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When the Oklahoma City Thunder shocked the world by trading James Harden just days before the season opener, many wondered whether the franchise was prioritizing the bottom line ahead of winning. On and off the court, Harden's been a critical factor ...

Well, this was unexpected. Not because I thought moving James Harden would be unfathomable for the Oklahoma City Thunder. I actually expected OKC to explore trade options if contract extension terms weren't agreed upon come Oct. 31. I've heard ...

Everyone else keeps talking about the Lakers. Why shouldn't we? The show can be heard by clicking on the module and a list of talking points is below: - (1:30): Basketball players are often reticent to shower the opposition with more t...

Aug. 23, otherwise known as "the day Kobe Bryant turned 34," recently came and went with NBA TV airing a slew of games featuring #24. Among those chosen was Lakers-Thunder, Game 4 of the 2012 Western Conference semifinals, the second of two games in ...

After acquiring Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Jodie Meeks and re-signing Jordan Hill, how do the Lakers stack up against the rest of the league? We evaluate the matchups against the Thunder, Heat and the next tier of competition. ...

It's not the craziest of talk to suggest the recent Finals between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City could be a preview of many championship matchups to come. Both teams are clearly the best in their divisions. Both feature a trio of stars in their pr...

For any Lakers fan, any NBA finals without the purple and gold is by definition a disappointing series. The Lakers are a franchise that openly cries "championship or bust," and that standard has been enthusiastically adopted by the faithful. Thus, be...

With the Finals approaching and questions a'plenty surrounding the Lakers, there's nary a shortage of talking points this young offseason. Along with ESPNLA.com's Ramona Shelburne, we chop up the following: - (2:54): The OKC Thunder pulle...

Never let it be said Metta World Peace isn't an eternal optimist. Despite exiting the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, MWP doesn't consider the Lakers in need of radical change. Heck, he's still struggling to conceptual...

And the dream, she's now officially over. It was tight for a while, but then the fourth quarter floodgates opened early, and the Lakers were washed up in a flurry of OKC scoring. Too much Russell Westbrook. Too much Kevin Durant. Too much James Harde...

Getty Images Kobe and Pau haven't created the same basketball "music" this season. "Pau's got to be more assertive. He's the guy out there that we need. When he's getting the ball he's looking to pass. He's got to be aggressive. He's got to shoot...

Wow. Just... wow. There are losses. There are bad losses. And there are bad losses that carry the sting of 1,000 bees -- all born and raised in Oklahoma, naturally -- working in unison to attack as one. A primo chance to drastically alter the tone...

Because, you know, a 29-point drubbing by definition means you can never tweak too many things. Yesterday, Brian offered several areas in need of drastic improvement. I thought I'd add my two cents with four more suggestions. (Sadly, we likely still ...

Well, on the plus side, it's almost impossible for there to be any direction to go from here but up, right? And truth be told, a blowout result isn't altogether shocking. The Lakers just wrapped a grueling 7-game series allowing zero time for prep, w...

With sincere respect to the Denver Nuggets, that it took the Lakers seven games to defeat them suggests how well the Lakers must play against Oklahoma City to have even a hope of advancing. Kevin Durant and the gang were the preseason favorites to co...

Newton's third law contends that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Using that principle as a guide, Metta World Peace met the side of James Harden's head on Sunday with a fairly vicious elbow, laying out the likely NBA Sixth ...