It took Spurs just one game to turn Thunder’s biggest strength against them
For two seasons now, the OKC Thunder have boasted one of probably the most elite inside defenses within the NBA. Coach Mark Daigneault’s “double bigs” lineup, that includes skyscrapers Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, has confirmed to be deadly within the postseason, each this yr and final.
On Monday night time against the Spurs, it took all of two and a half minutes for that weapon to turn into out of date.
Not solely did Victor Wembanyama have 4 of San Antonio’s first seven factors to begin the competition, however he elected to play fully off of Hartenstein when Oklahoma City had possession. Whenever I-Hart had the ball on the prime of the important thing, there wasn’t a protection inside ten ft of him.
Wemby was positioned deep within the paint, and it was apparent the Thunder had no reply.
From then on, the OKC middle solely got here onto the courtroom when backup massive Luke Kornet spelled Wembanyama. When the Spurs’ Frenchman was on the courtroom, and Holmgren wanted a relaxation, Daigneault elected to play Jaylin Williams in hopes of spreading the ground out extra on offense.
As a outcome, the tandem of Holmgren and Hartenstein was fully nullified for the rest of the game. Hartenstein began the second half on the bench, as Cason Wallace acquired the beginning nod in his stead.
Game 1 offered extra questions than solutions for Thunder
Game 1 set off alarm bells for the Thunder, and inside play might have been on the prime of the record.
Led by the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama, the Spurs scored 52 factors within the paint, regardless of Daigneault throwing the kitchen sink at them defensively.
The Thunder, in contrast, scored just 38.
It was a surprising show of incompetence from a crew that just about all the time discovered its largest benefits nearer to the rim.
In response to San Antonio’s inside dominance, Daigneault elected to unleash their playoff X-factor, Alex Caruso, in a job many expected Holmgren to fill. He grew to become Wembanyama’s principal shadow after subbing into the game with 9:24 to go within the first quarter.
The middle regarded visibly pissed off by Caruso’s pestilence, however he nonetheless walked away with 41 factors and 24 rebounds, 9 of them on the offensive glass.
Wemby’s presence has clearly introduced an issue that the Thunder do not seem to have an answer for.
Various gamers have been systematically reduce out of the rotation, and others have been thrust into surprising bigger roles.
The solely drawback is, it did not work in Game 1.
Now, coach Daigneault should return to the drafting board to discover a answer for this one-of-a-kind drawback.