Los Angeles Lakers-Oklahoma City Thunder Game 6 Preview
After the Oklahoma City Thunder gave the L.A. Lakers a real spanking in game 4 of the NBA playoffs by beating them by 21 points, Thunder fans suddenly had great confidence that their Thunder could actually win this playoff series and knock out the defending NBA champions in the first round of the playoffs. Why not? Their youth and quickness seemed to be a little to much for Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers in the game 4 blow out victory. Sport Betting odds were in favor of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder did what they were supposed to do by defending their home court and winning games 3 and 4. The series was then sent back to Staples Center for game 5. The Lakers seemed like they were tired and the Thunder were full of confidence. Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Thunder started and it was nothing like what we had seen the previous two games.
The Lakers came back to life and looked like the world champions that they are. Pau Gasol ended the game with 25 points and shot a solid 10 for 16 from the field. Bryant added 21 points on 8 for 10 shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds. Kobe was back to his normal self after a terrible game 4 where he had only 12 points.
Kobe made this game fun for himself after suggesting to coach Phil Jackson that he guard Thunder guard Westbrook. Jackson accepted, and the decision paid off. Westbrook still got 15 points in the game, but had to struggle for those points on 4 for 13 shooting from the field and commited 8 turnovers. Kobe wasn’t the only one responsible though; the whole Lakers team was bodied up on Westbrook and smothered him every time he tried to get a fast break going. The Lakers were not scared to hit and bang in this one and seemed like a team with an agenda. Kevin Durant also struggled in the game; he ended the game with 17 points still though. In the end, the Lakers showed everyone why they are the defending NBA champions by winning game 5 with a final score of 111-87.
What does the Thunder need to do in order to win game 6? First off, they can not miss the first 13 shots of the game like they did in game 5. They also can not trail 31-16 at the end of the first quarter or this series is over. They are young and athletic and will need to find a way to use that to their advantage. Game 6 is Friday at Ford Center, where the Thunder have to win to stay alive and send this series back to Los Angeles for a game 7.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.