Kevin Durant was on his toes, arms hovering at the ready. The entry pass was telegraphed, and Durant batted it down. As the ball swung to Dirk Nowitzki, Russell Westbrook pinched in, slapping the ball away. When it squirted to Wesley Matthews, the shot clock was on its dying breath, and Andre Roberson chased his man into a heave as the 24 seconds expired.
“We did a good job of playing off of each other. We have a lot of length and athleticism. We did a great job of using it, especially on that possession by scrambling and making it tough on those guys,” Westbrook said.
It was the epitome of a disruptive, energetic Thunder defensive possession, and a statement that Playoff basketball was back in Chesapeake Energy Arena. Possession after possession, the Thunder clamped down, and when the 48 minutes were over in the Game One of Round One against the Dallas Mavericks, Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club ran away with a 108-70 victory.
“Defensively it was a combination that they missed some shots and they had some really good defensive possessions,” Donovan explained. “We were able to get on a little bit of a run there because we got out in transition and got some stops and were able to make some plays.”
“We wanted to come out and impose our will early,” Durant added. “We didn’t want to ease into the game. We wanted to be the aggressor. We came out and did a good job.”
It marked the fewest points allowed and the largest margin in a Thunder win in its playoff history, and the Oklahoma City faithful let the Thunder know about it throughout the night. The Thunder thrived off of its defense, which was suffocating for most of the night, although the Mavericks did miss some shots it normally makes. Regardless, the Thunder was able to limit Dallas starters not named Nowitzki to a combined 5-for-25 shooting, and a total of 11 points. For the night, the Mavericks shot just 29.8 percent, including 4-for-18 (22.2 percent) from the three-point line.
“Our defense was good and they’re a terrific shooting team. From the bench tonight, they got some good looks that just didn’t go down, particularly from the three-point line and in and around the basket,” Donovan said. “We were fortunate. It’s a seven game series and this is one game.”
Offensively, the Thunder was explosive, if not always crisp. The Thunder did turn the ball over 18 times, but they weren’t often of the live ball variety, meaning they only led directly to 11 Dallas points. In terms of scoring, there was balance, selflessness and a disciplined flow to the Thunder offense. Westbrook led all scorers with 24 points to go with 11 assists and five rebounds, while Durant was right with him at 23 points (7-for-15 shooting), along with five rebounds and five assists.
The x-factor for the Thunder while the game was still somewhat close was Serge Ibaka, whose efficiency and activity were catalysts on both ends. His jumper was silky smooth, as he knocked down 7-of-8 shots, including all three 3-pointers, for 17 points. Perhaps more importantly, Ibaka was a force in the paint, grabbing nine rebounds, blocking three shots and altering many more.
“It was one of those nights where your teammates feel like you’re hot, they keep trusting you and giving you the ball,” Ibaka said. “It’s good for me for my confidence and also for the team. Now for next game, they have to figure out how to guard us.”
“When he’s knocking down that jump shot, it opens it up on the offensive end,” Durant said of Ibaka. “Guarding Dirk is tough and he did a good job all night of making it tough on him.”
While many Thunder players were making their some of their first postseason appearances, there weren’t any nervous moments, and in fact the newcomers played quite well. It all started with the relentless physicality of Enes Kanter, who put together a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double while shooting 7-for-10 from the field. Kyle Singler stepped in and knocked down both of his three-point attempts, and the bench amassed 36 points on the night.
“Most of the credit that goes to our defense goes to the two days prior that we practiced,” veteran guard Randy Foye said of the reason for the strong performance. “We practiced extremely hard, everyone was focused, our coaches did a great job of preparing us and the scout team that we had with coaches and some players did a great job of running their stuff. We did a great job of practice and it carried over from practice onto the court.”
From a team perspective, the Thunder’s biggest advantage was on the glass, as it has been all season and as it was during the regular season 4-0 series sweep. Donovan’s group out-rebounded Dallas 56-33 on the night, showing that it’s often what makes you unique that makes you dangerous in the NBA.
“That’s going to be our advantage, and as long as we continue to do that every night, we put ourselves in position to win the game,” Westbrook said.
Thunder Highlights:
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Dominant First Half
The crescendo kept building in the opening minutes on Saturday night, as the Thunder repeatedly got stop after stop, then manufactured buckets on the other end of the floor. The two teams traded stops on their opening possessions, but Westbrook found Ibaka for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer for the game’s opening bucket – an omen of what was to follow.
Westbrook then found Durant on a layup and a mid-range jumper on the next two possessions, while the Thunder forced a turnover and missed floater. On the next play, the ball swung from side to side, and as a Mavericks big man closed out on Roberson in the corner, he pump-faked and drove straight to the rim for an easy layup. All 18,203 people jumped out of their seats, and the rout was on.
“It’s creating for teammates and adding the drive in there as well,” Roberson said of his drives to the paint throughout the night. “If the corner 3 isn’t falling like tonight, you have to rely on other things.”
In the first quarter, the Thunder allowed the Mavericks to score just 11 points and shoot 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) from the field. In the first half as a whole, Dallas scored just 33 points on 26.2 percent shooting. Both point totals were the fewest for any Thunder postseason opponent in the team’s history.
“It’s a testament to our preparation,” Roberson said. “We locked in and executed everything we talked about in our game plan and played as a team. Communication is a big part of that. We were just playing together.”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
By the Numbers
7-for-8 – Shooting numbers for Serge Ibaka, who scored 17 points to go with nine rebounds and three blocks
11 – Points allowed by the Thunder in the first quarter, and just 33 in the first half, the fewest ever by an opponent in the playoffs in Thunder history
56-33 - Rebounding edge for the Thunder on the night, led by Enes Kanter’s 13 off the bench
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The Last Word
“Leading up into this game, the last two practices, we were really locked in. Tomorrow is a huge practice for us… We’re going to have to be ready next game to come out and execute.” – guard Randy Foye