Five things to watch for in Game Three
By Tony Heim
The postseason has been a roller coaster of emotions for Thunder fans; I don’t need to tell you why.
OKC was able to bounce back from their blowout loss to San Antonio in Game One. If KD’s comments are true to his word, there is no reason to believe they cannot repeat this against Golden State.
In order for that to happen, however, changes must be made by both Billy Donovan and his players. Here are five things that must be addressed by Donovan and his staff if the Thunder want a repeat of the Spurs series.
1. Put the ball in KD’s hands
Eight turnovers is terrible, and I am not making any excuses for the Slim Reaper. But it cannot go unnoticed that OKC was able to compete with the Warriors for the first 23 minutes of play because of their best scorer.
Durant scored 23 points in the first half on 8-12 shooting; the only way Golden State could stop him was to triple team him. KD was scoring with the efficiency of Chef Curry himself, but the Thunder refused to feed him the ball.
Playoff basketball is a completely different animal than the regular season. The Warriors understand this. They feed Curry when he is hot, hence scoring 15 points in less than two minutes.
If KD is hitting like he was in Game Two, he needs the ball in his hands at every possession. Golden State will have to bring extra defenders because they do not have anyone on their roster that can guard him one-on-one. Durant has shown he has the ability to find openings with his passing, but he cannot do anything if there is no movement around him… which brings me to change #2.
2. Implement off-ball movement
NBA championships are not won by individuals. Champions are unselfish, giving up their own success for the greater good of the team. In the Thunder’s four-game win streak, they actually played like a team; sadly they reverted back to the OKC of old in Game Two.
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The Thunder were able to take down the Spurs by playing unselfishly. Yes, either KD or Russ led the way with at least 35 points, but those points came much more efficiently than before. OKC bigs were put in position to get easy buckets around the rim while guards were spaced out behind the arc. Instead of having to force up shots, KD and Russ always had someone to pass to when a second defender came to help.
Golden State’s small ball lineup caused problems in Game Two because they are athletic enough to play help defense and rotate back to their man. The answer: simple off-ball screens. If the Thunder are going to continue playing big, they need to use their big bodies to their advantage. Adams, Ibaka and Kanter screens’ could create just enough space to open up easier scoring opportunities.
3. Defense, defense, defense
We are a team here at Thunderous Intentions (Billy Donovan take notes). I direct you to Jared Hyland’s piece; he does a fantastic job of breaking down the problems with the defense in Game Two.
4. Feed the post
If Donovan decides the Thunder are best combatting Golden State’s small-ball with his trio of giants, than that size must be utilized. Enes Kanter is not doing anything for the team by standing in the corner for catch and shoot opportunities. Kanter ended the season above Demarcus Cousins in PER because of his ability to score in the post, NOT hitting threes.
Kanter looked as if he might be the breakout star of the playoffs in the opening round against the Mavericks, but OKC has shied away from him ever since. He has gone from averaging 15 points a game in round one to a measly seven in the first two games of the conference finals.
Too many times did I see Harrison Barnes guarding Kanter and the Thunder NOT utilizing that mismatch. Kanter is in the game for his offense; if he is not being used for his skill set he might as well not play at all because of his liability on the defensive end.
The same goes for Ibaka but to a lesser extent. Ever since he started shooting threes, Ibaka has declined INCREDIBLY as a defensive force. The 26-year old made his name in this league as a menace for blocking shots, and he has steadily declined even though he should be reaching his prime. Donovan has to pull him back to the interior to spark the tenacity that we saw out of Ibaka when he helped shock the Spurs in 2012.
5. Limiting turnovers
This goes without saying, but it still must be said. Too many Thunder turnovers are a by product of their own offense, not the opposing team’s defense; unforced errors have been the theme for Oklahoma City throughout the playoffs.
A lot of this can be fixed by the hopeful changes that are mentioned above. KD and Russ have to force the ball into tiny openings, so creating off-ball movement would do wonders to help out the two superstars. Golden State has rim protectors, but they do not defend in the post defense as well; a simple entry pass to Kanter down low would collapse the defense.
Donovan and his staff have done a fantastic job in these playoffs-besides last game-making adjustments. They absolutely HAVE to key in on turnovers if they want any chance of taking down the Warriors in Game Three.