OKC Thunder turned it around within the span of a week with two consecutive wins. We witnessed the trickle effect of Russell Westbrook’s energy, and finally got a glimpse of what we have envisioned for this lineup.
The return of Westbrook’s alter ego Popeye:
After the slow tempo of the Thunder’s 0-4 start, it was apparent that the leading scorers, like Westbrook and George, were still trying to shake off the rust. Even through the first half facing the Clippers, weariness was creeping back in despite the high of the team’s first win; however, whatever happened in the locker room after the halftime buzzer changed everything.
OKC came out on a 20-0 run to open the third quarter and, despite issues with fourth quarter endurance, managed to carry their fiery demeanor all the way through. In his article for ESPN.com, Royce Young talked about the emotional shift in the atmosphere of the Chesapeake Arena.
"Everything changed in the third quarter and, though it’s still early in the season, there was a feeling in the locker room after the game that the Thunder have unlocked a little something.But the second half against the Clippers looked like what the Thunder want to be. Westbrook drives everything the Thunder do emotionally, George fills in the efficiency gaps with smooth, steady scoring, and the defense swarms and creates running opportunities. George started slow Tuesday night, but once Westbrook revved his engine, George came to life with 22 of his 32 in the second half."
Then, it happened.
In any realm fueled by competition, bad blood will be boiled through heated encounters. Flashbacks ensued after Patrick Beverly took a low-blow to Westbrook’s knees on a loose ball in the fourth quarter.
But like always, Westbrook used the anger as momentum which led to one of my new personal favorite highlights of all time. The alley-oop from TFerg was just the right serum to draw out Westbrook’s alter ego Popeye. The game in general further proved Westbrook’s influence on OKC Thunder as a team, showing just what could happen when all cogs of the Thunder machine are in rhythm.
What changed?
The team was still exhibiting fatal flaws that we’ve seen through all six games of this season’s start. Thunder’s sometimes erratic defense gave the Clippers 24 opportunities at the free throw line just in the first half. Though, this stat could be attributed to the whistle-happy officiators, the team had to find a way to adapt to the calls. So, they did.
In addition to the aggressive offensive start of the third, the team allowed absolutely no free throw attempts in the quarter. No, that is not a typo. The players actually went in to the locker room, identified the problem, and fixed it.
This fix is what changed the fate of the game. The smarter defense led to more offense as the team just went off. In just the first paragraph of his wrap-up article, Nick Gallo identified the change in urgency for the team that had recently played rather sporadically.
"It was a nearly undetectable difference, but there was something extra in the gaits of Thunder players as they emerged from the halftime locker room. Down 13 at home to the LA Clippers, there was an urgency – not necessarily emotional, because the Thunder was playing hard – but more like an understanding of clear, purposeful intent."
More from Thunder News
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
After four losses and one rough win, it seemed that the first half versus the Clippers was the last straw for this team. OKC Thunder attacked on defense and consequently began an offensive run that was the funnest quarter of this season. The team turned defensive rebounds and turnovers to points on the scoreboard, something they had also wrestled with in past games.
For at least one quarter this season, the potential of this new roster that we have all been daydreaming about became a reality. And all the Thunder fans could finally let out a sigh of relief.
Defense wins ballgames:
After two consecutive wins, Thunderous Intentions has a variety of stats to analyze for player grades. After Tuesday night’s game, the grades were greatly influenced by defensive contributions.
Sinjin Snopes makes many correlations in his article, including the splash made by Terrance Ferguson topping the team at +34 in 25 minutes. On the other hand, he cited an important takeaway watching Steven Adams’ offensive match-ups against the Clippers.
"A big takeaway going forward with Adams play in tonight’s game is the threat of the lob pass. Numerous times in the second half, Adams was targeted for that pass or the Thunder played off of the threat of it. The success that they had doing so should not be overlooked."
Snopes awarded PPat as OKC Thunder’s Best Reserve before highlighting his final thoughts on the game. One thought from Snopes is also ringing all throughout NBA news this season: what is going on with officiating? So many whistles were blown Tuesday night, and while the second half seemed to lessen, it comes to a point where these touchy and questionable calls could have extreme effects on the outcome of close-call games. Not to mention the amount of yelling at the TV we are all having to do.
If the officiating doesn’t change, Thunder will have to continue to adapt defensively. They proved that in the third quarter, but in games that offense is lacking, those free throws will add up detrimentally.