The Charge Before Christmas.

‎"The Charge Before Christmas"

A Christmas Time Poem
By Dan Voegler and Garrett Warnell

'Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the town
Every baller was ballin’ or dribblin’ around.
I was practicing threes in the gym when it happened:
A fat man in red walked in for a challenge.

As he entered the gym, how the ballers all squealed!
For there right before them was jolly Father Shaquille!
With a little crossover, like art on an easel
I knew in a second it was The Big Diesel.

His presence was glorious, and he came with a crew.
A posse of ballers whose names I soon knew:

"Now D-Rose! Now Griffin! Now D-Wade and Bronny!
On Stuckey! On Melo! Amar'e and Kobe!
To the top of the rim with an oop from John Wall
Now dunk the ball! Dunk the ball! Dunk the ball, all!"

They came driving and passing and dunking and shooting,
And soon they arrived on my court with sure footing.

So up to the backboard the ballers they jumped,
With headbands on tightly and Nikes laced up.
Between spins and crossovers and all of the boards,
There stood Father O'Neal, round as a magnificent gourd.

He gazed down upon us (his stature was tall),
And asked us so gently if he, too, could ball.
Like lightning he moved, and before I could answer,
He scooped up my ball and left the backboard a shatter.

Amazed were the ballers - their muscles were tense.
They turned and they schemed for a better defense.

It was Kobe who thought it – the plan was quite large:
'Twould be me to step up and take Big Shaqovic's charge!
So Kobe the captain – his valor unmatched
He faked a quick step in The Big Daddy’s path.

He diverted The Diesel right into our trap:
Shaq hurtled toward me and I cried out “Oh crap!”
But my coaching I trusted from Master Phil Jackson -
I knew that our plan could not fail in its action.

Shaq hurtled toward me, crying out with a howl.
But lo and behold - it was an offensive foul!
From down on the court my mind was a boggle:
I had taken a charge from the Big Aristotle!

Though Shaq is bigger and twice that of my weight,
The statement was made that I own the paint.
I stood there to face him, fearing a scuffle,
When instead the large man let out a glorious chuckle!

His laughter infectious, the others joined in.
He turned his head toward me and said with a grin:
“Well done little man – you’ve shown you can ball!”
Then the ballers took leave of the basketball hall.

I watched them exit and head towards the lockers,
Remembering the dunkers, the shooters and shot-blockers.
I sat there excited as I iced down my knee,
For tomorrow is Christmas and the NBA on TNT.

Big Ten Midseason Breakdown

So, I feel like we have settled in to a nice groove here at Goal Posters. One post every 4 months seems a sustainable pace. Anyway, I've decided to throw down some content here as we have hit the half way point of the FBS College Football season. First up is a power ranking for the Big Ten teams, with some info on how things are going and we'll wrap it up with my all-Big Ten team at the halfway mark.

1. Ohio State (2-0, 6-0): The Buckeyes are ranked number one nationally and have spent all year as a legitimate National Championship candidate. Mostly, they have looked the part. They physically dominated the then 12th ranked Miami Hurricanes, and smashed a few patsies. That includes a video game like 73-20 demolition of Eastern Michigan. There are some concerns though, many stemming from last week's ugly win over Illinois. This team appears to be dominant defensively, and Terrelle Pryor has matured in the passing game, but outside of his scrambles, there is little to no run game in Columbus. That could cause problems for this week's trip to 18th ranked Wisconsin, and a Nov. 20th showdown with Iowa in Iowa City.

2. Michigan State (2-0, 6-0): Sparty is having himself a year. MSU is 6-0 for the first time since Nick Saban was the coach, and they hammered then 18th ranked arch-rival Michigan, beating them for the third consecutive year. State has done it on the ground with a three man rotation at tailback, and on defense thanks to a much improved secondary. A home victory over Wisconsin remains impressive. The pass defense still has some concerns, and the schedule has some tough games left (like at Iowa for instance), but this team doesn't have to play OSU, and are really starting to here Big Ten championship buzz. And, not to jinx anything, the phrase "BCS bowl" has been uttered more than once around East Lansing.

MSU back Edwin Baker scores at the Big House

3. Iowa (1-0, 4-1): The Hawkeyes are kind of the forgotten bunch around the Big Ten. A preseason top ten national ranking disappeared with a loss at Arizona, and since then they have been overshadowed by the success of the two teams above them. 15th ranked Iowa is going to have a lot to say about how the Big Ten race plays out however, as MSU, OSU, and Wisconsin all have to come to Kinnick Stadium. Coming off a sound beating of Penn State, and then a bye last week, Iowa heads to Ann Arbor, in a game they should control. Their elite defense, led by NFL prospect d-lineman Adrian Clayborn, gives them a chance to win any game.

4. Wisconsin (1-1, 5-1): Wisconsin opened the season with high expectations and flew through a fairly week non-conference schedule, that featured a 70-3 takedown of Austin Peay. And no that is not a typo. But, the 18th ranked Badgers were dealt a severe setback in their Big Ten opener with a road loss at MSU. That makes this weekends showdown a virtual must win against Ohio State if they want to remain in the title race. A powerful running game led by last season's Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in John Clay, along with a strong home field advantage at Camp Randall Stadium gives them a puncher's chance. Later games at Iowa and Michigan also loom large.

5. Michigan (1-1, 5-1): For the second straight year the Wolverines came out of the gate fast, featuring a young quarterback and a high-octane offense. Both years, their hopes at an undefeated season ended at the hands of their in-state rival the Spartans. Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez hopes the similarities end there as the Wolverines suffered through an epic collapse. In order to turn it around (and keep his job), RichRod will rely heavily on the electric Heisman Trophy candidate, quarterback Denard Robinson. The nation's current leader in rushing yards was shut down by MSU, and will have to play better as U of M hosts the Iowa Hawkeyes this week. Another loss and the comparisons to last year will begin to be hard to refute.

6. Illinois (1-1, 3-2): Led by a strong rushing attack, the Fighting Illini have exceeded expectations so far this year, as they attempt to save head coach Ron Zook's job. Both of their losses have come against currently undefeated teams (Missouri and Ohio State), and were hard fought. But last week, was when the country took notice as Illinois beat up on Penn State in Happy Valley 30-13. The Fighting Illini stay on the road this week as they will attempt to spoil MSU's homecoming by playing smash mouth football. Its hard to see them competing for the Big Ten title, but an above .500 finish and a decent bowl game would be a very nice turnaround for this squad.

Illinois QB Nathan Scheelhaase dives for a TD

7. Northwestern (1-1, 5-1): A bad home loss to a tremendously beat up Purdue squad last week, officially brought an end to the Wildcats' undefeated season, but winning ugly and lucky had been a regular proposition for this supposedly talented squad, so a loss seemed inevitable. Three of Northwestern's five wins are by a total of eight points. And the competition hasn't been all that stiff. A bye week and then a visit from Michigan State offer the chance to turn things around in a big way, but later games against Iowa and Wisconsin loom. Any chance of a turnaround needs to be quick, and permanent in a tough Big Ten. This team has no easy game left and could very easily miss a bowl.

8. Purdue (1-0, 3-2): Modest preseason expectations were quickly tampered when a huge number of injuries hit the Boilermakers on both sides of the ball. Season ending injuries have taken out their top runner Ralph Bolden, receiver Keith Smith, and quarterback Robert Marve. Backup QBRob Henry led an inspired effort last week however, as Purdue upset a previously undefeated Northwestern team 20-17. The Purdue defense, led by senior defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, has been stout as well. This week the Boilers host Minnesota and have a good shot at remaining undefeated in the Big Ten, at least for another week. After that they head to Columbus and Ohio State, and a miracle win seems impossible. What does seem possible, is for this plucky, resilient team to pick up three more wins from the back half of their schedule and head off to a bowl game. An impressive season considering.

9. Indiana (0-2, 3-2): The Hoosiers are struggling from injuries, but never really expected to compete in the Big Ten anyway. While two of their toughest games are behind them, I don't see more than three wins left at best on the schedule, and one of those games is not against Big Ten competition. Ben Chappell is an outstanding quarterback and leads a strong offense, but a porous defense makes any bowl game seem unlikely.

10. Penn State (0-2, 3-3): Very strange to see Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions all the way down here. Especially since they entered the season ranked 19th nationally. An anemic offense led by a first year started in Rob Bolden, combined with a slew of defensive injuries have sapped PSU's strength. Running back Evan Royster was supposed to carry the offense, but has never gotten going. In their three losses they are averaging a pathetic 6.3 points per game. Against all FBS foes it is only at 13 ppg. Beatdowns at the hands of Alabama, Iowa, and especially Illinois have been embarrassing. A bye this week gives them a chance to regroup and heal, and next week they have cellar dweller Minnesota, but then things get harder. If the season continues down hill, the calls for JoePa to step down will grow.

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno leads his team

11. Minnesota (0-2, 1-5): The Golden Gophers have been flat out awful, in what simply has to be head coach Tim Brewster's last season. A close win over mighty Middle Tennessee State has been the lone highlight, and a loss to FCS foe South Dakota helps to put in perspective just how bad this team has been. Senior quarterback Adam Weber and a mediocre offense have failed to offset an atrocious defense. Chemistry problems abound, and mostly it appears the team has quit on Brewster, who didn't help his case by looking like an idiot during a shellacking against Wisconsin last week. The absolute best case scenario is a 3-9 finish, and I fully expect Brewster to be gone well before that.

All-Big Ten Team

Coach: Mark Dantonio/Don Treadwell - Michigan State - These two have combined for some great coaching calls, and have provided the kind of guidance and continuity that this program needed.

Offense

QB: Terrelle Pryor - Ohio State - After Denard Robinson's stumble there is not much choice here.

RB: Edwin Baker - Michigan State - Just beats out Clay thanks to some big runs and pass protection.

FB: Nick Bendzuck - Michigan State - Huge reason for MSU's rushing success so far.

WR: Jeremy Ebert - Northwestern - Statistically far and away the best.

WR: Dane Sanzenbacher - Ohio State - Leads the league with 7 receiving touchdowns.

TE: Lance Kendricks - Wisconsin - No doubt here. He is one of the best in the country. 

OL: Michigan - This unit has opened all kinds of gaps for the nation's leading rusher.

Defense

DE: Ryan Kerrigan - Purdue - Big Ten sack leader and Purdue's emotional leader.

DE: Adrian Clayborn - Iowa - Faces a double team every play and has still been productive.

DT: Mike Daniels - Iowa - Shores up the middle for a very strong run defense.

DT: Cameron Heyward - Ohio State - Very tough inside despite being keyed on every week.

OLB: Ross Homan - Ohio State - Very strong outside linebacker has really helped OSU's D

OLB: Quentin Davie - Northwestern - Playmaker for solid N'western D.

MLB: Greg Jones - Michigan State - Outstanding player. Causes disruption every week.

CB: Chimdi Chekwa - Ohio State - Shutdown corner. Takes away best WR every week.

CB: Shaun Prater - Iowa - Acts as the shutdown corner for the Hawkeyes elite secondary.

S: Tyler Sash - Iowa - Instant NFL prospect. Very hard hitting safety. Strong in run support.

S: Marcus Hyde - Michigan State - Has made several touchdown saving plays. Very sure tackler.

Free Agency Circus: Decision 2010

Rudy Gay - Memphis Grizzlies
Gay re-signs with a promising young team that has potential to develop and has learned to play very well together. It is hard to fault him for choosing what he knows over signing with a potentially volatile team team such as the Clippers. The Grizzlies are a familiar place where he knows his role, and this team will only get better.

Joe Johnson - Atlanta Hawks
Show me the money. Thats what Johnson told the Hawks, and they listened. He stays on a team that was the 3 seed in the east last year, but got swept in the second round (partly because of an atrocious series by Johnson). I can’t help but feel that he would have been better off joining the Bulls. Chicago needs a scoring 2 guard who can shoot, the overall ceiling of the team is higher, and Johnson would have other reliable scorers to take the load off of him in crunch time.

Carlos Boozer - Chicago Bulls
I love this move. The biggest need for Chicago was post scoring, and Boozer provides that in bunches. Boozer will also be paired in the frontcourt with a defensive, shot-blocking center, a luxury he never had in Utah.

Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks
Dirk is the man in Dallas, and everybody knew that he wasn’t seriously considering leaving. Re-signing keeps him on a very competitive team, but an aging one. The window for this squad is closing within the next two seasons, if it isn’t shut already.

Paul Pierce & Ray Allen - Boston Celtics
Both re-signed to make one or two more runs at another title. It seems that if this years playoff run didn’t happen, at the very least Allen would have bolted town, because many teams could use his services. As it stands, this team could make another run to the title game, but with new east powers in Chicago and Miami along with an aging roster, that seems unlikely.

Amare Stoudemire - New York Knicks
Amare got left hanging by the rest of this free agent class. With all the glitz and glamour of the big city, ultimately the lack of faith in the Knick’s program kept other stars far away. There is hope: D’Antoni is a good coach, Gallinari is a shooter, Wilson Chandler is solid, Anthony Randolph and Tony Douglas have potential, and the team still has cap space for the future. On the down side, there is not much hope to win in a suddenly top-heavy east without another all-star. Unless the Carmelo and Tony Parker are joining him, as Stoudemire suggests, this team will continue to be stuck in mediocrity.

David Lee - Golden State Warriors
Seems like a perfect match: one of the worst defenders in the league joins one of the worst defensive teams. This worked out well for Lee, he will certainly thrive and post huge numbers in this system, but he won’t add much to the win column. Golden State definitely overpaid for his services, and lost out on a couple promising young talents too.

Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant signed a max contract extension to remain with the Thunder, which is a great move. He is the focal point of an up and coming young team with a GM that is going about building a contender the right way. By not taking on large contracts and building this team through the draft and bargain role players, the Thunder have created a good young team with options to get better in the future, something the Cavs failed at when trying to keep LeBron.

Dwayne Wade - Miami Heat
The ultimate winner of this offseason. Not only does Wade gets to stay on HIS team in the city he loves (and loves him back because he brought them a championship), but he convinced two other all-stars to join him, included a two-time MVP. His decision makes the most sense and was also the least in doubt of all the stars.

Chris Bosh - Miami Heat
Another big winner, it was evident very quickly that Bosh wanted to play next to another star, preferably Wade or James, and he ended up with both. Whether he was tired of subpar supporting casts or if he knew that he would never win a championship being the #1 option on a team, Bosh went into free agency looking for help, and he got it. In a BIG way.

LeBron James - Miami Heat
The initial reaction to LeBron signing with Miami is that his legacy will take a hit. Regardless of what happens, LeBron will always be subject to criticism that he couldn’t take a team to a championship by himself, any titles won will be the result of world class teammates in Wade and Bosh. It is refreshing, however, to see multiple stars take a pay cut for the good of the team. What people are also forgetting is that these guys are all friends; wouldn’t you want a chance to spend the next 5 years of your life playing basketball (and winning championships) with your friends? James has already taken quite a beating back in his home state of Ohio. People have already been seen burning LeBron Cavs jerseys, and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert appears to have gone off the deep end with comments he made on the team’s website shortly following the announcement (claiming that the Cavs would win a championship before the self proclaimed ‘king’ and his new team). While I think these reactions are harsh (as a person LeBron deserves to decide where he wants to go in his life), LeBron did not show much class by stringing out everybody involved in this decision, culminating in a giant one hour tv special that seemed to exist mostly to stroke his own ego. Ultimately I think LeBron would have been better served signing with Chicago, where he still could have won championships, but be ‘the man’ while doing it.

Aaaaand we're back!

Hello all. Sorry for the long break between posts; I've been busy training for last weeks NBA draft. Sadly, I went undrafted yet again, I thought the Knicks would surely overpay for my services this year. Back to reality, it is time to awaken the Goal Posters from their hibernation. Lets touch on the major sporting events that occurred while we were away:

• The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in 7 games to claim the 2010 NBA Championship, their second in a row. It was the franchise's 16th title, one short of the Celtics for the League lead. The championship was Finals MVP Kobe Bryant's 5th and coach Phil Jackson's 11th.
• The 49 year wait for a Stanley Cup title in Chicago is over. The Blackhawks defeated the Flyers in 6 games to claim the Cup, winning the deciding game 4-3 in OT. Jonathan Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy, leading his team with 29 postseason points.
• John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in the longest tennis match ever, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 70-68. No that last set is not a typo. Wimbledon does not incorporate tie-breaks in the fifth set, finishing only when one player goes ahead by two games. The match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, 8 hours and 11 minutes of which came in the fifth set. The 138 game set featured strong service games from both players, with the only break coming in the deciding game of the set. Isner finished with a record 112 aces, while Mahut had 102.
• The Fifa World Cup has reached the quarterfinal stage, and while many of the usual suspects have made it this far, both participants in the 2006 final, Italy and France, have headed home early. The United States was eliminated by Ghana in the round of 16 after finishing first in their group.
  

Cue the Defense

Today's Blog is brought to you by the number 41

41, the number Jaroslav Halak wears Montreal uniform. 41, the number of saves Halak made on Wednesday night vs. the Washington Capitals. 41, the number of blocked shots by his forwards & defensemen in the same game; a combined 82 shot attempts that a Montreal player turned away against the top seeded Caps.

If you don't watch the NHL on a regular basis, the first 55 minutes of Wednesday night's game 7 between the Montreal Canadians and the Washington Capitals most likely had you clawing your eyes out with boredom. The Canadians took a 1-0 lead after defense man Marc-Andre Bergeron slapped home a rocket on a power play with 30 ticks left in the 1st.

Cue the defense

The Canadians immediately revved up their go-to center ice trap (aka Neutral ice trap) for the remainder of the game and executed it to perfection. The capitals are a highly talented, score first team and the frustration was palpable for superstars Alex Ovechkin and company. The Canadians were disrupting the flow of the Capitals forwards in the neutral zone and pushing everything wide in the defensive zone. The Caps and Habs are about as opposite as they come in hockey and on Wednesday night we learned that there is something to be said about hard work and defense come playoff time.

The Capitals knew they would be in the post season since New Year's while the Canadians fought through every one of the 82 regular season games just to catch an 8-seed. The Caps had high expectations and nothing less than a Stanley Cup would fulfill those goals. Every attempt the Caps made to get their offense chugging along was denied by the shin pads or sticks of a Canadian player. Any shots that managed to find their way to the net were turned away by Halak. For most of the game the Caps could hardly manage to find a shot that wasn't from just inside the blue line or from a corner. Game 7 of this series made it tough to tell which team was playing for the cup as the Caps came out sluggish and the Habs were all over the ice in one of the most inspiring clutch performances in recent hockey history.

With 3:36 Dominic Moore gave the Canadians a 2-0 lead after Mike Green, Caps defensmen lost a battle to a lose puck with Montreal D Hal Gill. The Canadians had gone minutes without seeing a good scoring opportunity, but managed to deliver on Washington mistakes as they had all series. The Caps finally managed a goal with 2:16 remaining in the 3rd on a rebound put-back from Brooks Laich. The score would remain 2-1 Montreal even though the Habs had to fight off a penalty for the last 1:44 of the contest. For a game dominated by defense, the last 5 minutes of game 7 were about as tense as they come on both ends of the ice.

With the upset of the #1 seed Capitals, the Canadians will now face Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens took care of business against Ottawa in round 1 with a 4-2 series victory. The Canadians will have to find a way to spend more time in their opponents zone and put a clamp down on star forwards Crosby and Malkin as they did vs the Caps. They must also continue to capitalize on mistakes they force with their traps.

Typically seeing a match-up vs the 8-seed in the playoffs will leave any team, especially the defending Stanley Cup champs, salivating; After game 7 this week the Canadians have Pittsburgh players/fans thinking otherwise.

STAT LINES OF GAME:

• Montreal Defense - 41 blocks, Halak 41 saves
• Marc-Andre Bergeron (6 shifts - 4:06 Ice Time, 1 Goal)
• Scott Gomez (17 Faceoffs Won)

3 STARS

• 1st Star - Andrei Markov (25:12 played, 1 Goal, 6 Blks)
• 2nd Star - Jaroslav Halak (41 saves, 1GAA)
• 3rd Star - Hal Gill (23:35 played, 1 Assist, 6 Blks)

Round 2 of the NHL playoffs includes:

1 San Jose vs 5 Detroit (San Jose leads 1-0)

2 Chicago vs 3 Vancouver

4 Pittsburgh vs 8 Montreal

6 Boston vs 7 Philadelphia

Links

• Red Wings land plane late (kind of funny)
• Hart Finalists

Draft Recap - Chicago Bears

I'm Drew, representin' the Chi. So with that comes knowledge of all of the Chicago sports teams, including soccer but unfortunately not lingerie football (go Chicago Bliss!). Don't ask me about the Bulls because since Michael Jordan I've refused to watch a full NBA game (and don't intend to until the Bulls get back to the Finals). I also have a sick fascination for certain California teams because basically I'm a California wannabe. Oh, and I went to Notre Dame. So hate away.

Draft Recap - Daaaaa Bears

Two words: Jay Cutler. Totally worth first and second round picks, right? Let's get down to business: Da Bears definitely needed to address concerns on both sides of the ball - in particular the offensive line and the defensive secondary (let's face it if Cutler turns out to be a bust many people in the Bears organization will be fired; I never thought I'd be rooting for Mike Martz to do well). But at least they'll still have the cool stadium that was pooped out by a UFO into the shell of Old Soldier Field.
Free agent acquisitions Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor were encouraging moves, despite the possibility that, like Cutler, Peppers will have difficulty adjusting to the Bears' schemes or just flat out play like crap. Chester Taylor should have an impact immediately, but even with that the Bears still need o-line help.

Back to the draft...

Major Wright, S (round 3, 75 overall). Wright was the best safety available, and the Bears desperately need to have a solid free safety to compliment SS Kevin Payne... except I just learned that they traded Payne, a hard-hitting SS, to St. Louis for a 2011 draft pick and finally got back S Chris Harris from Carolina, for Jamar Williams, a promising young LB. Do they think Brian Urlacher will live forever??

Corey Wootton, DE (round 4, 109 overall); Dan LeFevour, QB (round 6, 181 overall). These are the Bears' obligatory picks that have Chicago connections (no matter how pointless they are the Bears always draft somebody from the Chicago area); Wootton being from Northwestern and LeFevour originally from Downers Grove. Two moronic picks as Wootton has been injury-plagued (...and they just acquired Peppers, with DE Mark Anderson a young impressionable DE to learn from him) and LeFevour - there's no way he can be anything more than a backup, and there's nothing wrong with QB Caleb Hanie.

Joshua Moore, DB (round 5, 141 overall). A bit young but has the skills and capability to (eventually) get playing time. J'Marcus Webb, T (round 7, pick 11). This being a strange draft in which lots of o-linemen and defensive grunts were drafted high, this is an OK stretch only if there was no decent OL left in the 3rd round. Basically the Bears addressed their defensive concerns, but slacked off on an o-line that last year led to one of the NFL's poorest run offenses. It doesn't matter if it's RB Matt Forte, Taylor, or Walter Payton, the o-line will prevent them from running effectively.

Grade: C. For Cutler.

Why Oklahoma City can beat the Lakers

The ending of Game 4 of the Oklahoma City Thunder/Los Angeles Lakers series was a strange sight. None of the usual suspects were on the floor due to the game being a blowout, but not in the direction that anyone would have expected. Final score: Thunder 110 Lakers 89. Many expected the Thunder to compete in this series and maybe even steal a game or two, but ultimately everybody knew that the defending champs would defeat the young Oklahoma City team without being tested too much. Nobody foresaw the Thunder manhandling LA as thoroughly as they did in Game 4, and now with the series tied at 2 games apiece, the Thunder have a realistic chance at winning this series.

If OKC can steal Game 5 in LA, then they take a series lead home for Game 6 to a great home crowd which creates an environment that makes them tough to beat. The notion of winning in LA isn't as far-fetched as one might think, as the Thunder only lost by 8 in Game 1 and 3 in Game 2. If they can continue to play the way the have then this team will put themselves in a position to win tonight. In their two wins this series the Thunder have gotten balanced scoring, which makes them a very difficult team to beat. Kevin Durant is averaging 27 points and Russell Westbrook 22 points, however contributions from Jeff Green and especially James Harden off the bench kept the scoring pressure off of the two stars. If the role players continue scoring, then shutting down Durant doesn't kill Oklahoma City's chances to win.

Rebounding has also been extremely key to the Thunder's success. This is strange since the Lakers enjoy such a large height advantage, however in the Thunder's two wins they have outrebounded Los Angeles. Both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are averaging 11 and 10 boards respectively, but the rebound-by-committee approach of OKC has allowed them to win the battle for the boards. Seven Thunder players are averaging at least 3.8 rebounds in this series, led by Durant (19 boards in Game 3) and Westbrook (6.5 rpg). Getting solid rebounding contributions from multiple players, especially from the guard positions, allows the Thunder to overcome 21 rpg from Bynum and Gasol.

The Lakers have multiple issues that need to be addressed, foremost of which is shot distribution. Not only did Kobe Bryant only attempt 10 shots in Game 4, he didn't even take a shot until the second quarter. Los Angeles needs Kobe to score and not spend an entire quarter 'getting his teammates involved'. While that may sound like a good teammate, this Lakers team needs Kobe to lead by scoring, or at the very least looking for his shot. In addition, Bynum and Gasol have to get more touches; both these players are shooting well over 50% for the series, however they are only taking a combined 22 shots per game. The Lakers need to use these skilled post scorers to abuse the Thunder in the paint and dominate the remainder of this series. Where should these extra shots come from? Why, Derek Fisher of course! Fisher is putting up 9 shots per game, and while he is shooting 50% from beyond the arc, he is only shooting 27% on two point shots. Fisher needs to only be shooting spot of threes when the ball is kicked out of the post; that is when he is at his best and that is what will give LA the best chance to win.

Oklahoma City has been able to take the Lakers height 'advantage' and turn it into a positive situation for themselves, by hitting outside shots and getting into transition. Gasol has had enormous amounts of trouble guarding Jeff Green the last two games due to Green's quickness and ability to knock down threes. If OKC can continue to use their quickness and athleticism to get fast break opportunities, then they have a chance to pull off this upset.