A Changing Of The Guard In The Western Conference!

Nothing lasts forever.

You can't win 'em all.

Feel free to add your favorite cliche right here, especially if you are one of the many "Laker Haters" we have here in Minnesota.

Last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder finished off the surprisingly mistake-prone L.A. Lakers, to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face the red-hot San Antonio Spurs.  The Thunder were the #2 seed in the conference, the Spurs were the #1 seed.

But, as clutch as Kevin Durant has proven to be for OKC - the Lakers gave away three games in this series.  L.A. had big fourth quarter leads in Games 2 & 4, and blew them both, mostly from turnovers.  Kobe Bryant had quite a few of those costly turnovers, and that is very uncommon for a guy known for being "clutch" in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder is a young, energetic, confident, team.  They are very fun to watch, and are well coached by NBA veteran Scott Brooks.  They will have their hands full with the Spurs - but if talent wins out over experience - it will be Oklahoma City in the NBA finals, probably against the Miami Heat.

One thing is for sure - the Lakers reign as 'King of the Mountain' - is clearly over.  I would be shocked if Kobe Bryant doesn't have many different faces surrounding him next season.