Are Kevin Durant and the Thunder Really a Postseason Threat to the Lakers?

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder are viewed by some observers as the primary challengers to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference, and there are even a few who are predicting an upset.

Thunder fans are bolstered by the team's strong showing against the Lakers in last season's first-round playoff loss, and the impressive summer Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook had in Turkey during the FIBA World Championships.

Durant was named the most outstanding player in the tournament, as the United States won the gold for the first time in 16 years, and Westbrook was arguably the team's best defensive player.

Expectations are high for the young Thunder, but is it realistic to think they can unseat the Lakers based on last season's postseason showing and the continued development of their stars?

Oklahoma City extended the Lakers to six games last season, but Los Angeles still prevailed despite injuries to Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.

Los Angeles improved in the offseason by adding depth at point guard, defensive help, and size in the interior, while the Thunder will rely on the same primary group of players who led them to the postseason.

Even though the Thunder should improve on last season's eighth place finish in the conference, it's hard for me to picture them beating a healthy Lakers' team in a seven-game series.

I'm sure a series would be competitive, but if the Thunder hope to defeat the Lakers there are several issues that will need to be addressed.

Any chance of a Thunder upset will begin in the paint, because in order to beat the Lakers you must first neutralize the strength of their team.

Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom exploited the Thunder's big men on the offensive end in last season's series, and none of Oklahoma City's players could return the favor.

I was impressed with the energy and athleticism of power forward Serge Ibaka last season, and he seems like the primary candidate to become the Thunder's interior scoring threat.

Ibaka has good size at 6'10", amazing leaping ability, and he was the Thunder's most consistent rebounder in the playoffs.

In order for Oklahoma City to have any chance in a re-match Ibaka must improve significantly on his 6.3 points per game, and 5.4 rebounds per game average of last season.

Ibaka is only 21 so he has plenty of room for his game to mature, but right now his offensive skills are still unpolished, and it's questionable if he can become consistent enough to be an effective counter to Gasol, Bynum, or Odom.

Even if Ibaka makes huge strides in his second season, can Nenad Kristic and Nick Collison step up and provide more resistance than they did last season?

Neither player was quick enough to contain Gasol and Odom, and the Thunder were unable to take advantage of a severely hobbled Bynum.

Beyond the interior, the Thunder must also discover the identity of their third scoring threat, and if Jeff Green is that player, then he will have to use his poor performance last season as a teaching tool.

Green was the Thunder's third option during the regular season, and he was arguably the most versatile member of the team as he averaged 15.1 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Maybe Green was suffering jitters from his first NBA playoff appearance because he showed none of his previous confidence from the regular season, as he averaged 11 points per game for the series, on a dismal 32 percent shooting effort from the field.

Durant's playoff performance was even more unexpected, as the NBA's runner-up to the MVP award shot 35 percent from the field, while playing right into the hands of the Lakers' defense.

Durant made Ron Artest's job easier by settling for jump shots and refusing to attack the basket off the dribble.

Durant's best offensive move in the postseason was swooping his arms on his jump shot in an effort to create contact and a subsequent foul, which is where the majority of his 25 points per game came from.

Durant showed none of the versatility he displayed in Turkey, where he scored in a variety of ways. In Turkey Durant was strong in transition, from long distance, and off the dribble.

That same version of Durant would be needed to upset the Lakers, and it's reasonable to think he will never suffer through another postseason like 2010, because he is too pure of a scorer to shoot below 40 percent in a series.

Westbrook was the Thunder's best player in the postseason and his 20.5 points per game, 6 rebounds, and 47 percent shooting from the field were all improvements over his regular season averages.

The Lakers had few players who were quick enough to stay in front of Westbrook's dribble, and no one who was strong enough to prevent him from penetrating the lane, besides Bryant.

The defensive switch of Bryant to Westbrook was one of the major turning points in the series, because Westbrook seemed to lack confidence in his perimeter jump shot.

Bryant gave Westbrook plenty of room on the perimeter, and for the Thunder to improve Westbrook has to have the confidence and ability to consistently knock those shots down.

Even if the Thunder manage to do all of the things listed above, they are still a long shot to dethrone a healthy Lakers' team, because in essence the Lakers are just a better team.

Los Angeles has superior depth, experience, size, talent, and the benefit of players who understand exactly what it takes to win a NBA championship.

I can see the Thunder emerging as a major NBA power, and the trio of Durant, Westbrook, and Green becoming a dominant force in the West, but it won't happen next season.