Thunder Will Face Lakers In Second Round

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – After a long series for the Lakers and a long wait for Oklahoma City, the Western Conference semifinal matchup is set.

The Los Angeles Lakers topped the Denver Nuggets 96-87 on Saturday night in L.A. to take the hard-fought series in seven games.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City was in a completely opposite situation. The Thunder swept the Mavericks in four quick games, meaning the last time OKC played a game was Saturday, May 5.

The series between the Lakers and Thunder will start at 8:30 p.m. Monday in Oklahoma City. By the time the Thunder play that game, they will have had eight full days off in between games.

The Lakers, on the other hand, will have a quick turnaround, having only one full day to pack up, fly to Oklahoma City and prepare for the Thunder.

The long rest for OKC has sparked some debate on rest vs. rust – whether it's more beneficial to keep playing when a team is playing well, or whether the time off is worth it.

In center Kendrick Perkins' case, anyway, the wait is worth it. Perkins has been consistently listed as day-to-day after suffering a hip strain in the fourth and final game against the Mavericks. He has increased his activity each day after suffering the injury, but still has not practiced at full speed.

The Lakers-Nuggets series going all the way to seven games gives Perkins a couple of extra days to rest. His post defense against L.A. big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will be vital, as those two combined for 35 rebounds against the Nuggets in Game 7.

Another player who had plenty of time to rest was Lakers forward Metta World Peace. As Oklahoma City fans know, World Peace was suspended seven games for his vicious elbow to James Harden toward the end of the regular season, which caused a concussion.

World Peace sat out the final game of the regular season and the first six games of the series against Denver.

He returned for Game 7 – scoring 15 points and grabbing five rebounds – and will not miss any games against OKC from the suspension.

The schedule for the series between the Thunder and Lakers is listed below. Worth noting is the first back-to-back games in the 2012 playoffs so far for either team (May 18-19).

Game 1 – Monday May 14 – Los Angeles at Oklahoma City – 8:30PM – TNT

Game 2 – Wednesday May 16 – Los Angeles at Oklahoma City – 8:30PM – TNT

Game 3 – Friday May 18 – Oklahoma City at Los Angeles TBD – ESPN

Game 4 – Saturday May 19 – Oklahoma City at Los Angeles TBD – TNT

Game 5 * – Monday May 21 – Los Angeles at Oklahoma City TBD – TNT

Game 6 * – Wednesday May 23 – Oklahoma City at Los Angeles TBD – ESPN

Game 7 * – Sunday May 27 – Los Angeles at Oklahoma City – TBD – TNT

* = If necessary