Post-Westbrook Era for 2013 playoffs starts off with a win

I'm sure by now everybody knows that All Star PG Russell Westbrook is out for the season....what a huge low blow to this team. I was seriously thinking we finally were gonna go all the way.Kevin Durant said in his press conference that he is going to lead this team back well he did just that last night in Game 3 in Houston. Durant tallied up 41 points and was dominant all game. Sadly if the Thunder want a chance at the playoffs Durant is going to have to play like this throughout the playoffs. Ibaka helped significantly as well with 17 points. The key to make up for Westbrook's scoring is Ibaka and Kevin Martin. Well Martin has been a disappointment  this post season and he needs to pick it up. The Thunder held on to a close win against the Rockets who erased a 20+ Point deficit to take the lead with 5 minutes left. Then comes MR. 35 with the huge dunk to retake the lead. This series may be 3-0 but the Thunder have had to fight for every game they won. Now lets talk about what happens after this series (Assuming the Thunder win the series) they will face the winner of the Memphis vs LA series which is tied at 2-2. This could help the Thunder if they can rap up the series in game 4 and also if the series in LA can go to 7 it could be a huge advantage for the Thunder. I believe this team can still get to the Western Conference Finals if they can get a better match up in Memphis rather than the Clippers who have a high powered offense that Durant just simply won't be able to keep up with. Now with the Spurs if they can get to the Conference Finals I don't think the Thunder can pull it off to get back to the NBA Finals. I am sorry OKC Fans but its just too big of a loss to sustain. The Thunder pulled together as a team to beat the Rockets in Game 3 but the effort that KD put in might not be able to be as consistent but hey I've seen more crazy things happen. Anyone else think the Thunder can still beat the Heat? A guy can dream can't he?

Follow me on Twitter @DiBiSportstalk