Thunder must make Warriors pay for gimmick defense

Thunder must make Warriors pay for gimmick defense.

Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan must make Golden State pay for ignoring Andre Robertson, right, shown here going past the Warriors' Draymond Green during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. (Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman)

OAKLAND, Calif. — Remember basketball's old box-and-one defense? One defender played man-to-man defense, typically on a star, and the rest of the team played zone.
The Golden State Warriors are doing the opposite against the Thunder. Four defenders play man-to-man, one plays zone. The Warriors' Draymond Green is ignoring Andre Roberson, just as San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard did in the latter stages of the Thunder-Spurs series.
But don't indict Golden State coach Steve Kerr for theft of intellectually property. Kerr has added a twist. He's not having Green stay in the lane and clog the drives and passes of the Thunder ballhandlers. Kerr is having Green roam to cause mayhem. Double-teaming Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, 25, sometimes 35, feet from the basket.

Why does Durant have 13 turnovers in two games of these Western Conference Finals? In part because he's trying to pass over and dribble through four sets of hands.

Durant and Roberson played together for less than 14 1/2 minutes. During that time, Durant committed six of his eight turnovers in Game 2 Wednesday night.
This isn't the Class 3A regional tournament. This is the world's highest level of basketball. You can't let teams get away with playing gimmick defenses. Which is why Billy Donovan must use this three-day break to counter Kerr's brazen defense.
When the series resumes Sunday night, tied 1-1, Donovan either must have Roberson ready to make Golden State pay for using Green as a rover, or must play Roberson less.

That's what series basketball is all about. Major adjustments in midstream. Benching Thabo Sefolosha, as Scotty Brooks did in two of the Thunder's three playoff series in 2014, to get more offense on the floor. Putting the defensive player of the year on perhaps the league's most ineffective offensive starter, as the Spurs' Gregg Popovich did last series.
The Warriors have made it clear. They are going to make life miserable for Durant and Westbrook, at any cost.

“At the end of the day, they've got two guys who you cannot let beat you,” Green said. “They've proven time and time and time again that they can beat you, and they can do it easily. So they've got two guys that you really have to focus on.”
The Thunder stole Game 1, 108-102, despite Westbrook and Durant combining to make just 17 of 51 shots. They combined for eight turnovers. In Game 2, a 118-91 Golden State rout, Westbrook and Durant shot better, 16 of 32, and committed 11 turnovers. The difference was the supporting cast; it shot 58 percent in Game 1, 41 percent in Game 2.
If Donovan can't devise a plan for the ignored Roberson to find easy baskets, then Roberson must go to the bench.

What's kooky is that Roberson's offense hasn't been awful in this series: in 36 minutes, Roberson has 12 points, on 5-of-8 shooting, 2-of-3 from 3-point range, one turnover. Not half bad. Going back to Spurs Game 6, when Roberson had 14 points, this is his best three-game stretch of the season.
Roberson is not half bad on corner 3-pointers. So how is it that against a team that's not guarding him, Roberson has launched just two corner threes in this series?

Perhaps Donovan needs to get Roberson in the post. If he's standing under the basket, the Warriors darn well better guard him. That would infringe on Steven Adams' territory, so maybe Roberson needs to play more with Enes Kanter on the court, since Kanter can spread the floor.
Perhaps Roberson needs to run the baseline more. That Golden State defense at times looks like a 1-3-1 zone, which hasn't been in fashion in probably 40 years, but the vulnerability hasn't changed — the baseline is left exposed. Roberson has tireless energy. Run him along that baseline like a dog chasing its tail and see if a Westbrook lob for a dunk emerges every few possessions.

“We've just got to watch film and see where we can get ‘Dre some easy looks,” Durant said. “We trust him. We want him to shoot the corner three. We want him to cut. So just watch film and see where we can make them pay for guarding him or for not guarding him. It's on Russell and myself to make sure we take care of him.”
Wrong. It's on Donovan to find the solution. There's got to be something the Thunder can do with a limited, but left-alone, offensive player. If not, Donovan will have to sit Roberson.
Roberson's defense was superb against San Antonio. But if the Thunder is going to switch on every screen, what difference does it make if Roberson is on the floor? The Warriors just run a pick to get Serge Ibaka or Adams or Kanter on the ball, then go about their business.

In 36 minutes with Roberson on the court this series, the Thunder has been outscored 100-70. The Warriors have made 39 of 71 shots with Roberson on the court, which is 55 percent. In the other 48 minutes that matter (the fourth quarter of Game 2 doesn't count), the Warriors have made 33 of 85 shots, 39 percent.
To beat the Warriors, the Thunder needs all hands on deck. Donovan has gone to an eight-man rotation. He needs production, offensively and defensively, from all eight. Donovan has three days to figure out how to make Golden State pay for ignoring Andre Roberson.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.


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