OKC Thunder Winning Formula: Five statistical tipping points
By Ted Dower
22 Free Throw Attempts:
Anybody who has played close attention to the Thunder this year knows that the referees often mishandle them. Personally, I think it has to do with how massive and physical the Thunder’s starting unit is. The refs are in a tough spot because they could probably call something just about every other time down the floor.
Alas, they don’t, but it isn’t all their fault. Amongst the Thunder’s bad habits this season is settling for tough 2s instead of getting to the rim.
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When the Thunder are more aggressive going to the rim and getting to the free throw line they are unequivocally better. In fact, when they get to the line in a game 30 times, which has happened 13 times this season, they are nearly unbeatable, having only lost one of those contests.
So, this last number isn’t so much about what it is, but rather what it represents. Aggressiveness. The Thunder need every bit of that.