Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Reasons They’ll Beat The Warriors
3. (K)Defense
Donovan has mentioned several times that he simplified the team’s defensive schemes near the end of the season, and the results have been undeniable.
Whatever changes he’s made, they’ve warped a mediocre defensive unit into a whirling dervish of long arms, deflections, steals and transition dunks against the NBA’s deadliest offense.
During the regular season, the Thunder ranked 12th in defensive rating, giving up 103.0 points per 100 possessions.
In the playoffs, they’ve somehow chopped that down to 101.9 points per 100 possessions despite being matched up against the NBA’s 10th, third and top-ranked offenses from the regular season.
Speaking of the league’s best offense, the Warriors have been held to a 101.8 offensive rating in this series — nearly 11 points per possessions fewer than they posted in the regular season. There’s no question that the Thunder’s length and vastly improved defense has been the deciding factor in this historic upset-in-the-making.
Durant has been a good defender for a while now, but some of these plays are special. That double-jump block on Livingston? Nightmare.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) May 25, 2016
Praise is deserved all around: Donovan for making the tactical changes, Westbrook and Roberson for staying disciplined while successfully containing Curry and Klay Thompson, Dion Waiters for morphing into a tenacious on-ball defender overnight and Serge Ibaka for snapping out of a season-long funk at the perfect time.
But the praise starts at the top with Kevin Durant, the NBA’s Mr. Fantastic who is putting all that unlimited length to use in a way he never has on the defensive end. KD has always been a good defender when he’s locked in, but his versatility at 6’9″ has truly been astonishing to watch in this series.
Stephen Curry is 0-3 against Kevin Durant as the primary defender. In the series, Curry is 1-8 with 4 TOs against KD as the primary defender
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 25, 2016
Curry and Draymond Green pick-and-rolls were automatic during the regular season, but with Durant switching off onto Curry after screens, he’s been able to bother the league MVP in a way we rarely saw all season.
Again, Curry is probably not 100 percent, but the point still stands: KD’s ability to switch off in most situations has thrown a constant wrench in the Warriors’ high powered offense.
From picking Curry’s pockets to igniting fast breaks with deflections to his incredible double-jump block on Shaun Livingston in Game 4, Durant has been a terror on the defensive end.
Scott Brooks‘ teams were always great on defense, but after a lackluster regular season, Donovan seems to have found the way to help this team bust through its defensive ceiling at the opportune moment.
Next: No. 2