Oklahoma City, OK – After eight days off, the Thunder finally hit the court again Monday night as they welcome the Dallas Mavericks in their second round matchup in the Western Conference Semis.
It is only the Thunder fourth game in 23 days after waiting for the Play In games to find out their opponent and after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. The Mavericks on the other hand finished up their series in 6 after beating the Clippers last Friday. So on one hand, the Thunder have the fresher legs but on the other the Mavs are the team that should be in better rhythm.
This is seen as one of the more anticipated series in the playoffs because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. Both guys were first team all NBA last season and both will likely earn those honors this season also. It’s also only the second time since 1965 that there has been a series with two guys who averaged 30 or points during the regular season.
In a lot of ways this series is very similar for both teams. The Mavs will be playing a long team that has multiple options they can go to that are capable of beating you like the Clippers and the Thunder will center their defense around two guys who love getting to their spots and playing at a slower pace.
One of the biggest keys to this series is going to be the space of the games. The team who controls that will have a big advantage. Early on in game 1, it was the Thunder who controlled the pace. Did a very good job of playing with physicality to get stops and speed the game up. However, on the other end, they missed quite a few easy looks.
Also, unlike their opening series, they switched a little more and threw in some zone and it allowed the Mavs to get easier looks. At the end of one thought, it was tied 23-23.
Second quarter is where they finally got things going. On both ends. Defensively they did a better job of crowding Luka after he got passed the first line of the defense and that made things very tough for him. They were also extremely active on that end causing more turnovers. They used those stops and turnovers to speed the game up more and get much easier looks. They also forced the issued more making the refs make calls and took a 62-53 lead into the half.
Things started off a little lethargic to start the third quarter for the Thunder letting the Mavs cut their lead to only one but after a timeout and substitution to get thnings back on track they went on a 20-7 run to build the lead back up double digits. Continuing to play good physical defense but now they started to hit shots from deep.
Once the Thunder built their lead back up to double digits, there wasn’t much the Mavs could do to match on either end. The Thunder defense was just too physical and made the Mavs very frustrated and the offense was clicking on all cylinders. It was evident that the Thunder had the game wrapped up with around 7.5 minutes left in the game and Jason Kidd even waived the white flag with over five minutes left. The Thunder took game one with a 117-95 victory.
Here Are The Reasons For The Win
Second Chance Points
The Thunder were extremely active on the offensive glass in game 1. 16 offensive boards to be exact. It wasn’t just about those 16 offensive rebounds though. There were quite a few that they tapped out and didn’t get. Their effort was top notch.
Time and time again we’ve heard this year that the Thunder are too small. And in a lot of cases they have been. Rebounding has been a huge talking point surrounding this team all year. They have had to fight and battle more often than not just trying to be even on the boards. It takes effort like they gave in game 1 in order to offset their lack of size.
Not only did they have 16 offensive boards that led to 25 second chance points but they also out-rebounded the Mavs 52-39. A lot of that is them being able to get stops but the effort they gave on the offensive boards is a huge reason why there was such a big difference in rebounding.
Not Getting Into One on One Play
Playing against a team like the Mavs who play a lot of one on one basketball that leads to looks for other guys, it’s easier to get into playing one on one. Especially with the way the Mavs defend. The Thunder didn’t take the bait. They kept the ball moving no matter what. Even when shots weren’t falling as much, they moved the ball.
So much so that they had a franchise playoff record 29 assists in game 1. It could have easily been more with as many easy looks they missed.
Thunder didn’t make things easy on the Mavs defense by just watching one guy dribble while everyone else stood around waiting for him to make a move. Constantly moving the ball makes things much easier for them on the offensive end just because it makes the defense work harder.
Once Again, Defense
For the fifth straight playoff game the Thunder held their opponent to under 100 points. Not only under 100 but five straight at 95 or under.
Once again, their defense shined.
It’s not like they’re playing scrubs on the other side either. They are playing great players who are GREAT at getting to their spots. Great at maneuvering through a defense to find cracks in the defense to gain advantages. They haven’t made things easy on anyone. Making a team’s two best players take very tough shots and pretty much making them as ineffective as possible completely disrupts an opposing team’s offense.
It’s a trickle down effect. If those guys are taken out of a game, that makes the other guys have to step up more and it’s something they aren’t really used to. Making one premier guy on a team ineffective is really impressive, making two ineffective is an all time level of defense. The way the Thunder are playing defense can’t be ignored. It’s at an all-time high.
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who looked like the normal SGA for the first time in these playoffs with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals. Chet Holmgren set the tone from the start of the game and finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals while Jalen Williams finished things up and had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Aaron Wiggins had a great game off of the bench and added 16 points and 5 assists while Jaylin Williams added 11 points and 9 rebounds.
The Thunder will look to stay undefeated in these playoffs and take a 2-0 lead Thursday night in game 2.
