It’s hard to believe how quickly time has flown, but after tonight any basketball that is played in Chesapeake Energy Arena will give the Thunder a chance to rack up one of the 16 wins it needs for an NBA title.
The final home game of the regular season will tip-off Monday as the Thunder hosts the Los Angeles Lakers, with just one game left on Tuesday in San Antonio against the Spurs. Sitting at 54-26 on the year, the Thunder has put together yet another outstanding season and will be the third seed in the Western Conference, its opponent in the first round still to be determined. As the Thunder prepared for the Lakers, the team also reflected on its season as a whole.
“We’ve grown together a lot, first chemistry-wise on and off the court,” guard Andre Roberson said. “We’ve made major steps in sharing the ball, shooting the ball when we’re open, getting back in transition defense and man-to-man defense. We’ve taken great strides improving to where we want to go. We have things to improve on still, but we just have to go out there, play together, play the right way and take care of ourselves.”
Tonight will be about the Thunder trying to put together 48 minutes of high level basketball, focusing in on three core areas that have been indicators of success this season. Limiting turnovers, getting back in transition and preventing second chance points have been perhaps the most sure-fire barometers of whether the Thunder wins or loses so far this season.
There’s something else on the line tonight, although Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant dismissed the importance of it in his mind. Tonight he can surpass Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s 2005-06 mark of 63 straight games of scoring 20-or-more points, which would add an extra accolade to an excellent 2015-16 season for Durant. On the year he’s averaged 28.1 points on 50.4 percent shooting (38.2 percent from three) along with a career-best 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, the second-highest mark in his career.
“That’s what I’m supposed to do. That’s what my teammates allow me to do,” Durant pointed out. “I have to be that guy every single night. Accomplishments in this league, anything in this league as a player, you try not to look over it or take it for granted, but that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Bryant’s Final Road Game
Monday marks Bryant’s final road game in his career, an occasion that will have the attention of fans all over the league. As Thunder players reflected on Bryant’s legacy in the NBA, part of it will be tied to the Thunder. The Lakers won its most recent NBA Championship after beating the Thunder in Round One of the playoffs, which was also the very first postseason series in Oklahoma City history.
Durant recalled it being an “eye-opening” experience watching Bryant’s focus and mentality in that series, in addition to an Olympic try-out afternoon when Bryant put himself through an excruciating workout while all the other NBA veterans took the day off.
“He’s definitely a role model for myself and my teammates for how he approached the game,” Durant stated. “It’ll be fun to play against Kobe for his last road game. It’s more fun than anything else.”
Watch: Kevin Durant on Playing Kobe Bryant
Roberson will likely get the task of defending Kobe to start the game, as he has on a number of other occasions throughout his career. In fact, just a handful of games into his rookie season, Roberson tied up Bryant on their very first possession against one another in a Thunder home win. Last season, on the road against the Lakers, Roberson forced Bryant into a 3-for-15 shooting night, including a miss on a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.
“The game-tying shot, it was an emotional game for me,” Roberson reminisced. “Growing up watching him and finally playing against him, it was surreal.”
Broadcast Information:
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. CT
Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network