NBA Playoffs 2011: 10 Burning Questions Facing the OKC Thunder vs. Dallas
Now that the Oklahoma City Thunder have successfully eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies from the 2011 NBA Playoffs, we look ahead to their impending series with the Dallas Mavericks.
An experienced, talented and veteran team, Dallas will more than likely be the most difficult playoff test the Thunder have yet to face. How they perform in this series will be an important indication of how close they are to being a championship-caliber team.
Their victory or defeat depends on how well they can answer the following 10 burning questions.
Can Serge Ibaka Make More of an Impact?
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Despite being nearly nonexistent in the past two or three games versus the Grizzlies, Serge Ibaka is still the postseason leader in blocks per game at 3.82. After being monstrous against Denver, he wasn’t much of a factor in the following series, scoring in double figures only twice and rebounding in double figures just once.
In fact, Ibaka had just two points and one rebound in the Thunder’s impressive Game 7 victory.
Ibaka is vital for the Thunder if they are going to beat Dallas. He must block shots, get some offense going and get rebounds. It will be difficult for him since he will probably be forced to guard Dirk Nowitzki (at least part of the time), but a large part of Ibaka’s struggles has been the incompatibility of his style of play against that of Zach Randolph.
Facing a completely different type of power forward might be just what he needs.
Can Scott Brooks Outcoach Rick Carlisle?
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In both series against Denver and Memphis, Brooks made key decisions that allowed the Thunder to be successful.
This was particularly true against Memphis when he went to a small lineup to increase his team’s offense and when he creatively crafted his substitutions to allow his more important players rest. He is a big part of why the Thunder eliminated the Grizzlies.
But the coach he is facing in the upcoming series did something even more impressive: he swept the Lakers and one of the greatest coaches to ever coach in the NBA.
Carlisle has done a massively impressive job in pushing just the right buttons on his veteran team. The fact that Dallas followed their loss of a 23-point lead against Portland with six straight playoff wins (half of which were by double figures) makes it all the more impressive.
Brooks must be on his toes and do his best to out-think his Mavericks counterpart. He must be creative with his lineups, play certain matchups to his strengths and control the pace of the game.
Will Kevin Durant Be Able to Score?
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The importance of Durant’s ability to score in the upcoming series with the Mavericks cannot be understated. The Thunder are 7-1 this postseason in games where Durant is the leading scorer between the two teams. He averaged 26.4 PPG against the Grizzlies and trails Derrick Rose by 0.8 PPG for the postseason lead in scoring.
Against the Mavs this season Durant has done well, averaging an even 30 points per game. But while the Mavericks do not have defensive specialists like Tony Allen and Shane Battier, they no doubt paid close to attention to how those two defenders gave Durant some problems.
To be successful, Durant must do what he did in Game 7 against Memphis; move off the ball, cut hard off of screens and get to the rim. Doing those things will make him impossible to guard.
Can Russell Westbrook Be Efficient?
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Westbrook has gotten a lot of heat lately, much of it based on unfair judgements of his character.
I won’t do that here.
However, one must ask the question of his offensive efficiency. Against Memphis, Westbrook averaged just 1.56 assists per each of his turnovers. His shot selection was also questionable at times, especially when he could have gotten more of his teammates involved.
In order for the Thunder to beat Dallas, Westbrook will have to be extremely efficient with the ball in his hands. He must focus on running the offense to the best of his ability and giving his team exactly what it needs at that given moment. Depending on the situation, he may need to make bullet-precision passes to cutters, hit 20-foot jumpers or drive to the hoop.
Westbrook needs to lead the Thunder offense by being the coach on the floor. As he goes in this area, so do the Thunder.
Can the OKC Bench Continue to Play Well?
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Much like the Thunder, the Mavericks have one of the best benches in the NBA. Jason Terry is one of the best sixth men in the league and will lead the Mavericks' bench to score quickly and often if the Thunder bench isn’t ready to match that intensity.
Luckily for the Thunder, they too have one of the best sixth men in James Harden and one of the best benches in the NBA. In fact, the Thunder's bench scored 40 or more points in each of their wins against the Grizzlies. In the three losses, they scored 16, 22 and 27.
If the Thunder are going to advance to the finals, their bench must produce by matching and even exceeding the fast-paced offense of the Mavericks' bench.
Can the Thunder Limit Turnovers?
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Taking care of the ball as a team has been a problem for the Thunder this postseason.
In their losses against Memphis, they averaged 15.67 turnovers per game. But even in their wins in that series, they averaged 13.25. These numbers dictate that the Thunder’s turnovers have not hurt them much in this last playoff series since there is so little difference between the two averages.
That will not be the case in this next series.
The Mavericks are a veteran team that play outstanding defense and have a fast-paced offense that will thrive off turnovers. The Thunder must limit these mistakes if they want to continue their chance at a championship trophy.
Can the Thunder Win on the Road and Protect Home Court?
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This is probably the most straightforward question of the list.
After giving up home-court advantage by losing to Memphis in the first game of the semifinals, the Thunder willed a win in Memphis to regain that advantage and win the series. Their higher seeding was a luxury that gave them that advantage, and it is a luxury they will not have against Dallas.
The Mavericks narrowly avoided losing their No. 3 seed to the Thunder at the end of the regular season, and thus secured home-court advantage in this series. The Thunder must win one game in Dallas and protect their home-court to have any shot in this series.
Dallas has shown they can win on the road by winning twice in LA. The crowd of Loud City does somewhat help the Thunder, but they still must nab a road win.
Can James Harden Continue to Be a Catalyst?
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Since the Jeff Green trade, Harden has been the go-to bench guy and the third leading scorer for the Thunder.
Against Memphis, the Thunder were 1-3 when Harden scored 14 points or less. In the four Thunder wins, he averaged 16.5 points per game. Harden is now the Jason Terry of Oklahoma City, a catalyst off the bench who can be the x-factor.
Harden must continue to be aggressive and score in order for the Thunder to be in any kind of position to win the series against Dallas. He helps balance out Westbrook and Durant by keeping the offensive flow going. When he is out there without them, he is the No. 1 scoring option and must play like it.
His ability to rejuvenate the offense is vital to any Thunder victory.
Are the Thunder Too Inexperienced to Win Big?
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This is a question that the Thunder won't ask themselves, but will be asked by many several times.
The Thunder have an average age of just 25, and while the additions of Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed give them more experience, they still as a whole are relatively new to the playoff experience.
The Dallas Mavericks, despite their huge span of playoff experience, have struggled in years' past and are now trying to prove they are not the team that has choked so many times before. Nowitzki has come up small in the playoffs ever since he let a title slip away to Dwyane Wade. However, they now have a new source of confidence to draw upon in their sweep of the defending champion Lakers.
The Thunder have some confidence as well. Kevin Durant has had his first two close-out playoff games of his career this postseason. He is 2-0 and is now averaging 40 points in close-out games.
But the stage does get bigger, and only time will tell if Durant and the Thunder will grow with it.
Who Will Guard Nowitzki?
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This is a tough question. Much like Durant does, Nowitzki poses matchup problems for every team he plays. A seven-foot power forward who has shot 60 percent from three-point range this postseason is the stuff of nightmares—Scott Brooks probably wishes it was a dream.
Serge Ibaka has the length to contest Dirk’s jump shots, but not the quickness to stay with him if he drives. Kendrick Perkins will be able to defend him down low, but is useless outside the paint.
Nick Collison is a good, savvy defender, and even though he will struggle on the perimeter with Dirk, he may be the Thunder’s best bet.
One option might be Durant; although not a great defender, he is similar in size to Dirk and is long and fast enough to defend him some on the perimeter.
No matter who does this job, it will be no easy task and a matchup in favor of Dallas.
