No-Brainer Adjustments for Every Struggling NBA Playoff Team

A seven-game NBA playoff series gives both sides plenty of time to make adjustments. The teams that best adapt to their opponents' style of play are the ones which typically advance to the next round.

The postseason is a little more than a week old, yet we've already seen the momentum in a number of matchups shift 180 degrees. But while several underdogs have cracked the code on their rivals, others have failed to execute the basic fundamentals that often mean the difference between winning and losing.

It's too late for the Milwaukee Bucks to do anything about the Miami Heat, but there are still a few teams left standing who are just a couple of tweaks away from taking control of their respective series.

Atlanta Hawks

Even after suffering a 21-point defeat in Game 3, the Indiana Pacers are still in control of their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks.

That said, the decision by Hawks head coach Larry Drew to slide Al Horford to power forward and start Johan Petro at the 5 was nothing short of brilliant. Horford responded with 26 points and 16 rebounds, while new small forward Josh Smith harassed Paul George into a 4-of-11 shooting performance.

Lineup changes aside, Atlanta needs to get all hands on deck when it comes to crashing the boards. The Pacers are averaging nearly nine more rebounds per game than the Hawks through the first three games of the series.

Brooklyn Nets

A return to the Barclays Center should help Brooklyn regain its bearings, but it will need to win three in a row in order to avoid an upset at the hands of Chicago.

While the Nets struggled to score in Games 2 and 3 in their series against the Bulls, their defense has been the main problem so far. Chicago shot just 43.7 percent from the field in the regular season, but it is shooting nearly 48 percent from the floor against Brooklyn in its first-round series.

The Nets have done a decent job on the Bulls' wing players, but they need to focus most of their efforts on containing power forward Carlos Boozer (20.3 PPG and 11.0 RPG on 58.7 percent shooting).

For whatever reason, Brooklyn hasn't been able to figure out Tom Thibodeau's schemes for months now. Including the regular season, the Nets are 2-6 against the Bulls this year.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are facing a 3-1 deficit in their series against the Golden State Warriors. If it wasn't for a game-winning layup by Andre Miller in the closing seconds of Game 1, they might be going fishing with the Los Angeles Lakers right now.

At this point, Nuggets head coach George Karl has no other recourse but to assign Andre Iguodala to Stephen Curry full time. Denver can live without Iguodala's modest offensive contributions, but it can't continue to allow Curry to roam the perimeter unchecked.

When the Warriors get open looks, they typically knock them down. Golden State has shot better than 52 percent in each of their three wins. If the Nuggets can close out on both Curry and Klay Thompson, they may be able to defy the odds and run the table.

Houston Rockets

Houston threw everything that it had at Oklahoma City for the final three quarters of Game 3, but a slow start ultimately doomed the Rockets, leaving them scrambling for answers.

Other than a constant double-team, there's little else that Houston can do against Kevin Durant that it hasn't already done. A bigger issue is the 26-point lead that the Rockets gave the Thunder early in Game 3. James Harden and Co. were only able to erase the deficit because Oklahoma City shot just over 30 percent from the field after the first quarter.

It's clear that the Thunder are vulnerable in the absence of Russell Westbrook, but the Rockets aren't going to beat anyone if they continue to shoot 39.6 percent from the floor. Better shot selection will ultimately result in good things for Houston, though it may be too late in this series.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers will win their series with the Memphis Grizzlies if they continue to hold serve, but the team from Lob City has looked ripe for the picking over the past few days.

Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph both had their way with the Clippers' bigs in Games 3 and 4.

Expect Vinny Del Negro to tell his players to double down in the post and force Memphis' guards to beat L.A. from the perimeter. Through four games, Mike Conley, Jerryd Bayless and Tony Allen are a combined 8-of-31 from beyond the arc.

More than anything, the Clippers need Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to be more active on the glass. Each of the four games in the series has been won by the team that won the battle of the boards.