Oklahoma City Wins Game 5; Moving on to Conference Finals Against Spurs (VIDEO)

The Los Angeles Lakers knew that winning in Oklahoma City would be a pretty tough task. On Monday night, however, it proved to be downright impossible.

Kobe Bryant turned in another heck of a night with 42 points--nearly half of what the Lakers scored as a team--but it was only enough to keep the Lakers competitive. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were not going to be denied a chance to play in the Western Conference finals, and since the San Antonio Spurs were already done and waiting on an opponent they figured they could give them one.

Westbrook led the way with 28 points (two of them off the impressive steal and improbable shot in the above video); his partner in crime Durant chimed in another 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Thunder to a 106-90 win in Game Five of their series with the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the Chicago Bulls already out of the Eastern Conference Finals and the Miami Heat struggling without Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade playing hurt, the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder may very well be where the actual NBA championship will be decided this year.

Article by Travis Pulver