The thing about Kobe Bryant; you never know which Kobe is going to show up. First quarter, he apparently took the get-the-ball-inside mantra to heart and didn't even threaten to shoot. He finally took his first shot at 9:07 of the second quarter and hit a three-pointer to cut the Lakers' deficit to 36-24.

James Harden's three-point play had given the Thunder the lead at 32-17. And Serge Ibaka, who opened the quarter with two blocked shots on one possession, hit a short jumper to make it 34-19 and another from the left baseline to make it 36-21.

Ford Center is absolutely rocking. Go ahead, turn the sound off on the TV; you can hear the crowd in L.A. Bryant's three-pointer quieted things a bit.

--Mike James