Warriors Wednesday showcased what the Thunder could be
By Tony Heim
Basketball-and sports in general-is a tale of two halves. Against the Warriors, the second half was almost unwatchable for OKC Thunder fans. But the first half? It brought back wonderful memories…
Remember how the OKC Thunder were able to take the best team in regular season history to a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals? With unmatched athleticism, physicality and an up-tempo offense.
Even with the departure of [REDACTED] and the trade of Serge Ibaka, the Thunder still have all the same characteristics that frustrated Golden State last postseason. Just take the first half for example.
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After two quarters, the Warriors could not open up a lead against a Thunder-squad playing without their biggest mismatch for Golden State: Steven Adams. OKC shouldn’t have been allowed on the court with GS, let alone make a close game out of it (in the first half). But they were able to keep the game close because Billy Donovan finally unleashed the weapons at his fingertips.
Instead of focusing on individual defense, Donovan employed his most dynamic athletes to disrupt passing lanes and double-down on driving Warriors. Watch how Russell Westbrook leaves Stephen Curry to poke the ball loose from Klay Thompson. The Thunder in turn used these opportunities to get out in transition.
Than there were plays like this, where OKC’s length effectively closed any passing lanes for Draymond Green. This wouldn’t happen if Cameron Payne, Andre Roberson and Victor Oladipo weren’t all communicating who was helping, switching, etc.
It’s the switching which really sets the Thunder apart defensively from other teams. Sam Presti has concocted a roster where virtually player can guard multiple positions; until Wednesday we didn’t see that philosophy primarily employed.
The problem with switching everything, especially with a young team, is that it’s a lot easier for confusion to occur. Like this.
How can you leave a 7-foot 4X scoring champ that happened to be your arch-enemy open? Young players (and relatively new teammates) not communicating enough that’s how.
But those things will come with time. The good news here is that OKC was able to competitively play a whole half of basketball without their second best player. We’ve now seen what the recipe for Thunder basketball in the future is.
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I’d like to see Donovan fully invest in this strategy. Oklahoma City was playing defense like a college team; with effort, energy and intensity. Sam Presti seems to be fully invested in grabbing players on rookie contracts, so it makes sense to play to the one strength youth brings to an NBA team.
Will it lead to more wins this year? Probably not. The Warriors were able to exploit the Thunder with a few halftime adjustments, and that’s okay. As we finish out this season, remember OKC has the third youngest rotation in the league. They are playing for next year. Okay maybe the year after that.
If Oklahoma City is going to see playoff success again in the next couple years (i.e. the Conference Finals) they are going to have to play the same hectic style as last postseason. So why not fully employ it now and let the players grow into their respective roles?