Bryant could not break free to get a look, thereby forcing World Peace to seek an alternate option. He made the right pass. It was an uncontested shot. Blake caught it cleanly and got his shot off. He just flat-out missed it. Durant rebounded the ball and was fouled.

The Lakers carried a slim three-point lead into the fourth quarter, and Mike Brown’s defense effectively kept the Thunder out of the paint and off of the glass. Oklahoma City settled for jumpers time and again … until it counted. James Harden then made several drives into the lane to close the gap and ultimately set up the final sequence that will be dissected 1,000,000 ways tomorrow.

Los Angeles nearly evened the series and stole home field advantage despite shooting just 38.5% from the field and converting 2-of-15 three-point attempts. Bryant shot just 9-of-25, including 0-for-6 from three-point range, and attempted two free throws (2-for-2). He finished the night with 20 points. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol combined for 34 points and 20 rebounds.

Bryant committed a pair of critical turnovers down the stretch that will be the subject of much scrutiny, and he was actually working away from the basket on the inbounds play that resulted in the Steve Blake shot.

The Lakers failed to score in their final six possessions and settled for a number of long jumpshots.

It will be a long flight back to Los Angeles, where the Lakers will host the Thunder for back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday night.

That was a question offered often in the days leading up to Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. If it existed, the Spurs must have covered it by slapping on some paint or something because they handily defeated the upstart Clippers on Tuesday night.

The Clippers limped into this semifinal series after nearly blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Grizzlies. They gutted out a Game 7 victory in Memphis and came in with banged-up stars Blake Griffin and guard Chris Paul.

The savvy San Antonio veterans were too much on this night. Tim Duncan scored 26 points while adding 10 rebounds. Manu Ginobili added 22 for the victorious Spurs.

Conversely, Paul was limited to six points on 3-for-13 shooting, though he did dish out 10 assists. Overall, the Spurs’ 48.8% field goal percentage (52% from three-point range) and +13 rebounding edge proved too much.

Two days ago, Los Angeles was busy celebrating the continued playoff success of its basketball and hockey teams. Of course, the sporting world at large mocked the use of the Sacramento Kings logo in place of the L.A. Kings on the local NBC affiliate.

Following Game 1 beat-downs at the hands of the Thunder and Spurs, Los Angeles fans are now scurrying to learn the pronunciations of the Kings’ surnames.

Insert your “Quick” exit joke here.

The Lakers must have heeded those words on Monday night, as Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series was nothing short of a bloodbath. Oklahoma City took a 15-point lead into halftime … and then it got ugly. The Thunder outscored the Lakers by 15 points in the third quarter, thereby making the fourth quarter academic.

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for 52 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists in the blowout victory.

Los Angeles played for the fifth time in nine nights, and it showed. The quick-hit, fast-paced Oklahoma City offense controlled the pace, shot the lights out from three-point range early in the third quarter (53% from the field overall) and committed only four turnovers, a number that you will hear referenced one million times in the next 48 hours.

Everyone waited for the response to Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) in Oklahoma City following the James Harden incident from the regular season. His “I don’t shake hands with subs” ranks among the greatest one-liners that we’ve heard in quite some time. Embrace your inner villain, I say. Harden scored 17 points on 4-for-11 shooting with nine free throws.

All season, the knock on the Lakers (inconsistent play from their 7-footers aside) was their bench. That wasn’t the case on Monday night. The Lakers’ starters all finished the game with a +/- of -19 or worse.

Blame it on tired legs from the Lakers, if you must. The Thunder certainly exhibited no rust, as some might have anticipated, coming out of their extended break. Fresh legs, young legs and hot shooting — a recipe for disaster if you’re a fan of the Lakers.

I posted this to my Twitter account (@swollendome):

At least Kobe, Bynum & Gasol only had to play 32, 30 and 30 minutes, respectively … #silverlinings

Game 2 is set for Wednesday. Mike Brown, under fire for needing seven games to eliminate the Nuggets, is going to need an answer for Russell Westbrook.

I won’t even dive into the “should college football exist?” debate that is percolating in this space. Don’t worry. I’ll circle back to that hot button issue later in the week.

I’ll also discuss the latest on the stadium vote in Minnesota once we get more notes from the Senate (it passed the House).

But for now, I’m going high-tech renderings of the proposed complex in Los Angeles. The Farmers Field “eye in the sky” view is now available. Business owners and football fans are salivating about the potential of such an addition to the bright lights of Los Angeles.

Take a look at the Farmers Field Vision .

Why is Jim Johnson the “Fantasy Man-Crush” of the week?

OK. I suppose I could just trot out the entire Baltimore squad or give an “Attaboy!” to Buck Schowalter following his 1,000th career win. Maybe I celebrate Chris Davis for ending a terrible day at the plate (0-for-8 with five strikeouts) with a win on the mound as an emergency reliever.

No, I’m giving the nod to closer Jim Johnson, one of the select few who hasn’t been yanked from the position. In fact, Johnson entered Monday’s game with a perfect 12 2/3 innings of work in 2012. He’s converted each of his eight save opportunities with 11 strikeouts, seven hits and four walks. Opponents have a combined .159 BAA Johnson through his 12 appearances.

The boos from the Los Angeles crowd one week ago trumpeted the arrival of a new villain in Major League Baseball, someone to move the needle and pique the interest of casual fans. On Sunday night, Bryce Harper was on display for the national audience in a home tilt. He wasted no time getting the crowd ignited.

The baseball world and talking heads everywhere have been breaking down the first Cole Hamels-Bryce Harper showdown. You know the particulars. Hamels plunked Harper in the first inning of the Sunday night game between the Phillies and Nationals. The rookie then electrified the home crowd by stealing home (his first career stolen base) to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. Of course, things spilled over from the game when Hamels admitted to plunking Harper and the managers and front offices got involved.

I don’t supposed this fades away quietly, as these two heavyweights are slated to do battle in the NL East for a long time to come. The weighted schedule portends to many confrontations.

We’ve experienced a frenzy of activity in the past two weeks. The closer carousel has been running non-stop, with both of the Los Angeles and Chicago teams changing out closers (charge to the wire for Kenley Jansen) along with San Diego, Miami and, of course, the Yankees in the wake of Mariano Rivera’s injury. We’ve seen several stars injured along with Rivera, including Jayson Werth, Mat Gamel and Evan Longoria. And, of course, the promotions from the minor leagues have been fast and furious.

Harper and Los Angeles call-up Mike Trout received all of the headlines. Quietly, the Red Sox promoted a sweet-swinging slugger of their own.

In Boston, fans are celebrating Will Middlebrooks, who appeared in several of my “Minor League Update” columns on FOXSports.com. Middlebrooks went 2-for-3 in his debut and hit a grand slam in his third game. On Monday night, Middlebrooks extended his meager hitting streak to four games with a breakout performance against the Royals. He went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five RBI.

Look at the wire for corner infield support. At worst, you know you’ll have a ton of prime time opportunities to curse his acquisition.

But the day wasn’t over. Word broke on Thursday night that the venerable closer of the New York Yankees, Mariano Rivera, had sustained a knee injury while shagging fly balls during batting practice. The deluge of Tweets was overwhelming and sent the Twitter-verse into a tailspin as it was confirmed that Rivera had, indeed, sustained a torn right ACL. The career of the future Hall of Famer and quintessential closer, the standard by which the position has been measured for the better part of 20 years, may have thrown his last pitch.

Think about the turnover and instability of the closer slot. Nearly half of major league teams have turned over the job because of injuries and ineffectiveness, and we’re not out of the FIRST WEEK OF MAY! Carlos Marmol has all but lost the job in Chicago, and Ozzie Guillen has intimated that Heath Bell’s contract may not save him in Miami.

It’s a mad world, to be sure. For now, let’s focus on the Yankees and celebrate Rivera’s entrance music.

David Robertson likely becomes the team’s closer following Rivera’s injury. He has yet to allow an earned run this season in 11 innings pitched while striking out 18 batters. Robertson has allowed seven hits and three walks (0.91 WHIP).

Rafael Soriano might also be worth a speculative play in the event that Joe Girardi turns this into a quasi-committee in the short-term.

We often talk of sports in terms of violence. Our video games are becoming more and more realistic, and the top properties involve war, gore and, oftentimes, disturbing imagery.

Hell, do you remember the old NHL video games? You know, the one used in the classic film “Swingers” when they lament the loss of head trauma in the new version of the game? Wayne Gretzky gets laid out and they demonstrate the unstoppable move.

Anyway, enough of the walk in film history for now. I’ll expand on those topics in the daily audio/video bits that start next Monday. For now, I thought I’d bring to your attention an article penned by former Chicago Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer. He discusses his love of the game, the culture of the game and all of the attention afforded the Saints’ “Bounty-Gate” issue. It’s a unique perspective from the eight-year NFL veteran.

This statement, made toward the end of the article, says it all. “Violence is not just a part of football, it’s a huge part of the allure of football.”

Rose watched Tuesday’s action from a luxury suite after handing over the game ball. The Bulls missed their leader and the league’s reigning MVP. They had no answer for Philly’s balanced attack and had no flow offensively.

Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams combined for 49 points on 19-of-28 shooting, and rookie Evan Turner added 19 points. Overall, six Sixers scored in double digits, and Philadelphia shot 59% overall to frustrate Thibodeau’s normally stout defense. Philadelphia also out-rebounded the Bulls by a 38-32 margin.

Joakim Noah (10-of-11 shooting and 21 points) and John Lucas (15 points on 7-of-12 shooting) were the lone offensive stars for the Bulls. The aforementioned Kyle Korver took only four shots (2-of-4), all of which came from three-point range. The rest of Chicago’s starting lineup (C.J. Watson, Luol Deng, Richard Jefferson and Carlos Boozer) shot a combined 15-for-43.

Game 3 is set for Friday in Philadelphia.

With slugger Michael Morse already on the shelf because of a strained lat and Zimmerman joining him on the disabled list (shoulder), the Nationals were in need of an infusion of offense (they entered Friday’s matchup with Clayton Kershaw carrying a .238 team batting average).

Owners in NL-only fantasy leagues are tripping over themselves for the opportunity to snag Harper.

Harper set to join Nationals

I held out as long as I could before going down this path. With the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft just a few hours away, I finally broke down and drew up the proverbial big board. Count me among the millions that have sojourned in fantasyland, where picks 1-32 go down without drama and shifts. It’s a land where selections are done quickly and quietly and nobody shuffles out of their predetermined spots. There are no shots of despondent players in green rooms and the analysts sing the praises of every selection.

Don’t worry. Philadelphia fans still boo mercilessly (maybe they should take Whitney Mercilus?) and that Jets chant still plays ad nausea.

The Twitterverse will be alive and active this afternoon with myriad rumors, conjecture and speculation. More than a few deals will be consummated before the day is done, with that No. 3 spot as the starting point. I’ve been wondering all along about Matt Kalil and whether he’s the choice in Minnesota or if they deal out of the spot.

Does Miami need to move up to avoid getting trumped on the QB chase? Will one of the heavyweights from the back-end of the first round package their multiple picks to their needier counterparts?

If you want the true “suspense” of the NFL Draft, then step away from your phone, your computer, your tablet and avoid me.

Without further ado, I present the “No Movement” First-Round Mock Draft. I am prepared for your derision. I welcome it.

1 Indianapolis Andrew Luck
2 Washington Robert Griffin III
3 Minnesota Morris Claiborne
4 Cleveland Trent Richardson
5 Tampa Bay Stephon Gilmore
6 St. Louis Matt Kalil
7 Jacksonville Justin Blackmon
8 Miami Ryan Tannehill
9 Carolina Fletcher Cox
10 Buffalo Riley Reiff
11 Kansas City Luke Kuechly
12 Seattle Dontari Poe
13 Arizona David DeCastro
14 Dallas Mark Barron
15 Philadelphia Michael Brockers ** Cut-n-paste not a skill I possess
16 New York Jets Chandler Jones
17 Cincinnati Melvin Ingram
18 San Diego Courtney Upshaw
19 Chicago Quinton Coples
20 Tennessee Kendall Wright
21 Cincinnati Whitney Mercilus
22 Cleveland Brandon Weeden
23 Detroit Janoris Jenkins
24 Pittsburgh Cordy Glenn
25 Denver Dre Kirkpatrick
26 Houston Jerel Worthy
27 New England Stephen Hill
28 Green Bay Shea McClellin
29 Baltimore Bruce Irvin
30 San Francisco Kevin Zeitler
31 New England Nick Perry
32 New York Giants Doug Martin

Make no mistake about it. Those picks are done. However, the “made-for-television” aspect of the ceremonies dictates that there be time for talking and rumor, conjecture and speculation paired with a countdown clock. That element is heightened in 2012 with the new rules in place for the broadcast partners, forcing the action to be unveiled on the big stage by Roger Goodell. Of course, you’ll need to turn off your Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and hide from the radio to make the league’s plan work.

(You should be listening to Petros Papadakis and Lincoln Kennedy break it down on FOX Sports Radio during the NFL Draft.)

The intrigue begins at the No. 3 slot with Minnesota.

• Do they add a protector for Christian Ponder in Matt Kalil?
• Do they try to slow the downfield threats of Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnson and Greg Jennings by selecting Morris Claiborne from LSU?
• Do they snag Ponder help in the receiving corps with Justin Blackmon out of Oklahoma State?

It’s hard not to grab a lineman that you can set in at tackle and leave there for a decade. There have been whispers down the stretch about run-blocking and the lack of a “mean” streak, but Kalil proved his ability at USC. Given the selection point of Ponder last season (12th overall pick), the big investment has been made at the QB position. To truly determine whether Ponder can become a consistent option under center, they’ve got to protect him. Ponder absorbed 30 sacks in 11 appearances last season and the Minnesota tackles were charted last in the NFL.

That second point among the bullets above remains the mystery point. Six games against Cutler, Stafford and Rodgers leave defensive coordinators nervous.