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Not many people know much about the Sonics’ 24th overall selection, 6-foot-10 power forward Serge Ibaka from Congo. But his highlights, which you can see here and here give you a glimpse into what kind of player he is. The things I’ve noticed is he’s long, athletic, has quickness, a nice shooting touch and can rebound and block shots. For a 6-foot-10 guy he also shows decent ball-handling skills.

People rave about his potential. This from ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla: “This guy is the youngest player in the draft (18). If you’re a Sonics fan, or maybe an Oklahoma City fan, forget this name for about three years, because he’s likely to stay in Spain and continue to develop. But he is one of the most athletic players in this draft. And I think that he’s a guy…three or four years from now, he could end up being a shot blocker and rebounder because he’s a very good athlete.” 

Ibaka and Russell Westbrook, the No. 4 pick are scheduled to meet the media in Seattle later this afternoon. Ibaka doesn’t speak English but will have an interpreter with him. I’m supposed to be getting a copy of the transcript of his press conference and will post it here when I get it.

OK, here is what the folks in Seattle had to say about Ibaka on Friday:

SAM PRESTI: The last person we would like to introduce is Serge Ibaka. Serge has traveled a long way and he has been on the workout trail. Tremendous physical specimen. Tenacious rebounder. Someone we feel that has great potential, that we feel like again, has great focus to the basketball floor and will fit right in with the workmen-like identity that we are trying to create. Also, for someone that is as good on the glass as he can make shots, we feel that’s a great combination. We are excited to work with him as he continues to develop overseas, and as we’re developing as a team and growing as team he will be doing so as well in Spain, and we will be working closely with him through the process. So we’re excited to add a player of that caliber to our program and to be able to work with him even if it is across the water.

SERGE IBAKA(through translation): First of all I want to say that I am very happy to be here. First I want to thank God and then the people of the organization that trusted in me, selecting me, to be part of this organization and this team and the only thing that I can say is that whenever it is I’m going to work very hard for the team to become a successful player.

-DM-

UCLA guard Russell Westbrook answered media questions soon after the Seattle Sonics selected him fourth overall. Here is a transcript of the teleconference.

RW: I’m very excited to be a Sonic and I’m looking forward to next season. I’ve been working so hard to put myself in the best position possible, and I’m very excited.

Q: Are you surprised you went this early?
RW: Not really. I worked so hard over the summer and tried my best to do as well in the workouts as possible. And it’s paid off. I’m very excited.

Q: Did you ever think about where you would go?
RW: I felt that I might go for. But you never know because of trades and things like that. But I was just sitting there waiting for my name to be called and it got called pretty early. And I was very happy to hear it.

Q: What do you think about playing with Kevin Durant and Jeff Green?
RW: (Those) are two good guys. I talked to Kevin Durant before the draft. He was real happy for me and congratulated me and things like that. Kevin Durant was the Rookie of the Year last year. I’m looking forward to getting him shots, getting him open and making him a better player as well.

Q: Do you consider yourself a point guard?
RW: I consider myself playing the point guard (position) at the next level. I’ve been working hard this summer. I’ve been playing point guard all my life pretty much. Now for the rest of my time I can show it to the whole world playing at the next level.

Q: What’s one area of your game you’d like to see improve?
RW: I see myself sometimes going to fast at some points, moving too fast. That’s one of the things I would like to improve at, seeing the game slower and slowing down sometimes.

Q: Can you talk what the past year has been like for you?
RW: It’s been real crazy. Every day I just thank God. I’m blessed. I wake up every day and I thank God. I just work my tail off every day to try to become the best player I can possible become. And now, it’s finally here now. It’s like starting all over again. So I’ve got to do the same thing again.

Q: Do you know Earl Watson? What’s your relationship like with him?
RW: I just saw Earl before I left L.A. and he was congratulating me and things like that. Earl is a real good guy. Coming to the Sonics, I know Earl would teach me some things before the year.

Q: What do you think about joining a team that could be moving?
RW: I feel great. The Sonics is a great organization regardless of where it is. The team is great as well, and I know we’ll do well as an organization and a team next season. I’m aware that the Sonics might play in either city, but I don’t think that’s a big issue. I feel a team that has good chemistry and a good organization (won’t) have a problem.”

Q: What’s it like going back-to-back with your teammate Kevin Love? Do you have bragging rights over him now?
RW: (Laughs) Nah. Not really. Kevin was my roommate all last year. He’s a great friend and a great teammate. I’m very happy for him and his family. This is what we dreamed of playing at UCLA, and it happened for us both. We went four and five. I’m real happy for Kevin.

Q: What were you emotiongs when you talked to the Sonics and found out you were going to be picked fourth?
RW: I was real excited. I was just like, ‘Wow. I’m finally here. I’ve got a chance to walk up to shake David Stern’s hand.’ I’ve been thinking that all throughout my childhood, watching the NBA Draft growing up. And now it’s finally here.

Q: What’s the atmosphere like at the draft, and who are you with?
RW: My mom, my dad and my little brother. The atmosphere’s great. It’s been great hanging with my family. I love my family to death. It’s just been a great experience overall. Every other player’s family is here and it’s just been great. It’s all been very exciting.

Q: When did the Sonics inform you that they were looking to take you with the No. 4 pick?
RW: When I went to work out there. When I went to work out there they thought I did a good job. My agent let me know that they would consider me at this pick. They got to see me a couple of times in L.A. and I just tried my best to work hard every day regardless of who’s in the gym. You never know who was watching.

Q: At what point did you decide you were an NBA prospect, and when did you decide you were going to enter the draft?
RW: Throughout the year it never came to my mind. Every night I just prayed and thanked God for every opportunity I got to play the game. I just went out and gave it my all every game, and it gave me the opportunity to become an NBA player.

Q: Was there a poing during the season when you started considering the draft?
RW: Not really. I wasn’t trying to focus on the NBA or nothing at the next level. I tried to focus on our year. And toward the end I kind of thought about it. And then at the end of the year I felt I was ready to make the next step.

Q: Can you talk about all the freshman that went in the early part of the draft?
RW: (Those) are some good guys. I respect all of them. O.J., Derrick Michael Beasley, all those guys I respect them. Some of them are the same age as me and those are good guys. I’m very happy for them and their families.

Q: Are you surprised there were so many freshman taken?
RW: Not at all. They are good players. They are good caliber players. They’re some of the top players in the country as freshmen, so I’m not surprised at all.

Q: Do you have any unusual hobbies off the court? What makes you stand out?
RW: I’m real laid back off the court, hanging out with my little brother when I go back home. Just hanging out listening to music if I’m not working out and just being myself. Just hanging out and enjoying life, every day just thanking God like I said.

Q: Are you surprised being where you are after being a guy who couldn’t dunk in his junior year?
RW: Oh yeah. Kind of sort of. I was working every day, but I never thought that I’d be able to jump. I used to run in the sand…and it paid off at the right time. I’m very happy for it.

Q: How important was it for you to stay on the West Coast?
RW: It means a lot. But my family’s going to come to the game regardless of where I’m at. My family’s always with me and I’m always behind my family as well.

-DM-

By Darnell Mayberry
The Oklahoman

     The Seattle SuperSonics selected UCLA guard Russell Westbrook with the No. 4 overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
     Westbrook will join Kevin Durant and Jeff Green as the foundation of a rebuilding Sonics team that could soon be headed for Oklahoma City. The six-day trial between the city of Seattle and the Sonics concluded earlier in the day Thursday, and a Seattle federal judge will now announce Wednesday whether the Sonics are permitted to relocate immediately or must wait until their arena lease expires in 2010.
     Westbrook, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard, averaged 12.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds for the bruins this season.
Westbrook is known as a hard-nosed defender and athletic and versatile guard. But there are also questions about whether Westbrook can play the point guard position or if he’s more of a shooting guard.
     “I’m a point guard,” Westbrook told ESPN after being drafted. “I’m going to try my best and go out and do what I can for the team and try to help in any way I can.”
     Durant, the reigning Rookie of the Year whom the Sonics selected with the No. 2 overall pick last year, approved the selection, grinning ear to ear as he stood and cheered Westbrook’s selection.
     “He’s a great defender, a great guy to be around, I heard,” Durant told ESPN. “He’s a great addition to our team. So I’m excited to play with him next year and I can’t wait.”
     Westbrook helped a star-studded UCLA team go 35-4 this season and reach the Final Four before losing to Memphis in San Antonio.
     The Sonics also have the No. 24 pick in the first round as well as four second-round picks. Earlier this afternoon, ESPN reported the Sonics had agreed to trade the fourth pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the Clippers’ seventh pick.

More than three hours remaining before the start of the NBA Draft and the Seattle SuperSonics have reportedly agreed to a trade that will see them swap draft picks with the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN’s Ric Bucher is reporting.

Under the reported trade, the Sonics will send the No. 4 overall pick to the Clippers and receive L.A.’s No. 7 pick. Ford reports the Sonics are likely to take Stanford center Brook Lopez at No. 7 or Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless. The Clippers are expected to take Indiana guard Eric Gordon at No. 4.

There was no mention of what else the Sonics would get from the Clippers for allowing them to move up. A future first-round pick, the Clippers’ second-round pick (35th overall) or cash are likely options. The Clippers seemingly don’t have much talent on their current roster that the Sonics would be interested in. Al Thornton would be the most likely candidate, but the Clippers drafted him 14th overall in the 2007 draft and he doesn’t fit a need for Seattle with incumbent young forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.

-DM-

ON HOW HE LIKES TO BUILD, THROUGH THE DRAFT OR FREE AGENCY?
SP: I think you’ve got to have a balance with how you build. It’s like anything else, you want to be able to pull from different talent pools. We’re no different. But you also have to make sure in this day in age you don’t put yourself in a position where you can become boxed in or stagnant. And that’s where making sure that you make sound forecast and investments when it comes to managing the cap.

ON WHO NEEDS TO HAVE THE BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT FROM THE CURRENT ROSTER?
SP: Kevin has been really working hard, both in the weight room and on the floor. We’re pleased with the progress that he’s made. Jeff Green continues to work and get better. I think both those guys will come back improved. And with a year under their belts I think they’ll walk in the door with more experience, and I don’t just say that from a basketball standpoint. I think they’ll know what to expect in terms of the travel, the schedule, the demands of time that takes place on players having had the opportunity to work through that. But we really look for development from all of our players in the off-season. It’s not just relegated to the players that are younger. We have coaches that will reach out to the players in the off-season and visit them and work with them. So we really do expect all of our guys to come back better.

ARE YOU MORE CONFIDENT GOING INTO YOUR SECOND DRAFT?
SP: I don’t know if confident is the right word. I think you certainly always want to try to improve and get better. You certainly want to continue to make good decisions. And I think that having our system in place and our process in place for another year certainly helps us as we move forward.

WHAT TYPE OF PLAYER DO YOU THINK BEST COMPLEMENTS KEVIN’S SKILLS?
SP: I think the interesting thing there is Kevin is still so far away from being a finished player. There’s so much room for him to continue to grow and build on his game. His versatility allows us flexibility as we continue our roster. I think that’s another asset that Jeff Green brings as well. When you look at Kevin, there’s potential for him to play (shooting guard, small forward and power forward) as he develops. And then Jeff is a player that can defend (point guard through power forward) on any given night. He’s a tremendous asset when teams go small because he can play (small forward and power forward). So the versatility that those guys bring is helpful, not just on the floor but also as we add pieces because they can be utilized in so many different ways. That allows flexibility for our coaching staff as well.

WHAT TYPE OF TEAM DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE THE SONICS?
SP: We’ve continued to be consistent with how we want to try to build our team and what the identity of the team is that we’re striving to build. We really feel like we have to develop a defensive identity. It’s something that we work at every day and look to improve on every day. We feel like this is an organization that’s going to focus on playing on both ends of the floor. We want to build a team that plays together and plays for each other. And we really want a team as well that competes. As we look for players to add to our roster, we want to try to find players that fit these characteristics and these qualities. And we’re not going to be able to find that in every player that we bring in, but the overriding identity of the team is one that we really want to have a defensive identity and a team that competes from possession to possession.

HOW IMPORTANT IS MINNESOTA TO THE REST OF THE DRAFT?
SP: They’ll certainly have a big impact on how things start to fall. Lucky for us they can only pick one player, so that gives us the opportunity to be a little more prepared than say if you’re picking multiple spots behind them. But they have the first crack at it and we’ll be ready regardless.

YOUR SCOUTING REPORT ON MICHAEL BEASLEY?
SP: A tremendous talent. Michael’s a guy where production is a word that probably comes to mind with a lot of people when they talk about him. He has the ability to shoot the ball and rebound the ball and has great hands. He’s going to be a very valued piece to any team that he goes to.

ANY FEAR OF TAKING BROOK LOPEZ OR ANY OTHER BIG MEN WITH THE SONICS’ RECENT HISTORY?
SP: Each draft is different. You have to always look at the draft from the perspective of where you are as a team. And you have to take the player that you feel best suits your situation. So past drafts or anything like that can’t really enter into the equation. You have to do what’s best for your team at that current time. Johan and Mo and Robert were all drafted and we still have high hopes for all of them and all have improved since being drafted. With that said, if we feel as if the right decision is to go with a big player then we won’t hesitate to do that.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A POINT GUARD TO THE SONICS RIGHT NOW?
SP: I think we can upgrade in a lot of different areas across the board. I wouldn’t pin it specifically on one position. But we have to get better. We have to address a number of different needs that we have, because we didn’t finish the year the way we want. And at the same time we have a plan in place and we plan to follow that and be diligent and methodical with it because we feel that will give us the best opportunity for consistent success, which is really the objective for the organization. We won’t be able to address every need right away. You have to do it over time. You have to do it methodically and you have to make wise decisions. That’s what we lean on our staff and our process to help us do.

BUT DO YOU AGREE WITH THE EXPERTS THAT SAY POINT GUARD IS YOUR BIGGEST NEED?
SP: Like I said earlier, I think we’ve got a lot of areas where we can improve. When you finish a year with 20 wins you go into the off-season knowing that you have a lot of areas that you need to improve. Certainly we want to try to upgrade our backcourt. We also want to try to upgrade our frontcourt. We want to continue to get better defensively. So there’s a lot of different ways we can do that, and some of that is just internal development as well with the development of your current roster and the players coming back.

DO YOU EXPECT TO MAKE SIX PICKS THURSDAY?
SP: With six picks you have a lot of opportunities to add players to your organization. That’s a lot of picks to have, but you don’t know. It’s just too dynamic to predict. We’ll be prepared to take all six. We’ll also be prepared to look to try to use those assets in other ways if needed.

DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE A LOT OF PLAYER MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE LEAGUE?
SP: I think there will be a lot of activity, because the draft itself is pretty dynamic, especially in the very front of the draft. I think there will be a lot of teams that see players fall to them that maybe they didn’t think would fall, because it’s kind of an eye-of-the-beholder draft with the first 13 picks or so. I think there will be a lot of intrigue with what’s happening in the front and how it will affect the latter half of the lottery.

DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE WITH THIS YEAR’S INTERNATIONALS?
SP: I think certainly the NBA went through a phase where there was a real focus on International talent in the first round. I think it’s started to lighten a little bit. But we still always see a lot of people looking in the second round to find internationals there as well. There’s some talented international players in this draft. I think it’s still to be determined as to where they’ll be selected. But I think it further emphasizes that the international game continues to expand and has value to NBA organizations.

WHAT KIND OF VALUE DO YOU SEE WITH THE 24th PICK?
SP: I think there’s a depth to the draft going back into the 24th and 32nd picks. A lot will depend on what happens in front of us. But I think that there will be an opportunity to get a quality player there. And if we don’t like someone that’s there, I definitely feel like the asset itself has value if we look to move that. But we like the depth of the draft toward the back end of the first round and the early second.

-DM-

* I’ll remember this NBA season as the one in which Oklahoma City turned its attention from the New Orleans Hornets to the Seattle SuperSonics.

* I’ll remember it as the season that Oklahoma City’s first and favorite NBA son, Chris Paul, established himself as the game’s best point guard.

* I’ll remember it as the one Boston used to make a worst-to-first turnaround, assembling a trio of stars before riding Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to the franchise’s first championship in 22 years.

* I’ll remember how the Celtics embarrassed the Lakers in the NBA Finals, turning a historic rivalry into a humiliating rout.

* I’ll remember the final series being much worse than the 4-2 result that will go down in the history books.

* I’ll remember this NBA season as the year Garnett finally validated his career, forever silencing his critics by capturing his first, much-deserved title.

* I’ll remember Garnett’s emotions immediately following the game. The way he leaned back, reached down in his belly and jubilantly bellowed “ANYTHING’S POSSIIIIIIIBLE” in his postgame interview. I’ll remember thinking Garnett is a shinning example of hard work paying off.

* I’ll remember watching a blissful Garnett suddenly and perhaps subconsciously tell ESPN’s Michele Tafoya how great she looked on the championship-clinching night. I’ll remember thinking a live television audience was about two seconds from Joe Namath-Suzy Kolber Part II.

* I’ll remember this season as the year Paul Pierce punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame.

* I’ll remember it as the year Kobe Bryant answered his critics by becoming a better team player, leader and teammate.

* I’ll remember it as the year Bryant was criticized even more for doing all of the above.

* I’ll remember this season as the first in which Bryant took home the regular season MVP award and the second in which he was on the wrong end of the win-or-go-home slogan that embodies the NBA Finals.

* I’ll remember it as the year that brought Boston coach Doc Rivers vindication after nearly the entire NBA world called for his head the previous year. (I’ll be surprised if the always classy Rivers ever brings up that fact.)

* I’ll remember how Rivers thoroughly out-coached Phil Jackson.

* I’ll remember thinking during Game 6 what in the world Jackson possibly could say to his team at halftime with the Lakers down 23. I’ll always remember that whatever it was didn’t work.

* I’ll remember how the Celtics provided the latest example that defense wins championships. While run-and-gun is fun, I’ll remember hoping Golden State, Utah, Seattle, Memphis, Phoenix, Denver, the Lakers and my Washington Wizards all took notes during the championship series.

* I’ll remember 48 wins not being enough to make the playoffs out West.

* I’ll remember that in spite of all the Western Conference’s accolades, the East captured its third title in five years, and by three different teams.

* I’ll remember it as the year Shaq was traded back to the West.

* I’ll remember the city of New Orleans proving the basketball world wrong.

* I’ll remember it as the year Kevin Durant took home Rookie of the Year honors, the start of what’s sure to be a long and illustrious career.

* I’ll remember Tim Donaghy.

* I’ll remember the Celtics’ faithful booing NBA Commissioner David Stern after Game 6.

* I’ll remember Houston peeling off 22 straight victories from late January to mid March. I’ll remember being in the city of Houston when the streak ended, watching it all unfold at a bar with family, friends and a captivated turned devastated city.

* I’ll remember the Knicks being awful. I’ll remember thinking they could make the playoffs after acquiring Zach Randolph.

* I’ll remember the Miami Heat coming as close as possible to tanking a season.

* Above all, I’ll remember missing the NBA in OKC.

-DM-

New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul took media questions at his annual basketball camp today, the second of the three-day camp. Paul, who finished runner-up for MVP this year, was excited to be back in OKC, where he played his first two seasons. He talked about wanting to keep the camp going and went as far as to say he’s hoping the Sonics come to OKC just so it gives him a chance to return to the city up to twice each year during the regular season. Here’s the entire transcript of his press conference.

Q: What does it mean for you to be back in OKC?

A: It’s great to be back. Three days of camp. First time back since our preseason game here, and what I came back for is what it’s all about, the kids.

Q: Why do you want to keep coming back here and doing the camp?

A: It gives me an opportunity to come back to the city first of all. After my first year, I wondered if I’d do a camp. As long as the kids are going to come and have fun and enjoy it I’m going to do the same. So hopefully even next year I can continue to do it because I love to come out here.

Q: Have you had a break this summer?

A: Not yet. This is part of my break right here. I just try to get away and have fun with these kids and the counselors. That’s what it’s all about.

Q: Is making the Olympics your next goal?

A: Yeah, to find out if I make the Olympic team. Hopefully I find out sometime this week. If I do that will be the next task.

Q: Are you keeping an eye on the Sonics news and their possible move to OKC?

A: It was on the news the night before last. I think I saw Gary Payton there and stuff like that. Me, I actually kind of hope the Sonics come here because it would give me an opportunity to come back to the city. Hopefully we’ll play them twice a year here in

Q: What do you think about the long-term viability of OKC?

A: For the two years we were here it was unbelievable. So there’s no doubt about it that

Q: Would it be hard for you to play here as a visitor?

A: It would be tough. But hopefully everyone here knows who to root for if they do come here and we play here. Hopefully we’ll see more Hornets jerseys than it would be Sonics jerseys.

Q: Is it hard for you to watch the NBA Finals?

A: Yeah. I just don’t. I watch maybe two games of the Finals. I’ll probably watch the game tonight. I guess as time goes on it gets a little bit better, but that’s where I want to be next year.

Q: Were you surprised that Team USA decided to not have a tryout for the Olympic team?

A: Yeah I was surprised. I was actually starting to train, trying to get ready for it. I guess they’re just going to call you now and let you know if you made it. Either way now, I’m good.

Q:Have the Olympics been a dream of yours?

A: I’d definitely love to play in the Olympics. It’s a great opportunity, so I’m hoping they call and say I’m on the team. But if not it’ll just be a little more rest and I’ll get ready for next year.

Q: How disappointed would you be if you didn’t make it?

A: Somewhat disappointed, but at the same time it’s all about the

Q: Would it be weird for you to be second in MVP voting and after the great year you had to not be on that team?

A: Not necessarily. My rookie year when I played on the team, Gilbert Arenas got cut. And he’s one of, and still is one of the best point guards in the NBA. I mean, we’re talking about NBA players here. So anybody who doesn’t make it, you really can’t be too mad because it’s another guy in the NBA that’s making the team over you.

Q: Do you think you’re going to continue to do this camp in OKC?

A: I hope so. Even if the team does come here next year I would hope that I could still do my camp. But it would be something that I’ll definitely talk about and try to get some feedback from the kids to see if they still want me to.

Q: Do you notice that there are still a lot of Hornets fans around here?

A: Yeah. A lot of these kids are three-year campers. A lot of these kids I still remember their faces. They’ve been here since the first time I did it. When you have kids that have showed that type of commitment to coming to the camp and actually have a good time, it makes me want to continue to do it. I think at the first camp over at Heritage Hall, probably about 75 percent of the campers were third-year campers. So it’s crazy.

Q: Did you do camp as a kid?

A: Yeah, I did. But I don’t think I ever went to any NBA camps. My parents probably weren’t having it. I was going to summer camp at the Y and stuff like that. I just played all day every day.

Q: How important is it for you to actually be here? Sometimes you get camps with big names on them and the player isn’t there. But it’s important that you’re here, right?

A: Yeah. I’ve always been like that. If my name is going to be on the camp I want to be here. I don’t want to just come back and show my face. It gives the kids an opportunity. That’s what they come for. They want to see me. They want to find out why I do some of the things I do and that’s what I’m here for.

-DM-

It’s not over.

Forget history and its gloom-and-doom statistic that cautions the Los Angeles Lakers that no team in NBA history has ever come back to win the Finals when trailing 3-1. The Lakers aren’t finished. Down, sure, but not out.

Trailing 0-2, the Miami Heat won four straight games against the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2006 NBA Finals.

In 2007, the Boston Red Sox were down 3-1 to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS before winning three straight games and going on to win the World Series.

In 2004, those same Sox trailed the New York Yankees 3-0 in the ALCS before winning four straight and eventually winning their first championship since 1918.

It was the first time an MLB team came back from an 0-3 hole. Like this Lakers-Celtics series, a comeback of that magnitude was supposed to be impossible. Bob Ryan, columnist at the Boston Globe, went as far as to write, “They are down, 3-0, after last night’s 19-8 rout, and, in this sport, that is an official death sentence. Soon it will be over, and we will spend another dreary winter lamenting this and lamenting that.”

Not so fast. That 19-8 rout Ryan referenced came in Game 3, when New York dealt Boston a demoralizing defeat equivalent to the Lakers’ blown 24-point, second-half lead Thursday night.

And who could forget how the Florida Marlins clawed their way back from a 3-1 deficit against the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 NLCS?

Florida shut out the Cubs, 4-0, in Game 5.

Steve Bartman was the goat in Game 6, when the Cubs were five outs from their first World Series appearance since 1945 before the Marlins posted an eight-run eighth on Chicago and won, 8-3, at Wrigley Field.

The Marlins then closed out the Cubs in Chicago, winning, 9-6, in Game 7 before beating the Yankees four games to two for their second World Series title.

Again, it’s not over.

The Lakers have thoroughly been outplayed in three of the first four games. L.A.’s offense has been a mess, mainly because of Lamar Odom’s and Pau Gasol’s ineffectiveness, which, of course, can and likely should be attributed to Boston’s fantastic defense. But the Lakers have only played the type of defensive game they’re capable of in six of this series’ 16 quarters. Their bench also has been a non-factor throughout the series, save Sasha Vujacic’s 20-point effort in Game 3.

Lethargic offense, little bench production, lousy defense and Boston playing close to the best ball it possible can for most of the series and yet the Lakers have been right there in all four games. Why can’t L.A. win three straight?

For as well as Boston has played in this series, and as awful as L.A. has looked, the Celtics haven’t done anything to deflate the Lakers. Not when L.A. went on the road in Game 1 and trailed Boston by only six points with 1:21 remaining. Not when L.A. sent fear into all of Massachusetts by storming back from a 22-point, fourth-quarter deficit in Game 2 at TD Banknorth Garden. Not when L.A. showed Boston how good it really is when it finally showed a pulse in Game 3 and held the Celtics to 35 percent shooting in L.A’s lone victory. And certainly not when L.A. took a commanding 18-point halftime lead in Game 4 and led by as many 24 points only to collapse in front of the home crowd.

The Lakers can change this series Sunday in Game 5. Come out with that same urgency they showed in the first half of Game 4 and sustain it. Protect your home court and gear up for a return to Boston. Once there, the Lakers must correct each mistake they made in Games 1 and 2, the costly turnovers, the missed shots, the lousy defense and rebounding. If the Lakers win Games 5 and 6, why couldn’t they steal Game 7?

Sure, Boston would have the advantage, playing in the confines of their own building in all. But the pressure would then squarely be on the Celtics – for losing two straight and having a once dominant 3-1 lead vanish, turning this series into an improbable seven-game slugfest, for losing a close-out Game 6 at home and for trying to finish off the Celtics’ first championship since 1986.

No way it’s over.

-DM-

The Ford Center will host its annual open house on July 12 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., allowing visitors to get a sneak peak of renovations and renderings of the improvements planned in the $100 million remodel that OKC voters approved on March 4.

There will also be free food samples from the arena’s restaurants for visitors and the opportunity to sign up to win a night in one of the Oklahoma State Park Suites at an upcoming Blazers or Yard Dawgz game. The Ford Center arena floor will, as always, be split into three sections for hockey, arena football and basketball, giving fans the chance to play basketball, kick field goals or skate.

-DM-

The NBA announced today it has made changes in the affiliation system for the 2008-09 NBA D-League season to accommodate the league’s expansion. Under the new affiliation, the Tulsa 66ers are now the minor-league affiliate for the Sonics. The Idaho Stampede in Boise, Idaho had been the Sonics’ affiliate since 2005.

The D-League is adding two new franchises in Erie, Pa. and in Reno, Nev. for the upcoming season, bumping the number of teams in the league to 16.

NBA teams can send first- or second-year players to the D-League up to three times each season. The 66ers were the affiliate of the Hornets during their two-year stay in Oklahoma City.

-DM-