Thunder take 1st seed....for now

The Thunder took care of the Blazers Friday night in what was a game I found very interesting as Ronnie Brewer finally got some playing time! The Thunder traded for the Forward at the deadline with the Knicks for a 2nd round pick and since then he hasn't played at all. Well that changed and he played some rock solid defense and notched 5 points on the board which helps but he is all about his big time D and against the Heat in the Finals if they get there is where I think the Thunder wanted him the most. Westbrook put up 33 points in a big game for him but it wasn't a surprising victory. The Thunder now take the first seed in the Conference by a half a game over the Spurs and would be taking on a Kobe-less Lakers team that is a game up on the Jazz for the 8th and final spot. Well now I for sure want that first seed as before I was a bit nervous about how the Lakers would give us a tough time to the 2nd round I just didn't see the Lakers making it easy on OKC but without Bryant there is no worries for me. Come playoff time you want it to be a easy road to the Western Conference Finals like it was last year with a easy sweep on the Mavericks and then taking out the Lakers in 5. Well this year might be a bit more difficult, maybe not in the first round but in the second round teams like the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Clippers are going to give the Thunder a tough time especially Denver. The Grizzlies slow but tough defense worries me as it slows down Durant and Westbrook in recent games but the Nuggets fast break was just deadly to the Thunder as OKC could only take one of the 4 games this season to Denver. The best match up for the Thunder come the 2nd round is the LA Clippers. The Thunder swept the Clippers this year in the regular season and are just a faster and better team. Blake Griffin's big time dunks in the regular season will most likely not be as effective in the playoffs, the game just slows down and the court gets more narrow with the tight defense all teams play. The two teams standing in the way of the Thunder title hopes is the Spurs and the raining champion Miami Heat. The Thunder vs Spurs match up on April 2 made it easier to know that the Thunder still have the Spurs number. Without Tony Parker at 100 percent if he isn't by the playoffs, I don't even know if they get to the Conference Finals. OKC takes on the Sacramento Kings in their 2nd last game of the regular season....you smell that, Playoffs are right around the corner.