NBA Playoffs – Five Houston Players The OKC Thunder Need To Stop
Patrick Beverley
Unlike the rest of the Houston Rockets, it is not Patrick Beverley’s offense which concerns me. It is actually his defense. Beverley is an annoying pest on defense who makes life difficult for the opposition point guard on offense. This in turn gives Harden a rest on the defensive end.
The only game that the OKC Thunder won in the series was the one Beverley was out. This is telling because apart from the last contest when Lou Williams had his lights out night, the games have been close.
The trick to playing Beverley is to not descend to playing the game at his scrappy level. Steven Adams is the most important player in my opinion to combating Beverley.
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This is because Adams sets one of the most solid screens in the league. If Beverley runs into the Kiwi man mountain a few times he is going to start second guessing if the screen is coming.
A moment’s hesitation is ale Russell Westbrook needs to neutralize Beverley and get past him. If Beverley is chasing the play he is more likely to foul his player. This is the second component to neutralizing Beverley. Get him in early foul trouble–he cannot disrupt your offense from the bench.
Getting back on transition defense is also a crucial element to success.
The OKC Thunder have their work cut out for them in this series. Let’s see how Billy Donovan and his staff address these concerns. Regardless, the Thunder’s defensive rotations will need to be crisp and clean to offer a chance of stealing a game in Houston..