NBA Playoffs 2011: Nuggets of Intel on the Thunder's Game 2 Performance

In a sports fan's never-ending journey towards greater understanding and enlightenment, one has to be careful not to slip into the bad habit that is baseless prediction and simpleton analysis.

On a night in which the Oklahoma City Thunder fulfilled their obligations, won on their home-floor and took a 2-0 series lead against the Denver Nuggets, we learned a variety of lessons.

Some of these lessons, as discussed in an earlier piece, fall into the category of on-surface while others require a deeper level of analysis as they lurk under the surface.

Based on the process and outcome that was Game 2 in the series, the Thunder taught us a lot about who they have become as well as who they hope to develop into.

On one hand, we saw the youthful exuberance of the Thunder as they went through stretches of self-inflicted difficulty, and on the other, they displayed some championship-calibre basketball that bodes well for their already bright future.

On the surface

The Thunder controlled the game from start to finish.

A lethal combination of offensive efficiency and lock-down defence saw the Thunder build a healthy lead and maintain it. The first quarter saw a complete reversal of what Game 1 had been a few days prior.

This time around, the Thunder came out a well-oiled machine as they sunk shot after shot through the quarter, while the stagnant Nuggets shot enough bricks to build a mid-sized condo.

This condo was largely built on the foundation of menacing paint defence by Kendrik Perkins and Serge Ibaka, as well as some breath-taking perimeter hassling by the Thabo Sefolosha-Russell Westbrook tandem.

Sefolosha especially typified the improved defence as he got into the passing lanes and harried every Nuggets player brave enough to challenge him.

Even with the Nuggets eventually shooting a very respectable 43.8 percent from three for the game, the Thunder were able to maintain a double-digit lead from early in the first quarter until the final buzzer.

This was largely thanks to more balanced offensive production that saw five players score in double figures.

Considering Game One only saw three players in double figures, with the next best managing a paltry five points, this was a significant offensive adjustment from the Thunder.

The bench also achieved the near impossible task of outscoring the Nuggets bench by 37-35, a bench that had proved to be one of the most lethal since the February trade deadline.

Under the surface

Rebounding and the second-chance

The Thunder resoundingly won the rebounding war last night.

Six players including Ibaka (12), Perkins (11), Nick Collison (eight), Kevin Durant, James Harden and Daequan Cook (five), recorded five or more rebounds in the game, thereby sending a message to the Nuggets that they could have trouble keeping up for what is left of this series.

Especially crucial was the effort on the offensive glass from Perkins and Collison, who combined to control nine of the Thunder’s 17 offensive rebounds. This effort resulted in a number of second-chance opportunities for OKC, while it hindered the ability of the Nuggets to play the up-tempo, fast-breaking style they have become known for.

Although I tend not to read too much into plus/minus numbers, Collison, plus-16 when on the court, exhibited some of his effectiveness on the glass.

The Thunder’s offensive boarding was equally impressive, and the Nuggets lowly total of five offensive rebounds spoke to the positioning and box-out prowess of the Thunder on this night.

Nene night at the line

In Game 2 the Nuggets were effective in keeping the Thunder off the charity stripe. Specifically, Durant and Westbrook, who combined for an effort of 16-for-20 from the line in Game 1, did not find the road to the line as smooth last night as they only enjoyed 11 attempts.

Instead Nene, who was frustrated for much of the night by the paint presence of Perkins, Ibaka and Collison, found himself at the line a number of times (18).

Unfortunately for him, his April slump continued as he summed up a painful shooting display by going 12-for-18 (66.7 percent) at the stripe. This, coupled with the Nuggets difficult night on the offensive end, proved to be crucial, as the Denver outfit struggled to remain close to the Thunder for much of the game.    

Thunder control the tempo

The Thunder’s exceptional defence, namely their rebounding, combined with solid point-guard play from Westbrook and Eric Maynor to ensure tempo control.

Up-tempo play, the key to the Nuggets fast-breaking offense, was neutralized by the Thunder’s ability to slow the game down.

This repeatedly exposed the Nuggets inability to consistently create in the half court without a reliable go-to scorer (see Melo effort against Celtics in Game 2 for evidence of talented go-to scorer)  

Limit the Nuggets bench

Poor offensive decision-making combined with a good defensive effort by the Thunder second-unit limited the often explosive Nuggets bench. Besides Al Harrington (15 points in 25 minutes), the rest of the Denver bench went a frozen 7-for-19 from the field, with an especially cold J.R. Smith struggling for much of the game.

An important adjustment was made at halftime by George Karl, who rightfully inserted Raymond Felton into the starting lineup for the disrespectfully ineffective Wilson Chandler (0-for-6 FG, 2 TO, 30 mins).

Felton and Ty Lawson, who led the Nuggets mini-revival in the second half, should see more and more time on the court together going forward at the expense of the slumping Chandler.

Denying Durant

One thing that the Nuggets were very successful in doing last night was containing the league’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant. Kenyon Martin and Harrington played physical denial on him for much of the second half when the slight Durant struggled to get touches and shots.

If the Nuggets are going to have any chance in the rest of the series, they should look to continue playing such active denial on Durant. However, it is important to note that when this was done in Game 1, Durant found his offense by making frequent trips to the free-throw line.

The series shifts to the altitude of Denver on Sunday. The Nuggets will be hoping their home-floor does the trick as they look to bounce back from two defeats in Oklahoma City.

In the future, don’t buy into the hyperbole out there without the sufficient under-the-surface understanding. This has been an NBA playoff public service announcement. More to come soon.