Thunderous response!!

In the opening game of the Western Conference Finals, Dirk Nowitzki used the baseline to spin past Serge Ibaka and completed the move with an uncontested dunk; just the beginning of an "other-worldly" performance that saw him score 48 points on 12-15 shooting.  The eye-popping stat is that he did this without a single 3 point attempt, while also going 24-24 from the free-throw line; an NBA record for most free-throws attempted without a miss.

Kevin Durant saw Nowitzki's effort and raised him one, going for a power jam over Mavericks' center, Brendan Haywood (who just happens to stand 7 feet tall).  KD drew a foul on Haywood, and unfortunately a technical for "demonstration" or "taunting' or whatever they felt like calling.  Not that it mattered because the message was clear, the Thunder won't back down; not even to a team that put the hurt on the 2-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

OKC's bench, which has been the backbone of their impressive playoff run this year, appeared on the scene just in time to help the Thunder steal home-court, and ride the wave of momentum into their next two meetings back in Oklahoma City.  In Monday's game, Dallas' bench, led by Jason Terry and J.J. Barea (24 & 21 points respectively), outscored their counterparts 53-22; including a late 3 pointer by Jason Terry to effectively end the game.  

Harden and his beard finished with 23 points

Led by the steady hand of Eric Maynor and mercurial James Harden, OKC returned the favor with a 50-29 advantage over Dallas' bench.  Barea and Terry combined for 19 points, with Terry going scoreless in the 4th quarter.  Harden, who starred in the 4th quarter, finished with 23 points (3rd among all scorers).  As always, it was up to Nick Collison to do the dirty work on the inside.  His superb defensive effort helped slow down Nowitzki, who finished with 29 points.  By the time Collison fouled out, the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.

With the game still competitive in the 4th quarter, it was hard to ignore the sight of Russell Westbrook sitting on the bench as his teammates kept on trucking.  Westbrook, who has often drawn the wrath of fans, seemed content with his "odd" situation; hi-fiving and chest bumping teammates during timeouts.  To coach Scott Brooks' credit, the players in the game were doing just fine; "if the car ain't broke, why fix it?"

After Westbrook went 3-15 from the field in game, Kevin Durant said he would be willing to bet his house that his teammate wouldn't have a similar effort.  Westbrook backed him up with an 18 point effort, going 7-15 from the field.  Looks like Durant will get to keep his house after all.

The Thunder's key to success in this series will be to try and get Nowitzki to involve the rest of his teammates.  The less shots Nowitzki takes, the better for everyone else.  They also have to make sure to match Dallas' bench, pound for pound; especially after seeing what they are capable of doing.

The first team to take a 3-1 lead will be the once advancing to the final, but that's easier said in a series that is capable of going the full 7 games.