Ibaka benched by Brooks; no injury reported
Serge Ibaka - F/C - Oklahoma City Thunder
May 10, 2011 - 2:25 AM ET
Serge Ibaka, who has dealt with knee and ankle injuries this postseason but reportedly wasn't materially impacted by them heading into Monday's Game 4, was benched and used for just 17 minutes after early foul trouble in the Thunder's triple-overtime win over the Grizzlies.
He has averaged 33 minutes, 11 points, 10 boards, and almost five blocks per game in the playoffs, and in a game that took 63 minutes to play -- that featured Kendrick Perkins for 34 minutes at 65% health, and Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed combining for 55 minutes -- it was a borderline reckless decision by Scott Brooks when your opposition boasts Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. After Perkins fouled out late, Ibaka entered the game and hit the go-ahead bucket.
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