By Nick Gallo | Broadcast Reporter and Digital Editor | okcthunder.com
Next Man Up, First to the Floor, 3-Point Flurries and More!
The Drive and Dish is here to answer the questions that might be going through your head during a Thunder game by providing experienced insight, highlighting aspects of the game you might have missed and pulling you behind the curtain with anecdotes, analysis, and stats.
Here’s what you need to know as the Thunder became the youngest team ever to win a playoff series, winning 4-0 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Hit the Deck
The Thunder held the Pelicans to 92 points or fewer in every single game this series and there were myriad reasons why. A dogged effort to get to every loose ball, the one-man wrecking crew that was Lu Dort on Brandon Ingram and the relentlessness of Chet Holmgren’s presence around the rim were all factors, but it truly was a team effort to hold the Pelicans in check for four-straight games.
In the Thunder’s 106-85 Game 3 win, a quintessential sequence came when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battled on the wing to deny an entry pass to the post – a habit he’s maintained all season – and turned a steal into two points on the other end of the floor.
Later in the game, it was Dort diving over a pile like an NFL linebacker on a goal line stand as the Thunder’s defensive ace ripped the ball from the hands of Pelicans center Larry Nance Jr. That play again led to two points on the other end with Josh Giddey finishing at the rim.
In Monday’s decisive Game 4, Giddey helped clinch the Thunder’s 97-89 victory by blocking a Herb Jones layup attempt, then tiptoeing along the baseline long enough to re-establish himself back inbounds and save the ball to finish off the defensive stand as part of a 15-2 Thunder run. These extra-effort plays made all the difference in a hard-fought series, especially on the road.
3-Point Flurry
Giddey got the job done on the offensive end as well as the defensive side, figuring prominently in that huge fourth quarter run to wrestle control of the game away. Giddey hit three of his four 3-pointers in the final frame on Monday, including a contested one in the corner and a transition 3 that tied the game at 80, erasing New Orleans’ largest lead of the game.
Giddey ended up giving OKC the lead for good with another 3 with 7:19 to go in the fourth, with that trio of triples mimicking the flurry that Lu Dort had in Game 3. This one came during a 14-0 Thunder run in the second quarter when Dort hit a trail 3, one in the corner and then another one to turn a precarious 1-point Thunder lead into a double-digit advantage in less than two minutes.
Next Man Up
For years the Thunder has focused not just on the details on the court, but the macro-level skills that are required over the course of an 82-game season and in the playoffs. One of those key attributes is adaptability and in Game 3 on Saturday the Thunder’s attention to that muscle became critical as it unexpectedly needed to be flexed.
Just 15 seconds into the game, Jalen Williams got smacked in the face and had to leave for most of the first quarter. No matter – rookie Cason Wallace stepped into the game in his place and immediately made an impact. Wallace, who started 13 games in the regular season, said that it was comfortable for him to pop in as the next man up and it certainly appeared that way as he quickly hit a corner three and made a little push shot in the lane and also made one of the prettier plays of the postseason – a rolling drop-off pass to Chet Holmgren in the dunker spot.
As the Thunder did all year, when adversity struck or circumstances changed, they just rolled with the punches and solved each equation with all five guys on the floor and all 18 in the locker room. They’ll need to keep on doing that in the Conference Semifinals as well.
Looking Ahead
The Thunder will now play either the Dallas Mavericks or LA Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Dates, times, and TV information for the series have not yet been determined, but we do know Games 1 and 2 will be at home in Paycom Center. All Playoff games will be available on the radio on WWLS 98.1 FM the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network. Follow along on our @okcthunder social accounts and stay here on the Thunder App or okcthunder.com.
