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Lunch break: If you're a Thunder fan, should you be scared?
Published: 5/3/2012 12:26 PM
Last Modified: 5/3/2012 12:26 PM

The San Antonio Spurs fans in the office are licking their chops, and after last night's 31-point beatdown of Utah, they have good reason.

The best line of Wednesday night's rout came from Twitter, where someone asked if the Spurs big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker would even bother making the trip to Utah for Games 3 and 4.

The trio missed the Spurs' last visit to Utah in April, as coach Gregg Popovich opted to keep his stars at home for his team's lone road game in a stretch of five games in seven days.

So if you're a Thunder fan, are you scared? Oklahoma City also leads its first-round series 2-0 over defending NBA champion Dallas, but has any team controlled a series in such precarious fashion?

The Thunder needed a last-second prayer from Kevin Durant to win Game 1 and watched a 16-point lead in Game 2 evaporate before finally holding off the Mavericks.

So should you be worried the Thunder has given its all to narrowly win two home games? Or are you optimistic OKC has won twice despite Durant shooting 15-of-44 (34 percent)?

I got a chance to see the Thunder in person last week during its regular-season finale, and unfortunately for OKC fans, the team that has shown up for the playoffs looks suspiciously like the one that played in that meaningless finale against Denver.

OKC gives up way too many offensive rebounds -- 22 in the first two games against Dallas -- and doesn't do a very good job protecting the basketball -- 31 turnovers so far this series.

Here's a fearless prediction: The Thunder will get run out of the building in Thursday's Game 3, win a tight Game 4, then close out the series at home in five games.

But if OKC has higher aspirations than winning a first-round series, it will have to start doing more than it has the first two games against Dallas.

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jctblue (10 months ago)

Spurs win it all this year

TheProphet (10 months ago)

You nailed your game 3 prediction, you just mixed up the teams.

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters (10 months ago)

I know. I was pretty surprised how the Thunder dominated a game the Mavericks had to win. It's what happens when your best player finally plays like your best player. I'm thinking sweep tonight, but me thinking is a dangerous thing.

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The Editor's Desk

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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