NBA Playoffs 2012 Bracket: Why Thunder vs. Lakers Will Be a Classic Series

If you only watch one NBA series in the second round—maybe you're on some sort of sports fast, I don't know—that series should be the one between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

It has all the makings of a series that will be a true classic.

There are the obvious reasons, like a matchup against an aging superstar (Kobe Bryant) and one of the future ambassadors of the game (Kevin Durant).

But there is way more at play here than that.

To start, there is the intriguing storyline of Metta World Peace and James Harden, after World Peace threw a less-than-peaceful elbow into the side of Harden's head the end of the regular season and was suspended for seven games.

To say World Peace isn't popular in Oklahoma City would be an understatement of gross proportions.

Then there is the clash of styles between the two teams. The Lakers are at their best when they get big performances in the paint from Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol and don't have to rely solely on the scoring of Kobe. They've also become a much more defensive-minded team under head coach Mike Brown.

Meanwhile, the Thunder average just over 103 points per game and alongside Durant—the league's leading scorer at 28.0 points per game—can be carried offensively by Harden (16.8 PPG) or Russell Westbrook (23.6 PPG).

It's one of the league's best frontcourts against one of the league's top perimeter attacks.

There are even interesting B-plots, like the Derek Fisher facing off against the Lakers, a team he spent years playing for.

But ultimately, this is simply the most even matchup of the second round. Neither the Philadelphia 76ers nor Indiana Pacers seem likely to pull off upsets in the Eastern Conference, and the Los Angeles Clippers seem too unpredictable to beat the steady San Antonio Spurs.

But either the Lakers or Thunder could win this series, and unless it was done in a dominating fashion, I doubt many people would bat an eye. Each team is a legitimate championship contender, each team has playoff experience and neither side lacks for star power.

This will without a doubt be the finest series of the second round. Hell, it could be the finest series of the playoffs.

Don't miss it.

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