NBA Playoff Schedule 2012: What Oklahoma City Must Do to Even the Series Tonight
The young Oklahoma City Thunder were dominant in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, but they still have work to do before leaving the friendly confines of Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the Thunder unleashed a beautiful display of furious basketball. On both sides of the ball, the Thunder played with energy, selflessness and confidence. Perhaps most importantly, their fundamentals were perfect.
The result, not surprisingly, was a dominant victory.
But while the Thunder and their fans should be excited, they have not escaped a looming disaster just yet. A loss tonight would give the Spurs a 3-1 series lead, which would basically serve as a golden ticket to the NBA Finals.
This year included, only eight out of 193 teams (4.1 percent) have come back to win a seven-game series after trailing 3-1. And, simply put, as good as the Thunder are, there's no way in hell they're beating these Spurs three times in a row.
Here is what the Thunder must do to keep their backs off the wall.
Attack the Rim
That nasty slam was just one of many assaults on the rim by OKC in Game 3.
From the opening tip, the Thunder (particularly Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden) were trying to dunk on everybody. This aggression paid off, as they got to the free-throw line, scored 44 total points in the paint and sent a strong message to the Spurs.
These fearless drives to the bucket also created passing lanes, allowing for easy penetrate-and-kick opportunities. Watch below as Westbrook beats Tony Parker off the dribble, sucks all five Spurs into the paint and finds Harden for a wide-open three-pointer.
If OKC keeps attacking the rim, good things will happen. It's not overly complicated, but it's the most important thing the Thunder can do offensively.
Make Tim Duncan Score
Tim Duncan is the best power forward of all time, but the Spurs won't be successful if he's the focal point of the offense.
Duncan has been struggling mightily against the Thunder bigs, as he has trouble dealing with Kendrick Perkins' physicality and Serge Ibaka's athleticism in help-D situations.
Duncan has shot just 13-of-41 (31.7 percent) from the field this series. That's why the Thunder must force the ball into Timmy's hands by locking down on Parker and Manu Ginobil.
They did this in Game 3 by switching pick and rolls, putting Thabo Sefolosha on Parker and using sound help defense to pinch the Spurs' driving lanes.
If they can continue to use their length to bother the Spurs guards, shut down their angles to the rim and force the ball into Duncan's hands, the Thunder will stifle the San Antonio offense.
Run, Run, Run
After getting stops, the younger and more athletic Thunder need to abuse San Antonio in the open court.
They did a good job of this in Game 3, outscoring San Antonio 18-7 on fast break points. I doubt they'll force San Antonio into 21 turnovers again, but they can still find ways to score in transition.
One idea is to take a page out of the Miami Heat's playbook. Against the Celtics on Friday, the Heat repeatedly ran after Boston made shots. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would leak out after a score, Mario Chalmers or Udonis Haslem would hit them with an outlet pass and, more often than not, the result was a layup.
If the Thunder send Durant and Harden up the court immediately after San Antonio scores, they can catch the Spurs off guard and score some easy buckets.
