Anyone that knows me as a person and a coach will tell you that I am a team guy. If you follow my Thunder tweets, I constantly mention the number, or lack of, helpers. I'm not just looking at the guards for helpers, they should come from everyone. The Knicks beat the Thunder Sunday, in part, by ball movement. They found the open shooter more often than not. Having said that, It would be unfair to not point out that while they found the open man, the shots didn't always fall. The Knicks put up 93 shots to the Thunder's 78. OKC was certainly more efficient. However, we do have some glaring weaknesses that are not shared by past NBA Champions or other championship contenders. Allow me to break them down.
Team ball....
This is a team sport and, as such, requires the participation of each man on the court. Otherwise, we should just throw Durant and Westbrook out there by themselves and call it a game. Any one up for a little 2 on 5? I didn't think so. To be fair, the Thunder do play a great game of team ball..most of the game. And, when they do, they are almost unbeatable. But, it is my contention, that Champions play team ball for an entire game. The Spurs do, but their age is catching up to them. The Heat can turn it on and off like a light switch and they do, depending on their mood or opponent. in fact, our reserves often keep or increase a lead by playing really good team ball. A big reason the reserves play solid team ball is that Durant and Westbrook are on the bench and outside of Kevin Martin we don't have a real go to guy on the second or third team. To put it simply, they have to.Extended isolation....
Our starters, on the other hand, seem to depend to much on isolation plays or taking quick jumpers. When it works its great. When is doesn't, the quick jumper leads to short possession's and almost always a defensive rebound, in part because the rest of our team hasn't had time to get back to the paint and block out. It also typically provides a fast break opportunity for the opponent. The isolation play allows the defense to stack on the player with the ball and freezes the rest of our players as they literally watch the isolation play unfold. This usually leads to a poor shot, a deflection or a steal. If the shot does hit the rim, our players, still frozen, are often not in position to fight for the rebound.
Panic Ball......
Our starters have a tendency to try and speed up the game when they are behind. It's as if they are attempting to take the lead in a series of quick possessions. They seem to forget that an NBA game is a long game and leads are built with a combination of sustained offensive efficiency and defensive stops. This behavior typically leads to quick, contested shots, sloppy passing and turnovers. Panic ball is easily recognizable. It is usually led by Westbrook and is followed by the, now famous, chorus of fans bemoaning the Westbrook groan that can be heard throughout the Thunder nation. The scene unfolds like this; Westbrook receives an outlet pass from a rebound and quickly races to his favorite spot at the top corner of the paint and releases a frantic jumper that, usually misses, and is quickly rebounded by the opponent. On occasion he will pass to a heavily guarded Durant, who either puts up a quick three or turns the ball over. in either case the success rate is probably less than 20% and leads to a Brooks timeout.
The Opponents offensive rebound...
Consider this interesting, but scary pair of stats. The Thunder are #2 in the league at denying opponents a defensive rebound, but are 28th in the league at preventing the opponents offensive rebound. In most cases we are headed to our offensive end as the opponent shoots in anticipation of a fast break opportunity leaving our opponent by themselves to get the rebound and put back. Translation - Our guys grab our missed shots at a pretty high pace but they also allow the opponent to grab more of their misses. The result is that we are every bit as good on our offensive end as we are bad on our defensive end at getting and giving second chance shots. Unfortunately we are 28th in the league in second chance scoring.
The turnover...
The turnover is probably our biggest Achilles heel. Kevin Durant has increased his rebounding totals and assist numbers this year by astonishing margins. he has also become a turnover machine as a result. As a team the Thunder rank 28th in turnovers (15.1 per game), 27th in assist to turnover ratio (1.385) and 25th in turnovers per possession (1 every 15.9). Most of our turns are the result of ill advised passes in to the paint. The others are mainly poor ball handling. Turnovers have plagued the Thunder from the beginning of their existence. Too many - too often.
Am I being to hard?......
Look, the Thunder are a championship caliber team. They have won consecutive division titles and are in position for a third. They have a conference championship and played for the NBA title. Fifty wins a season has become common for this team and they win in the toughest conference in the NBA. They have proven themselves to be solid contenders for an NBA title every year. However, the weaknesses in their game are real and not shared by the other top teams in the NBA.
The pass....
I've been a soccer coach for years and the first lesson I teach my teams is that the ball moves faster than a defender. Passing is the best offensive weapon you have and the better you are at passing, the more dangerous the weapon. You end up forcing the defense to chase the ball, preventing them from solidifying a defensive position. And, it wears them out. The same philosophy applies to basketball. The Knicks proved that on our floor Sunday afternoon.The Spurs and Heat show us every time we play them. Efficient ball movement, coupled with timely and effective picks, opens passing lanes, driving lanes and leaves shooters with mostly uncontested shots.
Rebounding....
This is a no-brainer. Offensive rebounding extends the possession and enhance scoring chances. Most are simple put backs by the rebounder. Perimeter chances are enhanced by the fact that the defense is in the paint and not guarding the perimeter allowing for timely passes out for efficient jumpers. Defensive rebounding simply results in a stop. The more stops we get the better chance we have to win. We can start the fast break but our bigs need to stay back and protect our paint.
The good news...
When we play as a team we are really good. When we play as a team we can beat anyone, and usually do. Our team is still very young despite our success. A lot of our mistakes can be explained by youth and a growing mental toughness. Russell Westbrook is a great example a player whose growth in mental toughness has been experienced by every Thunder fan. Our coach is still young and growing in his profession. Scott Brooks and the team have progressed every year and I am confident that Sam Presti and Clay Bennett will continue to make more good decisions than bad ones. I know we, as fans, want it all now but we must remain patient. Consider that Michael Jordan played 6 years before winning his first championship. LeBron James waited 8 years and played for two teams before he won his first. Patience. Will we win the NBA championship this year? I don't know. But, I am confident that we are doing the little things required each and every day, in games and practice, that will eventually result in one or more Championship rings.
For Buster.
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