There are no easy opponents in the NBA, and definitely not in the Western Conference. Over this past week, that has been supremely evident for the Thunder, and it doesn’t stop on Sunday.
Head Coach Scott Brooks and his squad host the Houston Rockets on at noon on Easter Sunday at Chesapeake Energy Arena, squaring off against yet another opponent that loves to run-and-gun and shoot 3-pointers. Earlier in the week, the Thunder played a Dallas Mavericks squad in a 135-131 shootout, but against a similar Houston foe, Brooks wants his team to flip the script. In order for the Thunder to have success, this can’t be a game played out in space for both sides.
“They’re a very good basketball team,” Brooks said. “We have to sprint back. We can’t hang around the basket. We can’t complain about a call. We can’t stay on the floor.”
“They have a good bench, they come in with a great deal of experience, and have guys who can do multiple things,” Brooks continued.
As Brooks mentioned, getting back will be crucial to success for the Thunder tonight. Forcing Houston into a half-court game where it has to execute against a set defense is the preferred outcome of every possession. Once it gets all five men in position, the Thunder has a better chance to get organized, communicate and present a wall of defenders to Houston’s attacking guards.
“We just have to rely on our shell,” Adams explained. “The main thing we have to focus on tomorrow is getting back in transition. We have to be really good at sprinting back. If we do that, we can take care of the rest.”
Another factor that the Thunder has to deal with on Sunday is Dwight Howard, who recently returned to the Rockets lineup after recovering from injury. The Thunder’s trio of healthy big men – Adams, Enes Kanter and Mitch McGary, will all have their hands full keeping Howard away from the rim throughout the night – preventing those lobs and transition dunks.
In terms of physicality, however, the young Thunder bigs have been growing each and every day. In Friday night’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, they gained incredible experience guarding Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, handling the toughness and contact. The same will be required against Houston.
“The experience is important for them,” Brooks said. “Enes had a great game yesterday, but he still has to lock in on the defensive end. Same with Mitch and Steven. Steven is growing and I think he made a leap this past month. There are going to be many more leaps in his game and in his progress.”
Westbrook Wins Player of the Month, Again
In the month of February, Russell Westbrook nearly averaged a triple-double and won the Western Conference’s Player of the Month award. In March, the Thunder point guard did it all again. By averaging 30.9 points, 10.2 assists and 8.5 rebounds per game to go along with 2.5 steals, Westbrook was a factor on both ends of the floor. Westbrook recorded four triple-doubles during the month, set a career-high with 49 points and scored 30-or-more on eight occasions while also recording double-digit assist totals in eight different games.
“It is extremely difficult to that do with all the great players in the league,” Brooks said of Westbrook winning back-to-back player of the month awards. “That tells you the level that he has played at. He’s as consistent as anybody in the league. He plays hard and leaves everything on the floor. Those are the characteristics we pride ourselves on as an organization.”
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