The 2013 NBA Playoffs have not been kind to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A team with a hungry superstar was dealt a devastating blow when point guard Russell Westbrook went down with a torn meniscus in his right knee, virtually ending his season. Now Oklahoma City is no longer the favorite in the Western Conference as the No. 1 seed since the San Antonio Spurs are seemingly healthy and they won two games against the Thunder in their Conference Finals meeting last year.
The Thunder simply outran the Spurs in Games 3 through 6 in that series, but that task will be much tougher without Westbrook, who is one of the fastest players in the league. Oklahoma City’s task of guarding Tony Parker is also a lot more difficult now and that could easily be the difference in the series, especially if Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan keep rolling and the Spurs get more rest with another short series in the Conference Semis.
Oklahoma City was easily on pace to sweep the Houston Rockets in their opening-round playoff series, but was unable to break out the brooms in Game 4 without Westbrook. One loss doesn’t define a season or postseason, but it was clear the Thunder missed Westbrook in the game as Kevin Durant was under entirely too much pressure to score. It’s ironic Oklahoma City is now in desperate need of offense and James Harden is on the other team in this same series.
Put simply, Durant’s vow to stop finishing second probably won’t be fulfilled in these playoffs.
