2011 NBA Playoffs: Oklahoma City Thunder Should Worry Memphis and San Antonio

The Thunder are on the brink of reaching the second round of the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in their short history. They are a young team, who look to be clicking on all cylinders at exactly the right moment. Each of their potential opponents has multiple reasons to worry and just one more Thunder win will turn those worries into ominous realities.

Neither Will Have a Rest Advantage over the Thunder

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MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 25: Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum on April 25, 2011 in Memphis, Tennes

No matter who wins between the Grizzlies and Spurs, the Thunder will probably have a leg up on them or at least be even as far as time to prepare and rest up for the series. Denver won game 4, but it is very unlikely that they’ll be able to beat the Thunder in game 5 in OKC.

Meanwhile, the Memphis-San Antonio series must go at least one more game. It will probably go two (I doubt that Memphis can close out the Spurs in San Antonio.), giving the Thunder at least an extra three or four days to prepare (as long as they can close out Denver). Plus, no one would be surprised if Memphis-San Antonio goes seven.

Neither Has the Superstar Power to Match Up with Oklahoma City

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MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 23: Zach Randolph #50 of the Memphis Grizzlies shoots the ball while defended by Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs in Game three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum on April 23, 2011 in

Now before you say “Wait a minute, San Antonio has three bona fide stars who have won three rings together and the oldest has won a fourth.” I’ll grant you that, if you grant me that those stars (especially Duncan and Ginobili, the better two of the three) are past their primes.

Durant is in the conversation of being the best player in the world and in the minds of many, Westbrook plays second fiddle only to Derrick Rose as far as point guards go. Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker are great players, but they can’t score like the Thunder duo and definitely won’t be able to guard them effectively.

Memphis has Zach Randolph and a bunch of other good players. Randolph has shown his greatness this season and this postseason, but he isn’t enough to beat the Thunder single-handedly.

Neither Has an Edge Down Low Against the Thunder Front Line

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DENVER, CO - APRIL 23: Nene #31 of the Denver Nuggets goes up for a shot against Kendrick Perkins #5 and Serge Ibaka #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 2

Thanks to the midseason trades that brought in Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed, the Thunder now have the ability to stand up to just about anyone in the NBA down low. Memphis and San Antonio are not exceptions.

San Antonio’s front line surrounding Tim Duncan isn’t great, consisting of a 6’7 DeJuan Blair, a 36-year-old Antonio McDyess, and a green Tiago Splitter. Matt Bonner may be listed as a power forward, but he spends most of his time out by the three point line. Perkins, Mohammed, Serge Ibaka, and Nick Collison won’t have much trouble defensively.

Memphis has a very offensively talented starting frontline, with Marc Gasol and Randolph. But Perkins and Ibaka are talented enough to give them problems. Memphis’ lack of depth behind their starting duo of big men greatly works in the Thunder’s favor.

Neither Has the Potent Mix of Hunger and Experience That the Thunder Have

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DENVER, CO - APRIL 25: Kevin Durant #35 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts to a call a the Thunder face the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2011 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Col

The Thunder have already shown their maturity in going up 3-1 on a very deep, talented Denver team. They have played pretty poorly at times during the series and have even trailed a larger amount of time than one might initially think, but they’ve responded more often than not in the crunch with big shots and defensive stops.

One can only assume that last season’s playoff experience must have had something to do with this. Memphis is in their first playoffs in years and most of their players have very little, if any, crunch-time playoff experience.

The Thunder’s experience has only made them hungrier to win. They now know that they can win, a very dangerous thing for a team as energetic and explosive as the Thunder. San Antonio hasn’t shown as much fire as one would like in their opening round series.

Blame it on their age, on many of them already having won it all, or on the recent injury to their spark plug Manu Ginobili, I don’t care. The point is that the Spurs look pretty lifeless, which is not something you want to be when you will have to face a team like the Thunder in the next round.

Each of Them Will Have to Play in Loud City

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DENVER, CO - APRIL 25: The Oklahoma City Thunder huddle up prior to facing the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2011 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expr

The people in Oklahoma are not used to having professional, major league sports around yet. And that may just be one of the biggest advantages the Thunder have. For years, the sports attention of the state of Oklahoma has been divided between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Finally, the sports fans of Oklahoma have one team to unite around and combine their enthusiasm for.

The fans in Oklahoma City wear all the same color, scream the entire game, and are even so dedicated as to stand until their team scores. They dress up in funny costumes and make fools of themselves on a night-by-night basis, just in case there is the smallest chance that it will help their Thunder win.

I’m sure the crowds in Memphis and San Antonio are great, but each has had an NBA team longer than OKC and each has other pro sports franchises either in the same city or close by. The fans of Oklahoma have one team right now. Whichever team has to face the Thunder in the second round will not only be facing the five guys on the court, but also the 3 million other inhabitants of Oklahoma.