Nov 21, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) handles ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

If you haven’t heard the news, Oklahoma City Thunder Russell Westbrook is out indefinitely due to a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered in Game 2 of their first round series after Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverly inadvertedly ran into Russ’ leg on an attempted steal.

And as tragic as it is to see another superstar go down with an injury (Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Rajon Rondo, etc), the path to the Western Conference may have just gotten a bit easier for the Los Angeles Clippers if they can escape the first round of the playoffs unscathed. And truth be told: If they can’t make it to the Western Conference after this event, it’ll likely never happen.

In three games this season, Russell Westbrook has averaged 26 points, 8.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game on 47 percent shooting (46 percent from three) while the Thunder went 3-0 over Los Angeles on the season. Only in two of those games did Chris Paul play, but when he did match up against Westbrook he struggled due to Russ’ aggressive defense.

A second round series between the Clippers and Thunder obviously favored the Thunder, but with little or no Westbrook, the favors swing towards the Clips unless Vinny Del Negro decides to forget how to properly coach a basketball team. Playing Reggie Jackson and Derek Fisher against Chris Paul isn’t nearly as effective as Westbrook would be. The proper matchup would be placing Thabo Sefalosha unto Paul since he seldom struggles against bigger defenders, but the overall impact of Westbrook’s absence can’t be made up on the on the defensive end.

There may be more pressure on Vinny Del Negro to make it to the Western Conference finals now and a loss definitely means he’ll be out of a job next season. He’s already pressured with, at least, making it out of the first round. Now if he can’t defeat an Oklahoma City team that is led by one Kevin Durant, then it’s clear he isn’t worthy of this job. With Phil Jackson, Byron Scott, Stan/Jeff Van Gundy awaiting in the shadows, we’ll see how Del Negro responds to the much added pressure.

This photo describes games between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Who is the stronger team — Griffin holding Westbrook up — and who will be on top — Westbrook trying to sail over Griffin and Caron Butler. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

This is where the breakdown gets serious, the Los Angeles Clippers against the best team in the Western Conference in the 2011-12 season — the Oklahoma City Thunder.

If ESPN or NBA TV has been on a near TV set, you’ve heard the Los Angeles Lakers and the Thunder are the two favorites to represent the west in the upcoming NBA Finals. However, Clipper fans will tell you, the red, blue and white have a chance as well.

To make their chance become reality, the Clippers would eventually have to play one of the two favorites in Las Vegas. Between the two, I think the Clippers have a better chance against the Thunder than the Lakers.

I’m not going to blatantly say the Clips or Kevin Durant and company would win because both have the opportunity to leave a game against the other victorious. Although, if I was a betting man, I’d put money on the Clippers.

Here’s why:

The Thunder and the Clippers’ roster are three deep when it comes to productive low post players. The Thunder have Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka  and Nick Collison, while the Clips have Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Lamar Odom.

With these three players listed in front of you, which side are you going to take? I hope you said Clippers.

This says it all — DeAndre Jordan blocking Kendrick Perkins. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Perkins is a bum. The only reason he is in the league is because of his size. He is a big guy who isn’t afraid to step in front of LeBron James or get dunked on by Griffin, but he is relatively useless since he can’t score unless he is close enough to dunk and in 9-NBA seasons has only grabbed 6.2 rebounds a game. A 6-foot, 10-inch man who weighs 270 pounds should be able to body up people and grab more rebounds.

The problem is, he is too slow and doesn’t know how to position himself.

Jordan, at 6-foot, 11-inches, grabbed 8.3 rebounds per game last season. He knows how to get in front of someone and is athletic enough to quickly move a few steps if the ball doesn’t land in his lap — Perkins is not.

Ibaka is the best of the three for the Thunder. He can step out and hit a mid-range jumper, crashes the boards and is arguably the best shot blocker in the league with 3.7 per game last season. At the same time, people have said he is overrated as a shot blocker because he only swats shots into the bleachers if either him or the offensive player are cutting to the basket. He very rarely makes a good one-on-one move to block a shot.

The Thunder’s power forward is a legitimate threat, but compared to Griffin, he’s old news or news unworthy of B3 in today’s sports page.

Griffin is a better low-post scorer, a better rebounder — 10.9 to 7.5 last season — and is just an overall better basketball player. Both of them are extremely athletic, but Griffin has more of a presence on the court and a better NBA IQ. Ibaka is simply a great help defender, while Griffin is a top 20 player in the league.

Nick Collison’s performance in the 2012 NBA Finals is the highlight of his career at this point. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Collison would all but be forgotten if it wasn’t for his performances in last year’s NBA Finals. Collison stepped up with crucial rebounds and big buckets when the Thunder needed someone other than Durant and Russell Westbrook to take charge.

However, I would rather have Odom come off the bench than any other power forward in the NBA. Honestly, I’d probably start him over at least 15 starting fours in the league, right now. Collison is a great player for 15-to-20 minutes a game but Odom can be a presence for an entire game.

The only position the Thunder win hands down is the small forward spot. Anyone who would put the Clips’ Caron Butler over Kevin Durant is a LA homer and not a true fan or student of the game. Durant is arguably the second best player in the game behind James and should be on everyone’s top 5.

Enough said.

Westbrook is a stud, but he chucks up a lot of bad shots and doesn’t look for one of the best shooters in the league, Durant, half as much as he should. Westbrook’s offensive game does his team an injustice from time to time as he pushes for the bad play instead of making the smart pass.

This will never be said of Chris Paul as he is the best decision maker in the NBA. Lob City would not be possible if it wasn’t for Paul’s court vision and his ability to thread the needle with his passes. Paul makes everyone in a Clippers’ jersey better while Westbrook only makes himself look good or bad.

Chauncey Billups is a better player than Thabo Sefolosha. The Clippers’ shooting guard is definitely a better shooter and is still a solid defender although he has slowed down. Sefolosha is an elite NBA perimeter defender, but his lack of an offensive game does not make him as effective as Billups.

In past seasons, James Harden would be an X-factor for a Thunder victory over LA. This season, the Clippers wised up by letting Mo Williams go and signed Jamal Crawford. Crawford is a great scorer, whether he jacks up too many shots or not. As hot as Williams got at the end of last season, Crawford could be all season long.

Not only is Crawford a great shooter, but he takes the ball to the basket which would free up the big men for easy put backs or baskets after they accept a pass.

I’m not saying Harden is any less of a player than Crawford, he is actually probably better because he does more in terms of handles, passing, rebounding and the intangibles. However, as a scorer, they are neck and neck to no longer make Harden as dangerous as he once was.

The NBA is all about match-ups. Any team can beat any team if they see a potentially beneficial match up on the court. The Clippers Vs the Thunder pose a lot of favorable position plays whether it’s Griffin-Ibaka, Jordan-Perkins, Paul-Westbrook or Billups-Sefolosha.

If the cards are dealt right and the Clippers play the Thunder at full-health, I definitely think Paul, Griffin and company can take OKC in a single game or in a seven-game playoff series.

Brandon LaChance can be reached at blachance20@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @LaChance_Writer.