Even Steven

  Rabid. Unstoppable. A blur. All of these can be used to describe Russell Westbrook's 40-point performance that helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs that also tied the series at 2 games apiece. Alongside Russell, was a very productive Kevin Durant, who rang up 31 points of his own, and a rather healthy-looking, Serge Ibaka, who added 9 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. On the offensive side of the ball, Nick Collison was the only player that didn't score while he was on the floor, and defensively, OKC allowed 0 fast break points to the Spurs. All together, a very complete game was played by the Thunder, and the energy level within the Chesapeake Energy Arena was second to none.
  San Antonio came out to take an early 8-0 lead in the first quarter, and the fans within the arena were getting very anxious as they were probably thinking go the 122-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers that occurred in that very same arena in Game 1 of the previous round. But before anyone was rushing for the big, red, panic button, OKC got on a roll, and went on a 19-10 run that gave them the lead with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter. From there, the Thunder never lost the lead and extended it to as much as 25 points in the third quarter before Spurs coach, Greg Popovich, pulled his starters and waived the white flag.
  Overall, the Thunder wanted this game more. They needed it more and it showed in a big way. Protecting your home court is so important in the playoffs, and when you dominate the team you're playing by as much as Oklahoma City did in Games 3 and 4, you get the sense that maybe having Ibaka in the middle, once again, is the secret to bringing this so-called, "best fundamental team in basketball" to its knees. San Antonio's leading scorer was not even a starter! Boris Diaw ended the night with 14 points and no other Spurs player cam even close to that (in relative terms)! Hall-of-Famer-To-Be, Tim Duncan, didn't even score in double-digits! Duncan finished his night with 9 points, and his partners in crime, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, combined for only 19 points. If that doesn't tell you enough about how aggressive and effective the Thunder's defense was, then what will? The big question is, can OKC keep it up?
  The answer to that question is an affirmative: YES. With Ibaka in the game, Oklahoma City is 40 points better and allowing about 23 points fewer then they were in Games 1 and 2. If the trend continues, we could be seeing a repeat of the Western Conference finals of 2012 when the Thunder ripped off 4 straight wins agains the Spurs after being demolished in the first 2. If it happens, bet that Spurs fans will be asking for answers just like their players are searching for one when it comes to the outstanding guard play of OKC that is tearing them to shreds. When you have Russell scoring 40 and his other guard counterparts adding on another 13 points, you just might have a problem guarding…well…the guards! But it wasn't just the scoring of Russell Westbrook that is bothering San Antonio, because Russell also dished out 10 assists to go alongside 5 rebounds and 5 steals. The last point guard to have those type of numbers in a playoff game was Allen Iverson in 2003, and that is a huge compliment to be next to one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA.
  So with Game 5 back in San Antonio, the biggest question of the day for people is this: Will any of these games be close? As of right now, the team that comes up on top is averaging a winning margin of about 19 points, and a road team still hasn't come away with a victory so far in this series. With those facts being paired together, most people would speculate that the series will end up going 7 games, and that the Spurs will win the series in San Antonio in that Game 7. Of course, Thunder fans wouldn't mind being 2012-esque and ending the series in Game 6, but that would require winning on the road in the AT&T Center in Game 5. Until Thursday at 9ET on TNT, the jury is still out on whether or not Oklahoma City can keep up this momentum after people were saying the same thing about San Antonio after the first 2 games of this series. Neither team has been able to capitalize on the momentum stemming from their home games, but if any team was going to carry it with them, and it be effective, is OKC. Just something to think about as the Thunder and Spurs prepare to square off, once again, in Game 5.