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Thunder 78, Lakers 75: Why the Offense Stopped (2012 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game 2 Full Recap)

2012-05-17T18:35:30Z

Last night's 77-75 result was a total contrast to Game 1, where the Thunder scored a whopping 119 points on their way to an easy victory. The offense was on pace for a normal game early on in the first half, but things totally halted in the second half. Here's some of the reasons why.

Kevin Durant didn't take a single contested shot. Every look he got was clean, generally off of a solid screen from a big, on the fast break, or off of an offensive rebound. The only contested shot he did take was the strong layup that won the Thunder the game, which I have no problem with him taking.

Almost every short Kobe Bryant took was contested. Every single look he got was either a longshot three, a drive to the basket, or a turnaround jumper with Harden or Sefolosha in his face. About 80% of the time, it was a contested jumper. He almost never had a pick set for him, and when he did, the pick was really fishy and ineffective.

It pretty much represents a contrast in styles. Bryant is the master of isos, willing to triple threat his opponents to death. He pretty much fakes the drive constantly and settles on taking a fadeaway jumpshot. It wasn't super effective tonight, as he doesn't have the size or length of a Dirk Nowitzki, and his shot just seemed to be off in general. Some Laker fans would claim that KD gets open looks because Kendrick Perkins is setting a "moving screen", but the Lakers bigs aren't helping Kobe move around the floor at all, because they like to score off of post-up plays rather than pick and rolls. Most of the time it works out fine, but in the second half it led to some heavy stagnation.

The Thunder's offense stagnated for different reasons. One of the more notable culprits was Serge Ibaka, who missed two straight open jumpers late in the fourth, putting the Thunder in a big hole. Gasol looked like he didn't really even care about defending Ibaka from beyond the block, and didn't even raise a hand against him half of the time. Gasol's strategy seemed to work tonight, but I honestly have no problem with Ibaka continuing to throw up two or three mid-range shots, as long as they're open. Eliminating that weapon from his offensive arsenal would pretty much justify never having Mohammed or Perkins never taking that shot again either, and that would really limit what the Thunder can do with their offense. Sure, you're gonna have nights like this, but it's pretty rare that Ibaka, Mohammed, and Perkins all shoot under 50%.

Below: Westbrook's game and how he was defended, turnovers, getting into the paint, awards!

Another culprit was Russell Westbrook. To be fair, a lot of Westbrook's shots came during the first half, and some of his misses were tough layups that barely rimmed out. But on some of the other plays I saw, Westbrook seemed to revert back to the 2011 version of himself. He wasn't looking for screens as often, willing to spot up Steve Blake straight up. He even took a shot from the forbidden zone (the zone between the free throw line and restricted area). It bounced in, but his body language could be a bad sign of things to come. And you can't forget his total defensive lapse at the end of the game, leaving Steve Blake wide open.

You could see that leaving Blake or Sessions on Westbrook wasn't actually that bad of an idea. The reason he punished Fisher so much back in the day is because he was a reckless attacker of the basket, pretty much willing to ignore whatever defense was in front of him. Now, Westbrook is much more focused on his mid-range jumper, and isn't as involved at punching it down low. Seeing Sessions and Blake as not tall enough to contend with his jumper, he gets too overconfident and forgets to set a screen, leading to a lower percentage shot. In short, he's either going to have to get smarter about his jumpers or recognize when he has a mismatch, and exploit it down low.

Lastly, I'd like to address the turnovers the Thunder had to endure tonight. The Lakers seemed pretty content overall to just let the Thunder take open shots, but they would defend the paint with the hunger of a thousand hyenas. Every time a Thunder player drove the lane, it seemed like the Laker defender kept up with them on one side, while another defender came to help from the weak side and sandwich them in. The result was a lot of lost balls. There were some highlight reel drives, sure, but the Lakers generally did an excellent job of protecting the paint.

Heading into tomorrow's game, I'd like to see the Thunder work on more creative ways to get into the paint. I know that every TNT analyst kept rambling on about this "the Thunder are a jump shooting team" nonsense, but there's a grain of truth to what they were saying. The Thunder's bigs, aside from Nick Collison, had huge problems getting looks inside, and half of the time a wing player drove the ball, they got their pocket picked. If Westbrook and Harden could settle down, it would lead to some easier baskets and better ball movement. As I've said before, they're starting to play with their balls, rather than their head. But the reverse is true for Kevin Durant. I'd like to see him force a couple more shots inside the arc. Anything's better than a TO.

Thunder Wonder: James Harden, for beasting through in the end.

Thunder Down Under: Kevin Durant, for leading the team in boards and assists, and a solid all-around performance.

Thunder Blunder: Kendrick Perkins. Clank.

Thunder Plunderer: Pau Gasol with an efficient, if not amazing, performance.

Next Game: At the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday, May 18th, 9:30 PM Central Daylight Time

OKC Loud Links: 2-0...Barely

2012-05-17T16:45:57Z

Last night's Thunder win over the Lakers was not a thing of beauty, but as we have seen thus far in these playoffs, all hopefuls for the crown have to endure the grind. OKC went through it last season in a seven game series against Memphis, and they will continue to be challenged in this way by the Lakers. The Lakers have a blueprint now as for how to slow down the Thunder, so it is incumbent on Scott Brooks and the gang to make the corrections and get the horses running again.

Post Game Nuggets | NewsOK

Mayberry argues that Kevin Durant was way too passive last night. I got that impression too, as there were a number of occasions where he passed up decent looks to give his teammates shots, but those shots weren't any better than the ones KD passed up.

KD Shows Up Big | Daily Thunder

Kevin Durant played passive for most of the night, but then came up big when he had to. Or was that the plan all along?

Thunder Showing Championship Toughness | CBS Sports

Young writes that the Thunder are building on last season's playoff run by dealing with end-game situations in a far superior manner. Remember when we were freaking out a month ago about OKC's late-game offense? In every close game thus far, the offense has delivered.

How Did Blake End Up With the Last Shot? | SB Nation

This topic was a big Twitter discussion immediately after the game ended. Prada does a great job breaking down the play to see what happened. Coach Nick at BBall Breakdown argues this was possibly the worst defensive lapse by a player he's ever seen. What do you think?

Two Minutes of Thunder Ball Wins the Game | Silver Screen and Roll

The Lakers created a game plan that limited the Thunder's opportunity to accelerate the game, and for most of the game, it worked. However, OKC did a great job of staying in the game even though their primary offense wasn't working, and it gave them a shot to recover and win.

Russell Westbrook Rocked Yellow Pantaloons | SB Nation

Kobe had a tough outing, but props to him for maintaining his sense of humor. And yes, Westbrook is definitely trolling us.

Durant's Defense Key to Thunder Hopes | Sports Illustrated

Durant's overall defensive game is a work in progress, but as we saw last night, when presented with the challenge to stop an opposing player, he is growing every game.

Things Getting Chippy Between MWP and Harden | Ball Don't Lie

Great job, refs. You missed an obvious clothesline and then called James Harden for a foul because he had the temerity to allow Pau Gasol to hit him in the back.

Kobe Clutch Takes a Hit | SB Nation

Kobe Bryant has a reputation as a closer and a playoff assassin. What happens when four seasons pass and evidence mounts that he really isn't?

A View From Thunder Alley | Youtube

Here is a great video of Thunder Alley's reaction to Durant's game winner.

Lakers Idiot | Deadspin

Apparently Chicagoans are not a fan of Metta World Peace.

OKC's Halftime Show Draws Interest | SB Nation

The Thunder's halftime show drew some interested spectators and the TNT crew had an impressive response.

Exhausting LeBron | 8 Points, 9 Seconds

Is LeBron James getting worn down? Certainly dealing with heavyweight David West could take its toll.

Celtics Show Offensive Firepower | CelticsBlog

Who would have thought that on a given playoff night, the Celtics would put up 30 more points than the Thunder?

Thunder Spoken Word Performance: Thunder Up, Son!

2012-05-17T14:34:15Z

Via ProdiJTV on YouTube and GRP Fly Clothing:

As Thunder fans, we've had to deal with some bad music videos. After sitting through things like "Reppin' That Blue and Orange" and "Beard Like Harden", I was losing faith in Oklahoma City's creativity. But finally, a solid piece of work has come through with this spoken word performance of "Thunder Up, Son!".

I know, you could sit here and tell me that the guy has no flow, or the mechanics are wrong, or blah blah. But I don't care. I enjoyed it, and he certainly put in more effort than people remixing terrible pop songs. It kind of reminded me of Desmond Mason's Rap, "We Dem Hornets". If this spoken word could be set to music, it'd be a totally awesome rap.

The only real issue I take with the piece is that he says Derek Fisher will break somebody's ankles. Derek Fisher couldn't break anybody's ankles when he was 24, much less when he's 37. Also, I like how there's an SUV driving in the background at 0:23, and some random guy stumbling in the background at 0:40.

Thunder vs Lakers: OKC Finds a Way In the End...Again (Game 2 Video Highlights)

2012-05-17T05:12:02Z

The Thunder defeated the Lakers in a game that was the exact opposite of Game 1. Where the offense once flowed like wine, tonight it chugged through the pipes like sludge. The Lakers came out with a much better game plan and stuck to it throughout, slowing the game down and limiting the number of possessions the Thunder had. As a result, you could sense the Thunder's frustration growing as they continued to rush shots and not get to the free throw line.

The best thing we can say about this game is that OKC persevered again through their struggles to give themselves a chance to win. Their defense played well throughout the game, holding the Lakers to only 30 points in the whole second half. Even with the number of misfires, OKC never fell out of it, and even with 2:08 to play and down 7 points, we knew there was enough time to recover if they made some game-saving plays.

On to Games 3 & 4 in LA.

Kevin Durant Hits Game Winner vs Lakers [Video]

2012-05-17T04:51:14Z

Kevin Durant put the finishing touches on a dramatic comeback win tonight by hitting the game winner with 18 seconds remaining. The Thunder were trailing by 7 points with 2:08 remaining, but just like they did against Dallas in Game 1 of the previous round, they tightened up their defense, were aggressive on offense, and Durant's little runner over the outstretched arms of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol gave the Thunder the lead for good.

Thunder 78, Lakers 75: A Second Half So Ugly Your Mom Couldn't Love It(2012 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game 2 Recap)

2012-05-17T04:45:32Z

Yahoo! Sports Box Score:

What is your initial reaction to tonight's result?

Once again, the Thunder somehow saved themselves from a massive hole. It's almost surreal at this point. I'm reminded of one episode of the Twilight Zone I watched. There was this guy who was a lifelong criminal, died, and went to hell. In hell, he robbed casinos over and over again, and despite impossible odds, he would never get caught.

While I would never call a 6-0 playoff run taking place in reality a living hell, I'm starting to think something fishy is going on. How the heck can the Thunder have missed so many shots in the second half and win the game?! They were down by 7 with 2:08 to go and somehow managed to pull a win out of you know where with some stunning defense.

What was tonight's turning point?

The Thunder's 9-0 run to close out the game. The Thunder finally focused on getting into the paint. Before the 2:08 mark, it seemed like the Thunder were back in mid-season mode, losing form against a crappy New Jersey Nets team. Or even in April mode, where they would have second half dips against playoff teams. They were throwing up terrible jumpers right in the face of the Laker defenders, and they kept telegraphing their offensive plays, leading to stupid turnovers.

What was, overall, the main reason the Thunder won?

Defense. The Lakers were atrocious tonight. Gasol and Bynum were relatively efficient, but everybody else crapped the bed. Kobe Bryant kept missing jumpers that he normally makes against Sefolosha and Harden. Metta World Peace was airballing jumpers and hitting the side of the backboard. Ramon Sessions blew an open dunk and walked out of bounds. Steve Blake was bricking open threes. They couldn't shoot worth a lick, and the Thunder capitalized.

What is a key statistic to understanding tonight's game?

There were 39 fouls tonight, but only 30 free throws taken. That just shows you the kind of game it was, especially in the second half. Slow, lots of stoppages in play, no shots going down, stupid mistakes, lots of frustration.

What does this game mean for the Thunder today and moving forward?

The win puts the Thunder up 2-0 and gives them huge confidence heading into the next two games in LA. The Lakers have to be phased after getting so close to victory, and pushing the Thunder to the brink. Then again, they do have Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest clutch players of all time. Still, the Thunder have won 6 straight games, and look utterly amazing heading into Game 3.

Thunder Wonder: James Harden, for beasting through in the end.

Thunder Down Under: Kevin Durant, for leading the team in boards and assists, and a solid all-around performance.

Thunder Blunder: Kendrick Perkins. Clank.

Thunder Plunderer: Pau Gasol with an efficient, if not amazing, performance.

Next Game: At the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday, May 18th, 9:30 PM Central Daylight Time

Poll

Who was tonight's Thunder Wonder?

Thunder vs Lakers Game Thread (Game 2)

2012-05-17T01:30:03Z

The Lakers return to the Thunder's lair to see if they can reverse some aspect of the beating that transpired on Monday. Tonight's game will go a long way to showing us how this series is going to play out.

Be sure to stop by the great Lakers site Silver Screen and Roll when you have a chance.

Kendrick Perkins Will Start Tonight Vs. the Lakers

2012-05-17T00:28:45Z

Via Bob Barry, Jr.'s Twitter Feed

Kendrick Perkins will start for the Thunder at center tonight in game #2 v. the Lakers. How many minutes he'll play? Who knows #PerkyPerk

The man says it all. It'll be nice to have him in the fold and guarding Andrew Bynum. It's also nice being able to have rested bigs play against the Lakers' bigs, who generally have to play more minutes.

Previous Update: Kendrick Perkins is a Gametime Decision for Game 2 Vs. the Lakers