Thunder vs. Lakers: Game 5 Analysis
I really am pretty shocked. Well, maybe not. But pretty much I am. This game sums up why basketball and I have a love/hate relationship. 98% of the time I truly love the game and everything that makes it up. Making shots in basketball can largely be attributed to good spacing, form, and passing. Even with those things, confidence is the 
biggest determinant in whether you make or miss a shot. In basketball, it’s not about which team is better. It’s about which team THINKS that they’re better. The more confident team always wins. The Thunder got gun shy last night after a few shots were clunkers at Staples. That’s the trouble with a young team. The reason that the vets win is not because they’re faster or more talented. They win because they aren’t easily rattled.
We’ve seen the young Thunder persevere many times this year in games against superior opponents. But, at the end of the day, do regular season games really matter? The young squad didn’t feel the pressure earlier in the year. They weren’t even expected to make the playoffs. Even late in the year they stumbled slightly down the stretch with those late season losses. This is the first time that these guys have felt this kind of pressure as a team. Sure, they rose to the challenge in games 3 and 4, but game 5 was different. They could feel the magnitude of what they were on the verge of doing and it affected them.
I’m sure that all of you were hoping for an analysis of the numbers and a quarter by quarter breakdown of trends, but this game isn’t about the numbers. I hope that game 6 is a good one. These guy need more big game experience. The regular season really doesn’t matter that much. Apparently seeding doesn’t matter either. The 1 and 2 seeds very well could still lose despite their good records. A close game 6 win would solidify the Thunder as a rising star in the NBA.
Scott Brooks does have to combat the genius of Kobe and Phil versus Russell Westbrook. Unfortunately there might not be an answer for that in this particular season. Luckily, this problem has come to light early in Russell’s career. Everyone knows that he can’t hit the outside shot, but only Kobe and a few select others have the athleticism and guile to back off and use the angles to negate Westbrook’s quickness. Hopefully, Brooks and Westbrook will work on that shot this summer. He would then be unstoppable. Until then, let’s hope that the Thunder can keep it close in game 6 and 7.
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