{"id":1778,"date":"2016-02-10T18:07:23","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T00:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=1778"},"modified":"2017-07-08T16:04:33","modified_gmt":"2017-07-08T21:04:33","slug":"this-thunder-group-just-wont-hunt-right-now-defense-will-continue-to-be-what-it-is-inconsistent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=1778","title":{"rendered":"This Thunder group just won’t hunt right now; Defense will continue to be what it is, inconsistent"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Thunder are not a top defensive team for one reason.\u00a0 They take time off the clock in a game where they just don\u2019t play shut-down defense.\u00a0 All OKC\u00a0fans need to realize that fact.\u00a0 I repeat,\u00a0the Thunder will not play shut-down defense, and to\u00a0qualify\u00a0the statement,\u00a0in the regular season.\u00a0 They, which includes\u00a0Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, will play some minutes a game of great defense, or at least the team will come up with a couple of significant winning plays, usually at the start of the 2nd half and the last eight minutes if needed.\u00a0 But they are not going to bust a gut for a complete game. at least right now.\u00a0 Throw in Serge Ibaka\u00a0and you have the\u00a0\u201cbig\u201d\u00a0three with the same trait,\u00a0which is a lack of emotion while on the defensive end of the floor\u00a0in the mundane moments of an NBA game.\u00a0There are some members of the team that always give the \u201call in\u201d while guarding, but that is not enough for a consistently first line defensive team.\u00a0 Want names are always pushing it, defense, most every minute?\u00a0 Kyle Singler, Dion Waiters, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson to name four that\u00a0are always mindful of a strong effort.\u00a0That is is not enough.\u00a0 Matter of fact, effort does not equate to a great defense.\u00a0 But lack of effort does lend to an on-court sieve on \u201cD\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 And with a few players that can\u2019t guard my best eighty year old neighbor, and Thunder\u00a0fans know who they are,\u00a0the Thunder continue to play just adequately on the stopping end of the court.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"LeBron_James_vs_Andre_Roberson\"<\/a>
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers guarded by Andr\u00e9 Roberson of the Oklahoma City Thunder Date 25 January 2015, 17:34 Source LeBron James Author Erik Drost from United States<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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With the tougher schedule facing Oklahoma City to the playoffs, look for only\u00a0a few more wins than losses\u2026maybe six victories\u00a0out of every ten games played.\u00a0 For the most part, the easy wins are over for this team,\u00a0but that is not all that bad,\u00a0\u00a0 Close games against the better teams will force the leaders,\u00a0Durant, Westbrook, and if you want Ibaka, to play\u00a0a more dedicated game in regard to\u00a0defense.\u00a0 If they don\u2019t, look for the Thunder to find them in many game situations as that are not good, as much as the twenty point\u00a0deficit\u00a0at Golden State.\u00a0Sure, they made a run\u00a0in the 2nd half with the Warriors, but it is evident that is not where the Thunder want to be in the later minutes of ball games.\u00a0 The fact of the matter, OKC could have beat the Warriors with a better first half on defense.\u00a0 They\u00a0didn\u2019t play together, and the stars played like\u00a0James Harden on a bad day. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Hopefully with added enthusiasm, improvement\u00a0in total minutes of tough defense played will correlate with better overall play.\u00a0 It is a given that the three above mentioned leaders\u00a0can play at a high level, but they must want\u00a0to.\u00a0 Plus silly missed assignments coupled with an attitude of wanting to get back on offense and to hell\u00a0with this defense on this possession\u00a0has to disappear.\u00a0\u00a0Again, this Thunder group will take their share of losses with multiple games against the Spurs, Clippers, Cavs, and Warriors.\u00a0\u00a0Fact is,\u00a0OKC has maybe three guaranteed wins left on the schedule.\u00a0And we all remember those guaranteed wins that ended up as L\u2019s.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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At playoff time later in the year,\u00a0lets hope the defense will\u00a0finally be one of forty-eight minutes of total hell for the opponent.\u00a0 That is what it is going to take for this team to challenge for an National\u00a0Basketball Association title.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After a first round win in the playoffs, the Thunder will probably get the Spurs of San Antonio.\u00a0 The team\u00a0does not fear the Spurs.\u00a0 To be fair, for that series, we \u00a0don\u2019t know what kind of injuries either team will be saddled with. But knowing the Spurs, they will start shutting the regular season down once they are set in\u00a0second or third in the West\u00a0standing,\u00a0with the \u00a0older folks such as Parker,\u00a0Ginobili and Duncan taking rests.\u00a0\u00a0Starters play more minutes in the playoffs and that is good for the Thunder against San Antonio.\u00a0 They are younger\u00a0than the Spurs, even if\u00a0the men of the Brazos River have the better bench.\u00a0 Plus,\u00a0tt is not a given that GS will beat the Clippers, if it comes to be that the Wariors are in the Western Finals.\u00a0 You never know\u00a0when the injury bug hits and one significant injury to any team can lead to disaster. Look for that to happen to at least one team in the West.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Feature Photo:\u00a0 Kyle Singler, Oklahoma City Thunder (Credit:\u00a0 Rick Scuteri,\u00a0AP)\u00a0Rick Press<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Thunder are not a top defensive team for one reason.\u00a0 They take time off…<\/p>\n

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