For the second straight year, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff push has been derailed by a season-ending injury.
Last year it was All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who went down in the first round with a knee injury as a result of a collision with Houston guard Patrick Beverley.
This year it is forward Serge Ibaka, who suffered a left calf injury in the third quarter of Thursday’s clincher over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ibaka underwent an MRI on Friday that confirmed a left calf injury, the team announced in a statement. There were no more specifics.
“We are obviously disappointed for Serge, as he is a tremendous competitor, and we know how badly he wants to be on the court with his teammates,” Thunder VP Sam Presti said in the statement. “At this point it is important that our team directs its concentration and energy towards preparation and execution for our upcoming series. As with all teams, our group has confronted different challenges. It is our collective experience that we will call on to ensure that we play to our capabilities.”
Nice sentiments, but the truth is that Ibaka will be dearly missed and extremely difficult to replace.
Through the first two rounds of the postseason, the Thunder have struggled when they have not had a third scorer to support the offensive brilliance of Westbrook and NBA MVP Kevin Durant. Ibaka has been the one most likely to step up, averaging 12.2 points on nearly 62 percent shooting.
And that doesn’t factor the defensive end, where he averages 7.3 rebounds and 2.23 blocks while offering an intimidating presence in the paint.
Without Ibaka, the Thunder have virtually no scoring from their bigs. Kendrick Perkins is averaging 3.6 points, rookie center Steven Adams is at 3.3 and Nick Collison is at 2.0.
Coach Scott Brooks could start Caron Butler and slide Durant to power forward in the Western Conference finals vs. the San Antonio Spurs. But that would leave them overmatched on the defensive end if Spurs coach Gregg Popovich uses bigs Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter in tandem, as he starts most games.
The Thunder have had the Spurs’ number in recent years, winning five straight meetings and 10 of the last 12. Without Ibaka, it’s difficult to imagine that dominance continuing.
Adjust your playoff predictions accordingly.