Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 Takeaways From Game 4

Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 Takeaways From Game 4 Loss

By Max Seng | Apr 24, 2017

Apr 23, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

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Apr 16, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Andre Roberson (21) shoots the ball during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Use Andre Roberson As A Screener

Down the stretch, James Harden went into full NFL safety mode, playing center field in an attempt to muck up any Oklahoma City offense. Harden more than ignored Andre Roberson, who was unable to make him pay.

However, after a few possessions, head voach Billy Donovan wised up to the strategy and began using Roberson as a screener for Russell Westbrook drives. The move not only put a weaker defender on Westbrook, but forced “The Beard” to be pulled away from his zone around the rim.

In addition, Westbrook is devastating enough in 1-on-1 situations, let alone with a head of steam and attacking an off-balance defender. Roberson also is a phenomenal cutter, so rolling to the rim or attacking off the catch is a modified version of those straight line cuts.

This move opened up the floor wider for Westbrook dump-offs to Steven Adams and Taj Gibson, as well as weak side 3-pointers. Don’t be surprised to see this much more in Game 5.