Is Ibaka walking through that door?

— -- At this stage for the Oklahoma City Thunder, down 2-0 in the Western Conference finals to the San Antonio Spurs, it's not about what Serge Ibaka can do, it's about what he represents: the unknown.

One week after the Thunder declared Ibaka out for the playoffs, they changed his status to day-to-day.

He hasn't gone through a full practice yet. There's no promise he will before Game 3 on Sunday.

All that's given is hope and possibility.

Maybe, maybe not. Those are terms that are completely comfortable for the Thunder.

Thus far the series has been played in San Antonio's comfort zone. Thunder forward Nick Collison used the perfect description for the Spurs when he called them "organized." The Spurs always seem to be thinking two steps ahead.

The Thunder thrive on the unexpected. For all the criticism of the absence of structure on the court, that hasn't inhibited their success.

Russell Westbrook in particular lives for doing the unexpected. Watching some of the videos in  Brian Phillips' Grantland story on Westbrook, in addition to Westbrook's three entries in the top 10 plays of the first round, the recurring theme is how he's so effective by making plays that others wouldn't even attempt.

Point guards aren't supposed to come flying in for weakside blocks or putback dunks. The typical basketball player would simply foul when the game gets late enough that the clock becomes a bigger factor than the deficit. Westbrook goes for the steal -- and got it, against Mike Conley and Chris Paul -- succeeding as much by the element of surprise as his athletic ability.

Now it's Ibaka's turn to be the wild card. Can he play? How effective will he be if he does?

We know how important his presence is to the Thunder's defensive attack. According to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information, the Spurs are shooting 47 percent in the paint against OKC this season when Ibaka is on the court and 65 percent when he's off it. Are those numbers still relevant?