OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. – The Oklahoma City Thunder came to play on Saturday, out-rebounding the L.A. Lakers and their 7-foot duo, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and thrashing the Lakers 110-89 to even the NBA Playoff series 2-2.

Kevin Durant scored 22 points and Russell Westbrook netted 18 and added 8 boards for the Thunder who are suddenly making believers out of their fans and opposition around the league.

After the game Durant was composed and seemed all business during a courtside interview saying, “It’s a seven game series.”

“We knew what we were capable of and how hard we play every day and how hard we practice every day,” said Durant. “With those attributes, I think that we can go far as a team. It’s all on us. We control our own destiny at this point.”

“A lot of people didn’t expect us to be here and once we got here, people were saying we were going to get swept.”

Kobe Bryant was held to 12 points and his decision to not take a shot for the first 15 minutes of the game, got his team in a 15-point deficit hole they could never dig out of.

The Thunder responded with a vengeance and the Lakers never got within double-digits after the first quarter.

“This is as big as a game can possibly be,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “You’re playing against one of the best teams in the playoffs on your home floor. Like I told the guys after the game, the Lakers did a good job the first two games. They took care of their home court. We did the same thing.”

Bynum and Gasol led the Lakers in scoring with 13 and Kobe took his 12 points to the bench, spending the entire 4th quarter there with 3 other Lakers starters.

“Our expectation is we wanted to win both of these games and be done with it. I think that’s every team’s mindset coming on the road being up 2-0,” Bryant said during post-game. “We’ve got a tough fight.”

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

It was reported that Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James filed the necessary paperwork to wear a uniform sporting the No. 6, foregoing the No. 23 that he has worn throughout his NBA career.

Here’s the wrinkle: he only has to ask permission if he stays with the same team. Should he move teams he picks whatever he wants when he reaches his destination.

The report noted that he wants to leave the No. 23 for Michael Jordan’s legacy but of course it fails to explain the timing of it all. So there’s that guessing game going on among Cavalier fans which I’m sure is fascinating.

But, as morning dawns in Los Angeles today, Lakers star Kobe Bryant has now heard the news, the man who switched his number from No. 8 to his old high school No. 24. And he did it after winning three NBA championships, long into his career.

Is he smiling, using that knowing grin he sports when something confirms what he thought would happen? Or is he shaking his head wondering what the heck he’s got to do to keep that distance himself from his fellow super star.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.