The Joys of Playing Against the OKC Thunder

Everything – including fouling out – is absurdly funny when going up against this toothless bunch: “Odom hadn’t agreed with the five fouls he’d gotten earlier, although he has tried hard not to let the officiating get to him in recent weeks. When Odom went back into the game with 8:32 left, he smiled at courtside reporters, made like a left-handed batter getting one more pitch to hit and asked how long he thought he could last with his five fouls. The answer: 15 seconds. Odom fouled out on that possession, unable to resist contesting Russell Westbrook’s layup attempt. Odom couldn’t believe referee Michael Smith called the foul, going to the bench before getting back up to ask Smith: ‘Are you sure it was me?’ Meanwhile, because the Lakers led by 19 points at the time, Odom’s teammates — especially Kobe Bryant — were cracking up at his plight. (Asked about it after the game, Bryant deadpanned: “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”) Odom kept protesting for a while, speaking half toward the referees and half toward Phil Jackson by saying: ‘That’s some (expletive). Every game, man!’ Odom being one with such a light heart, though, he quickly let it go and just enjoyed how his teammates were enjoying it. He also walked back to reporters and comically made like a baseball umpire, dramatically punching himself out.”