Gameday Preview: OKC Thunder aim for perfect road trip and season split vs the Boston Celtics
By Alex Mcewen
Super Bowl Sunday Traditions
The OKC Thunder have played three games on Super Bowl Sunday, their record is 1-2 including last years 108-104 loss to the Lakers. Ahead of their clash with the Celtics, the Thunder shared the below video detailing some of their players Super Bowl traditions.
What's your favorite Big Game Sunday tradition? Also, who you got? pic.twitter.com/UFDKZzVhu2
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 2, 2019
Force the right players to shoot three’s
The Celtics are the fifth best 3-point shooting in the NBA at 36.9 percent. Upon closer inspection, the C’s are the seventh best perimeter catch and shoot team at 37.5 percent. Conveniently, the Thunder are the 10th best team at defending 3-point territory, allowing 34.5 percent accuracy per game.
Oklahoma City could find success in slowing down Boston from beyond the arc by letting Hayward and Jaylen Brown catch and shoot. Brown shoots 31.8 percent and Hayward shoots 32.8 percent on catch and shoot treys, their percentages are the fifth and 11th worst among 108 qualified players.
On the other hand, Brown and Hayward’s teammate, Marcus Morris connects on 44.1 percent of his catch and shoot threes, 10th best in the association. When the Celtics faced the Thunder in October Morris burned OKC from three, shooting 50 percent, including a perfect 4-4 on catch and shoot attempts.
So long as OKC’s defense gets the right Celtics shooting they will be fine. If Morris replicates his October performance against the Thunder this afternoon, he could get the crowd at TD Garden aroused. In which case, Oklahoma City will likely find themselves in an uphill battle for the duration of the contest.