Well, they were able to contain best passing team ever(?). They were third in defending isolation and 5th in defending post ups(which is pretty good, if you consider that they never doubled on post up). We all know about Sefolosha being great defender, but what most people don't know is that Durant is elite isolation defender. He was top 3 in defending isolation this year. 6'10" with 7'5 wingspan and great atleticism. Since Lebron joined Heat he is averaging just 23 points on 45% shooting vs. Durant. Add best weak side defender in Ibaka and Collison who is one of the best charge taker in NBA.
If you watch closely the way that Wade and Lebron get to the basket, is by coming of the picks. The Spurs were the best PnR team in the league and the Thunder figured it out. Lebron will play great, Wade will be okay, but Sefolosha is a GREAT defender. Bosh will play okay, but Ibaka and Perkins are great defenders. Durant will play great like Lebron, because that's what good players do. But, I see Westbrook and Harden playing great as they get to the rim constantly, and the Heat have no big rim-protectors like Bynum, Gasol, Duncan. Westbrook and Harden will have no problem scoring in the paitn with Joel Anthony the only blocking big. OKC won't lose at home. I say OKC in 6. 1: OKC wins at hime 2:OKC wins at home 3. Miami wins at home 4. OKC wins on the road 5. Miami wins at home 6; OKC wins the championship at home.
okc shut down the spurs pnr by focusing 100% on parker and letting duncan get his jumpshot but duncan could not hit the side of a barn that series. unlike duncan, bosh can kill you with his jumpshot if you give him the looks duncan got.
OKC adapted against the Spurs. After the first two losses, OKC changed their gameplan, countering the Spurs with the extra passing. They beat them at their own game and of course Durant was Durant down the stretch. Harden puts them over the top. Too much talent, they grew up fast.
Miami is the best iso defensive team in the league. WB will have a miserable time this series, as he did in the 2 games this season. He's like Drose, and Miami loves to play those guys. He's going to make his impact in other aspects of the game. They'll have a harder time stopping Durant and Harden b/c those guys can play off the ball, which is how you beat Miami (like Dallas did last year). And OKC has the better 3pt shooting. OKC will have to make its jumpshots to win this series, just like Miami will as both teams are perimeter oriented. When OKC won its matchup with Miami, they shot LIGHTS OUT similar to game 4 v. the Spurs (with Ibaka/Perkins going off). When Miami won its matchup, they won with defense b/c they struggled shooting the ball mightily. If it's a defensive matchup, Miami will win. If it's a shooting affair, OKC will win. I don't get where this myth is that OKC shut down the Spurs. They averaged the same amount of points in that series as compared to their previous 2 series. And at times, the Spurs scored with ridiculous ease. People couldn't have expected them to score 130 points? SMH. The Spurs' D lost them that series. OKC plays pretty basic hero basketball like the Miami Heat. Look at their assist total. The spurs simply lacked the defenders to man up to the Thunder's scorers. The reason OKC will most likely win this is b/c OKC has better 3pt shooters when their stars are doubled, while the Heat's shooters can't hit the side of the barn if they tried.
Wth? After Westbrook blows past Chalmer can you please tell me WHO IS GOING TO STOP HIM FROM GETTING TO THE RIM???? JOEL ANTHONY????? LOLOL.
Wow, you don't watch much basketball do you? The Heat are one of the best teams at protecting the paint despite not having a 7ft. Lacking a big man hurts them on the boards, not protecting the paint. They have guards who collapse to protect the paint, and thus will give up the 3pt shot. 1st matchup v. the Heat: 4-16 2nd matchup v. Heat: 9-26 last year 1st matchup: 7-22 2nd matchup: 5-16 WB will not be an offensive force in this series. If he struggled to score v. the Spurs, he'll be miserable v. the Heat. But as you saw v. the Spurs, they don't need him to dominate if the rest of his team shoots lights out like they did v. the Spurs. and PS: Chalmers won't guard WB much. It will be either Wade/Battier/Cole. Chalmers will guard Thabo if he's on the court.
I see your point. But Westbrook is too athletic. He will blow to the rim before the rotations are made. And OKC can shoot the 3. Collapse, and someone will have an open 3-point shot.
The Heat have taken a step back, imo, regarding paint defense. Rondo's dribble-drive took him whereever he wanted to go inside, only to dish it out to wide-open players sometimes. The first game needs to be a learning tool for Westbrook; if he's not shooting well, pass it out. You said it yourself - the guards for the Heat collapse and give up the 3pt. WB needs to understand this, instead of being a bull in a china shop.
Thunder win game 1, and cover spread. Heat win game 2 (obviously covering the spread). Thunder win game 3. Heat win game 4. Heat win game 5. Thunder win game 6. Heat win game 7.
Match up wise, OKC has the advantage in Perks/Ibaka/Collison/Thabo. Lebron will get his numbers, but i think Wade will have alot of problem with Thabo. Bosh is soft as charming, so i dont see him playing well against OKC bigs either.
The Heat's paint defense has struggled at times b/c they have had to face teams with legitimate low post presences, which makes it harder to rotate. Hibbert/West/KG. OKC doesn't have a low post presence. If Ibaka is going to score, he's going to have to make his jumper, which he is more than capable of making. And the Heat will concede that. But the Heat's D will force OKC to make jumpers, which is their specialty anyways, which is why I pick them to win this series. If OKC is on fire from outside, there is nothing you can do. But the notion that WB will destroy the Heat is absurd. Isos players rarely destroy the Heat. Don't be surprised to see Lebron on WB at times, and also on Ibaka. I don't expect Lebron to be on Durant the entire game, but he will start and end on him though. This is where I don't have a lot of hopes on the Heat. Wade can take Thabo, but judging from what I have seen from him in the playoffs, it's highly unlikely. Hopefully, Wade's struggles in ECF was more of the double/trapping teams Boston sent at him. I'm sure Thabo will play him more straight up. Bosh is the freshest player in this series. If OKC gives him the same types of shots off the pick and roll as they did Duncan, Miami will gladly take that.
If Westbrook shoots 12-26 every other game while Durant and Harden get 15 shots each I don't see how the Thunder will win.
Low post presence doesn't even matter. It's not like Heat, Spurs or Celtics have it. Duncan, Garnett and Bosh...mostly they just space the floor and shot midrange jumpers. Same like Ibaka. It's about spacing and moving without the ball which is just terrible when Spoelstra is your coach. You can almost assure turnover after Heat's timeout. They are not 0-12 in last 24 seconds in last two playoffs for nothing. Westbrook might be best midrange shooter in this playoffs. So comparing him to Derrick Rose is stupid, because he's got no game outside 5 feet. This post season: 10 to 15 ft: 22/44(50%) 16 ft to 3-pt: 27/56(48.2%)
Where do you get those stats? He's shooting 43% for the postseason. And he only takes 3 3s a game. On the season (from hoop data): 3-9ft: 37% 10-15ft: 37% 16-23ft: 43% So he's a pretty bad midrange shooter. He's much better than last year, and will most likely improve.
Perkins has been great throughout the playoffs against an aged Duncan and a slow footed Bynum, but he will be useless against Joel Anthony and the Miami scrub centers. I think Bosh at center and Battier at PF is too quick for for the Thunder big man. The Heats transition game will take Perkins out of the game. Don't tell Perkins is not important because he is the best defensive center in the West. Teams with a lot of money clogged up at that position will more than likely lose to the Thunder, and the Heat have all of their talent spread throughout the rest of their roster, much like the Rockets who were one of the two teams to beat the Thunder at home.
<br> Watching Westbrook play and shoot ~40% or less while taking about as many (if not more) shots than Durant I would say he's a pretty bad shooter in general. BUT If Westbrook can play efficiently on the offensive end this series while impacting the game in other ways the Thunder have a good chance to win.
