Just when the Oklahoma City Thunder looked like they were starting to take over their first round series against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, they got blown out by 24 points.  The Lakers proved to be the more dominant team in their 111-87 rout over the Thunder last night in game five.  After going up 2-0, the Lakers looked like they expected the Thunder to just give up and let the Lakers sweep them.  Well, Kevin Durant and the Thunder showed they will bow down to no team, especially the Lakers.  After the Thunder won a close one in game three and blew them out in game four, they sent the Lakers a message that they were going to have to fight for this series.  The Lakers looked like they got the message and they looked much more determined last night, especially defensively.  The Lakers looked like the defending champions once again, and the Thunder looked over-matched.  Kevin Durant was defended very well and was forced into a 5-14 shooting night for only 17 points.  Russel Westbrook’s speed and athleticism was slowed down almost completely when the Lakers put Kobe Bryant on him for much of the game.  Westbrook had been killing the Lakers’ guards the past few games, put Kobe showed why he is one of the best in the league by shutting Westbrook down.  After the game 5 blowout, things don’t look good for the Thunder.  The Lakers look bound and determined once again, and I think they have too many weapons for the Thunder to handle.  Not too many people thought the Thunder would even make it this far though, so you never know if Durant and the Thunder can muster together some more magic and take the Lakers to a game seven.

Scott Brooks is the NBA’s Coach of the Year and he definitely deserved it. Brooks led the Thunder to a 50-32 record which was a stunning 27 game improvement over the year before. Brooks definitely learned hard lessons last season when he took over a Thunder team that was 1-12. The Thunder improved under Brooks last season finishing 22-47 under him. On a lot of nights the Thunder looked overmatched on paper personnel wise this season but they still came out on top. It appears that Brooks’ young roster loves playing for him so he might win this award again in the near future.

The Thunder were outstanding last night as the Lakers never had a chance. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder in this game with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots as he didn’t shoot near as much as usual. Russell Westbrook was solid running the offense once again with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in this game. Jeff Green had his best game of this series with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. James Harden (15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals) and Eric Maynor (13 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist) were both solid off the bench for the Thunder in this game. The Thunder are now tied 2-2 in this series and they definitely have the momentum.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 27-21 in the fourth quarter last night on their way to a impressive victory as they appeared to want this game more. The Thunder also hit the glass outrebounding the bigger Lakers 53-39 last night. Kevin Durant only shot 8 of 24 from the floor last night but he still finished up with 29 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists. Russell Westbrook was also incredible for the Thunder last night finishing with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in this game. James Harden was outstanding off the bench for the Thunder as he had 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 32 minutes. The Thunder are now down 2-1 in this series as they are back in it now.

The Thunder left everything on the floor last night before just falling short. The Thunder shot only 39.2% from the floor but it was almost good enough to win. They played great defense as they held the Lakers to 37.5% and they blocked 17 of the Lakers’ shots last night. But, the Thunder were outrebounded 49-37 last night and that hurt. Kevin Durant was back to his old self last night as he finished up with 32 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 4 blocked shots. Russell Westbrook was solid again running the show on offense with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Jeff Green pitched in with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists last night. The Thunder are now down 2-0 in this series as it will shift to Oklahoma City over the weekend.