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Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 keys to victory against the Golden State Warriors

By Kenneth Teape

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 11: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball against Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors on February 11, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - FEBRUARY 11: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball against Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors on February 11, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 keys to victory against the Golden State Warriors
Photo by Torrey Purvey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

3. Perimeter defense

If the Thunder are going to defeat the Warriors, they will need to be strong defensively, specifically on the perimeter. Everyone knows how quickly the Warriors can heat up offensively; just look at the third quarter they had against the Philadelphia 76ers over the weekend. Golden State feeds off the 3-point shot, so it is something Oklahoma City has to gameplan against.

Last season, the Warriors killed the Thunder on the perimeter. Golden State averaged 13 3-pointers per game last season on 28.8 attempts against the Thunder. That equals out to an impressive 45.1 percent. It was something the Thunder just couldn’t keep up with, as they made only 7-of-25 per game, which equals out to an ugly 28 percent.

The Warriors have a ton of players that are threats from deep. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant lead the way. They added another sniper this offseason with Nick Young being signed as a free agent. Thus far this season, the Warriors have five players knocking down at least 35 percent of their 3-pointers that attempt multiple 3-pointers per game.

There are multiple shooters on the court at all times for the Warriors. The Thunder will have to key in on those shooters better than they did last season. This season the Thunder are better equipped to play perimeter defense with Paul George being added to the mix. He will be a huge help slowing down the Warriors’ perimeter attack.

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