The Serge Factor

Amazing what happens when a team stops shooting layups. Game 1 and 2 was just a long march to the layup line. The Spurs shot an unheard of a 25-29 at shots at the rim in Game 1

All that changed with the dramatic return of Serge Ibaka on Sunday and continued into Game 4.

Without Ibaka, the Thunder are porous defensively. With him, they are one of the best defensive teams. Only one other guy has that type of dramatic effect: Lebron James. Without James the Heat are average at best.. With their rim protector back, the Spurs, an efficient scoring maching, were shooting 40% through the two games and looked very confused. A healthy Thunder team is the only team in the league that provides the Spurs with challenges.

One example. Westbrook will often jump pick and roles and get out of position. Now he can take this risk and then Serge will show and it led to various outcomes, an Ibaka block, a contested jump-shot, Westbrook coming from behind and blocking the shot, or Westbrook stealing the ball. A big reason for the 21-0 difference in Game 4 on fast break points. Ibaka helps the Thunder offense on defense. And on offensive, he provides the kind of spacing that gives Westbrook and Durant room to take advantage of individual matchups. In Game 4, Durant was getting to the paint area and found a groove hitting seven in a row.

The Thunder are the only team in the league that can present the Spurs beautiful offense with these kind of problems. Kenny Smith said that the Spurs don’t have trouble with height. They have trouble with height AND athleticism. At one point, Danny Green and Tim Duncan were having a conversation like most teams do. Only if it was Russ and KD, it would be talked on ESPN for the next 24 hours.

When Ibaka, Westbrook, and Jeremy Lamb, yes Jeremy Lamb, are on the court the Spurs seemed very bothered by the length of the Thunder.

The Thunder didn’t even play that well offensively in Game 3, but they destroyed the Spurs on the boards to the tune of 45-27. Game 4 is more how the Thunder will have to play if they hope to take a pivotal Game 5. The question is will the Thunder be able to bring the same defensive intensity on the road as they had at home.

If Serge was healthy at the outset of the series, the Thunder would have won the series. But spotting the Spurs a 2-0 lead might be a little too much to ask. The Spurs and particularly the road players will play better. If the Thunder are to win, the Thunder will need to sustain tremendous defensive intensity and Westbrook and Durant will have to exploit their individual matchups. The Spurs are at home, have the best coach in the game, and its role players will play much better at home. Game 5 will be an epic game, probably the first hotly contested game in the Series and I believe Durant will have to take over the game late.