Oklahoma City Thunder Big Lineup Can Slow Down Warriors
The mighty trees of the Oklahoma City Thunder can do enough to slow down the Golden State Warriors.
It was rather surprising to see the meltdown that was the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter on Monday night. Their core players seemed a bit off their rhythm in the waning minutes of the game.
Stephen Curry only scored three points in the second half after exploding for 23 in the first. But if there was one team that could push this team to the brink of elimination, it was the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder dust themselves off from their first-half struggles to beat the Warriors 108-102. Now Game 2 looms in the distance Tuesday night and the Thunder are seemingly playing with house money.
But they are also licking their chops at an opportunity to go up 2-0 against the defending champs and play at home in the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
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Many keys contributed to their success, such as committing only one turnover in the second half of the game. Russell Westbrook found his touch in the third quarter after scoring just seven points and going 1-for -8 in the first half.
For me the game turned around when the Thunder went to their big lineup with Enes Kanter and Steven Adams playing. And this lineup is one I feel they should utilize to have even better success in Game 2.
What people seem to underestimate about this lineup is not only does the Oklahoma City Thunder have the ability to control the boards, they also have the athleticism to move with the Warriors key players.
Steven Adams has been a huge presence for his team during the playoffs. He had an impressive 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Warriors.
He was able to make his mark on the game offensively and defensively. It was almost like the presence Andrew Bogut had with the Warriors only to be sidelined by his nagging leg injury which had him out most of the second half.
Off the bench, Kanter has averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds during these playoffs–pretty significant. His long stature also provides difficulty for the Warriors to drive freely into the paint.
The Oklahoma City Thunder also had the ability to limit the Warriors to 1-for-10 shooting from the three-point line. Their bread and butter was seemingly snatched away from them. And I will be very surprised if Kevin Durant goes 10-for-30 from the field again.
He’s too great of a player to have those stats again. I highly doubt Westbrook will struggle mightily from the field for a second straight game.
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All the signs point to the Oklahoma City Thunder being able to steal another game in Oracle Arena. And barring another late-game controversy, I think they will put the world on notice that they are here to contend for a championship.