Photo courtesy of Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

Of course the Lakers jumped to an early 12-point lead. Of course they eventually lost it to an OKC run. Of course Kobe Bryant had a huge game. Of course the game came down to the last second. And of course Russell Westbrook and Metta World Peace got tangled up on the floor fighting over the ball and were issues double technicals. How could we expect any more or less than this after the season that the Lakers have had? They sure like to keep it interesting, don’t they?

After they gave away Game 2 to the Thunder due to a series of late-game foibles, the Lakers opened up tonight’s game with a seemingly greater sense of purpose. Halfway through the first quarter, they jumped to a 16-4 lead, and unlike the first two games, the ball movement was much more noticeable and, of course, much more helpful to the mission. After the first 12 minutes, the Lakers had handed out eight assists, with each of the starters passing out at least one dime. They also held OKC to just 15 points on 30% shooting.

As expected, however, the Thunder came rolling back in the second quarter, going off on an 18-9 run that gave them the lead. Except for the 12-point Laker lead in the first quarter, no lead rose above OKC’s seven-point advantage in the second half. It was a close game, with 10 lead changes and 10 ties; seven of those lead changes and eight of those ties all taking place in the final quarter.

The real sixth man that helped the Lakers in this game, was their near-perfect free throw shooting. Their final eight points all came from the charity stripe. When a game is this close, regardless of the free throw quantity, the ones attempted late in the game mean a whole great deal and the Lakers were able to convert and finish the night in their favor.

Photo courtesy of Brett Deering from Getty Images

Literally – the Lakers gave away this game. With 2:08 min left in the fourth quarter, the visitors holding a 7-point lead, and the Thunder having only scored eight points in 10 minutes, the Lakers just fell apart. Instead of the playing the lockdown defense they had played in the first 45:52, and running the offense through the paint, they spent the remainder of a game that was in their control by loosening their grip before it was time.

They led by a point after the first quarter, were down just three points at the half, led by three going into the fourth and, until those last two minutes, had their biggest lead with seven. They controlled the pace of tonight’s game, controlled OKC’s Big Three in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and they even put the Thunder’s main defenders in Thabo Sefalosha, Serge Ibaka and James Harden in to some early foul trouble. OKC’s jumpers weren’t falling like they did in Game 1 and they turned the ball over nine more times than they did in Monday’s contest. They weren’t exactly faltering in this game, but they were struggling enough due to the Lakers’ efforts but the Lakers just didn’t take advantage of it.

After they created that 7-point lead, OKC took a timeout and just like that, outscored the Lakers 9-0 and now head to L.A. up 2-0.

Photo by Brett Deering | Getty Images

Western Conference Semifinals – Game Two

It is May 16, 2012 and the (3) Los Angeles Lakers are set to make the necessary adjustments and get back into the series against the (2) OKC Thunder. The Lakers looked old and tired and in need of a collective B12 shot against the young, rested and well-coached OKC Thunder team en route to a 119-90 blow out. The Lakers, a tired and weary team from a long grueling seven-game series with the Nuggets and were simply outplayed.

The Thunder had a nine-day layoff after quickly dispatching the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in four games. Before the game, the question of rest versus rust arose, after the game it was clear that OKC was ‘lying in wait’ for L.A.

Russell Westbrook, the 23-year old former Leuzinger High Olympian & UCLA Bruin is a blur, dangerous on the perimeter; this All-Star’s game has matured. Defensively, the Lakers are in need of multiple efforts on the pick-and-roll play and the guards have to fight over the screen or trap the pick and roll.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and OKC’s hot shooting and bench scoring were too much for the Lakers in game one. It is easy to say that the Lakers have to control the impact of the trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden, but much a harder task to accomplish.

The Lakers have to put the game one debacle behind them and correct their mistakes. L.A.’s defense on the pick-and-roll play has to improve dramatically. It is imperative that the Lakers play with more energy, control the tempo, stop the dribble penetration of the guards, get back in transition, contest shots and control the boards.

We have teamed up with Phiten – one of the industry leaders for titanium necklaces, bracelets and sports accessories – to give away a Lakers bracelet. Here’s how you can win:

Predict the amount of total points and rebounds both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol get in Game 2. (Example: Points 42, Rebounds 23.)

Leave us your best guess either on our Facebook status, or in the comments section below anytime between now and tip-off (6:30pm PT, 5/16).

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Ashton Kutcher is busy making millions over on Two and a Half Men, but that doesn’t mean MTV’s Punk’d can’t still be on the air.

Guest hosts have taken the place of Kutcher in this season’s edition of Punk’d and the Lakers very own Metta World Peace got punk’d courtesy actor and friend Dax Shepard.

Check it out below:

Be sure to subscribe to the VOTN YouTube Channel for your chance to win prizes weekly! Voice of the Nation hosts, David Brickley, Jason Riley and Kevin Figgers discuss the Lakers top story-lines of the 2011-12 NBA Season.

Rundown

• Lakers Chances Against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Question of the Show: Can the Lakers win this series against OKC? (Comment Below)

Getty Images | Dillip Vishwanat

It happened in the exact opposite way of what we hoped, and it was exactly as bad as we feared it would be. That the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and got 9 days of rest, and the Lakers had to play the full seven games to eliminate the Denver Nuggets, was there really any surprise that the younger, fresher team got the best of the older, weary one?

The Lakers started well enough, hitting six of their first seven shots, but that was as good as they got the entire game. OKC’s lead after one quarter was a manageable seven points. After the half it was, still, a manageable 15. Then the third quarter began, and faster than you can say Thunder Up, the lead ballooned to an insurmountable 35 points.

The Thunder were relentless and the Lakers were, well, they were relented. I don’t think that’s a real word but really, there are no combination of words on dictionary.com that could describe how the Lakers got murdered tonight. They were bruised and beaten to a bloody pulp.

During a huddle, with Oklahoma City’s crowd blaring in the background, Kobe Bryant tried to encourage his teammates, “They score, it’s ok. Don’t get down. Just communicate, work it out. Just go harder, that’s all. You gotta keep playing.” Maybe they were just tired. Maybe they needed to hear it from Derek Fisher. Whatever the case was, Bryant’s words didn’t go far and the Lakers were buried in the first game of the series.

Photo by Getty Images | Artwork by Kam Pashai

Western Conference Semifinals Game 1

It is May 14, 2012 and the (3) Los Angeles Lakers are set to battle the (2) Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at Chesapeake Arena.

The Lakers are facing an uphill battle dealing with the talented, young and rested OKC Thunder team. This second-round matchup is the first series since Pau Gasol came to L.A. that the Lakers are the underdogs.

The Lakers lost the season series to the Thunder (1-2) this season. Here is how both teams matchup.

Starter Match Up’s

PG Ramon Sessions 6’3” 190 lbs. 4^th Year, Avg.11.3 Ppg, 5.5 Ast, 3.3 Reb, 0.7 Stl.      PG Russell Westbrook 6’3” 187 lbs. 3^rd Year, Avg. 23.6 Ppg, 5.5 Ast, 4.6 Reb, 1.7 Stl.

Sessions vs. Westbrook is a matchup of two athletic veteran guards. Both bring speed and quickness, the ability to be dangerous on the pick and roll play attacking the basket or shooting from the perimeter. Sessions will have his opportunities to penetrate the painted area to set up teammates, attack the basket or score in the midrange game. All-Star guard Russell Westbrook has taken his talent to the next level by being able to use his speed and quickness to score on the perimeter, knock down mid-range shots, attack the basket and finish with the best in the league. Slowing Russell Westbrook down will have to be a team effort. Advantage -Thunder

SG Kobe Bryant 6’6” 205 lbs. 16^th Year, Avg.27.8 Ppg, 4.6 Ast, 5.4 Reb, 1.2 Stl.          SG Thabo Sefolosha 6’7” 215 lbs. 5^th Year, Avg. 4.8 Ppg, 1.1 Ast, 3.0 Reb, 0.9 Stl.