West friends.
Derek Fisher returned to the court he called home for years looking for revenge. Revenge for the sudden trade. Revenge for the impersonal way he was treated after a long run of very personal investment in the team that drafted him. The 37 year old guard scored 7 off the bench in his adidas Crazy Light’s, helping his new squad get a 102-93 victory. But Fisher’s return to face the Lakers turned out to be a footnote in a larger, fairly obvious narrative. The Thunder are better than the Lakers. A lot better. OKC got off to a slow start, down 12 after the 1st. Kevin Durant was shooting 1-for-9 and Andrew Bynum was getting his. Then Russell Westbrook put his Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011′s to work, dropping 17 in the 3rd with multiple jumpers and drives, ending with 36. KD dished and dunked to 21, 11 and 5. Just like that, the Lakers were down 19, neutered as a threat, and getting booed. The game was a microcosm of what the Thunder can do against any team – turn on the jets and finish strong. Now with Fisher and his 5 rings of championship experience aboard, OKC is set to do just that in June.
