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Stop Me If You've Heard This Story Before

The Los Angeles Lakers came into yesterday's game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder down 1 game & looking to fight back after a humiliating loss.  Unlike the last game, this was a low-scoring affair.  The two teams combined for 209 points in game 1 & just 152 in game 2.  The prevailing message after this game, a game in which we saw the Thunder rally from 7 points down with just 2 minutes left to win, is that the Lakers cannot beat Oklahoma City.  It seems as though the Thunder are younger, deeper, more cohesive, & just plain better than the Lakers.

Remember game 2 between the Pacers & Heat?  A low-scoring game, superstars not showing up down the stretch, & an unlikely player taking the final shot being the headline of the game?  This Lakers/Thunder game 2 is eerily similar to that.  During the Thunder comeback, there were no issues with their superstar, the MVP runner-up, Kevin Durant.  Durant, who finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds, & 5 assists, hit a floater just outside the paint with just 18 seconds left that gave the Thunder a 1 point lead.  Durant scored the final 9 points for this Thunder team, playing very much like an MVP.  Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, struggled.  He was guarded by Durant the whole night & had a very mediocre shooting night, going just 9-25 from the field for 20 points.  It was the Lakers ineptitude to perform during the final several minutes of the 4th quarter that did them in, missing on their final 6 possessions.  Kobe just wasn't very Kobe-like in this game.  James Harden managed to block a Bryant jumper which led to the Thunder cutting the lead to just 1 & it was a missed 3 point shot from Kobe that led to Durant putting the Thunder up for good.  

A raucous Oklahoma City crowd, perfectly sequenced in white & blue, sat in anticipation as the Lakers gathered for the final shot.  The Lakers were only down by 1 & had the ball coming off a timeout.  Metta World Peace had the ball standing out of bounds & gazed ahead of him & saw Thabo Sefolosha draped all over Kobe Bryant.  Down by 1, Steve Blake received the pass from World Peace & fired a corner 3, which bounced off the rim & into the hands of Kevin Durant.  Thunder win, up 2-0 in the series.

Kobe Bryant was visibly upset when he saw Blake had gotten the shot over him, but fact of the matter is this, he wasn't open.  It was a bad playcall coming off the timeout & bad management of timeouts from the Lakers, considering they couldn't call one once they saw Kobe wasn't open.  Blake finished the game 1-5 from behind the arc & should not have been the man to take that final shot.  The fact that the Lakers settled for a low percentage shot like that, when they shot only 25% in the 4th quarter is just absurd.  They handed the Thunder this game & probably the series.  6 turnovers in the final quarter is not the play of a championship team.  The Thunder have blown out the Lakers & now stolen a game from them, they're in the Lakers psyche & this series is going to be over sooner, rather than later.

And This Happened...

Celtics win pivotal game 3 against 76ers - The Lakers & Thunder were the main event last night, but the undercard had a pretty noteworthy story to tell as well.  The Celtics went on the road against the hot 76ers team in Philadelphia & won game 3 pretty handily for the 2-1 series lead.  I didn't personally find the Celtics to be all that impressive in their opening round series against the Atlanta Hawks, I thought they looked like a fragile & very beatable team.  This game 3 is starting to change my outlook on Boston.  Kevin Garnett has found the fountain of youth, it seems, as he is dominating.  27 points & 13 rebounds for Garnett is fantastic & led the Celtics to an easy 107-91 victory over the rattled 76ers.  24 points & 12 rebounds from Paul Pierce, who threw down 2 impressive dunks in the game, & 23 points from Rajon Rondo with 14 assists & 6 rebounds shows that the Celtics may just have a little bit left in the tank to make one final run.

Larry Bird wins Executive of the Year award - Larry Bird is the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers & was honored for his impeccable job of creating a contending team in Indiana. He is now the only person to ever have won Executive of the Year, MVP, & Coach of the Year in his career.  Michael Jordan may have had a better playing career than Bird, but MJ should probably take some notes from Larry on how to run a basketball team.

New Jersey Devils defeat New York Rangers to even series - The New York Rangers came into game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals up 1-0, but the Devils managed to knock in the game-winning goal in the 3rd period to even up the series.  Martin Brodeur, a sure-fire Hall of Fame goalie when he retires, came up big for the Devils as he was able to hold the Rangers scoreless in 2 of the 3 periods.  A no-look kick save while he was on his stomach was the highlight of the night & one of the better saves you'll ever see.  David Clarkson managed to tip-in the winning goal early in the 3rd period & the teams take the short ride over to New Jersey for the all too important game 3.

X-rays negative for Will Rhymes - Not exactly the sexiest story, I know, but it was far too bizarre not to talk about.  A very scary situation occurred in Tampa Bay last night when Rays 2B Will Rhymes was hit by a pitch in his right elbow by Boston reliever Franklin Morales.  There was an audible pop when the ball hit his elbow & Rhymed was clearly in pain.  He managed to shake it off, a bit, & took his stride to 1st base.  A few moments later he came off 1st base towards his dugout, singling to his manager Joe Maddon that something might be wrong.  Just then, his knees began to buckle & his 1st base coach needed to grab him to prevent Rhymes from falling to the ground.  Will seemingly had passed out on the field & the medical staff rushed to his aid as the game halted & the players looked on.  Luckily, Rhymes regained consciousness & was speaking to the trainers before he was taken off the field on a cart with a very visible bruise forming on this elbow.  It was later revealed that Rhymes had an adrenaline rush which caused his dizziness, but miraculously, x-rays were negative on his elbow.  Here's to a speedy recovery for Rhymes, who has commandeered the starting spot at 2nd base for the AL East leading Rays.