How do the Golden State Warriors Match Up With the Thunder?
By Segun Giwa
The Golden State Warriors had the Oklahoma City Thunder’s number in 2014-2015, going 3-1 against their conference foes during the season.
Golden State was lucky to avoid a healthy OKC squad for the most part, but this season, the defending champs are poised to go head to head with a hungry, new and improved Thunder team.
Let’s look at how these two Western Conference front-runners match up for next season:
Matchups:
Curry vs. Westbrook
Anytime these two guards square off, you know one — if not both — are going to put on a show. In four games against the Thunder last season, Stephen Curry averaged 21.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field. Westbrook averaged 24 points, 9.7 assists, and 8.3 rebounds, shooting 32 percent from the field in three games against Golden State.
The best way for the Warriors to try to stop Westbrook is to put tall, longer defenders on him like Klay Thompson. Westbrook is going to get his numbers, but putting a bigger defender on Westbrook will increase the likelihood of him taking difficult, inefficient shots.
On the offensive end, it’s key to make Westbrook run through screen after screen, as chasing around Curry and running him into big bodies like Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green will tire him out come fourth quarter, making it more likely that Westbrook will be inefficient.
KD vs. Warriors’ wing defenders
Kevin Durant is arguably the best pure scorer in the NBA, and his talents were on display vs. the Warriors on December 18. He went 10-13 from the field, scoring 30 points…in the first half!
Even the Warriors top ranked defense had no answer for Durant, as he made quick work of whoever had the task of guarding him whether it be Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, or Green. When Durant is on he’s near impossible to guard, but if there’s any team with the capability to slow him down, it’s the Warriors with all their long, versatile defenders.
Frontcourt
This matchup of big men pits two frontcourts with conflicting strengths against each other.
The Warriors boast arguably the best defensive front court in the whole league, as both Green and Bogut made all-defense teams and both were serious contenders for Defensive Player of the Year. The Thunder, on the other hand, have a skilled offensive frontcourt with stretch-4 Serge Ibaka (who showed signs of adding a consistent 3 pointer to his game last season), and young center Enes Kanter who has soft hands and can finish around the rim in traffic at 6’10”.
The key for the Warriors is to take advantage of Kanter’s atrocious rim protecting/defensive presence. When Kanter is in the game, Golden State should relentlessly attack the rim until Kanter starts sending shots back. Although the Warriors don’t really have any low post players to bully Kanter on the offensive end, Kanter has a habit of rotating late and getting beat due to bad footwork.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at Kanter’s defensive “highlights”:
Anytime these two teams matchup with each other in the coming season, the game will be a must-watch. The Thunder are going to be on a season long mission in 2015, but so will the Warriors, who haven’t really gotten the respect they deserve coming off of a 67-win, championship season.
Dear basketball gods, please give us this matchup in the playoffs.