They don’t really have to make any adjustments to OKC Did we have to do any defensive adjustments last year in the first round? @Reeko
Anything is possible. I’ll just say that Donovan doesn’t coach well against MDA and never has. Donovan is stubborn, doesn’t want to double and when he is forced to, it is usually an easy defense the Thunder run. It works fine against less radical offenses but not someone like MDA or Harden.
About time. Could have used some coaching against a warriors team without Kevin Durant to exploit them Oh well
When was this switch thrown from our so-so defense to "We will rip your lungs out and strangle your children"? Were our guys hiding this? It feels like more than just turning it on for the playoffs. Suddenly the communication and rotations are off the charts. I love it but am genuinely baffled.
What's really interesting is the Rocket's style of small ball isn't easily replicated. They give up height, and rim protection, but they don't actually give up any post defense. Covington, Harden, Tucker and House can all hold their own, with Harden and Tucker defending at an elite level in the post. Since the Rockets committed to small ball, Harden has actually become an incredibly vital piece in the defense. It's actually relieving to see Harden guard players at the post because you know that's a great defensive possession whether the shot converts or not. Maybe the Rockets were actually coasting this whole time and they had this under their sleeves. Their record against teams above .500 would seem to indicate they can compete against big players, but they seem to lose interest against those below it.
you are baffled because you watch all the games and this is not typical you notice things it's like you aren't blind @Os Trigonum 99ers see all
To be fair, by WC playoff team standards, I think the Thunder are missing a decent amount of good looks and just generally playing mediocre offense thanks to crappy coaching and inexperienced offensive talent. But yeah, we're playing great D. We have the personnel for it, and given that we have a team full of veterans that just got four months off and just finished playing eight mostly meaningless "seeding" games, I think there are a lot of sensible reasons for our guys to suddenly and significantly step up their effort. It's also possible they've been communicating about (and practicing?) their planned defense during the off months...?
