Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka, who one week ago was ruled out of the playoffs, is willing to play through pain if it means helping his team recover from a 0-2 deficit against the San Antonio Spurs in the West Finals.
Ibaka told ESPN.com that he has not practiced yet, but is open to playing if the doctors clear him.
"Right now I'm waiting for the team doctor to confirm, and also it's depending on whether I will go tomorrow, day by day, and see," he stressed. "It's 100 percent going to hurt. For sure if the doctor gives me the OK and I feel better tomorrow, I will be 100 percent with the pain for sure, but like I said, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my team."
Ibaka suffered a left calf strain during their series-clinching win over the LA Clippers on May 15. He was ruled out of the playoffs but on Friday, his status has been upgraded to day to day on.
Ibaka's presence down low has been sorely missed by the Thunder with Spurs veteran big man Tim Duncan looking like a 30-year old again making mincemeat of the OKC interior defense. As a team, the Spurs have been averaging 60 points and shooting 78 per cent inside the paint in the first two games. Simply put, the Thunder have been abused inside the paint with Ibaka out of the lineup.
Still, Ibaka downplays the idea that his absence has made the series a lopsided one. He told ESPN:
"One thing I'm going to say...I've been hearing a lot of people saying my team lost two games because I was out. It's not true. It's not true. I believe in my guys. I believe in my teammates, that they can do better, with me or without me. It's not an excuse because Serge Ibaka was not there. It's just that San Antonio the first two games, they played better basketball. We need to give them a lot of credit."
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