Out West, Storm Front Brings Lots of Thunder
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By DERON SNYDER
Champions don’t pass the torch when an up-and-comer nips at their heels, eager for a taste at the summit. Contenders must snatch the crown and pry it away from seasoned winners.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, once isn’t enough. The NBA’s most exciting young team just vanquished the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, but it’s only halfway through the Western Conference gauntlet of trophy-wielding legends.
It almost seems unfair that the Lakers, one of the league’s most decorated teams of all time, were merely a precursor to the San Antonio Spurs, one of the league’s most decorated teams of recent vintage. If Oklahoma City reaches the NBA finals, it will set a record for former champs in its wake.
The Lakers and Spurs have won nine of the past 13 NBA titles combined. And their respective longtime mainstays, 33-year-old Kobe Bryant and 36-year-old Tim Duncan, are very much alive and kicking.
