The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have an excellent protection. That’s not an opinion — it’s a truth.
They’re, for lack of a greater phrase, a ache within the butt to take care of. They’ve depth, they’ve switchable perimeter defenders and so they have two frontcourt choices that current two very totally different but efficient defensive kinds that make you second guess the mere considered approaching the basket.
In two video games versus the Thunder, the Celtics had equally promising first half showings earlier than falling behind late within the sport.
The Celtics have scored lower than 100 factors simply 5 occasions this season, shedding every of these video games. In opposition to the Thunder on Jan. 5, it was their lowest-scoring sport of the season, managing simply 92 factors on 97 possessions and being held to 27 factors within the second half on 20% taking pictures.
The Thunder have held opponents underneath 100 factors 19 occasions this season, boasting the league’s greatest defensive ranking (107.1 factors per 100 possessions) and web ranking (+12.6).
And the factor is, there’s no actual simple solution to rating on them. OKC permits the fewest factors within the paint per sport (43.6) – a 2-point distinction from No. 2 Orlando’s 45.6 factors – and defends the 3-point line higher than anybody (33.6% opponent 3P share) with extra contested 3-point seems than anybody (18.8 per sport).
All of those parts factored into the primary matchup between the 2 in January, however the largest factor to Boston’s flat second half was OKC’s excellent assist protection. The Thunder continually threw aggressive assist protection and double-teams to Boston’s initiators, however extra importantly, they have been sensible in how they rotated off the ball to negate any potential benefits out of these doubles.
Discover how late within the shot clock quite a lot of these makes an attempt have been. Particularly within the second half, OKC stored passing lanes clogged inside, whereas their excessive pick-up factors and intense on-ball strain made guys like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum work to only go the ball off to the following best learn. The Thunder completed that sport with 16 deflections (they in fact lead the league in that hustle stat with 22 per sport).
However what in regards to the issues Boston was in a position to do efficiently in that sport? That they had 4 gamers rating in double figures by halftime regardless of taking pictures 27% from three. In any case, one thing needed to work proper?
Plenty of that success got here of their early offense. Boston caught the Thunder out of place in a number of situations earlier than the shot clock struck 20, like with this Kristaps Porzingis slip-screen into an empty paint simply six seconds into the shot clock.
Or this imposing straight-line drive from Tatum that he initiated with 18 seconds left on the clock.
Early offense and fast selections stored the protection on its toes, one thing that was lacking within the second half, the place the ball felt glued to at least one participant far too deep into the shot clock.
Final evening, the Celtics opened with a 3-point barrage, setting an NBA document for makes an attempt from the perimeter in a half with 36, connecting on 15 of these. The creation of these pictures was largely as a consequence of Boston’s patented drive-and-kick sport, which efficiently labored the ball inside and received the battle in opposition to OKC’s rotating defenders as soon as it was kicked out to the 3-point line.
This primary quarter possession 5 minutes into the sport might be one of the best instance of what modified between the primary matchup and what we noticed final evening. All 5 Celtics touched the ball, beginning with an entry go to Al Horford, who had the mismatch on Cason Wallace on the left block. Fairly than slowing issues down with a post-up, which might have introduced instant assist, Horford switches sides on the ground, and OKC is a step behind the remainder of the best way.
It’s no simple feat creating profitable dribble penetration, however Boston managed to do it comparatively nicely out of the gate, and as soon as they received the kickout, their selections with the ball have been fast and purposeful. OKC is a robust rotational staff, as we noticed within the final matchup, however the Celtics have been in a position to create house for his or her shooters by their aggression attending to the paint.
The Thunder made a pleasant adjustment within the second quarter, working out of a 2-3 zone for giant components of that interval and in spurts all through the second half. It took Boston a couple of minutes to essentially break it, however as soon as they did, they continued to generate open seems for themselves.
This was largely as a consequence of an explosive total efficiency from Tatum, who bruised his method by that additional inside line, whereas additionally making the most of the house a zone affords shooters by his off-screen pull-up sport.
We’ve seen Boston play a very good first half in opposition to OKC although. Was the second simply as dangerous as the primary time round?
Regardless of one other 3-point taking pictures nosedive, I’d say it was a extra promising half of basketball this time. Capturing 5-of-27 from three isn’t precisely one thing to face up and applaud, however the course of in producing these pictures was no less than extra coherent in comparison with the extra muddled show in January.
OKC largely threw the zone apart in favor of their extra conventional protection. The ball strain was aggressive and their assist was extra suffocating, and it was starting to seem like a flashback to the primary matchup till halfway by the third quarter.
Regardless of their perimeter sport shrinking, Boston was nonetheless in a position to work its method inside, with Tatum discovering a mid-range stroke and Jrue Vacation and Jaylen Brown forcing their solution to the cup on a number of events to maintain the sport tied heading into the ultimate stretch.
This acrobatic bucket late within the quarter from Tatum featured the sort of excessive screen-and-roll and spacing that appears extra acquainted in a matchup in opposition to this 12 months’s Knicks, and it was created by the specter of the shooters on the ground regardless of a chilly stretch lingering by that 12-minute span.
The Celtics shot 39% from the ground within the fourth quarter and 3-of-14 from three, and there have been various possessions that OKC’s protection outright received, however the Celtics did themselves no favors with misses on 4 open 3-pointers that have been created by beforehand profitable strategies. The video package deal beneath options all 4 of these missed pictures, three of which got here off kickouts and the opposite on a Horford pick-and-pop.
OKC is a scary staff, a real contender out of the West that I don’t see any staff beating 4 occasions in a collection format. They’re additionally a really robust matchup for the Celtics, even with Porzingis within the lineup. These two losses create legitimate considerations if this have been to be a rematch within the Finals, however Boston’s extra coherent offensive course of no less than creates a barely clearer image of what the Celtics must do so as to recover from the hump in opposition to this Western Convention big.
