweep.

[baseline bum]

Did you guys see him walking at the practice facility yesterday? He had a hardcore limp. He may be out there for less than a minute so he can try to "rally:cry: the thunder. He will come in the 2nd quarter, and then sit his ass on the bench as "precautionary". OKC still Clinging to the remote possibility some gimp giant can will them to prevent westbrook from chunking and lower the margin of victory from :lol35:lol

Doesn't look like too bad a limp tbh

http://vine.co/v/Mw6phAXpDmP

[Mugen]

I don' think he's run on it or gone through any contact drills. All the reports are of him just shooting around.

That said, I fully expect OKC to trot him out there because they're a desperate team right now tbh.

[21209]

Even if he does return, the Spurs are ready for him.

I think they've done plenty of preparation as most of the players and coaches didn't believe for a minute that he wasn't going to play at some point in this series.

Loved Pop's sarcastic remark about being shocked and surprised about Ibaka's potential return.

[Knoxxx]

OMG he's dragging it like a peg leg! :lmao

[Knoxxx]

Doesn't look like too bad a limp tbh

http://vine.co/v/Mw6phAXpDmP

Look again dude he's dragging/swinging it stiff legged with the good leg!

[look_at_g_shred]

Dude is all stiffed lol...bring him in! Good luck buddy

[jag]

I don't think he plays. I'd like to see him play though, mostly for the circus of it all.

[xmas1997]

I hate to say it, but I think they play him out of desperation.

[Knoxxx]

Dude is all stiffed lol...bring him in! Good luck buddy

At least he gets to wear that stylish lower leg sleeve! And he can finally get a nickname: The peg legged pirate from Congo (near Somalia)!

(i know i know not the most catchy but seems to fit)

(tiny silver linings are all that's left for the Funder...)

[smaka]

He's gonna be this year's David Lee, I've been saying this... He will play limited minutes, will boost the crowd but won't have impact. And yes, he plays today, imo.

[Spurs9]

OMG he's dragging it like a peg leg! :lmao
Exactly, no video of him running. I hope they put him in tbh

[Assman]

He'll play.

[SsKSpurs21]

He'll play.

ESPN reporting that he WILL play.

[cd98]

He doesn't have to block shots to be effective. As long as he can knock down jumpers, he'll open the court for Westbrook and Durrant. If he can be slow, but physical and make jump shots, he'll be effective.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Ibaka dropping truth bombs...


"One thing I'm going to say ... I've been hearing a lot of people saying my team lost two games because I was out," Ibaka said. "It's not true. It's not true. I believe in my guys. I believe in my teammates, that they can do better, with me or without me. It's not an excuse because Serge Ibaka was not there. It's just that San Antonio the first two games, they played better basketball. We need to give them a lot of credit."

[Rummpd]

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10982739/serge-ibaka-participates-oklahoma-city-thunder-shootaround-expects-play-game-3-vs-san-antonio-spurs


he is playing - how well and how long is another story

[xmas1997]

Unfortunately most of us have also seen the Spurs have let downs for whatever reason on many inopportune occasions.
This could happen.

[cd98]

"Ibaka, who said Saturday he had not practiced or even done any running, did end-to-end running on Sunday and a full shooting workout without any noticeable limp."

[cd021]

Did you guys see him walking at the practice facility yesterday? He had a hardcore limp. He may be out there for less than a minute so he can try to "rally:cry: the thunder. He will come in the 2nd quarter, and then sit his ass on the bench as "precautionary". OKC still Clinging to the remote possibility some gimp giant can will them to prevent westbrook from chunking and lower the margin of victory from :lol35:lol

he wasn't limping very much in a vine i saw. He may play 10-15 minutes.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Something very interesting I read in the ESPN article was that he said "it was my decision over the coach and doctors mainly" - meaning the doctors probably gave him some sort of incentive or opinion that he should not play. This is just a guess, obviously.

[cd98]

Spurs going into the Lion's den where they have lost aplenty of late. They will go in with the right mindset, and will only lose if Thunderef beats them. Spurs won't go in without being mentally prepared for a dogfight.

[Ron Swanson]

The league is so impressed with Ibaka's recovery, they take one of the first two wins away from us. OKC in 5.

[cd98]

Something very interesting I read in the ESPN article was that he said "it was my decision over the coach and doctors mainly" - meaning the doctors probably gave him some sort of incentive or opinion that he should not play. This is just a guess, obviously.

Doctors probably said playing won't do structural damage, but it will hurt and hamper some speed, and so it's his call if he can deal with the pain.

[cd98]

I had a similar injury. I could play half court okay, but it hurt like crazy to run. I played a few games, but ultimately had to sit out of basketball for a few months for it to heal.

[CGD]

After all the hoopla he's at least suiting up. Could you imagine the emotional let down for OKC if he doesn't? They may have him start symbolically, but I can't imagine he'd play long.

The 3 day rest + Ibaka drama = golden opportunity for the spurs.

[Andthentherewas21]

Unless they grossly exaggerated his injury, he'd be stupid to come back. Even if there's no risk of him injuring his calf further, he is going to have to overcompensate with the other muscles and will risk damaging those. For a guy whose defensive prowess is predicated on athleticism, he's throwing away his future if he loses any it.

[Russ]

SERGE IBAKA EXPECTS TO PLAY GAME 3

By Royce Young | Special to ESPN.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder forward Serge Ibaka participated in shootaround Sunday and said, barring any setbacks, he will play against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

"I'm trying to put my mind ready and if I'm going to feel better later, I'm going to go," said Ibaka, who has a left calf strain. "For now, we're going to see if I feel better, because normally when you do this kind of workout, sometimes you can have pain later.

"So I'm going to see how I feel later and then I'm going to decide."
Ibaka, who was initially expected to miss the remainder of the postseason because of the calf injury, which occurred against the Los Angeles Clippers on May 15, had his status unexpectedly upgraded to day to day on Friday.

While he's still listed as day to day, Ibaka is now essentially a game-time decision for Game 3.

"It is my decision. At this point, it is my decision more than Coach [Scott Brooks] or the doctor. So it is my decision," Ibaka said. "And like I said, I went through some offense and defense this morning with my teammates. I'm going to put some ice [on the calf] and see how I'm going to feel later."

Ibaka said Saturday that he would be willing to play through pain as long as he got clearance from the team's medical staff.

"It's 100 percent going to hurt," he said Saturday. "For sure if the doctor gives me the OK and I feel better tomorrow, I will be 100 percent with the pain for sure, but like I said, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my team."

Ibaka, who said Saturday he had not practiced or even done any running, did end-to-end running on Sunday and a full shooting workout without any noticeable limp.

The Thunder trail the Spurs 2-0, the losses by an average of 26 points. The Spurs have shredded the Thunder's typically sound defense, scoring almost at will inside the paint in the best-of-seven series.
Ibaka, who has led the league in total blocks for four consecutive seasons, has been badly missed on the defensive interior.

"I would try to bring my teammates some defensive mentality," Ibaka said. "The most important thing against this team is defense. I'm sure you saw the last two games in San Antonio, so we really need defense tonight."

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10982739/serge-ibaka-participates-oklahoma-city-thunder-shootaround-expects-play-game-3-vs-san-antonio-spurs

[coachmac87]

Ibaka won't be the difference of the Spurs winning or losing.

But even if he plays game 3...would he play game 4? Thunder need him to play 4-5 games lol. I honestly don't think he can deal with the soreness and pain for the rest of the series

[xmas1997]

I Knew it.

[dynamodr3w]

negative..let me tell you from a medical stand point why he won't play much. He is at risk for tearing the muscle further, and in a worst case scenario he can rupture his achilles if not careful. He will play limited minutes...just like david lee last season. They will clear him to give an "emotional" lift, to get the crowd in it , etc. don't expect him to play more than 20minutes. Not gonna happen. Having a hematoma to your calf if serious business even if it significantly shrinks 1 week later.

[Spurs9]

"Just give the Thunder game 3 for Ibakas he:cryroi:crys :lol"

[EVAY]

Unless they grossly exaggerated his injury, he'd be stupid to come back. Even if there's no risk of him injuring his calf further, he is going to have to overcompensate with the other muscles and will risk damaging those. For a guy whose defensive prowess is predicated on athleticism, he's throwing away his future if he loses any it.

But that's just it. I think they grossly exaggerated his injury.

[baseline bum]

Proud of that man. This is a great sports (and human) story. Go get 'em, Serge.

[Capster]

I think he will play, but just a short stint to lift the crowd. For personal reasons, he shouldn't play at all. Can you imagine what kind of contract leverage he would have if he doesn't play and the Spurs continue their onslaught and sweep?

I totally agree with OS44. Media stint, that's all!