The Thunder trailed 75-68 with 2:08 left to play in the game. The Lakers did not score the rest of the way.

Kevin Durant made a 7-foot runner with 18 seconds left to put the Thunder ahead 76-75.

The Lakers had a chance to take the lead on the next possession and elected to go with an open Steve Blake in the corner shooting a 3-pointer. He missed the open look and the Thunder rebounded the miss and sealed the victory.

Durant didn’t shoot a lot in the game but led the Thunder with 22 points and also had five assists and seven rebounds.

Russell Westbrook, who was the biggest matchup issue for the Lakers in Game 1, scored just 15 points in Game 2 and went 5-for-17 from the field.

Despite trailing in the fourth and not a lot happening on offense, Oklahoma City went with James Harden as the primary ball handler down the stretch. He came through with some tough lay-ins and finished the game with 13 points.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 20 points apiece in the game. Bryant again was not efficient going 9-for-25 from the field.

This was a game that the Thunder should not have won and would not have won a year ago. This team is different though. They know how to tough out games like this. With their backs against the wall they rise to the occasion.

Game 3 will be Friday in Los Angeles with Game 4 the next day on Saturday. Los Angeles isn’t excited to play back-to-back at their age and the Thunder should have no problem taking at least one on the road.

Thunder survive Game 2 vs. Lakers, up 2-0 heading to L.A. - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

The Thunder won Game 1 by an impressive 29 points and played near perfect basketball.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Russell Westbrook scored 27 points to lead the Thunder. Both were on their game and focused early on shooting very well from the field.

The Lakers tried to establish their inside game early and did a decent job of doing so but were unable to sustain it and once the game was out of hand it no longer mattered. Assuming the Thunder don’t shoot quite as well as in Game 1, Andrew Bynum’s 20-point, 14-rebound performance could be an issue for the Thunder to deal with.

Kendrick Perkins is a game-time decision tonight after re-aggravating his right strained hip in the third quarter of Game 1. His defense on Bynum and Pau Gasol will be much needed for the Thunder to win again.

The Thunder don’t need to double-team anyone on the Lakers including Kobe Bryant. Bryant shot 30 percent against Oklahoma City in the regular season and scored just 20 points in Game 1.

Thabo Sefolosha can get up into Bryant enough to make it difficult and without the same first step from earlier in his career, Bryant has to settle for more jump shots and is less effective.

The Thunder play great at home and while it will be tough for them to exactly replicate Game 1 they should still win again. A loss is a loss but a 29-point blowout says something more like the Thunder are the superior team in this series by far.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game 2 Preview - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

World Peace and Harden have been connected ever since World Peace connected with a vicious elbow on Harden late in the regular season. World Peace was suspended seven games and returned to the court for the second time in Game 1 in Oklahoma City Monday night.

World Peace said he wouldn’t shake Harden’s hand before the game because he doesn’t shake “substitutes’” hands. As fate would have it, the two were matched up often during the Thunder’s 29-point Game 1 win.

This elbow wasn’t as bad by World Peace but a sign that he isn’t backing down in any way from his characteristic physical style of play.

World Peace even seemed more locked in while hearing the boo birds making two 3-pointers in the opening quarter of Game 1. World Peace also hurt the Thunder while playing against the second unit that Harden leads by banging down low and using his strength.

Harden and the Thunder got the best of the Lakers in Game 1 and Harden played well himself. He scored 17 points and was aggressive getting to the line 10 times and making nine of those attempts.

Expect Mike Brown to look to continue putting World Peace on the court when Harden is out there. The Thunder often go small with Harden in and he essentially is matched up with forwards when he is in.

The Lakers don’t go small much and usually start Pau Gasol in the second and fourth quarters at the four. The Lakers had success with Gasol and World Peace out there with their second unit and that will mean more of World Peace and Harden guarding each other.

As of right now it seems to be the only edge LA could have going inside to World Peace. If some of these next few games are close and resemble physical playoff basketball, don’t be surprised if World Peace and Harden continue to exchange chippy plays.

Metta World Peace, James Harden and more elbows being thrown - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

I think all season long everybody in basketball thought Oklahoma City was the best team in the west, but were they mature enough to show that? I think last night, I think everybody right now, I think it’s going to be a San Antonio-Oklahoma City thing. San Antonio is playing with so much flow and rhythm and rhythmatic offense and their defense is not great but it is solid. It’s still a pretty good defensive team. Their offense is so in flow right now I love watching San Antonio play. And this is the time of year where there’s a separation and I’m not ready to sign the contract but I’m pretty sure Oklahoma City is a higher degree than everybody else right now, along with, probably, San Antonio. … I’m very prejudiced toward the west. I’ll be honest with you, I think there’s four or five teams in the West that can beat Miami.

I agree with Karl that the West is far better than the East and that Miami would have a better chance of not making the NBA Finals if they were in the Western Conference.

The Thunder and Spurs have looked better than anyone else recently and their eventual Western Conference Finals meeting will probably be the best series we’ll see all season.

And with the injury to Chris Bosh for the Miami Heat, they are going to have a very tough time even making the NBA Finals now.

George Karl: Thunder and Spurs are the only real contenders left - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Perkins re-aggravated his strained right hip that he suffered against Dallas in the last round when he went up for a dunk in the third quarter of Game 1 against the Lakes.

Scott Brooks said in practice yesterday that Perkins would be a game-time decision tonight.

Perkins is very valuable for Oklahoma City especially against the Lakers in this series. Andrew Bynum was one of the only bright sports for the Lakers in Game 1 and Perkins is the man assigned to cover him.

Nazr Mohammed did play well in Game 1 however and will be getting the minutes Perkins does if he doesn’t play.

Kendrick Perkins injury update: Perkins is a game-time decision for Game 2 - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

You can also download the podcast here.

FanSided NBA Podcast: Heat-Pacers and Spurs-Clippers - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Indiana Pacers have surprised a lot of people this season. Last night, they beat Miami at home 78-75 to even the series at a game apiece.

The Miami Heat were without Chris Bosh for the game and may not get him back for the rest of the series. They did seem to miss him as Bosh was someone who was going to be a tough matchup for the Pacers.

LeBron James scored 28 points to go with nine rebounds, five assists and six steals in the game but was not the one head coach Erik Spoelstra was designing the plays down the stretch for.

Dwyane Wade was that guy and finished the game with 24 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Wade had a chance to tie the game with 16 seconds to play and missed a driving layup with George Hill covering him.

Neither team played exceptionally well again with the low scoring but you have to credit Indiana for pulling this one out and playing great defense.

The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 50-40 in the game and took advantage running the floor to with 13 fast break points.

Indiana is closer to even with the Heat now that Bosh is out but the Heat could still win this series. It just got a lot tougher and if they don’t improve from Game 2, the Pacers could easily pull off the upset.

Soobum-Im-US PRESSWIRE

The San Antonio Spurs once again looked like the best team in basketball last night beating the Los Angeles Clippers 108-92 in Game 1 of their series.

Tim Duncan had another throwback game scoring 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and two blocks.

The Spurs play the best basketball in the NBA and have the personnel to pull it off with fantastic ball movement, perimeter shooting and decision-making in general.

The matchup between Chris Paul and Tony Parker was highly anticipated but didn’t live up to much in Game 1 with Paul scoring six points with 10 assists and Parker seven points with 11 assists.

The Spurs shot 48.8 percent from the field in the game and made 13-of-25 3-pointers. Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Manu Ginobili each connected on three treys.

Offense seemed easier to come by for the Clippers early on compared to their series vs. Memphis but they couldn’t stop the Spurs on the other end and it just became too much to handle.

NBA Playoffs 2012: Pacers take Game 2 in Miami, Spurs look amazing vs. Clippers - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

The Thunder were playing their first game in nine days after sweeping the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and they did not look rusty at all. It was clear they would be eager to get on the courts but sometimes that can result in less than sharp play.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were more than up for the challenge last night though. They had a game plan coming into the game and executed it to perfection. They shot extremely well from the field but they worked hard to get good looks and they were shots they usually are hitting.

The amazing thing is that it felt like the Lakers didn’t play that bad, at least on offense. They were doing a good job of getting Andrew Bynum going early inside and they were also taking advantage of the mismatches Metta World Peace presented.

While this was going on and the Lakers were warming up into their game, the Thunder was surging past them, focused and poised for the kill.

It’s no secret now how talented this Thunder team is. They are young but have three bonafide stars in Durant, Westbrook and Harden. They are three of the best scorers in the entire league and can all do it in slightly different ways.

They’re surrounded by great role players who know their role very well. Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka have no problems playing the Lakers bigs straight up and Thabo Sefolosha can essentially lock up Kobe Bryant on the perimeter.

Kobe shot just 30 percent against the Thunder in the regular season and the defense of Sefolosha has a ton to do with it. Kobe doesn’t have the same first step he used to and Sefolosha has the “student of the game” feel to him the way he approaches his assignment with Bryant.

The great thing about the Lakers usually is they have three players that are extremely difficult to handle on offense. Not for the Thunder though. This is the biggest reason why OKC may sweep LA.

The Thunder come to play every night. They have all season long and that’s one of the best things about this team. They’re good and know they’re good and aren’t interested in wasting any time not getting better.

A loss is a loss even if it’s by 29 points. If there’s a team that can probably shrug off this kind of loss it’s probably the Lakers but the Thunder smell blood right now. They know how to beat this team and take advantage of their strengths.

So that’s what’s going to happen. OKC will win this series and do so impressively because that’s who they are. There are still some legitimate doubts about the Thunder winning a title this year but they won’t come up during this series.

Thunder-Lakers Game 1 Reaction - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

The Thunder thrashed the Lakers to the tune of a 29-point blowout victory.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook made it look easy scoring 25 and 27 points, respectively. They combined to go 18-of-31 from the field and 13-for-14 at the line. Westbrook also finished with nine assists and seven rebounds.

The Thunder were focused from the start and it showed as they turned the ball over a franchise-low four times in the game.

Kendrick Perkins started the game and looked fine until he seemed to reinjure his hip on a dunk in the third quarter and left for the locker room.

Oklahoma City started off strong but the Lakers countered early taking advantage of their size down low.

Andrew Bynum got started early with 10 points and five rebounds in the first quarter. He would finish the game with 20 points and 14 boards.

Metta World Peace heard the boos once he entered the arena but it seemed to motivate him more than anything as he hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter and played well getting position down low over smaller Thunder defenders.

World Peace did have an incident during the second half when he got tangled up with James Harden and took him down with another near elbow to the head.

Harden played great though for the Thunder scoring 17 points and getting to the line to make 9-of-10 free throws.

The greatest strength for the Thunder against the Lakers is that they don’t have to double team Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol. Kobe scored a pedestrian 20 points in the game on 7-of-18 shooting.

It looks as if Thabo Sefolosha will have no problem checking Kobe for the rest of the series and while the Lakers bigs had some success in the game it simply did not faze the Thunder.

Oklahoma City shot extremely well in the game but they were also getting a lot of open shots for them. The Lakers are going to really have to change their defensive game plan to slow down the Thunder who had everything seem so easy on offense.

It’s just one game but a 29-point victory feels like it means more. It was a statement win and a message not just to the Lakers but the entire league. The Thunder aren’t playing around anymore. They’re ready to win a title.

The Thunder and Lakers will play Game 2 Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Oklahoma City Thunder blowout Los Angeles Lakers 119-90 in Game 1 - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Bosh was going to need to step up against the Pacers after playing below his averages in Round 1 against the Knicks. The Pacers’ greatest strength against the Heat is a size advantage down low and Bosh was going to be matched up with Pacer’s All-Star center Roy Hibbert.

Bosh was doing his job in Game 1 taking Hibbert away from the paint and then driving on him when he would get the ball.

Without Bosh in the second half, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had to step up their games and they did just that. LeBron scored 32 points and Wade scored 29 as both players logged over 40 minutes.

The Heat team we saw in the second half is now the one we will likely see for the rest of the series. Miami is still favored to win the series but it just got a lot tougher.

We can now expect huge numbers from LeBron and Wade and they should continue to be efficient in doing so as Indiana’s wings really match up poorly with them.

The biggest concern for Miami will be Bosh’s health moving forward past this series. They are going to need him to contribute to win a championship this season and if he’s not the same when he comes back the Heat might end up having to wait another year for that first title.

NBA Playoffs Update: Chris Bosh injury may sideline him for entire Pacers series - Thunderous Intentions - Thunderous Intentions - An Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More