The Thunder have now won three straight road games against the Spurs and Warriors. More to the point since the embarrassment against the Spurs in Game 1 the Thunder defense has been solid. Some are saying they look like an entirely different team which is what they are to a certain extent.
Billy Donovan has cut the rotation to eight players. OKC’s top eight players are seeing the playing time–Nick Collison, Cam Payne, Anthony Morrow, and Kyle Singler aren’t getting rotational minutes. Their minutes are being absorbed by Durant, Westbrook, Adams, and Waiters–all much better defensive players than their regular season bench counterparts.
Better defensive players with more minutes equals a better defensive team. Plus, the two superstars are actually trying on defense. If Tramel wants to go all in on the fangs and Doberman thing that’s fine, but let’s not lose sight of the minutes.
So, yeah, it does look like a different team out there.
I’ve written this so many times on here it’s almost making me dizzy, but the truth is defense wins championships. It gives you a chance on nights when your two superstars go a combined 17-51.
It also helps from an offensive standpoint because the manner in which you run your offense transitions into playing defense. Plus, when Billy D teams Adams and Kanter together the Thunder usually wreak havoc on the offensive boards which translates into second chance points. Last night being a perfect example as the Thunder had a 15-2 advantage over the Warriors on second chance points.
What Donovan has done is basically simplified the Thunder and given the top players more minutes.
You can’t do this in the regular season when you have back to backs, three games in four nights, or four games in five nights, but in post season you can pull this off with the games being spaced with more days off between games.
So when Draymond Green said after the game last night, “That this wasn’t the same Thunder team we played against in the regular season”… he’s basically correct.
This isn’t the same Thunder team which played lackluster defense and led the entire NBA in blown fourth quarter leads.
The fact is–this is the Thunder team we’ve waited to see emerge since late October.
Obviously–Billy Donovan had a plan and so far the plan is working.