Ibaka still upset about blowing 3-1 lead in West finals

Months have passed and players have switched teams, but Serge Ibaka still has hard feelings over blowing a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference finals versus the Golden State Warriors.

His squad at the time, the Oklahoma City Thunder, went on to lose the last three games, the series, and several members of their core - including Ibaka.

Now a member of the Orlando Magic, the 6-foot-10 power forward revealed how difficult it's been for him to process the monumental loss that, to this day, it still eats at him.

"It took me a long time to get over our loss to the Golden State Warriors," he wrote in an essay for SI.com. "Up 3-1 in the Western Conference finals, we had them.

"Honestly, I'm still not over it, but I couldn't talk about that series, or basketball, for a couple of weeks afterward. During the NBA Finals, friends came over to watch one of the games, but seeing the Warriors on the screen got me so upset I had to leave."

The Thunder sent the 67-win San Antonio Spurs packing and had multiple chances to close out the series and return to the Finals for the first time in four years.

For his part, Ibaka fouled Stephen Curry on a 3-point attempt with a minute remaining in the game with OKC down four. The reigning two-time MVP converted on all three foul shots to seal the Dubs' 96-88 victory.

The 26-year-old Congo native said it was actually his daughter, Ranie, who convinced him to stop moping. While trying to avoid watching the Finals, he recalls the 10-year-old comforting him.

"It's OK, Daddy. You did everything you could," she said.

Those words of encouragement from someone Ibaka loves "brought (him) back to life."

Now he insists things are getting better and he's excited to move on in Orlando.