1. OKC Thunder’s rebounding dilemma
The Thunder have never been a dominant rebounding team in the past two seasons. Frankly, they do not have the personnel to do it, nor a system that prioritizes that aspect of the game.
The Pelicans outrebounded the Thunder, 52-44. The number one seed also conceded 10 more offensive boards to the eighth seed while taking down two more defensive rebounds.
It has been a problem the club has faced throughout the season. The Thunder were the second-worst offensive rebounding team in the league and the fourth-worst overall rebounding unit in 2023-24. With this, it did not come as a shock that the Pelicans controlled that part of the game for the most part.
Pelicans’ seven-foot bruiser Jonas Valanciunas feasted on the boards with 20 rebounds, broken down to nine offensive and 11 defensive in Game 1, making him one of the most impactful players on the night.
Matching him up, OKC’s Chet Holmgren gobbled 11 boards, with two coming on the offensive end, and nine on the defensive.
Expect this to be a recurring theme in this series. The Thunder will play the way they have played for the past 82 games of the regular season and will do so until the wheels fall off.
However, it is crucial to see how much they give up in this department. Basketball purists say that whoever controls the boards controls the game. However, the Thunder will continue to look for other factors to offset this.