NBA Playoffs 2012: Can Any Team Stop the Oklahoma City Thunder?

We all know how good the Oklahoma City Thunder are when they score a high number of points. That's one of the big reasons why they haven't lost a single game in this year's NBA playoffs.

So what does it say about them when they win a game by only scoring 77 points?

Even though the point total isn't a lot, it tells you a great deal of how good this young team truly is.

After an Andrew Bynum hook shot gave the Los Angeles Lakers a 75-68 lead with over two minutes remaining, the Thunder began another epic playoff comeback with Kevin Durant and James Harden leading the way by attacking the basket and driving to the rim with ease.

In the midst of all of the dramatic hoopla that ensued, Kobe Bryant committed two careless turnovers down the stretch and took a bad three-point attempt with Harden right in his face, showing a side of himself in the last minutes that we don't normally see.

The first turnover turned into a dunk from Durant that cut the lead to three, and the second resulted in an acrobatic layup by Durant that cut the lead to one. After the bad three-point attempt by Bryant, Durant hit the eventual game-winner from inside 10 feet and the Thunder now head to Staples Center with a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Before praise is given to the Thunder for another incredible comeback, no one on this planet can explain what was going on with the Lakers in the final minutes. The ball movement that was there for the first 46 minutes was non-existent for the final two.

Getting Bynum and Pau Gasol involved in the offense immediately became an afterthought when Metta World Peace and Bryant turned the Lakers into a two-man game.

And then, out of all of this, there's a new moment in NBA history that will be coined as "The Decision"—World Peace getting the ball to Steve Blake in the corner for the go-ahead shot that would've given the Lakers a two-point lead with a few seconds to go.

No one truly knows what was going through the thought-scattering head of World Peace. If he waited just a little bit longer, he would've found Kobe at the opposite corner with a chance to take the final shot. But like the rest of the team in the situation they were in for the final 2:08, World Peace was feeling a great amount of doubt.

Yes, there has to be some sense of doubt from the Lakers right now. And even though no one on that roster will admit it, the question has to be asked:

Do they really think they can beat the Thunder right now?

It's simple to say that the Lakers were two minutes away from tying the series at a game apiece and heading back to La-La land with a ton of confidence and a giant wave of momentum on their side. But is it possible to believe that, just like the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers are intimidated by the Thunder?

Right now, as it stands? Absolutely.

The Lakers panicked in the final two minutes when the Thunder began their final 9-0 run. L.A. wouldn't have moved away from the things they were doing if Kobe and company didn't feel a little desperation coming their way, even with a seven-point lead.

Oklahoma City has performed these fourth-quarter comebacks all postseason long. They did it three times to Dallas in the final minutes, and after they annihilated the Lakers in Game 1, Durant took over once again and led the Thunder to their sixth straight playoff victory.

And even in the final minutes, the Thunder finally realized that they had to stop shooting three-pointers and attack the basket until they ran out of gas. The perimeter game is the strong suit of OKC, but they're just as dangerous when they drive to the rim, and they proved that logic in the final minutes.

That's how Durant and Russell Westbrook can become dominant players in these playoffs, more so than they already are.

So instead of asking whether the Lakers can beat the Thunder right now, the question should really be can any team remaining in the playoffs beat Oklahoma City in a seven-game series?

When they're on and playing the way they're playing right now, the Thunder are arguably the best team in the league, and not one person would be faulted for saying that they are—especially with the way Westbrook has played in these playoffs by scoring in bunches and limiting his turnovers, which makes the Thunder that much dangerous.

If the Thunder come out and set the tone in Game 3 on Friday early and often, and continue to do the things that have made them a threat in the West, then they'll go into Saturday up 3-0 and will more than likely get the sweep. But they need to be careful of the environment that awaits them in Los Angeles.

With 48 hours to prepare, OKC has a chance to send a big-time statement to the rest of the league and send one of the gold standards in the NBA to the brink of a second straight second-round sweep.

Don't let the 77-point performance on Wednesday fool you. If the Thunder can win offensively and defensively, who can stop them?

Right now, no one.