NBA Playoffs 2012: Oklahoma City Thunder Too Powerful for Rest of West

It doesn't matter who the Oklahoma City Thunder face in the Western Conference playoffs, because the reality is no one can stand toe-to-toe with them in a seven-game series.

There are certainly some threats, including the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, but the Thunder have everything they could want to make a run to the NBA Finals.

They have two superstars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, low-post defense with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins, a bench player in James Harden, who plays like a veteran, and a veteran in Derek Fisher, who helps stabilize the young squad.

The Thunder have the best field-goal percentage in the NBA, are seventh in rebounding and have held opponents to 42.6 percent shooting, third-best in the league. If there's a clear weakness on this team, we haven't seen it yet.

They have the youth and explosiveness to topple the Spurs, and the chemistry and offense to topple the Lakers. The Thunder can only lose in the Western Conference playoffs this season if they beat themselves. While that was part of their failure last season, you have to give Westbrook credit for rising to the occasion. He's much more in tune with the game this season and has made fewer poor mistakes, as the Thunder have followed in turn.

The Thunder have another tune-up against the Lakers on April 22. Last time they played on March 29, they won, 102-93, as Durant and Westbrook went off and the Lakers were out-rebounded and shot 41 percent from the floor.

While the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat battle in the East, the Thunder will prove that they are ready to take the next step in the West, knocking out anyone in their way. This is a team that has a chance of winning a title this season.

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