NBA Playoffs 2012: The Maturation of the Oklahoma City Thunder

If the Oklahoma City Thunder's 119-90 thumping of the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night in Game 2 of their 2012 NBA Western Conference playoff semifinal game is any indication of better things to come, the Thunder just may see a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The 29-point home blowout of the Lakers is the latest step for an Oklahoma City team who has been on the verge of ascending to greater heights for the past three seasons.

Since moving the franchise from Seattle (Supersonics) to Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder have slowly gone from being a cellar-dwellar (23-59 in '08-09), to a top title contender in their short four-year existence.

Oklahoma City's ascension, have come of course, with growing pains. The Thunder, the seventh-youngest team in the league, was one defensive rebound away from taking the Lakers to a seventh game in the 2010 playoffs. Los Angeles—who went on to win their second consecutive title that year—won that game 95-94 to eliminate Oklahoma City in the first round. Last season, the Thunder beat Denver (Nuggets) 4-1 in the first round. In the semifinals, they were in a battle with the Memphis Grizzlies, before winning the series 4-3.

Only the Dallas Mavericks stood in the Thunder's way from reaching the NBA Finals. The much-experienced Mavericks were too much for Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals, as Dallas won the series 4-1. The Mavericks went on to win the title over the Miami Heat in six games.

With two of the NBA's best at their positions, small forward Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook, the Thunder came into the 2012 season with one thing in mind: getting to the Finals.

Oklahoma City won their second straight Northwest Division with a 47-19 record in the abbreviated regular season because of the player's preseason lockout. The shortened season may turn to be a blessing in disguise for a young team like the Thunder.

The Thunder got revenge against the Mavericks in the first round, as Durant, Westbrook & Co. led Oklahoma City to a 4-0 sweep of Dallas. Now, they look to avenge their 2010 heartbreak playoff loss to the Lakers.

One thing is certain after Oklahoma City's Game 1 win: the Thunder are on a mission this postseason.

Anyone who follows the NBA playoffs year after year knows that in order to become a champion, you first have to suffer. I remember how the Chicago Bulls & Micheal Jordan endured years of frustration at the hands of the Detroit Pistons during the late 1980s. Detroit, known as "The Bad Boys" then, physically and mentally beat the Bulls in three consecutive playoff appearances ('88-'90). However, in 1991, the Bulls finally broke through and swept their tormentors in four straight, ending three years of frustration to the Pistons.

Since 1980, almost every NBA title contender has had to deal with a team it had trouble beating. For the Thunder, that team is the Los Angeles Lakers. When it comes to the Lakers, Oklahoma City has a great disdain for Los Angeles. And for good reason.

The 2010 playoffs and Lakers' forward Metta World Peace's brutal elbowing of Thunder's guard James Harden on April 22 has been a constant reminder for Oklahoma City. The Thunder have not forgotten either incident, but they have gone about it in a professional manner.

Oklahoma City dispelled any retaliatory tactics towards World Peace in Game 1, choosing instead to focus on a much bigger picture: a championship. The Pistons used the same tactics on Jordan during their dominance of the Bulls, but Jordan would refrain from retaliating. Jordan and the Bulls got the last laugh.

Even though it is premature to talk about the Thunder winning the series against the Lakers after one game, they are taking the next step towards winning.  This Oklahoma City team is learning how to win, and the Lakers, with their 16 NBA titles, knows that the Thunder are not that far away from winning a championship.

And Oklahoma City has all the ingredients to win: talent (Durant, Westbrook & Harden), leadership (Derek Fisher), playoff experience, fortitude, youth, and an insatiable hunger to make a deep run in this year's playoffs.

The end result just may be that championship.