Thunderous Intentions
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3 Celtics the OKC Thunder must limit to capture victory

By Matthew Hallett

BOSTON - FEBRUARY 3: Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum passes the ball in between Oklahoma City Thunder's Steven Adams and Jerami Grant during the second quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 3, 2019. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - FEBRUARY 3: Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum passes the ball in between Oklahoma City Thunder's Steven Adams and Jerami Grant during the second quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 3, 2019. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

How the OKC Thunder respond

There is an old adage, you must fight fire with fire. Pitting Walker against Chris Paul is a point guard dream made in heaven. Paul is one of the canniest defenders the league has ever seen. Add to this he is ably backed up by the defensive dynamo in Luegentz Dort and Walker is in for a tough night.

Paul is also stepping up more in the first period offensively, helping the Thunder get off to better starts which can unsettle opposition teams. His play in the fourth is also well documented, as he is the best player in the league in the clutch.

Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander need to take turns attacking Tatum on offense. They need to do this in order to wear down the Celtics star, reducing his effectiveness on offense. SGA’s penetration is going to be a crucial element to breaking down the solid Celtics defense.

However, my attention is going to be at the center position. Statistically, Steven Adams has a huge advantage over Daniel Theis. Likewise, Nerlens Noel on defense should have the advantage over ex-OKC Thunder favorite son, Enes Kanter.

However, Theis has been an unsung hero of the Celtics run to third in the East. He is solid defensively and only takes the shots he wants as evidenced by his 55.7 percent field goal percentage.

On top of that, every OKC Thunder fan knows what Kanter can do. He helped the Portland Trail Blazers knock the OKC Thunder out of the playoffs last season. His offensive arsenal is tough to stop.

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