Heavy is the head that wears the Western Conference crown-just ask the Oklahoma City Thunder about that.
Still adjusting to life after James Harden after this past weekend's stunning trade sent the Sixth Man of the Year to Houston, the Thunder are coming off a heartbreaking 86-84 loss to rival San Antonio Thursday after Spurs guard Tony Parker's game-ending buzzer-beater to win it for the Spurs.
Up next for them, they will host a Portland Trail Blazers team Friday, fresh off a 116-100 win Wednesday over the star-powered Los Angeles Lakers on opening night.
The Thunder won't lack in leadership or scoring power, with All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook still on board and premier defender Serge Ibaka still menacing opponents on the hardwood. However, and clearly, the Thunder will have a new challenge in redeveloping their chemistry after the weekend trade that shipped Harden and others to the Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and three draft picks.
Martin was particularly effective despite Thursday's loss to the Spurs, scoring 15 points for Oklahoma City.
"Even though they lost James Harden, Kevin Martin is a quality scorer off the bench," Portland coach Terry Stotts told NBA.com.
The most intriguing match up of the night will likely be at the point guard position, with Westbrook facing off against highly touted Portland rookie Damian Lillard.
Lillard, the No. 6 draft pick in last summer's draft, scored 22 points and 11 assists facing off against two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash in Portland's opening night victory over the Lakers. He'll face a tough matchup in Westbrook, one of the most athletic point guards in the league, who averaged 27.5 points, 7.3 assists and 8.8 rebounds last season.
"He's going to be tough, he's a really explosive athlete, a really aggressive player looking to score the ball," said Lillard. "It'll be a challenge just like every other night."
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