Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

It’s the end of August and things have settled down somewhat in the NBA. There aren’t a lot of free agents left out there looking for teams and we have a good idea of what kind of roster everyone will have for the start of next season.

The summer began pretty quietly with the NBA Draft, were there wasn’t quite as many trades as usual. Then the biggest news came with restricted free agents until Dwight Howard was eventually traded.

Here is a look at some of the best and worst from this offseason.

Best

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers clearly lead the way as having the best offseason of anyone this summer. They started it off by trading for Steve Nash, shocking just about everyone as Nash decided to join his past rivals in chase of a ring. The Lakers immediately became a much stronger team after this trade as their point guard play has been very weak in the past few seasons.

Then the Lakers landed Howard in what was inevitable and surprising all at the same time. All-Star centers have a knack for finding their way to L.A. and the trade wasn’t completely out of the blue. But the Lakers really didn’t give up much at all to get Howard, just Andrew Bynum and Christian Eyenga.

The Lakers immediately became title contenders after the Howard trade. They kept Pau Gasol and now have a starting five considered possibly the best in the league. No one is going to hand the title over to them but there isn’t another team that improved as much as they did.

Brooklyn Nets

With the move to Brooklyn on the horizon for 2012-13, the Nets wanted to make sure they had a quality product on the floor to give their new city. The biggest move they made was locking up Deron Williams for the next five years.

The Nets were then very much in the hunt for Howard who even came out and said Brooklyn was the only place he wanted to play next year. A deal could not be found with the Magic and Brooklyn decided to go a different direction. They traded for Joe Johnson then re-signed Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries to hefty contracts.

The Nets are spending a lot of money for the team they have right now but the money isn’t a huge issue to their owner. The one problem is that they are pretty locked in to the core they have now and if it doesn’t work out, they will be in some trouble.

The acquisition of Johnson and locking up of Williams were great though. The Nets have a very good chance of contending in a weak Eastern Conference right now with the roster they have. Wherever Howard landed was going to make that team have the best offseason in the league but despite the Nets missing put on him, they did a pretty good job.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics were supposed to be on the way out, old and unable to compete for a title anymore. The moves they made this summer will extend that window a little longer. The Big 3 era is over now as Ray Allen signed with the Miami Heat this summer but that era was really already over anyway.

The Celtics started things off re-signing Kevin Garnett for a good price. They also drafted well addressing a need in their lack of size. They picked Jared Sullinger who slipped very late in the draft and has the potential to be one of the most talented players from this draft class. Then they picked a 7-foot center in Fab Melo.

Jason Terry decided to sign with the Celtics a little later, essentially replacing Allen’s role. The sneakiest move for Boston was a sign-and-trade to acquire shooting guard Courtney Lee who seems just what this team needs. Lee is a good outside shooter and solid wing defender that should mesh well with this roster.

The Celtics may still be a far way off from the Miami Heat but their roster looks better than it did last year despite the expectation that they were still on the decline.

Worst

Orlando Magic

The Magic were put in a no-win situation this year. Their franchise player wanted out and quit on the team. The Magic knew they couldn’t replace him and were going to take a significant step back next season. So they decided to stay strong and hold out for the best possible deal despite all the drama that was going on.

Then they traded Howard and the deal they ended up getting seemed pretty terrible. They weren’t able to get Bynum or Gasol from the Lakers in the deal, although they may not have really wanted either, and instead ended up with Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless. They also received four protected first-round picks which won’t be very valuable either.

The plan was to completely start over with new GM Rob Hennigan who wants to imitate the Thunder model. They are definitely doing that but good luck drafting your version of Durant-Westbrook-Harden-Ibaka in the next three drafts.

The Magic come away post-Howard looking closer to the Bobcats than a team that is young with a promising future. It never ends well when your star player wants out but how could it have gone worse for Orlando?

Houston Rockets

The Rockets made some of the most noise this summer as they tried to go all-in on acquiring Dwight Howard. That obviously didn’t work out and their consolation prize was restricted free agents Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, not horrible but nothing even close to Howard.

While the Rockets were stockpiling assets to throw Orlando’s way, it started to look like they had the best package to woo the Magic. Later the rumored deals Houston was willing to trade to Orlando proved to be false and they weren’t offering quite that much for Howard.

The Rockets are parting ways with Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, Marcus Camby and Chase Budinger from last year’s team while replacing those guys with not much. They do have three first-round draft picks that could be cool and Donatas Montiejunas is coming over next season.

The Rockets have a very good chance to have the worst record in the conference next season. Sometimes you have to get worse before you can get good and that seems to be Houston’s mindset right now.

New York Knicks

There wasn’t a lot the Knicks could do heading into this offseason but what ended up happening was embarrassingly bad. The worst thing was when they decided not to match Houston’s offer sheet for Lin. They are avoiding some harsh luxury tax penalties by parting ways with Lin, but letting him walk for nothing is truly unforgiveable.

The Knicks are replacing Lin with Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton. No one can get excited for that.

The Knicks were in the running for Nash too before the Lakers swooped in and got him. Not only did the Knicks lose Nash but Landry Fields as well, who signed a big offer sheet with Toronto that New York chose not to match.

When the Knicks acquired Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, they were supposed to start competing for NBA championships. It still feels like they are very far away from this and it’s hard to see how they can change that too.

Where the Thunder fit in

The Thunder had a quiet offseason for the most part and that’s how they like it. They weren’t the best or worst, and closer to one of the best if anything. In the draft, picking Perry Jones who fell so far to them is a great pick. He has nothing but potential and if he doesn’t work out, no big deal either.

The Thunder then made some headlines a few days ago locking up Serge Ibaka for the next four years. James Harden is next on the list and those close to the team really feel like that will happen soon.

The Thunder will improve next year simply from experience and are still the favorites in the Western Conference. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have drastically improved their roster from last year with the two major trades they made this summer acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. So much so that many are calling them NBA title favorites already.

On paper, the two trades seem like they will definitely make the Lakers a bigger threat in the Western Conference, where they finished third last season behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Let’s take a closer look at how Howard and Nash will change the Lakers’ offense.

Pick-and-rolls

The Lakers were in the bottom half of the league last season in pick-and-roll offense efficiency at 0.84 PPP. The Lakers have been a team that hasn’t had a point guard play a significant role on it in recent history. L.A. acquired Ramon Sessions last season and he improved them in that department somewhat but not much.

Most of the ball handling was done by Kobe Bryant who was second in the NBA last season averaging 27.9 points per game although shot only 43 percent from the field. Kobe found his offense with the pick-and-roll 12.2 percent of the time and had a 0.86 PPP.

The two primary roll men in the pick-and-roll for the Lakers were of course Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol was surprisingly below average with a 0.73 PPP. Bynum was hardly ever used in the pick-and-roll, just 3.4 percent of the time, and had a 1.12 PPP.

Nash and Howard should help the Lakers most in this area of the offense. Nash has been a master of the pick-and-roll for all of his career and Howard is one of the best roll men in the league.

Nash did 60.9 percent of his scoring in the pick-and-roll last season and had a 0.92 PPP. Nash is also as good a passer as anyone in the league and was second in the NBA last season in assists. This doesn’t take into account how effective he is distributing as well.

Howard was the roll man 8.9 percent of the time on offense and had a blistering 1.36 PPP. Howard may even improve upon that number now being surrounded by more offensive options and Nash handling the ball most of the time.

Gasol is the player most likely to benefit from playing with Nash now. Gasol will never be wasted with Nash on the floor and should good more touches in better spots. He should become the perfect pick-and-pop option as well.

Post-ups

The Lakers posted up as much as any team in the NBA last season as it accounted for 20.5 percent of their offense. They were very efficient at it two finishing second in the NBA with a 0.89 PPP.

Kobe was most efficient when working out of the post with a 0.93 PPP and he got 19.3 percent of his offense from there. Gasol had a 0.95 PPP and Bynum 0.89.

Howard was right around where Bynum was last season posting a 0.88 PPP. This is where acquiring Howard shouldn’t be too much of an upgrade from what Bynum did last season. Bynum has one of the best post-up games in the NBA and played nearly the entire season last year making his first All-Star game for the Lakers.

One area where the Lakers really thrived in was scoring off cuts, which often came from big-to-big passing out of the post. Gasol had a 1.17 PPP on cuts last season and Bynum had a 1.53. They each got a decent chunk of their offense from this too, 14 percent or more for both. The Lakers as a team were fifth in PPP in cuts last season at 1.26.

Howard only got 8.2 percent of his offense from cuts last season, about half as much as Bynum, and had a 1.41 PPP. Gasol is a very skilled passer as a big so we should expect Howard to have more offense from this next season. Not to mention Nash who will open up more opportunities for cuts in the offense next year as well.

Isolations

The Lakers got 12.4 percent of their offense from isolation plays last season and were right in the middle of the pack with a 0.79 PPP.

Kobe of course leads the way in this department with isolations accounting for 27.9 percent of his offense. That number should go down some next season as Kobe won’t feel the need to try and do everything for the Lakers on offense with Nash and Howard in town now.

Kobe had a 0.86 PPP on isolations which isn’t bad but he is on the decline overall and the less he has to rely on isolations, the better for the Lakers. Kobe has been more reliant on his jumper more than ever lately and has lost a step on his drive.

Nash is a very good isolation player too and often looks to score in these situations after bigs switch on to him in a pick-and-roll. Nash had a PPP of 0.89 on isolation plays last season.

Spot-up shooting

Spot-up shooting is the area Nash will really help the Lakers. You can go down a long list of pros that Nash made into excellent 3-point shooters just by playing with them. The Lakers went to spot-up shooting plays 16.6 percent of the time last season and were 19th in the league with a 0.94 PPP.

Kobe had a 0.92 PPP on spot-ups and Gasol 0.88. Expect both of those numbers to go up and to see the Lakers get more of their offense from spot-up jumpers as well. The acquisitions of Jodie Meeks (1.03 PPP) and Antawn Jamison (0.93 PPP) will help in this department as well.

Conclusion

The Lakers should have a much more efficient offense next season in the pick-and-roll and spot-up shooting. Howard is hardly an upgrade over Bynum in the post however. Nash will make things very easy for everyone and shooting percentages should all climb from last season.

The Lakers were close last season and Howard and Nash will make them legitimate title contenders next season. This was just how their offense will improve next season. Their defense should as well with the impact Howard makes on the end of the floor, being second to none.

The key will be how much time it takes these guys to learn to play together. This isn’t like what Miami had to deal with when LeBron, Wade and Bosh teamed up. All of these pieces fit so we should see them gel quicker more like how Boston did back in 2008.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard has finally been traded from the Orlando Magic as part of a 4-team blockbuster sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers and a bunch of other players elsewhere.

The Lakers got Howard as well as Chris Duhon and Earl Clark from Orlando. The Magic received Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga as well as some future draft picks. Denver received Andre Iguodala and Philadelphia got Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

Howard heading to L.A. surely headlined this trade but it wasn’t the only important part of the trade.

Here’s a breakdown of the four teams involved with the trade:

Los Angeles Lakers

We might as well start with Howard’s destination, L.A. The Lakers did it again here, snagging the top center in the league to remain relevant. They did so by only having to give up Andrew Bynum and somehow hanging on to Pau Gasol.

The Lakers have now acquired Howard and Steve Nash in one summer and will strut out a starting lineup with them, Gasol and Kobe Bryant. They’ve immediately put themselves into the NBA title conversation with what many are calling the best starting five in the NBA now.

The Lakers got everything they wanted here and more. Pairing Nash and Howard will make for one of the more deadly pick-and-rolls in NBA history, even at Nash’s age. Throw in Gasol who should get an appropriate amount of touches with Nash handling the rock and Kobe at a point in his career, ready to sacrifice even more to win and the Lakers look better than ever.

They may or may not be favored to make it to the NBA Finals but that doesn’t really matter. They are now in position to match up much better with the West’s biggest competition, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Howard has said he wants to test out free agency next summer but still, the Lakers should be able to hang on to him long-term. They can offer him an extra year and $20 million more on his contract and after a year in L.A., it seems very unlikely he’d want to bolt.

Howard is said to likely not be ready for the start of the season, still nursing his ailing back but that’s not a problem for the Lakers at all.

Orlando Magic

The Magic waited a pretty long time before finally dealing Howard. The idea was that they were holding out for a really good package and would keep him as long as possible, maybe even through the trade deadline of next season.

It was more than surprising to see the kind of deal Orlando made out with here. The package of young talent and picks they are getting isn’t as good as the one Houston had been offering them. They didn’t want to deal with Houston though only because the Rockets wouldn’t take on enough of their bad contracts apparently.

Afflalo and Harrington are basically pointless and they couldn’t even get Gasol out of the deal, whether they wanted to keep him or not they could have easily traded him somewhere for something.

They aren’t screwed with guys like Afflalo and Harrington now and it is clear that new GM Rob Hennigan wants to try and emulate what the Thunder did, bottoming out and drafting high for three years in a row. Good luck with that finding the next Durant-Westbrook-Harden trio in the next three drafts.

Denver Nuggets

Denver is very happy with what they did in this trade, besides allowing the Lakers to acquire Howard, which in the long run may have made this a bad move by them.

But getting Iguodala while parting ways with Afflalo and Harrington is a big upgrade for them. Iguodala will fit in perfectly with what they’re doing over there. As an athletic wing and defensive stopper, Iguodala will thrive in Denver’s up tempo offense and give them something they were missing on defense.

Denver was going to be a playoff team next year and now become that much better. They have a legitimate shot at getting to a 4-5 seed in the West and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers are also very happy getting Bynum here as hard as it was to say goodbye to Iguodala, who gave them so much over the past eight years. Bynums don’t come around too often and upgrading to the second-best center in the league is a big move for Philly, especially since they’re in the East.

Bynum will be a very tough matchup for any team in the East, including the Miami Heat. No one’s saying they are going to compete with the Heat now but they definitely took a step closer.

They were a 7-9 seed team with Iguodala as their best player and Bynum will raise that ceiling. They should be right there with Indiana, Boston and Chicago now.

There is a chance Bynum won’t work out perfectly though. He’s a knucklehead and has had some big injury concerns in the past. But Philly had to take this chance. Bynum was a first-time All-Star last season and now in a place where he can get 20-plus shots a night, might blossom even more.

Oklahoma City Thunder

We have to include the Thunder in this trade because they are very much affected too, along with the rest of the league. OKC looked to have the West locked up for the next five years easily but now they are being questioned as the favorites in the conference.

The Lakers definitely upgraded and should be highly touted but the Thunder aren’t making any lateral moves next year either. They expect to improve simply from the invaluable experience they gained after an NBA Finals trip as well as adding some bodies to the rotation like Eric Maynor and Perry Jones.

Howard is scary to a lot of teams but the Thunder actually have a guy who can match Howard’s physicality in Kendrick Perkins. Yes, Perkins is now relevant again. It looked like the league might have been shifting to small ball but not so fast. Perkins is exactly what the Thunder need to contend with Howard next season.

The Thunder actually matchup well with the Lakers elsewhere too. Serge Ibaka can keep up with Gasol, Westbrook is a nightmare for Nash on defense and no one is slowing down Kevin Durant.

It was never going to get easier to win titles and this trade is an example of that.

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard has finally been traded from the Orlando Magic and it’s the Los Angeles Lakers that will be acquiring him as first reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein. Sources say that a trade call will be made to the league office Friday morning to complete the deal that will involve a total of four teams.

The Lakers would acquire Howard and the Magic would get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless and a first round pick from each team at least. The Denver Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers will get Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

Howard finally being traded is a long time coming and just about everyone is glad to see him finally leave Orlando. Howard has said he does not want to sign an extension and wants to test free agency next summer.

The Lakers will have until June 30 next year to get Howard to sign an extension. In the long-term, extending with the Lakers would benefit Howard the most financially so there’s still a good chance he will do so or simply re-sign with the Lakers next summer while he’s testing free agency.

It was reported yesterday afternoon that this 4-way deal might happen and it was including Pau Gasol in the deal then. Now it appears the Lakers will not have to give up Gasol and are basically just swapping Bynum for Howard.

The Magic were patient in their quest to part ways with Howard and wanted to wait for the best deal possible. Somehow that is coming in the form of what they are getting here.

Philadelphia and Denver both should be happy to be a part of this. Philadelphia has wanted for awhile now to find a way to become more than a perennial 6-8 seed in the East and getting Bynum for Iguodala might have the potential to make them a serious contender in the East.

Denver is kind of in the same boat and isn’t losing much in this deal while acquiring an All-Star in Iguodala who will certainly make them a better team.

Howard’s saga in Orlando seemed to last forever and there were times where it didn’t look like there was going to be an endpoint. It’s good that is finally over and of course it’s the Lakers once again swooping in and acquiring the best center in the NBA.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Trade talks have resumed again over Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. The Magic and Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to come up with a deal that would send Howard to L.A. for a few weeks now.

The latest development now involves a proposed blockbuster trade that would include the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers as part of a 4-team trade, according to Yahoo! Sports.

The Lakers would receive Howard and Al Harrington, Orlando would get Pau Gasol and Arron Afflalo, Andre Iguodala would go to the Nuggets and Andrew Bynum to the 76ers.

The biggest thing keeping Orlando from dealing Howard thus far is that they haven’t seen a deal out there worthy yet. Gasol and Afflalo are nice pieces and it is also believed though they would try and flip Gasol somewhere for young players and picks.

The Houston Rockets could possibly be interested in Gasol as they have stockpiled a roster full of young talent and draft picks. Houston was part of the 3-way trade that was vetoed last year that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers and Gasol to Houston.

More details will have to come out with this potential deal though because Orlando still definitely wants to give up more than just Howard. They want to start over in a sense, ridding themselves of all their bad contracts. Taking on Gasol and Afflalo doesn’t exactly accomplish that.

Kobe Bryant said earlier this summer that Pau was his guy and wasn’t going anywhere. The Lakers roster already looks very nice for next year with Steve Nash alongside Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. They’d be trading two for one to take on Howard in this deal which is a little bit of a risk.

The other interesting wrinkle in this deal is Iguodala and Bynum’s potential landing spots. You have to think Philadelphia would be all for swapping Iguodala for Bynum and trying to build their team around the young center.

Iguodala would probably seamlessly fit in with Denver and what they’re doing with the top scoring offense in the NBA, possibly making them a little bit more of a dangerous playoff team.

The deal isn’t close to being done though as the teams are just in early talks right now.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Kobe and head coach Mike Brown have discussed in detail the possibility of the Lakers switching their offense to the Princeton style next season.

“It’s a great offense,” Kobe told Yahoo! Sports. “It’s exactly what we need. It takes us back to being able to play by making reads and reacting to defenses. It takes a great deal of communication, but that’s where we’re at our best: Reading and reacting as opposed to just coming down and calling sets. Calling sets make you vulnerable.”

The Lakers will look different next season with or without Dwight Howard. They traded for Steve Nash shortly after the season ended which will throw an entirely new variable into the Lakers and Kobe.

Kobe has never played with a point guard quite like Nash before, one who is so talented and has dominated the ball so much in his career. Both Kobe and Nash will be due to adjust now playing together and this new offense may play a big part in that.

The Princeton offense, which is considered a close relative to the Triangle offense Phil Jackson ran with the Lakers, will allow for more versatility from more players. Someone like Pau Gasol will be a perfect fit in it as he is such a great passer for a big man and skilled in so many ways.

As Kobe continues to age, now 33, he will continue to look for more ways to gain an edge on the competition. The great players always do this. They don’t just keep deteriorating as time goes on, they keep fighting during their athletic decline and often will rise back up in forms we haven’t seen before.

Kobe embracing an offense that won’t feature him as much as an isolation monster is an example of this. It’s really just what the Lakers need from him too.

The Lakers were bounced in the second round of the playoffs this past season in five games by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder and Miami Heat met in the NBA Finals in what was a glimpse into what the future of the NBA will look like. The Lakers realize they need to change some to keep up with these young guns.

The Lakers have vaulted probably to the second-best team in the Western Conference for this coming season. The Thunder are still considered the class of the conference but adding Nash has moved L.A. ahead of the Spurs, probably unfairly.

There is still a great chance L.A. will trade for Dwight Howard before the season begins too which will make them that much more potent of a title contender.

The Thunder got over what some would consider a big hump beating the Lakers, the team that has dominated the Western Conference for so long, in a series a few months back. The Lakers aren’t rolling over and dying though.

The Thunder will be considered the favorites in the West this coming season but there will be a lot of work to do to repeat and make it to the NBA Finals again.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Dallas Mavericks may become the frontrunner to land Dwight Howard next summer if he is not traded to the Lakers or Nets and becomes a free agent instead, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Howard has said before he would like to test free agency next summer making this point even more impactful for Dallas. Howard does not want to sign an extension with any team he is traded to but would be willing to re-sign if it is the Lakers or Nets.

Dallas owner Mark Cuban broke up a championship team a year ago in hopes of being able to lure Howard and Deron Williams to Dallas in the near future. Cuban struck out with Williams who signed an extension with the Nets this summer and now will focus all of his attention on Howard next summer if he is available.

Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan met with Howard Wednesday to discuss his future. Howard made it very clear he does not want to remain part of the Magic organization saying he would “never sign another contract with the Magic,” according to RealGM.

Howard said he would like to either be traded to the Lakers soon, traded to Brooklyn in January or simply become a free agent after the season ends.

The Magic certainly want to get something back for Howard and all his drama and would prefer to trade him. The potential trade with the Lakers would involve the Cleveland Cavaliers as a third team. The Houston Rockets have also still not given up on trying to trade for Howard.

The Lakers would send Andrew Bynum to Cleveland in the potential trade. Bynum was rumored to be meeting with the Lakers to discuss a contract extension for himself but his agent has since denied any such meeting. Bynum seems to have been left in the dark as far as trade talks have gone which may be an indicator of how far away a deal is to be being done.

If somehow Howard is not traded and remains with the Magic for all of next season then the Mavericks will really have a chance to sign him in the summer. But if Howard is dealt to either the Lakers or Nets, we can fully expect him to stay with that team beyond next season.

The Rockets destination would be the only other scenario for Howard to get traded too then still test free agency in the summer. GM Daryl Morey is very willing to risk trading for Howard and convincing him to stay past one season despite Howard being open about not wanting to play there.

Talks about who would be the favorite to sign Howard next summer may be a bad sign for him getting moved anytime soon. Orlando has said they aren’t necessarily in a hurry to trade Howard but everyone knows they’d love to rid themselves of Dwight’s drama as soon as possible.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as the frontrunner to trade for Dwight Howard this summer. But the Orlando Magic are in no rush to deal the All-Star center, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

The Magic have stood their ground on trading Howard. They aren’t going to give him up for nothing and now maybe won’t give him up at all.

Sources told Broussard that the Magic may be willing to wait until after the season starts and all the way until the trading deadline in February before trading Howard. They are waiting for the best possible deal and their recent trade talks with the Lakers may be to try and get other teams to jump in with a better offer.

The potential trade between Orlando and the Lakers would also include the Cleveland Cavaliers as the third wheel. Howard would go to L.A., Andrew Bynum would go to Cleveland and the Magic would receive a slew of picks and some young prospects.

The most recent news surrounding that potential trade was Howard saying he does not plan on signing an extension no matter where he is next season. He wants to test free agency at least somewhat next summer but whichever team he ends up on will be able to offer him the longest contract worth the most money.

On paper, this deal still seems not quite as good as the potential package the Houston Rockets would be willing to send Orlando. Houston GM Daryl Morey has been going “all-in” to try and acquire Howard by stockpiling picks and first round draft picks from this year’s draft to try and entice the Magic to pull the trigger on a deal.

Houston is confident too that they would be able to convince Howard to stay with the team beyond next season.

The Rockets have signed this offseason two restricted free agents in Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. They are paying each quite a bit of money but the signings of both shouldn’t impede their attempts to trade for Howard.

The fact of the matter is that the Magic still have plenty of time before deciding what they want to do with Howard and they intend to take that time. It’s a smart move as the landscape of the NBA and potential trade partners can change on a daily basis.

The Brooklyn Nets who first appeared to be the frontrunners for Howard this summer and were the team that Howard said he wanted to be traded to, would be back in the hunt if Howard is still on the Magic by Jan. 15, 2013.

When the Nets extended center Brook Lopez, who would have been an integral piece in a Howard trade, it meant they couldn’t trade Lopez until Jan. 15 of next season. Brooklyn had essentially moved on from trying to trade for Howard or maybe they knew Howard wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

Orlando dragging out the Howard saga may seem like a bad idea and many people would like to see the Magic trade him and rid themselves of his drama but it may be smarter for them to hold out for the best possible deal, even if that means waiting until next February.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Oklahoma City Thunder free agent Nazr Mohammed will sign with the Chicago Bulls, according to a report by Peter Vecsey.

Mohammed was reportedly meeting with the Bulls and Brooklyn Nets and will now choose the Bulls.

The Thunder filled out their roster shortly after free agency officially started. They are letting go of Mohammed, Derek Fisher and Royal Ivey and replacing them with rookies Perry Jones and Hollis Thompson and also Hasheem Thabeet.

The Bulls signing Mohammed all but assures they will not match the Houston Rockets’ offer sheet they agreed to with Omer Asik for three years, $25.1 million.

The Rockets will not have signed restricted free agents Jeremy Lin and Asik this offseason to pretty heft contracts.

The No. 1 priority for Houston still is to trade for Dwight Howard. Having Lin and Asik on the books will give them less cap room but it shouldn’t impede their attempts to go after Howard. Lin and Asik at least will be something of a consolation if they do not get Howard.

The Los Angeles Lakers are still considered the frontrunner to trade for Howard. The rumored deal that could go down right now will include a third team in the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Andrew Bynum would be dealt to Cleveland although he has not been notified of this possibility and the Cavaliers would want Bynum to agree to extending with them beyond next season if they were to trade for him.

Howard will unlikely extend with anyone next season and instead plans to test free agency next summer. Whichever team he ends up with will be able to offer him the best contract to try and keep him however.

Thunder free agents Mohammed and Ivey have found new homes now this summer leaving just Fisher who is still in search of a new team. Fisher has also been rumored to have met with the Bulls and Nets as well as Dallas.

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as the frontrunner to land Dwight Howard this offseason. The potential deal that would send Howard to L.A. is a 3-team trade between the Lakers, Magic and Cavaliers.

The deal has a potential snag with Cleveland wanting Andrew Bynum to say he’ll extend past next season but even so, the Lakers are the most likely destination for Howard right now.

The idea of Howard playing alongside Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol for the Lakers is scary to think about. Howard is one of, if not the most valuable player in the league with how he affects the game.

Would the Lakers surpass the Oklahoma City Thunder as the favorites to come out of the Western Conference if they land Howard? Would they become the NBA title favorites?

Not so fast. It shouldn’t be forgotten what OKC did last season making it to the NBA Finals. They deserve to be recognized as the best in the West until they are dethroned even if Howard is wearing purple and gold at the start of next season.

The Lakers have already drastically improved their team for next season by trading for Nash. The knock on L.A. the past few seasons was that they needed a point guard. With Kobe’s skills fading, the team now needed a true point to help him run the show.

Nash is more than a true point. He’s one of the best ever and while it’s hard to imagine at first how he and Kobe will mesh in the same uniform, you just kind of know they’ll figure it out.

Nash wasn’t going to solve all of their problems though. At 38, Nash is still one of the best point guards in the league offensively but struggles on defense as much as he ever has. The league and Western Conference in particular is so loaded with talented point guards these days that could become a real problem.

How do you solve Nash’s defensive woes? Howard would be that answer. The Lakers would practically be inviting players to drive past Nash with Howard waiting. No player in the NBA over the past five seasons has made the kind of defensive impact Howard has, turning a cast of mediocre defenders in Orlando to one of the premiere team defenses in the league. If there was ever going to be a way to hide Nash on defense, it would be with Howard patrolling the paint.

But this is still not quite enough to already put the Lakers ahead of the Thunder in the West. We’d definitely have to see them in action first before really knowing if they could challenge the Thunder in a playoff series but the Thunder are getting better too.

The Thunder of course have the best young roster in the NBA. Their progression in win percentage and playoff performance each season has been impressive. For next season coming off an NBA Finals appearance, there’s no reason to think they’ll take a step back.

The most talented team can always dictate how far they go in this league. The Thunder are that next to any other roster in the NBA. Team USA Basketball is comprised of 25 percent Thunder players. They are that good.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are only going to get better. The rest of the Thunder team compliments their Big 3 making them tailor made to take down this Lakers team.

Thunder GM Sam Presti had the Lakers in mind when constructing this roster. That’s why they traded for Kendrick Perkins. He knows that the Lakers will always be around in the West and making sure you can take them down will in the long run always be the No. 1 priority.

Durant is going to be a mismatch problem for any team including the Lakers. Metta World Peace may very likely be out their door and the defensive options to throw on Durant will be slim for L.A.

Westbrook is the greatest problem though. We know Nash can’t stay in front of him because we found out no one could stay in front of him last season. He will continue to do whatever he wants against the Lakers and since he gets better every season, that will be even more devastating of a thing next year.

Dealing with the Lakers bigs won’t be a problem for OKC either. In fact, the Thunder would prefer that to having to go small and try and match up with LeBron James at the four. Perkins and Serge Ibaka are more than capable of slowing down a Howard and Gasol duo enough to still win a series.

Getting back to the NBA Finals will become more difficult if Howard is on the Lakers next season though. There’s no questioning that but there should also be no questioning of the Thunder, what they are capable of and what they are committed to. They will be ready for whatever challenge comes their way and have shown that it’s probably a good idea to bet on them at the end of the day.

Thunder fans don’t have to worry yet. They are safe atop the Western Conference and no one is challenging them quite yet. The Lakers have emerged as the team with the best chance especially if they land Howard but they aren’t the team to beat yet.

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic are still working on a deal that would send Dwight Howard to L.A.

Howard, who previously said the Brooklyn Nets was the only team he would extend with beyond next season, is now committed to an extension with the Lakers as well, according to Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.

The potential trade between the Lakers and Magic would more than likely have to involve a third team. Right now the team trying to be the third wheel in a Howard deal is the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the potential trade between these three teams, the Cavaliers would receive Bynum and the Magic would get Anderson Varejao and multiple draft picks.

Howard going to the Lakers has really always been the move that made the most sense for him. If he wants a ring, given the current landscape of the league and potential destinations for him, the Lakers are the right spot.

There were some rumors that Howard would not want to go to the Lakers because he would be the second-fiddle to Kobe Bryant but that doesn’t look to be the case anymore.

After acquiring Steve Nash earlier this month, the Lakers could possibly be considered title favorites with Nash, Kobe, Howard and Pau Gasol.

Howard’s health is still a concern though and he might not be ready to play by the start of next season. That isn’t the end of the world for the Lakers if he goes there but he’d definitely have to get to 100 percent for them to compete for a title with him.

Howard sent direct messages on Twitter a few days ago describing how he can barely walk right now and Orlando is not being totally forthright about his injury.

The Lakers are ready to make this trade and the Cavaliers probably are too and would love to team Bynum up with their young core of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson.

Orlando is likely the team that will be last to say “yes” on this. The Houston Rockets still consider themselves very much in the mix to trade for Howard and still could muster up a better package of young players and picks to send the Magic.

Orlando has said before too that they are not in any hurry to get a deal done soon. So while the Lakers may be anxious to finalize this soon, we may have to wait a little longer before we see where Howard will end up.

The Knicks were believed all along to be planning to match the offer sheet Jeremy Lin signed with the Houston Rockets for three years, $25 million but now trading for Felton makes it seem like the Knicks will pass on Lin.

The Knicks would incur some pretty steep luxury tax penalties if they were to match Houston’s offer for Lin but many believe the value of Lin in New York and his effect on ticket/jersey sales would be able to make up for it.

Lin played in 35 games for the Knicks this season and averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game. Felton played for the Knicks in the 2010-11 season and averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 assists per game.

The deal between New York and Portland will also involve the Knicks sending Jared Jeffries and Dan Gadzuric to the Blazers for Kurt Thomas along with Felton. Felton will be set to make around $10 million over the next three years with New York.

The Knicks could still potentially match Houston’s offer for Lin but after also trading for Jason Kidd this offseason, acquiring a third point guard in Lin doesn’t seem to make much sense.

The Rockets will be happy to get Lin although their main priority is still Dwight Howard. Lin thrived in the pick-and-roll under Mike D’Antoni and Houston is a system that loves their point guards in the pick-and-roll with Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic doing so well in it last year.

The latest rumors on Howard’s potential movement now involve a 3-team trade between Orlando, Cleveland and the Lakers that would send Howard to L.A. and Andrew Bynum to Cleveland.

Although now that deal looks to not be happening either, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports.

The Magic would make out of the deal with a package of picks and prospects, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. This potential deal is very far from being done but does seem the most likely trade Howard would accept.

It is unlikely that any team would be able to offer a greater package of picks and prospects than Houston though.

Howard trade rumors are different every few days but many still believe the Lakers have the best chance of getting him like they’ve done so many times before with the NBA’s best centers.

“We’ve moved on. It just got to a point where we couldn’t keep going back and forth with Orlando. They had about 14 days to do something and didn’t. We just had to move on, and we felt that way this morning,” a Nets source told ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian O’Connor.

The Nets have offered Brook Lopez a max 4-year, $58 million deal and are discussing the possibilities of adding a fifth year. The Nets did this to prevent Lopez from signing an offer sheet with another team (he had offer sheets ready to sign with Portland and Charlotte) and it has also made it so Orlando is no longer interested in trading Howard to Brooklyn.

Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan said that if Lopez signs a deal of that magnitude than any chances of trading Howard to Brooklyn are gone.

Hennigan informed Howard today that the Magic attempted to make a deal with the Nets but that they could not come to one and now Orlando will focus its energy on finding a new head coach.

With the Nets now out of the picture for Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers look to be by far the frontrunner for Howard although a potential deal between L.A. and Orlando is far from close to being done.

The Lakers would have to trade away Andrew Bynum to get Howard and have said they would be willing to accept Jason Richardson and his contract as part of a potential deal.

Bynum hasn’t said he would re-sign with the Magic past next season however which is part of why Orlando would be hesitant to make that deal. If the Magic were to get Bynum though, they could potentially offer him a 5-year, $100 million deal next summer which would be tough for anyone to turn down.

Orlando is most interested in getting as many draft picks as possible so a third team would likely be necessary to sweeten a potential deal with the Lakers.

The Lakers most recently traded for Steve Nash and a core involving Kobe Bryant, Nash and Howard would be a dream for the Lakers and immediately put them in the discussion for making it to the NBA Finals next season.

The Houston Rockets are the other team still in the mix for trading for Howard. Houston could offer the Magic the best package of draft picks and young players that Orlando wants but Howard has said he would not re-sign past next season if traded to the Rockets.

The Rockets seem unconcerned with that however and would be willing to take their chances with Howard for one season.

The Magic have said before that they are in no particular rush to trade Howard who may not even be ready to play by the start of next season due to his back injury. It is hard to imagine Howard playing another game in an Orlando Magic uniform though so a trade still seems more likely than that.

A 3-way trade has been proposed between the Magic, Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers that would involve 10 different players.

• Brooklyn would receive Howard, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark.
• Orlando would receive Brook Lopez, Damion James, Sheldon Williams, three first round picks and Luke Walton from Cleveland.
• Cleveland would receive Quentin Richardson, Sundiata Gaines, Kris Humphries, a first round pick and $3 million cash from Brooklyn.

The Nets are also looking to add another first round pick in the trade to send to Orlando by trading MarShon Brooks.

This deal does not look any more appetizing for the Magic than some of the previous deals they reportedly were not interested in.

This proposed deal feels a little similar to when the New York Knicks were said to be the frontrunner for Steve Nash and then he suddenly ended up being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe the Lakers swoop in again out of nowhere to add another superstar?

The Lakers still want to trade Andrew Bynum to the Magic in a deal for Howard but the Magic are hesitant since Bynum has not said he would re-sign with Orlando following the 2012-13 season.

Orlando would be able to offer Bynum a 5-year, $100 million deal next summer which would be tough for him to turn down.

Source w/knowledge of situation says Nets & Magic have exchanged medical records for Dwight Howard & Brook Lopez (via @RicBucher)

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 9, 2012

The Cavaliers can help facilitate the trade by taking on Kris Humphries in a sign-and-trade as well as possibly MarShon Brooks. The Magic would receive Brook Lopez along with three first round draft picks.

The deal for Orlando does not seem much better than the ones rumored between them and the Nets earlier that the Magic were not interested in. However, it is rumored that this deal could be done by the end of the day today.

Brooklyn would suffer harsh luxury tax penalties over the next four seasons if they do get Howard. The penalties could amount to over $100 million in four years but they still seem determined to get Howard.

“You can talk about the new (luxury) tax all you want, but if the Lakers get Nash and the Nets get Howard, then what did the new CBA accomplish?” one GM told ESPN. “You have to realize part of long-term planning is making sure you don’t help create teams you can’t beat.”

The Nets are not limiting themselves to Cleveland as the third wheel in a Howard trade and are shopping Humphries around the rest of the league as well.

The Magic agreed to another trade yesterday sending last year’s Most Improved Player, Ryan Anderson, to New Orleans in a sign-and-trade for Gustavo Ayon. Anderson will receive a 4-year, $36 million deal.

Anderson benefited greatly from playing alongside Howard as a spot-up four getting a ton of open looks from three. We will see if he can still be effective in a different landscape without Howard.

The Hornets are happy to get a good rebounder and shooter to put alongside No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis for next season.

The Chicago Bulls also made moves yesterday bringing back Kirk Hinrich to a 2-year, $6 million deal. The Bulls now have to decide if they will match Houston’s 3-year, $25 million offer sheet for Omer Asik.

Derrick Rose may not be recovered from his torn ACL until well after next season has started for Chicago. The Bulls are likely parting ways with C.J. Watson so signing Hinrich here is a big move for them.

July 11 is the first day that free agents can officially sign. Teams will have three days to match offer sheets their restricted free agents signed elsewhere.

Jeremy Lin, Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert are three of the biggest named restricted free agents that signed offer sheets with other teams. All three are expected to have those offers matched by their former teams.

The Magic want to get something back for Howard. They’re not just trying to get rid of him, at least not yet.

Orlando is willing to wait all the way until the trade deadline of next season if they have to and don’t have a deal worthy of Howard by then.

The Brooklyn Nets were the first team in the running to trade for Howard. But a deal involving Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and picks never satisfied Orlando. The Nets moved on and traded for Joe Johnson instead, making it even more difficult for them to pull off a trade for Howard.

Howard said that Brooklyn was the only place he wanted to go and the only place where he’d agree to re-sign with past next season.

After Brooklyn fell off, the Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be the most likely suitor for Howard. They have the best individual trade piece for Howard in Andrew Bynum but Bynum is also in the final year of his contract next year and hasn’t agreed to re-sign in Orlando if he is traded there.

The Magic aren’t interested in dealing Howard just to rent Bynum for a season. They’re holding out for more.

A dark horse for Howard may be the Atlanta Hawks. After trading Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams away, new GM Danny Ferry appears to be trying for a dream scenario that would involve bringing Howard and Chris Paul to the Hawks in 2013-14.

Howard is from Atlanta but has not said anything about wanting to play there.

The Dallas Mavericks are another team with an outside shot to get Howard. Dallas went all-in on Deron Williams this offseason and they did not land him. They are left with a depleted roster but plenty of cap space to entice Howard with a max-deal next summer if he is a free agent then.

The Magic want to get rid of Howard, that’s for sure, but they’re not going to do it for nothing. They know they are rebuilding anyway and are in no hurry to trade Howard.

Howard may not even be healthy yet by the start of next season as he is still rehabbing his back.

Another center on the market now is Marcus Camby. Camby is reportedly deciding between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

The Knicks appear to be the frontrunner as the Heat can only offer Camby the veteran minimum of $1.4 million per year. New York is looking to do a sign-and-trade for Camby and give him $3.09 million per season.

The Heat recently signed Ray Allen of course and if they are somehow able to get Camby too that would be a home run for them in free agency. It looks unlikely however as there is a good chance Camby will be returning to play in New York next season.

Lin will be able to sign it officially on July 11 then the Knicks will have three days to match. The deal is worth $10.2 million over the first two seasons and $9.3 million in the third and fourth year with the final year being a team option.

The Knicks can offer Lin a 4-year, $24.5 million deal.

Jason Kidd surprisingly chose the Knicks over the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd was rumored to be close to re-signing with Dallas and was earlier rumored to plan to follow Deron Williams wherever he signed.

Kidd’s deal with New York will be a 3-year, $9 million deal.

Every indication is that the Knicks will match the offer sheet for Lin and team up the two point guards. A lack of a point guard was a glaring hole in the Knicks’ roster during the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony turned into an isolation machine playing right into the hands of the Miami Heat defense.

Kidd and Lin should be able to help with that, especially Kidd who has the right personality to control things on offense even next to a superstar like Anthony.

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a few big signings last night.

Brandon Roy has come out of retirement and agreed to a 2-year, $10.4 million deal with the T-Wolves. Minnesota also signed another former Blazer in Nicolas Batum to a 4-year, $45 million offer sheet although Portland reportedly plans to match any offer for Batum.

The Timberwolves clearly are looking to strengthen their wing positions to surround Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love with better guys. Minnesota also traded for Chase Budinger before the NBA Draft.

Trade talks between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard have lessened. The Lakers after trading for Steve Nash now intend to keep their core of Nash, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Bynum was involved in trade rumors that would send him to Orlando in a deal for Howard but the Magic have not shown a lot of interest in any deal presented to them this offseason.

The Brooklyn Nets are still trying to work on a deal to get Howard although they’re chances of landing them seem increasingly less.

Ray Allen has narrowed down his decision of where he wants to play to the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. The Los Angeles Clippers were thought to be int he running yesterday before signing Jamal Crawford and Chauncey Billups.

The Heat appear to be the frontrunner although only able to offer Allen $3.09 per year while Boston has offered Allen a 2-year, $12 million deal.

Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE.

Steve Nash was unexpectedly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last night in a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns for four draft picks and cash.

Nash was expected earlier that day to be closer to signing with the New York Knicks and a few days before that, the Toronto Raptors were the frontrunner for the former back-to-back MVP winner.

But as fate would have it, the Lakers swooped in and grabbed one of their former rivals. Nash in a Lakers jersey was unthinkable until yesterday. The Suns were even rumored to have turned down a deal to L.A. because they couldn’t stomach the idea of Nash playing there.

Now that he is there, how does this change the landscape of the Western Conference? Are the Lakers back now as NBA title contenders with Nash?

The Lakers get better with Nash, that’s for sure. Los Angeles has been looking for a point guard for some time now. They traded for Ramon Sessions at the trade deadline last season and that looked like it might work for awhile until Sessions disappeared in the playoffs.

Nash will be 38 years old at the start of next season but is still a productive player. He averaged 12.5 points and 10.7 assists last season in Phoenix. He also shot .532 percent from the field, .390 from three and .894 from the free throw line.

There is no question that Nash can still produce. The biggest question is how he will fit in with Kobe Bryant.

Kobe has never really played alongside a traditional point guard in his NBA career. Derek Fisher has been the point next to him for most of his days and the Lakers were a triangle offense team that didn’t feature a point.

Because of this, Kobe is used to having the ball in his hands as much if not more than the point guard he’s playing with. If you’ve watched Nash play, you’ll know that he too has the ball in his hands as much as any player in the league on offense.

Both Kobe and Nash will have to adjust. Nash will not be featured like he was in Phoenix. Kobe may want to let Nash patrol the floor with the ball in his hands a little more than he is used to.

Kobe and Nash may not work perfectly but they won’t fail. Nash is too good of a teammate and Kobe cares only about winning and he knows Nash is coming on board to assist in that.

Kobe will probably not benefit dramatically with Nash and get way more open looks. It will be the other players, especially Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, that feel the biggest change with Nash on the floor.

There is one area that Nash does not help at all and maybe even hurts the Lakers: defense. Nash has never been a good defender even back when he was super quick and winning MVP’s he still acted as an open door for guards like Tony Parker to easily drive by.

The greatest competition in the Western Conference for the Lakers will be of course the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just go down the list of their big three and you’ll see why they aren’t totally scared of the Lakers now any more than they were last season. They still can’t guard Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook or James Harden.

But the Lakers weren’t all of a sudden going to be the favorites to come out of the West after signing a 38-year old point guard. They are better though and their potential is a little unknown and possibly greater than we might think.

The other factor now in play with the Lakers signing Nash is Dwight Howard. L.A. didn’t give up much to get Nash so Howard is still technically very much in play with them. After Brooklyn pretty much fell through for Howard, the Lakers seem the most likely suitor for him.

A package involving Bynum is probably the best deal Orlando could get back for trading away the best center in the league. There has been discussion between the two teams with a trade looking like: Bynum and Metta World Peace to the Magic for Howard and Jason Richardson.

If the Lakers could end up with a lineup looking like Nash, Kobe, Gasol and Howard, we can start talking about them as NBA Finals hopefuls. Until then, it’s the Thunder’s league and everybody else is just playing in it.

The Los Angeles Lakers may have the right package that could convince the Magic to trade Howard and it would involve Andrew Bynum.

Howard and Bynum have been linked together in trade talks since last season and Bynum is certainly now the best individual player Orlando could land for Howard.

The Magic also want to give up the bad contracts of either Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson in a potential deal with the Lakers.

The Magic want to specifically include Richardson in a deal with the Lakers and the Lakers have said they are prepared to offer Bynum along with Metta World Peace in the potential deal.

Howard said earlier this week that he wanted to be traded to Brooklyn and that is the only team he would promise to re-sign with after next season.

The Nets traded for Joe Johnson since then which will make it harder but not impossible for them to now also trade for Howard.

Brooklyn would be willing to trade Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries and three future first round draft picks to Orlando for Howard but the Magic apparently are too interested in that deal and would rather hold out for something better.

Howard injured his back at the end of the regular season and has been rehabbing ever since. He may not even be ready to play at the beginning of next season so the Magic are in no hurry to trade him just yet.

As of right now, the Lakers and Bynum are the frontrunner for trading for Howard although there may be one other unknown trade scenario.

Sources say there is one other trade scenario for a significant player that intrigues Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, but that target is unclear. Before the Magic would agree to consummate a trade for Bynum, they would need to know they could sign him to a contract extension, sources said. Bynum is entering the final year of his contract in the 2012-13 season.

via Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports

The Nets may still be in play for Howard though. Orlando and Brooklyn are working on a deal for Howard that would send Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries and three future first round picks to the Magic.

The Nets have even said they would take on the contract of Hedo Turkoglu as well to sweeten the deal for Orlando.

Howard made it clear yesterday that Brooklyn was the place he wanted to go. He said that Brooklyn is the only team he would re-sign with following next season if traded there. Howard went on to say that if he wasn’t traded to Brooklyn, he would just play out next season in Orlando then test free agency in the summer of 2013.

Deron Williams still has not officially decided where he will play next season. It is down to Brooklyn and the Dallas Mavericks for him as he is meeting with both teams this week.

Jason Kidd will supposedly also sign wherever Williams chooses and has been playing golf with Williams in Brooklyn some over the past few days.

If the Mavericks cannot sign Williams this season, they would surely like to go after Howard themselves. Dallas could offer Orlando Rodrigue Beaubois, Vince Carter, Dominique Jones, Brandan Wright and rookies Jared Cunningham, Bernard James and Jae Crowder.

Despite Howard saying he would only re-sign in Brooklyn, the Mavericks and their owner Marc Cuban would surely be confident that they could convince Howard to re-sign in Dallas.

The Howard drama simply continues. Orlando would love nothing more than to get rid of him before the season but they won’t unless there is a deal out there good enough for him. The Magic can technically wait all the way up until the trading deadline during next season for the right deal so they may not be in the biggest rush.

The Lakers are still a team that could happen with a Howard trade. Andrew Bynum remains the best individual piece Orlando could land by trading their center.

The Hawks will receive Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson and a 2013 first round pick. The deal is contingent with Williams staying in Brooklyn.

As teams finalize framework of Joe Johnson deal contingent on DWill commitment, Nets won’t be sending future 1st to Atlanta, source tells Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 2, 2012

The trade will essentially end any possibility of Dwight Howard being traded to Brooklyn. Howard made it known today that there was one place he wanted to go and that was Brooklyn.

Howard is saying that he will not re-sign with another team besides Brooklyn and would rather just play the next season in Orlando then test free agency afterward.

The key for the Nets is they get to keep MarShon Brooks and Gerald Green as well. Gerald Wallace was just signed by the Nets to a 4-year, $40 million deal.

Over the past few days the potential of Johnson being traded to Brooklyn to play with Williams was rumored with the basis being that Brooklyn was not willing to wait on Orlando and Howard.

The Magic also did not see any possible package from the Nets as being worthy enough to send Howard to them.

With Brooklyn now out of the equation, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of possible suitors for the Magic to trade Howard. The Warriors have expressed interest as well as Houston but Howard is saying he will not re-sign anywhere besides Brooklyn.

The Lakers seem to be the only real possibility for Howard now. They are working on a trade that would send Andrew Bynum to Orlando which feels like the best possible deal for the Magic.

Howard ending up in L.A. shouldn’t surprise many as so many elite centers before him have gone to the Lakers at some point in their careers.

“There’s only one team on my list and if I don’t get traded there, I’ll play the season out and explore my free agency after that,” Howard told Yahoo! Sports.

That’s not exactly the attitude you want from your superstar. The Orlando Magic have known for a long time now that Howard wants out. The best thing they can do is get rid of him as soon as possible.

“As I told Dwight, I said ‘I don’t know. I have to think about what you’re telling me.’ I want to take some time to process everything,” Magic GM Rob Hennigan said. “And the answer is we want to map out what’s in the best interest of our team.”

Howard can want to go to whatever team he wants but the Magic don’t really care where they trade him. They want to get the best package possible for Howard and if the Nets can’t give them that then they won’t trade him there.

The Nets would be able to offer Orlando something like Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks. The Magic should be able to find something better than that and they have opened negotiations with the Los Angeles Lakers about trading for Andrew Bynum again.

The Golden State Warriors are also still interested in trading for Howard even if he is not committed to staying with them beyond next season.

The Warriors have some young pieces that would possibly interest the Magic starting with the No. 7 overall pick from the draft, Harrison Barnes.

The Magic simply have to trade him though. It is clear Howard will not give them a very good effort if he stays part of the team through next season. It would be in Orlando’s best interest to deal him before the season starts.

The Magic have been open to trade walks involving Howard who has made it clear he wants out. Howard says he wants to go to Brooklyn to play with Deron Williams but would probably be happy too in L.A. with Kobe Bryant.

A potential deal would certainly involve Andrew Bynum going to the Magic but not necessarily Pau Gasol as well. The Magic are looking for young players to rebuild their team with and Gasol doesn’t fit that mold as much.

The Lakers are still shopping Gasol as well who has gotten a lot of interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota has offered Derrick Williams to the Lakers for Gasol. A potential trade could also include Michael Beasley.

The Timberwolves would love to acquire Gasol to team him up with fellow countryman Ricky Rubio and All-Star Kevin Love.

It looks like the Nets will have a pretty tough time getting Howard. They haven’t totally given up hope but are taking action with other things.

Brooklyn signed Gerald Wallace to a 4-year $40 million deal today. The Nets have also looked into a potential trade to acquire Joe Johnson so pair with Deron Williams.

Williams plans to meet with the Nets and Mavericks Monday to discuss his potential future.

For Orlando, the Lakers would have the best package as of right now to get Howard by sending Bynum. Bynum was an All-Star for the first time in his career last season and is only 24 years old.

Howard has wanted to be traded and pretending not all season long and somehow the Magic decided not to at the trading deadline.

A lot of trade rumors have surrounded Howard this season even one involving the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Back in March, Orlando approached Oklahoma City about a trade that would send Howard to the Thunder in exchange for James Harden and Serge Ibaka.

The Thunder said no.

The Thunder would have just been renting Howard if they went through with the trade because his contract would have been up after the season. But wouldn’t they have been guaranteeing themselves a championship by putting Howard next to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook?

It’s easy to see now why they would have basically no interest in the deal since they are competing for a title right now with the team they have.

It still would have been pretty cool to see Durant, Westbrook and Howard on the court together wearing Thunder uniforms.

The Magic would have loved the trade getting Harden and Ibaka. It would have been the best possible outcome for them and part of why they haven’t parted ways with Howard yet is that teams don’t have a lot to offer for him right now.

There were always rumors surrounding the New Jersey Nets trading for Howard, potentially sending Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks and some pieces to pair Howard with Deron Williams but that never happened.

The Magic want more for Howard and they should want more, but they shouldn’t expect it.

When your star player wants to be traded, you trade him. It never works out if you don’t. The Magic will inevitably do so whether it be in the offseason this year or during next season.

After the Los Angeles Lakers lost in the second round for the second straight season, there are now rumors of them blowing up their roster and they might have enough pieces to send Orlando’s way to land Howard.

Andrew Bynum had a breakout season and Pau Gasol’s days in L.A. seem numbered so sending both for Howard seems like a decent idea for both teams.

One thing is for sure though, the more this is drawn out, the more that no team wants anything to do with Dwight Howard.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant last night beating them 106-90 in Game 5 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Kobe did not go down without a fight scoring 42 points, taking 33 shots and recording zero assists.

After the game Kobe was asked about if he felt this loss was the ending of an era.

“I’m not fading into the shadows,” Kobe said. “I’m not going anywhere. We’re not going anywhere.”

Kobe, now at age 33 and in his 16th season in the NBA, is up against maybe the toughest opponent ever for him: time.

There is no competitor in the league today quite like Kobe. It’s tough to bet against him but he might not be able to overcome the wave of young stars now standing in his path of tying Michael Jordan with his sixth ring.

Kobe had a remarkable season this year. In a lockout condensed 66-game schedule, he somehow stayed healthy all year for the most part, nearly won the scoring title and led the Lakers who were somewhat a shell of their championship teams a few years ago to the 3-seed in the Western Conference.

Kobe looked as good as he has in a long time. It’s not enough anymore. It never really was for Kobe. He’s always needed help. He doesn’t have enough anymore.

There’s going to be a lot of talk surrounding this Lakers team in the offseason. Should they trade Andrew Bynum? Should they trade Pau Gasol? Should they blow the whole team up?

One thing is always certain and that is that Kobe will remain a Laker and always be their alpha dog. And it seems there is only one player out there that could possibly help him toward catching Jordan in rings: Dwight Howard.

Kobe has always needed help and Howard is the man for the job, the most talented big man in the league who doesn’t know what the hell he is doing. A perfect fit with Kobe.

Howard hurt his image as much as possibly fathomable this season and now in Orlando he has gotten rid of their head coach and general manager. He has one year left with the Magic and it seems very unlikely he’ll be there any longer.

Centers in Howard’s position have always chosen the Lakers. Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal all became Lakers around this point in their careers. Howard doing the same would be more than fitting.

After the season Bynum had and they might as well throw in Gasol too, Los Angeles should be able to pull off bringing Howard in to join Kobe and make a few last runs at an NBA title.

Kobe is right. He isn’t done. He’ll play another 5-7 years probably. But if he doesn’t want to go away from championship relevancy, Howard is his only hope.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 106-90 in Game 5 to win the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season.

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 28 points while Kevin Durant chipped in with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant went down shooting as he finished with 42 points on 33 shots.

The Lakers simply did not have the legs to keep up with the Thunder in this series and it really showed in Game 5.

The Thunder outrebounded Los Angeles 51-35 in Game 5 including 14 offensive rebounds.

Oklahoma City turned the ball over more than any team in the NBA this season averaging just over 16 per game but cut that number in half in this series against the Lakers.

The Thunder were also one of the most isolation-heavy teams in the league this year but had 20 assists on 42 field goals tonight.

James Harden provided a fantastic lift off the bench scoring 17 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists.

The Thunder did most of their demoralizing damage on the break scoring 30 fast break points in the game.

The Lakers were unable to take advantage of their inside play of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the series. The Thunder were able to play both big men straight up luring Kobe into trying to go off alone every night.

Kobe got his and the Thunder were fine with that. They knew they could beat a one man show because they had three guys who were going to get theirs.

The Thunder deserve to celebrate winning eight of nine games so far in the playoffs and doing it against the two teams who won the past three NBA titles but there work is far from done.

The San Antonio Spurs are playing better than any team in the NBA right now and will be waiting to play the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs are a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs so far and haven’t lost a game since April 11. They will have home court in the series and played the Thunder well this season.

The Thunder and Spurs will begin the Western Conference Finals this coming Sunday at 8 p.m. EST for Game 1.

Metta World Peace picked up flagrant foul when he fouled Thabo Sefolosha hard from behind on a fast break.

World Peace and Kobe Bryant would then pick up technicals disputing the call resulting in four free throws for the Thunder.

The Thunder leads 54-51 at halftime and really hasn’t played all that well.

James Harden leads the Thunder with 13 points off the bench to go with four assists and five rebounds. Kevin Durant has scored 12 points.

Kobe leads the Lakers with 19 points and had 15 of those in the first quarter.

The Lakers are shooting 48.7 percent from the field but the Thunder are getting it done with 10 offensive rebounds and also have 13 assists on their 20 field goals.

After being called out by Kobe after game 4, Pau Gasol has come out more aggressive tonight scoring 10 points in the first half. Andrew Bynum, however, has been anything but into this game and has scored just seven points and taken four shots so far.

The game is closer than most expected coming in with many predicting the Thunder would blow out the Lakers. There is still time for this and the game does have the feel to it that the Lakers are ready to give in especially if the Thunder can put together a nice little run soon.

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder finally lost a game in these playoffs 99-96 last night to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3.

The Thunder were 6-0 before last night and while every loss hurts, losing at least once was inevitable for this Thunder team in the playoffs.

Kobe Bryant shot 18 free throws in Game 3 and made them all. Lakers fans will describe this as Kobe relentlessly attacking the rim while Thunder fans see it as Kobe getting way too many calls.

The game was called tight throughout with a lot of ticky tacky calls being made out on the perimeter. At the end of the game those calls were going more toward the Lakers’ favor which was unfortunate for the Thunder and also has to do with their style of play.

When a game is being called close on the plays where players are jockeying for position, it favors the team that plays more with their back to the basket.

The Thunder were all pick-and-roll down the stretch with James Harden a lot and Kevin Durant some too. They got their fair share of calls in the game but not when they needed them.

The Lakers would wind up shooting 41-for-42 free throws in the game and only made 11 field goals in the entire second half.

Kobe finished with 36 points to lead the team.

Andrew Bynum who has some success in the first two games scoring down low was only 2-of-13 last night but 11-of-12 at the line for his 15 points.

If the Lakers are going to win tonight they will need better efficiency from the field from Bynum and Pau Gasol.

The Thunder are going to need more from Russell Westbrook to turn this series back around and heavily in favor of Oklahoma City.

Westbrook holds the biggest matchup advantage against the Lakers and needs to get his midrange shot going early on tonight. He tried that in Game 3 but over aggressiveness found him an early seat on the bench.

Westbrook was really nowhere to be seen down the stretch too and while that sometimes feels good because it means more Harden and Durant, against the Lakers the Thunder are going to need more from him like in Game 1.

It is unlikely that the game tonight will be called as closely as Game 3. We’re not going to see 70 free throw attempts again.

The Lakers have their confidence back now though. It shouldn’t matter though because at the end of the day, talent always wins out and that’s good news for the Thunder.

The Thunder showed part of why they are such a great team in the first two games of this series. They won both games and did so in two completely different types of games.

The Thunder took Game 1 in blowout fashion winning 119-90 and running the Lakers off the floor. Then in Game 2, the Lakers were winning for most of the game and it was terribly low-scoring before the Thunder scored the final nine points of the game to steal the victory.

Winning Game 2 like that is a sign that this Thunder team is growing up. They didn’t win those types of games a year ago and here they are now 6-0 in the Playoffs and having won three games that they weren’t supposed to.

The Lakers should be better at home these next two nights but it won’t be easy for them to win two games in two nights against the young legs of the Thunder.

In Game 1 everything went right for the Thunder and they were making their jump shots at a very high rate. That went away some in Game 2 as the Thunder just didn’t look to have much rhythm for the game in general.

Kevin Durant only took 15 shots in Game 2 and Russell Westbrook went 5-for-17. James Harden got into foul trouble in the first half which also contributed to the loss of good rhythm for the team.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol looked better but it is still clear that the Thunder bigs can handle the two Lakers bigs. Serge Ibaka in particular played a great Game 2 blocking seven shots.

Kobe Bryant has continued to not shoot the ball well from the field against the Thunder. He shot 30 percent against them in the regular season and went 9-for-25 in Game 2.

More will have to go right for the Lakers than for the Thunder for them to win, no matter home or away.

There were some good signs for the Lakers in Game 2 but nothing that says they will now comeback to win the series.

We will see tonight at 10:30 p.m. EST as the teams will tip in Staples Center.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

From the Chris Paul madness that opened the season through the tantrums of Andrew Bynum and up to the inexplicable 7 game series against Denver it’s been on display all year long. Which is exactly why OKC needs to be nervous.

First off let’s just start with the two biggest elephants in the room. Well, really just one elephant because Mamba is a stealth predator capable of taking down a sizeable foe like an elephant with one deadly strike.

Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant are the headliners in a series rich with drama. Some are calling it the passing of the guard in the Western Conference. But everyone was writing off KB24 as over the hill last year. All the dude did was go out and nearly take another scoring title this year.

KD got the crown for top point producer and honestly should have taken his first MVP award too. But being overlooked in the West is nothing new. How Bryant only has one to his name is a mystery. Such is life when all people see you as is a scorer.

Durant’s all around game has improved but scoring is still what he does best. Bryant has the edge because he can affect the game in ways Durant just can’t.

Kobe is a killer of the highest degree who gives full effort every night. And if the game is on the line there’s only one closer that’s proven himself with a career’s worth of big shots in bigger game. Bryant also can adapt his game to any scenario. Shifting from scorer to facilitator has become common for Kobe this year. He too deserved some MVP love but we all knew the hype machine was going to crank out another trophy for the LeBrom collection.

While we’re on the topic of hype nothing is more over-hyped than the so-called Kendrick Perkins effect.

I’ve seen Perk go toe-to-toe with the Laker bigs in those two Finals battles when he was sporting that ugly green jersey and here is what I know for sure. He is a very good low post defender that throws his size around and intimidates with his presence.

But he’s got an offensive game that makes Dikembe Mutombo cringe and is almost a complete non-factor on the boards considering his size and the position he plays. All that talk of Perkins bringing toughness to a team is just hot air. That means nothing if Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are going for double-doubles each night.

What that presence in the post does for the Lake Show is allows them to control the tempo which is OKC’s greatest asset.

Slowing the Thunder roll takes Russell Westbrook’s greatest weakness (half court hoops) and puts it on display for the world to see.

With the game being played at L.A.’s pace the points in the paint battle looms large. For a team like OKC that lives and dies by perimeter scoring that become problematic. As we just saw against Denver athletic and active bigs like Serge Ibaka can cause problems for the Lakers but over the course of a seven game series true post game always overcomes the genetic lottery.

If the Thunder can’t get out and run then all that James Harden front running gets put on the back burner. Plus he’s got to contend with Metta World Peace again. It goes without saying this will be the matchup that will be the most talked about after elbowgate. I don’t in any way endorse the actions of the ironically self-named World Peace but his defensive approach is more intimidating than his MMA.

Don’t overlook that last meeting between these two teams either. Some want to just chalk that OT thriller up to late season indifference but something clicked for the Lakers in that game. Yes, the Thunder ran away from the Lake Show in their previous meetings. But as we all know when the Lakers feel like they’ve got something to prove or are painted into a corner they tend to come out with an intensity few teams can match between the determination of Kobe and the harassing nature of Metta.

And yes, there is the added element of Derek Fisher facing his former team. That too is being oversold. D-Fish and all his intangibles are nice for barbershop talk but the reality is he’s a defensive liability that doesn’t play like a true lead guard any longer.

Now I’m not going to go Bynum and push the easy button on this one. The Thunder is a legit title contender for years to come. This just isn’t the year they get their hands on that Larry O’Brien. Everyone pays their dues and now is OKC’s time. I don’t see any way for the Lakers to win this one in less than seven games. Which means you’ll just have to endure a heart-breaking loss in your crib. Take your medicine and we’ll see you again next season.

The Thunder are eager to get back on the court but are also thankful for the rest so that their starting center, Kendrick Perkins, could rest after injuring his hip in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. It is still uncertain if he will play tonight.

The Thunder have been taking steps very quickly over the past few years toward becoming a true title contender. They made it to the Western Conference Finals last year, swept the defending champs in Round 1 and now will look to take that next step beating the mighty Los Angeles Lakers.

The Thunder are favored in this series and should be. They’ve been one of the best teams all season long really coming to play each and every night while the Lakers are a team known to take nights off.

The Lakers had their ups and downs in their first round series against the Denver Nuggets who took them to seven games. The Lakers were able to take advantage of their considerable size advantage in the final game and close out the pesky, energetic Nuggets.

The Lakers will not have that luxury now in Round 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

The Big Men

The play of the bigs in this series is going to be one of the most important matchups to watch. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are both All-Star caliber players but don’t always play like it.

The Thunder don’t get much offense from their bigs but Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison are all very vital to the team’s success and will be even more so in this series.

Perkins’ status is still uncertain but very crucial for the Thunder. They traded for Perkins last year for this specific matchup with the Lakers and for his defense on Bynum.

Perkins averaged 26.8 minutes per game in the regular season but played 36.0 minutes per game in three meetings against the Lakers.

Ibaka will also be very important and not just on defense. He led the league in blocks and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting and has had success against the Lakers in the past.

Ibaka had a sort of coming out party is rookie season in the playoffs against the Lakers blocking seven shots in one of the games. Ibaka is always an X-factor for the Thunder and if the Thunder can get him some scoring opportunities as well it will bode well for Ibaka’s confidence on both ends of the floor.

Ibaka had the impossible task of guarding Dirk Nowitzki in Round 1 so it will be somewhat easier checking Gasol now who hasn’t been playing his best ball of late.

In three games against the Lakers this season, Ibaka averaged 12.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks. He steps up his game against L.A., there’s no question.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is going to need to be huge in this series to ensure a Thunder victory. The Lakers do not have the point guards to matchup with Westbrook and he will need to take advantage.

Westbrook had a nice series against Dallas and reverted to sort of a defensive stopper as the series progressed, shutting down Jason Terry. He won’t be asked to play as much defense against the Lakers however.

The litmus test for Westbrook’s game is always his midrange pull-up jump shot. It was on point against Dallas as he noticeably was shooting it with better form. He’s going to be able to get to his spots and take that shot in this series. Whether or not it is going in early on will tell you a lot about how he will play.

When Westbrook is not making that shot he gets out of rhythm and less under control and begins forcing drives and throwing his body at those protecting the paint. He can have success doing this too and getting to the line but it will be a tough challenge against the Lakers and Bynum and Gasol.

We may see Kobe Bryant on Westbrook some in this series too and he did a nice job against him in the last regular season meeting between these teams. Westbrook went 3-for-22 in that game and gets out of sorts against defenders like Kobe or even Dwyane Wade.

It is unlikely however that the Lakers will want to put Kobe on Westbrook too much because they are going to need him to be more efficient on offense.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe shot just 30 percent against the Thunder in the regular season. He’s been playing better of late but the Thunder have more to throw at him than Denver did.

Thabo Sefolosha can play Kobe straight up without a double team which will lure Kobe into becoming a high-volume shooter at times and that’s what Oklahoma City wants.

Kobe was very clutch at the end of the last meeting between these teams and hit a ton of big shots and the Lakers might be able to count on him in situations like that. But since Oklahoma City should be able to contain the Lakers bigs it will be up to Kobe to be a more efficient scorer for them or for the role players to really step up, but that seems even more unlikely.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant vs. Metta World Peace

Kevin Durant is going to be important like he always is for the Thunder but it won’t be the prettiest we see him play, that’s for sure.

Metta World Peace has always done a solid job on Durant and physical defenders usually have the most success against him. Durant really struggled in the playoffs two years ago against World Peace but he has improved in that department since.

The Thunder did a lot of posting up of Durant in the first round and against World Peace that will be a tough thing to rely on. He is in the best shape he has been in awhile and unless referees are really bailing Durant out, it’s unlikely he will be too productive from there. Durant has a long way to go with his post game and he might be more effective looking to score from the perimeter in this series.

Durant – like Westbrook – really struggled from the field in the last game the Thunder played the Lakers. But he got a ton of open jumpers that he normally doesn’t miss. Durant has been more locked in during the postseason and if he’s getting those looks consistently in this series, points will come very easy to him.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Beard

James Harden went to another level in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks scoring 15 points in the final quarter to help the Thunder erase a 13-point deficit and win.

Thunder fans will know though that Harden has been at this level all season. The key is that the Thunder are willing to go to him down the stretch even with Durant and Westbrook on the floor with him.

Harden is certainly the biggest X-factor for the Thunder. We all know what happened the last time he stepped on the floor with Metta World Peace so don’t think Harden won’t be extra motivated in this series.

While Harden was needed to step up against the Mavericks it may not be as necessary against the Lakers mainly because Westbrook should be having a big series offensively. Harden will still be needed to be a reliable 3-point shooter and run the offense well with the second unit.

The Crowd

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best crowd in the NBA. They aren’t going to be too welcoming toward Metta World Peace when he is announced as a starter for Game 1 either.

This probably won’t do much to World Peace (you know, because he’s insane), but some extra rowdiness will be a great thing for the Thunder players.

The Thunder may not come out as sharp as usual with such a long layoff in between games so having the crowd on another level will be a great advantage for the Thunder to avoid losing one of these first two games.

The Verdict

The Thunder should win this series and if the Lakers didn’t have Kobe and didn’t have the history, no one would be questioning the outcome.

Everything is happening so fast though for the Thunder. They are still so young and no matter how talented you are, there are growing pains. If Kobe can miraculously lead this Lakers squad to upset the Thunder it wouldn’t be totally unbelieveable.

That shouldn’t happen though. Not to this Thunder team. They may still have some growing pains ahead of them before they can win a title but that’s not going to be now.

After beating these Lakers on the grand stage that it will be on, whoever has to play OKC in the next round should be a lot scared of them.

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Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Kendrick Perkins has been a crucial part of the Oklahoma City Thunder all season. His value doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet but it’s definitely there.

Perkins injured his right hip in the first quarter of Game 4 vs. Dallas on May 5 and did not return in the game. The injury would normally keep a player out 10-14 days.

The Thunder will play the Lakers in Game 1 of the conference semifinals tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. EST, Monday, May 14. That’s nine days since the injury making it seem unlikely that Perkins will be at 100 percent tomorrow night.

He could still play though if he’s not at 100 percent as it is playoff basketball. He was last seen Friday afternoon at the Thunder practice walking without crutches and with no noticeable limp. This type of injury would not necessarily make you walk different but when you are in the game running, getting into a defensive stance and banging is when it would be noticeable.

The Thunder made a tough decision last season to trade Jeff Green to Boston to acquire Perkins. They did it for this specific matchup with the Lakers. They lost to Los Angeles the year before in the first round and it was clear that they needed to get bigger to compete with the then two-time defending champs.

In Game 7 against Denver, the Lakers flexed their sizable advantage as Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 39 points, 35 rebounds (20 offensive) and 10 blocks. Denver doesn’t have the size that Oklahoma City would have even without Perkins but Gasol and Bynum are going to be quite a load to handle either way.

Perkins averaged 26.8 minutes per game this season but against the Lakers three times he averaged 36.0 minutes. He played well against L.A. averaging 6.3 points, 9.0 rebounds (3.3 offensive) and shot .571 percent from the floor.

Bynum averaged 16.3 points, 11.0 rebounds (3.7 offensive) and shot .444 percent from the field against the Thunder this season. Gasol averaged 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and shot .465 percent from the field.

The Lakers’ big men produced against the Thunder this season and needed to partly because of Kobe Bryant’s struggles. Kobe averaged 24.3 points against OKC and shot .307 percent from the field.

The Thunder won two of the three meetings this season against the Lakers and nearly swept them falling in double overtime in the final meeting. The shooting percentages of the Lakers big three were all considerably lower than their averages against the Thunder.

Without Perkins, the Thunder would likely start Nazr Mohammed and continue with their rotation bringing Nick Collison off the bench. Expect the Thunder to go small as much as possible too. Gasol usually starts the fourth quarter without Bynum on the floor so expect Scott Brooks to try and take advantage of that lineup by starting Kevin Durant in that quarter as well.

The Thunder will have a much tougher time matching up with the Lakers if they are without Perkins or he is playing much less than 100 percent. They should still be favored to win the series and win it without question.

The Lakers have much bigger issues in terms of matching up with Oklahoma City’s big three and that advantage for the Thunder should be enough for them to win the series.

The Lakers led 3-1 in the series after four games then played very poorly in games 5 and 6 losing each to Denver. The Lakers returned to form in Game 7 and did what they were supposed to do closing out Denver in Staples Center.

The Lakers took advantage of their greatest advantage which was size in Game 7. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum really showed up after essentially no-showing the last two games.

Gasol and Bynum combined for 33 points and 35 rebounds in Game 7 including 20 offensive boards.

Kobe Bryant was relatively quiet in the game scoring 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting but did also have eight assists.

The Thunder have been waiting awhile for this series to start. Oklahoma City beat Dallas in four games and that series ended last Saturday, May 5. The greatest concern for the Thunder is the health of starting center Kendrick Perkins who is still day-to-day and it is unknown if he will play in Game 1.

Game 1 will be Monday night at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Andre Iguodala made two free throws with two seconds left to put Philadelphia ahead.

The Bulls led 78-75 with 25 seconds left following an Omer Asik dunk. Thaddeus Young scored for the 76ers on the next possession then Asik was fouled at the rim with seven seconds left and would miss both free throws.

Iguodala rebounded the second miss and immediately pushed the ball back up court and drove hard right at Asik to the rim and was fouled to set up the game-winning free throws.

The Bulls were obviously not the same without Rose despite having success during the regular season when he was sidelined.

The series was very low-scoring for both teams but the Bulls simply did not have enough people step up with their injuries. Carlos Boozer scored three points in Game 6.

The 76ers win their first series since 2003 and will meet the Boston Celtics in the second round.

The Boston Celtics survived at home in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks 83-80 to win the series 4-2.

The Celtics led by two with two seconds left and Al Horford was fouled attempting a layup. He would miss the first and make the second and the Celtics hung on to win.

Kevin Garnett came through with a classic performance. He scored 28 points to go with 14 rebounds and five blocks.

The Eastern Conference second round matchups are now set with the Celtics having homecourt against the 76ers and Miami with homecourt versus Indiana.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost 113-96 in Game 6 to the Denver Nuggets. There will be a Game 7 in this series now.

The Nuggets got off to a great start while the Lakers looked sluggish. Denver scored the first 13 points of the game and never looked back.

Kobe Bryant missed the shootaround before the game but still played of course. He looked sick but still scored 31 points on 13-for-23 shooting.

Kobe was the only Laker with anything going. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for the second game in a row were not their usual selves. Bynum scored 11 points and Gasol was 1-of-10 fro the field with three points.

Ty Lawson led Denver with 32 points and made five threes in the game including four in the first quarter. Lawson has been the key for Denver in this series but hasn’t played too well on the road yet.

Game 7 will be Saturday between these teams meaning the Thunder won’t play Game 1 of the second round until Monday. With the Lakers up 3-1 it looked like they would easily move on but now Denver surely has momentum and could easily win this series.

Metta World Peace will return for Game 7 after being suspended for elbowing James Harden. I don’t think anyone looks at this series and says the Lakers could use World Peace and they’d be fine.

The Los Angeles Lakers lead their first round series with the Denver Nuggets 3-2. They lost Game 5 at home with a chance to close out the series. Denver looked great in Game 5 playing their game and dictating the style of play to their liking.

Kobe scored 43 points in Game 5 including a stretch of three consecutive threes late in the fourth quarter. His symptoms today are vomiting and stomach pain.

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum did not look their best in Game 5 and the Lakers will need less from Kobe and more from them to beat this Nuggets team.

If the Lakers win tonight then Game 1 of the second round will be on Saturday in Oklahoma City. All indications however are that the Nuggets should be favored to win tonight at home and force a Game 7 in Staples Center.

Or we could have the potential for Kobe trying to emulate Michael Jordan with a famous “flu game” of his own.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Sunday that Kendrick Perkins had suffered a right hip muscle strain in the first quarter of Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks and is now listed as day-to-day.

Perkins likely would not have been able to play in any more of the Dallas series and may even miss some of the next round. That just adds to the importance of the Thunder’s 13-point fourth quarter comeback in Game 4.

Perkins had been the primary defender Oklahoma City used on Dirk Nowitzki in the series and Perkins’ value as a post defender may be in even higher demand if the Thunder play the Lakers in the second round, and it looks like they will.

Perkins’ return to play will be based on his progress and recovery in the coming days. Recovery time would normally take a week or longer for this type of injury but you’d have to assume that is he is close to being able to go then he will even if it’s a little too soon.

Day-to-day is not very telling of the injury as Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha missed over a month while being listed day-to-day.

The Thunder would have to play next as early as this coming Saturday (7 days after the injury) or as late as next Monday or Tuesday (9 or 10 days).

The Thunder will have home court no matter what but dealing with the Lakers’ frontline of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum won’t be easy without Perkins. The Lakers have the best 4-5 combo in the NBA and part of Oklahoma City’s success against Los Angeles has been their ability to contain the duo with Perkins and Serge Ibaka.

In the second half of Game 4 against Dallas, Brooks started Nazr Mohammed to stick with the usual rotation of bringing Nick Collison off the bench. If Perkins is not ready to play by Game 1 you would expect Brooks to do the same because you wouldn’t want to sacrifice the chemistry Collison and James Harden have with the second unit.

The Thunder should still be favored in a series with the Lakers even without Perkins but remember last year Oklahoma City traded Jeff Green for Perkins for this exact matchup with the Lakers.

Soobum Im-US PRESSWIRE

The San Antonio looked like the best team in the league today. And they might really be just that.

The Spurs won Game 1 at home against the Utah Jazz 106-91 Sunday.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 28 points and eight assists and looked like the MVP-candidate he became this season.

The Spurs are just so fun to watch and play such perfect basketball. Now, they have a great offense this year and their matchup against Utah is a good one since Utah has the worst defense among playoff teams.

Every single player knows their exact role for the Spurs and today they all executed seemingly perfect.

Tim Duncan had a nice throwback game with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Every possession has so much purpose for this team and unless Utah is going to play their very best basketball, the Spurs will win every game in this series.

They should be considered the favorite to win the NBA title right now. They won’t be though and that’s how they like it.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Andrew Bynum recorded a triple-double as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 103-88.

Bynum scored 10 points to go with 13 rebounds and 10 blocks. The size of the Lakers’ bigs was just too much for the Nuggets to handle today.

Denver was fine beating their defenders off the dribble but with Bynum and Pau Gasol waiting for them they could not capitalize. The Lakers had 15 blocks as a team and held Denver to 35.6 percent field goal shooting.

If Denver is ever able to dictate the pace and tempo of a game against the Lakers they can win but the Lakers’ style is closer to what we always see in the playoffs so don’t expect that to happen enough for the Nuggets to have a real shot.

The Lakers know their identity and while the Nuggets do too to an extent, they don’t have the same kind of talent to execute their game plan well enough.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Gasol had 13 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.

Denver is overmatched in this series and the Lakers should easily move on but they are known for being kind of “out of it” now and then so the series may still go six.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City had the toughest time winning their first playoff game of the top three seeds in the West.

But the Thunder are matched up with the defending champion Dallas Mavericks who looked like just that last night.

Kevin Durant’s heroics have been the best part of the playoffs so far but hopefully for the Thunder, they will not need to rely on that to get by the Mavericks in this series.

Assuming Oklahoma City does advance, San Antonio still looks like by far their toughest potential matchup. The Spurs played great in the regular season against the Thunder and have been great overall of late and today.

The way that the Thunder turned up their defense in the fourth quarter tonight is a really good sign though. If Russell Westbrook can play the kind of defense he did last night on Jason Terry for the rest of the playoffs, then the Thunder are looking pretty good.

The Lakers’ weakness of giving up dribble penetration is not an issue against Denver but if they plan Oklahoma City in Round 2, the Thunder will be able to make Los Angeles pay.

The Thunder will play Game 2 at home against the Mavericks tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

Head on over to Air Alamo and Lake Show Life for FanSided’s coverage on the Spurs and Lakers.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shot terribly in Los Angeles as the Thunder fell 114-106 to the Lakers in double overtime.

Durant went 11-of-34 from the field and scored 35 points. He missed the potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation when the Lakers played him straight up and the stepback trey did not fall. In the overtimes he had multiple open looks not fall.

Kobe Bryant seemed to make all of the big shots including two big threes in the fourth quarter and another few big jumpers in the overtimes. Bryant finished with 26 points on 9-for-26 shooting but his shooting percentage and the Lakers’ end-game execution seemed Spurs-like compared to Oklahoma City’s.

Westbrook went 3-for-22 from the floor and scored 14 points. He stayed aggressive down the stretch though and made some big free throws for the Thunder by driving hard to the rim that helped extend the game.

James Harden was the victim of the dirtiest play of the year via Metta World Peace. One of the more exciting NBA games of the season let us forget about the cheap shot but Harden was of course noticeably absent for the Thunder late.

Harden’s importance of being the calming force and guy who can make smart plays with the basketball was absent in the second half. The Thunder need him to help steady the ship on offense when the game turns into what it was today and without him, the Thunder looked like the way they did last year in the playoffs.

The Lakers did not go with Andrew Bynum down the stretch and instead rode the hot hand of Jordan Hill who scored 14 points and had 15 rebounds (six offensive).

Pau Gasol also was great on the offensive glass with six of his 14 rebounds coming there to go with 20 points.

The Lakers did not as much beat the Thunder as the Thunder beat themselves. Sure, Bryant made some clutch shots that were needed to win but Durant got very good looks that he missed and no one is used to seeing those shots not fall.

Westbrook seems to always have his worst games on national television and while he hasn’t been playing very well of late, today was certainly one of his worst in awhile at a time when they desperately needed him with Harden out.

Harden may have shown some signs of concussion-like symptoms according to sideline reports during the game. The blow was extremely forceful and probably not anticipated by Harden which makes it worse. If he misses any time because of this it will be devastating for this team especially with him playing so well the last two games (averaging 30.0 points).

The Thunder drop to 46-18 on the year and still take the season series against the Lakers 2-1. They are now a full game back of the Spurs for the top seed meaning a Thunder-Lakers second round series is looking to be pretty likely. It may work out better though for Oklahoma City since the Spurs would like have to play Memphis in the second round if the seedings remain the same.

The Thunder will play their final two games at home this season with the next coming Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings who they’ve beaten twice in the last few weeks.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Thunder (2-game winning streak)
107.2 Offensive Efficiency (2nd)
99.6 Defensive Efficiency (8th)
95.7 Pace (6th)
56.8 True Shooting % (1st)
51.6 Rebound Rate (3rd)

Lakers (1-game winning streak)
103.4 Offensive Efficiency (10th)
101.6 Defensive Efficiency (13th)
92.8 Pace (20th)
53.6 True Shooting % (8th)
53.1 Rebound Rate (2nd)

The Thunder are running out of time to catch the Spurs for the top seed in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City has just three games left this season and is a half game back of San Antonio in the standings.

The Thunder appeared to have the Lakers’ number the last time they played. Despite falling behind 30-18 after one quarter, the Thunder won 102-93 thanks to 36 points from Russell Westbrook.

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points in that game but went 7-of-25 from the field.

The Lakers lost their last game to the Spurs 121-97 in Bryant’s first game back from injury. Bryant scored 18 points in 30 minutes while the Spurs’ offense was simply unstoppable.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are usually a huge advantage over anyone but Oklahoma City has the bigs to contain them with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins on the frontline.

Kevin Durant scored 21 points to go with 11 rebounds and five assists in the Thunder’s last game versus the Lakers. Metta World Peace did a decent job on him making it tough on the catch with physical play.

James Harden has come around lately averaging 30.0 points per game over his last two after a averaging just 13.0 per game over the eight games before. Against the Lakers this season, Harden is averaging just 12.5 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from the field.

A win today pretty much has to happen for the Thunder as San Antonio plays Cleveland today.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

The Thunder trailed 30-18 after one quarter and played one of the worst first halves they have in awhile before coming back and beating the Los Angeles Lakers in Staples Center 102-93.

Russell Westbrook led the way with another hot second half scoring 36 points to go along with six assists and just one turnover. Westbrook scored 17 of his points in the third quarter where the Thunder outscored the Lakers 34-19.

Kevin Durant scored 21 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out five assists after a really tough start from the field. Durant missed his first eight shots of the game and was 5-for-16 at halftime.

The Lakers pounded the Thunder inside early on with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and the Thunder would respond with a little bit of the Lakers’ own medicine to fuel their comeback. Oklahoma City pulled down 19 offensive rebounds in the game and got another great performance from Kendrick Perkins who had 12 points and eight rebounds on the night.

The play from the Thunder big men these past few games can’t go unnoticed as they have been a huge reason for the team clicking on all cylinders during this five-game winning streak.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Early in the second quarter it would be Derek Fisher who provided the necessary lift on offense for the Thunder scoring seven points. Fisher played 11 minutes in the game and the Thunder were plus-13 during that time. Fisher also received a standing ovation when he checked in the game.

In the last meeting between these teams James Harden and Kobe Bryant were talking trash in the fourth quarter. Bryant again was dealing at the mouth tonight only to see the Thunder make him look like an old man. Bryant began covering Westbrook late in the third quarter with Westbrook getting hot from the floor only to have Westbrook blow by Bryant for an amazing buzzer-beater to end the third quarter.

Harden scored just nine points in the game and was held to under double-digit scoring for just the third time this season.

Westbrook has really been playing at a high level lately and at this rate has a legit chance to be considered a First Team All-NBA member once the season is over. He just looks so unstoppable at times and in a game like this against the Lakers when they had no one who could hold his jock, he really took over.

The Thunder (39-12) are off the next two nights and will play next at home against the Chicago Bulls (41-11) Sunday afternoon.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder topped off a great finish to the first half of the season Thursday night beating the Los Angeles Lakers at home 100-85.

The win gives the Thunder a 27-7 record on the year, tied with the Miami Heat for the best record in the NBA so far this season. Oklahoma City has won five games in a row now.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 33 points and six assists in the game. Durant got going early scoring 20 in the first half including a buzzer-beater with 0.8 seconds left when he stole the Lakers’ inbounds pass.

The Thunder scored five points in the final second of the first half with the first three coming via a Russell Westbrook three-pointer. Westbrook had just 19 in the game to go along with six assists and five rebounds.

Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka came to play tonight as they had a tough matchup with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The Thunder bigs combined for 14 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks in the game while Oklahoma City was without Nick Collison again tonight.

Perkins also played great defense on Bynum in the game and just did all of the little things that seem to go unnoticed. With 2:14 left in the game and the Thunder ahead by 10, Perkins out hustled everyone on the floor for an offensive rebound with three Lakers around him and kicked out to James Harden who put the nail in the coffin with the dagger trey.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

If Perkins’ defense on Bynum was good then Harden’s defense on Kobe Bryant was great. Bryant scored 24 points in the game on 7-for-24 shooting and Harden gave him fits all night.

The two, along with Durant, even got into it jawing back and forth late but it was clear that Harden outplayed the leading vote-getter of the Western Conference tonight. Harden would score 16 points but his impact was much greater controlling the pace of the game and releasing for easy buckets after strong contests on Bryant.

The Thunder have up just eight offensive rebounds to the Lakers and turned the ball over only 12 times. Oklahoma City also made Los Angeles look old with their 21-to-6 advantage on the fast break.

Oklahoma City will send three of their own to Orlando for All-Star Weekend beginning tomorrow night. Durant and Westbrook will play in the All-Star Game and head coach Scott Brooks will coach the West team.

Durant will also coach the Celebrity Game Friday night and compete in the Three-Point Contest Saturday night. Westbrook will be in the Skills Challenge on Saturday night as well.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Thunder (4-game winning streak)
106.4 Offensive Efficiency (2nd)
99.3 Defensive Efficiency (14th)
96.3 Pace (3rd)
57.0 True Shooting % (2nd)
51.4 Rebound Rate (5th)

Lakers (2-game winning streak)
100.9 Offensive Efficiency (14th)
97.8 Defensive Efficiency (10th)
92.3 Pace (23rd)
52.4 True Shooting % (13th)
52.4 Rebound Rate (2nd)

This is the first of three meetings between the Lakers and Thunder and with a sort of reversal of roles between the teams. The Thunder of course took Los Angeles to six games in the first round of the playoffs two years ago when the Lakers won the title.

Oklahoma City now sits atop the standings tied for the best record in the NBA while the Lakers have struggled overall this season.

The game will feature a matchup between the two leading scorers in the NBA in Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. Durant has been on a tear lately including a career-high 51 points last Sunday while Bryant struggled in the Laker’s 96-91 win last night over Dallas scoring only 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

A real weakness for the Lakers this season has been the point guard position. On offense and defense the Lakers have struggled in that area and Russell Westbrook won’t make things any easier for Los Angeles tonight.

The Lakers should have an edge when it comes to the offensive glass led by their two All-Stars Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The Thunder have struggled keeping their opponents off the offensive glass this season and that is a specialty for these two especially with knowing Bryant is going to jack up a ton of shots.

The Thunder have been playing as well as anyone this year however and should be able to pull this one out tonight. Durant will be a tough cover as always. Ron Artest used to be the guy that could give Durant the most trouble but two years later we’re now dealing with a completely different player named Metta World Peace.

Los Angeles won’t be able to match up with the second unit of Oklahoma City either. The Lakers are all about their Big Three this year then they drop off quite a bit while James Harden leads a potent bench attack for the Thunder.

Even if the game is close early expect the Thunder to be more consistent throughout and eventually pull away.