Oklahoma City Thunder vs. L.A. Lakers: Powers Clash over More Than Derek Fisher

Everybody loves a juicy storyline.

It's no wonder that so much of the chatter surrounding Thursday's marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder focused on Derek Fisher. It was his first trip back to the Staples Center since being shipped off to the Houston Rockets at the NBA trade deadline.

What will it be like for him to walk through the visitor's entrance and dress in the visitor's locker room after spending so much time as a successful resident in the building?

How will he feel going toe-to-toe with his old teammates—most notably Kobe Bryant, his long-time backcourt buddy?

How will the Purple and Gold feel about opposing him?

How many standing ovations will he get from the crowd?

How many fans will arrive at the arena with sympathetic posters and No. 2 jerseys?

How will the building react when Ramon Sessions faces off with the man he's since replaced?

What sort of tribute video has the team put together for him?

Some of them are intriguing questions, though most are mainly fillers that on-air personalities may use to kill time. After all, Fisher has been a visitor in LA before, during a three-year sojourn with the Golden State Warriors and the Utah Jazz.

Interestingly enough, Fisher's career scoring 14.3 points per game and assist average at 4.8 per game against the Lakers are his highest against any team in the league. 

As for the aforementioned questions, all of them overlook the most pressing query at hand—are the Thunder truly ready to win the West, or do the Lakers still have what it takes to compete for an NBA title, new regime and all?

You could argue that OKC has already answered in their own favor. They went deeper into the playoffs last year than the Lakers (though both lost to the Dallas Mavericks), they own a better record than the Lakers to date and they ran away L.A. in the second half when these two teams played in OKC late last month.

Even with the size of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, the Lakers couldn't handle the speed and athleticism of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka.

Then again, that was on the road where Mike Brown's squad has struggled to the tune of an 11-15 mark this season. This time around, they'll face off in the comforts of downtown L.A., where they've thrived at 20-4.

Of course, if the Lakers are going to hang onto the throne in the postseason, they'll need to win a few games in not-so-friendly confines.

And, chances are, they will.

Their half-court, defense-oriented style of play may not always be the most fun to watch or the most successful against runners and gunners.

But in the playoffs, when the game slows down and every possession means that much more, having two skilled seven-footers (even if one's soft and the other has the temperament of a petulant child) and a stout defense to lean on, not to mention a superstar of Kobe's caliber, could make all the difference.

As would the experience of having "been there" and "done that," even if much of that mojo left town with Fisher.

Regardless of Thursday's result, the fates of these two powers in relation to one another, the Thunder rising and the Lakers seemingly falling, won't be decided until the playoffs—if/when they meet.

Truth be told, it'd be all too fitting for LA to pass on the Western Conference torch, if not have it ripped forcibly from their hands.

Because, in a way, the Lakers have already handed it over, or should I say him over. Except now, he wears No. 37 instead of No. 2.  

And so much for not getting caught up in spectacle of Fisher's homecoming.

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