Is it Time For the OKC Thunder to Panic?
By Jake Fielder
May 27, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (left) and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (right) speak at the post game press conference in game four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma City won 105-92. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Q: Will the Thunder’s experience give them an edge over the second half of the season?
Ramil: You’d think so but the reality is that for all of their history in big-game situations, it often appears that the Thunder haven’t really learned anything at all. They’ve fallen into the same traps offensively, relying on Durant and Westbrook to provide most of their scoring (especially in the fourth quarter in “clutch” moments). On defense, they’ve still been exploited by superstars like James Harden, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and the entire Hawks starting lineup. And with KD spending time on the bench more and more often, their best, most-experienced player can’t always be counted on to be there when it matters most. Having seen every type of situation imaginable is one thing; having the will and available talent to translate that knowledge into wins is something else.
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Fielder: This is where some degree of blind optimism comes into play. The Thunder haven’t come up when it really matters this year. Sure, they’ve managed to beat both the Warriors and the Suns thus far but haven’t been able to gain any sort of ground in the playoff race. Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks only further proved that the 2014-2015 incarnation of the Thunder are maddeningly inconsistent. However, this roster has still appeared in three Western Conference Finals and made one Finals appearance. Eventually you have to figure that collective experience will kick in. They have to get away from the hero-ball late game sets, though. In the 2012 Finals run, that team was much more predicated on drive and kick scenarios and they didn’t have a shooter remotely the caliber of Anthony Morrow. The Thunder have to find ways to deviate from the iso-heavy jumpers in the 4th that have been costing them of late.
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