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Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Reasons They’ll Beat The Warriors

By Gerald Bourguet

May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts in front of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts in front of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) react during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Forgot About Dre

A good deal of this has to do with the way Steve Kerr’s defensive strategy has backfired, but when the Warriors started giving Andre Roberson the Tony Allen treatment, he and head coach Billy Donovan made sure Golden State paid for using his defender as a free safety.

With Roberson’s man roaming off the ball to help out on Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Thunder have gotten inventive, feeding him the ball on frequent back cuts where he slips behind the last layer of the defense for an easy bucket.

To be honest though, Roberson deserves the most credit for knocking down shots in an efficient manner that nobody saw coming.

For the series, he’s shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and a jaw-dropping 54.5 percent from three-point range — after shooting 31.1 percent from downtown during the regular season.

In OKC’s latest trouncing of the defending champs, Roberson put up a playoff career high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting (3-of-5 from deep), including 12 rebounds. In trying to focus on the Thunder’s dynamic duo, the Warriors dared Andre Roberson to make them pay for it. He’s done all that and more so far.

If Kerr continues his trend of dropping the ball with game-to-game adjustments, giving Roberson that roamer treatment will ultimately doom the Warriors sooner or later. But even if Kerr adjusts, there’s only so much the Dubs can do when one of OKC’s role players steps up out of nowhere.

Next: No. 4

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