Film Room: Thunder comeback win because of supporting stars
By Gideon Lim
The OKC Thunder picked up their first comeback win of the season on Wednesday night. More importantly, the win came on the backs of an impressive team effort.
For the longest time, it seemed like the only thing the Oklahoma City Thunder knew about leads was either building them or blowing them. In what has been a tumultuous season, the Thunder have lacked the grit necessary to chase their opponents down. Last night was a different story. Staring at a 17 point deficit, Russell Westbrook led the rest of the crew to an important victory.
Westbrook’s box score said it all. Even by his lofty standards, his 34-point, 13-assists and 14-rebounds outing was a sight to behold. Compared to his teammates, Westbrook looked even more the star – no one else racked up more than a single assist.
And yet, box scores aside, the game film showed that Westbrook’s biggest credit was knowing when to cede control to his teammates. As the starters checked back in, the team closed in onto the Utah Jazz through a healthy dose of iso ball and hard-nosed defense. Russell Westbrook certainly played himself a ball game. But, it is the rest of the team that receives Film Room spotlight.
Stayin alive, stayin alive
It was not always pretty. But somehow, the bench found a way to stay alive tonight. Almost since the franchise’s birth, the OKC Thunder second unit has struggled with offense. Tonight, the ragtag crew found enough shotmaking to even close the gap.
Some of it was pure hustle, as the likes of Andre Roberson and Jerami Grant took turns to scrap for rebounds. Other times, getting buckets came down to running simple but effective plays. Here, Joe Ingles foolishly helps off a Raymond Felton drive. This freed Paul George up for the easy corner splash.
Death by suffocation
Tonight’s fourth quarter was an advertisement for the team’s much-fabled defense. The Thunder allowed 33 points to the Jazz in the third quarter. But, when it mattered the most, the starting lineup found a way to shut them down.
As Steven Adams explained in his post-game interview, the OKC Thunder owed its defensive success to aggressive trapping. Watch how the Jazz try to lure Adams out of the paint with a pick-and-roll. Instead, they fall prey to the Big Kiwi’s active hands.
It is by no coincidence that the resulting fastbreak gave the Thunder their first lead of the night. Transition baskets, not half-court offense, will always be the Thunder’s strength. Ultimately, the hyper-switchy defensive dream aims to create more of such opportunities. Tonight was a clear blueprint for success.
Strength in every link
Russell Westbrook had his fair share of mid-range pull-ups – what he calls his cotton shot. But, as the rest of the team started to heat up, Westbrook showed his unselfishness by duly giving the ball up.
Paul George had a memorable and-1 that gave the Thunder the lead. Carmelo Anthony showed his mettle too, making basket after basket, even with a defender in his grill. And just when Anthony’s isolation tendencies looked like they were going to cost the Thunder, Steven Adams came up with the clutch put-back to ice the win.
Keep streaking
By now, Thunder fans know better than to declare a turn in fortunes prematurely. But tonight’s win was heartening at the very least. It is undoubtedly a positive to see the team grit a comeback out under the watchful game sense of Russell Westbrook. Steven Adams’ recent inspired form has also been particularly encouraging. However, anything more will have to come down to the team fixing its deeper issues.
NEXT POST: Grading the Thunder’s comeback victory against Utah