Three takeaways from Warriors win at OKC
Warriors are savvy defensively
When the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant, people expected them to forget how to play defense. They argued that the loss of Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli would prove to be too much. They were mistaken.
The Warriors still have Draymond Green, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. They have Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Shaun Livingston–players who allow them to do the switching they want to do. Most importantly, they have Ron Adams, a defensive genius.
Kevin Durant has upped his game defensively. He took what he showed in the Western Conference Finals and has applied it on a consistent basis. He’s applied his tools and become one of the league’s top defenders.
Good defense isn’t just about being quick or jumping high. The key to good defense isn’t just switching well; it’s more nuanced than that. Before you win the physical battle, you have to win the psychological one too.
Again, the Warriors game plan, I'm told, to bait Westbrook. They believed it worked
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) February 12, 2017
Russell Westbrook is a force to be reckoned with. He’s an absolute monster. His athleticism and strength are unlike anyone has ever seen from the point guard position.
While he certainly is great, he is also very flawed. Westbrook can giveth, but he can also taketh away. And the Warriors know that.
Throughout the night, the Warriors put Durant on Westbrook. It was the high-intensity matchup that everyone wanted to see. It was the main event.
While they’ll play down the matchup, both stars knew what it meant. So did Steve Kerr and the rest of the team. It was a big deal because Westbrook would get himself into trouble.
Westbrook finished the night with 47 points and he shot a very good percentage. However, the damage wasn’t as much as it could have been. He also turned the ball over 11 times and only made three of his 10 three-pointers.
When Westbrook sees a matchup he wants to attack, he becomes fixated. He normally would take this out on Stephen Curry, trying to outmatch him physically. Now he also has Durant to attack to.
Westbrook exerts so much energy trying to get the best of certain matchups that he gets himself into trouble. Sometimes he throws the ball away. Sometimes he takes an ill-advised shot.
This is what the Warriors banked on–Westbrook beating himself. That he’d let his emotions get the best of him at crucial times. That he could be baited into doing something silly.
Golden State is more talented than the Thunder, or any other team for that matter. They’re also the savviest and smartest team in the league, making them that much more deadly.