The see-saw swing of the NBA is in full force right now as the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers gear up for what could be a pivotal Game 3 at the Staples Center. We don’t have to go into Lakers history, with the championships and media attention and the domination of NBA basketball on the West Coast and beyond. But we do have to consider what’s going on with LA right now, which is that they’ve been convincingly beaten at crunch time by a stubborn and physical Thunder that never seem to be put away.Fans with Thunder at Lakers tickets will see what could be a game that changes the face of the NBA as we know it.
The Los Angeles Lakers hit Oklahoma City full bore last night, holding a comfortable seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Not a blowout but an NBA team with designs on a championship should have been able to keep the other team at bay for the remaining two minutes. LA couldn’t do it. The Oklahoma City Thunder rolled up their sleeves at that point and rattled off the last nine points of the game, capping it with a Kevin Durant basket that sealed the game with 18 seconds on the clock.
What are we seeing here? The Lakers have been in many a tough series over the years but falling behind in this one could be deadly. The Thunder are big and tough on defense. they’ll be carrying some swagger into the Staples Center and a loss on their home court could spell the end of the Lakers as we know them. Realistically, LA doesn’t even own the franchise on LA basketball anymore as the Clippers have now made enough noise to begin to compete for roundball interest in the city. It’s going to take a major spark for the Lakers to regain their footing. Even a win is not enough. Los Angeles has to own this series. If they don’t, some NBA fans will have a memento in Thunder at Lakers tickets, a stub that saw the change in the NBA come in at full force.
{ 0 comments }