For those that didn't get a chance to see Thursday nights Dallas/Oklahoma City game, don't worry - you'll get a chance to see it on ESPN Classic real soon. You will have heard about it by now, so I'm not spoiling anything by telling you the Thunder won a thriller at the buzzer 104-102. This was a hard fought game that was more like the Western Conference Finals series of last year than the 4th game of the season for both of these teams. And all I can say is "damn."
Could this be one of those turning points, those defining moments for a team in a season? I could see it easily being a game where folks look back and say "yeah, this was the game when OKC came together and took it to the next level." And the flip side could easily be true as well...this could be the point when Dallas really has the wheels come off their season. Only time will tell if one or both of these futures will come to pass after this game.
This game was an instant classic, and really demonstrates the growth and maturation of an OKC squad that even last year would have found a way to lose this game. And they damn near did. Ibaka makes a great rebound in traffic, only to miss 2 huge free throws that would have all but iced the game. And then a breakdown in defense by KD allows Vince Carter to shoot a wide open 3 pointer. But all is forgiven when KD takes and makes the game winner. Out of all the superlatives you could heap on this young man, the best of them all is "hard working." He played a lot of hoop in the off season and lock out training and preparing himself for this moment. And its terrific (not just as an OKC fan but a fan of hoops in general) to see all that hard work pay off for not only a great basketball player, but by all accounts a great person as well.
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