LA/OKC Thoughts from a Laker fan

[LoneStarState'sPride]

03 the spurs and lakers were tied 2-2 with spurs coming out in top in game 5

Was gonna say just this, but Hornswoggle beat me to it. Every series in the Spurs' 03 le run went 6, with all but one series being tied at 2 apiece (only exception being the mavs series in the wcf)

[Killakobe81]

i agre OKC is my 2nd favorite ...remind me of of the glory Sonic years but durant may be better than Payton or Kemp ...

But we should have taken the 3-0 lead when we had the chance it was the Lakers own fault now OKC is confident

[Metheny]

Let me first say that OKC has been my 2nd favorite team all year. It ing sucks that they had to play the Lakers and I couldn't root for them. Energy, hustle, athleticism...soooo fun to watch.

Now...

Why is everyone so surprised?

-The Lakers finished the year 3-7

-The Lakers played .500 ball for what - the last month and a half?

-OKC only finished 7 games behind the Lakers

Is this really such a HUGE upset? Maybe if Kobe was healthy (not using this as an excuse) but with this Laker team right now, OKC is RIGHT THERE with them.

They have won 10 of the 16 quarters vs. the Lakers this series.

They are HUNGRIER.

Their strengths play to the Lakers weaknesses to a T.

I don't get why this is such a big deal. I made bets with a few friends of mine that OKC will win this series.

OKC can't win on the road? They were a shot or a break away from winning game 2. Scott Brooks press conference? "All we gotta do is win ONE in LA." These guys have a swagger and confidence that they are winning game 6 no matter what. The Lakers cannot beat them in OKC in their minds.

Before the series started I honestly thought thats what would have been missing. I didn't think OKC would truly BELIEVE they could beat the Lakers. Looks like the Lakers let them have that belief....

***For the people saying Kobe is trying to prove a point...PLEASE. Stop with the nonsense. Guy is EXTREMELY COMPE IVE. Would never do that.

IMO he ing has NO CLUE how to balance his game. It is ing INSANITY. Its shoot everytime down the floor or don't shoot at all. He use to do this perfectly with Shaq...now he ing UGHHH can't do it. its frustrating as .

-I was all about Artest last offseason. I was wrong. The guy is shooting 10% from 3pt land. TEN PERCENT. Durant isn't even guarding him. OKC has 4 guys just CAMPED in the paint. We RARELY get easy buckets. And whatever Artest has given us on defense, his value is immediately erased on the otherside of the floor.

Without a doubt IMO Ariza woul be shooting 45-50% from 3pt land in these playoffs. He worked with Craig Hodges and REALLY improved his shot. + he was athletic enough to fill a lane and get a BUNCH of easy baskets for us last year. Did you guys see Artest's layup all by his lonesome today? He ing almost missed it.

When we lose, Phil go take it your $12 mil and stick up your ing asshole you lazy piece of . Refusing to take a paycut IN SPARE ME. Getting ABSOLUTELY OUTCLASSED by scotty brooks ABO ELY getting ted on by the rookie playoff coach. Unbelievable...

Final thought:

Fans who think this is another Houston situation where Lakers will just crush them at home got a WHOLE other thing coming to em....just wait until game 5....

If the lakers win again youll be back on jackson kobe and now artest's you know what

your funny.

[baseline bum]

I disagree. When considering which would be a bigger upset, it seems reasonable and unavoidable to look at a broader context. LOL, how could you claim x is or is not the greatest upset in NBA playoff history...without considering NBA history?

So the Lakers history (especially their recent history as champs) is relevant. Knocking out the Champion Lakers, Kobe and PJ is a much greater accomplishment than slaying the lowly Mavs IMO. Yes, the Warriors were just a 8th seed flameout, but they were not playoff rookies as the Thunder are. SJAX played an integral part on a Championship team, remember?

Dallas was 25 wins (more than 30% of a full season!) better than Golden State. I can't think of another single series in NBA history when the favorite was that much better than the underdog and lost. Not even in the old 3 and 5 game series the NBA had back in the day. GS was a pretty weak team that snuck into the playoffs the last day, while OKC has been consistently strong all season.