Enes Kanter says Thunder deserve more credit

Last Friday, after his hometown Thunder secured a spot in the Western Conference Finals, the ESPN analyst proclaimed on Twitter that he wasn’t sure Oklahoma City could win “a single game” against the Warriors. Two weeks ago, after Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard went scoreless in the fourth quarter of Portland’s Game 2 loss, Bayless argued on “First Take” that Lillard wasn’t consistent enough to be considered an NBA star. Soon after, Lillard posted a picture of rapper Ice Cube to his Instagram with a pointed message: You’ve gotta learn that you ain’t gotta react to everything. Bayless’ comments were added motivation for Lillard, who averaged 34.7 points and nine assists over the final three games of the Western Conference Semifinals. Kanter, who had eight points and six rebounds Monday in Game 1, figures Bayless’ recent tweet only reinforced a national perception that the Thunder can’t compete with a Warriors team that recorded the best regular season in NBA history.