Is Miami's D THAT suffocating or has OKC cooled off?

[InTheCrust]

Or is it a little of both?

Let me get one thing out of the way: The Spurs D was bad. Period.

Not super bad, but still bad enough that they got backdoor swept. The Thunder carved them up on demand in the last 4 games of the series. Everything seemingly went in. Spurfan thought it was luck, mavfan + lakerfan + everyone else thought it was horrendous closeouts. But even then they were making all the fucking long balls (Sefolosha through Collison).

Miami's rotation to open shooters has been stupendous. They're swarming the ball, packing the paint, and challenging every shot.

I think it's both. OKC sky-high percentages were bound to regress, and MIA's D has been damn near flawless.

Thoughts?

[slick'81]

think u answered ur own question

[DMC]

Miami has good D but they are allowed to have it by the officiating crew. Good D is often disguised as fouling depending on the crew and the team.

[mavs>spurs]

it's amazing the effect defense has on shots going on or not

[TampaDude]

Miami's defense is way better than the Spurs defense this year, tbh...

[HeatChamps]

Miami's D is just that good.

[Bill_Brasky]

Miami playing really good D....making all the rotations, making their jump shooters hesitant to the point where they get psyched out when they're wide open.

[Ace]

Mostly Miami's D along with some Thunder choke.

[mercos]

Miami's perimeter D is superior to San Antonio's, but the Thunder are missing a lot of open shots they hit last series. They have also given up on team basketball. In game 4 they had a total of 13 assists. The last 3 games against the Spurs, OKC had 27, 22, and 18 assists. Combine that with James Harden's disappearing act, and you have the Thunder about to suffer the same fate they dealt to San Antonio.

[mavs>spurs]

Miami's perimeter D is superior to San Antonio's, but the Thunder are missing a lot of open shots they hit last series.

That's what happens when you close out hard and keep the other team from establishing a rhythm.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

That's what happens when you close out hard and keep the other team from establishing a rhythm.
:lol this is a simple concept Spurfan refuses to accept

[siraulo23]

its always a little bit of both but it's mostly because of miami's defense

This is a series when OKC desperately needs a post scorer, heat's perimeter d is best in the nba

[DMC]

:lol this is a simple concept Spurfan refuses to accept
We accept it, we just cannot do it.

[HeatChamps]

Yeah the Spurs are an old team. Hard to play great defense when you are a step slower.

[Juggity]

That's what happens when you close out hard and keep the other team from establishing a rhythm.

NBA players shouldn't need to be in a rhythm to knock down a wide open jump shot. These are supposedly the best players in the world. The number of bricked wide open jumpshots Harden and various others have put up in this series is pretty astounding, actually :lol.

Miami's D is much better than San Antonio's for sure, but not so much better that half of OKC's bench should be rendered virtually useless as a result. At some point it comes down to not choking and actually making your wide open jumpshots, which OKC seems so far incapable of doing.

[mavs>spurs]

NBA players shouldn't need to be in a rhythm to knock down a wide open jump shot. These are supposedly the best players in the world. The number of bricked wide open jumpshots Harden and various others have put up in this series is pretty astounding, actually :lol.

Miami's D is much better than San Antonio's for sure, but not so much better that half of OKC's bench should be rendered virtually useless as a result. At some point it comes down to not choking and actually making your wide open jumpshots, which OKC seems so far incapable of doing.

have you ever played basketball? basketball is ALL about rhythm.

[Donkeybong]

I think it has more to do with Thunder cooling off. The team just looks tired tbh. They've depended on sprinting down the floor to get them quick points most of the playoffs, but those legs have finally worn down and their offense looks stagnant and stuck in the half-court.

[Clipper Nation]

LeClutch's D has cooled that bitchmade jump shooting team down tbh.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

We accept it, we just cannot do it.
you accept it, however you were right about the Spurs moreso than the vast majority of other Spurs fans.

[KaiRMD1]

Miami;s D has been good through every series tbh. Sure they had games where you're like "what the....." but their D has been on point. I remember in the first round, they made Steve Novak a non factor.

[InRareForm]

Let's see:

Thunder faced an average (slightly above avg.) defensive ballclub with Dallas, average defensive team with Lakers, average team with spurs.

Now they are facing an elite Defensive team for the first time this postseason.

[Latarian Milton]

our D might be even better then mavs' of last season and that's one of the greatest things that battier delivers. nigga upgraded our D to another level and the whole team is playing great D because of him, thought his stats like rebs/steals/blocks ain't that impressive at all. most underrated defensive player in NBA history imho

[Koolaid_Man]

Or is it a little of both?

Let me get one thing out of the way: The Spurs D was bad. Period.

Not super bad, but still bad enough that they got backdoor swept. The Thunder carved them up on demand in the last 4 games of the series. Everything seemingly went in. Spurfan thought it was luck, mavfan + lakerfan + everyone else thought it was horrendous closeouts. But even then they were making all the fucking long balls (Sefolosha through Collison).

Miami's rotation to open shooters has been stupendous. They're swarming the ball, packing the paint, and challenging every shot.

I think it's both. OKC sky-high percentages were bound to regress, and MIA's D has been damn near flawless.

Thoughts?


The answer to your question is that Kobe is still the measuring stick by which players judge themselves...them niggas went all out HAM on Kobe to fulfill some warped fucked up childhood dream...but they don't give a shit while playing against Lebron and so they've slacked off...

Beating LA was their championship they built their team for eventually beating Kobe and they're now satisfied. Plain and Simple

Shows just how great Kobe is IMO...

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Miami's perimeter D is superior to San Antonio's, but the Thunder are missing a lot of open shots they hit last series. They have also given up on team basketball. In game 4 they had a total of 13 assists. The last 3 games against the Spurs, OKC had 27, 22, and 18 assists. Combine that with James Harden's disappearing act, and you have the Thunder about to suffer the same fate they dealt to San Antonio.


I'm more in line to agree with this. Miami's perimeter D plays to OKC's strength. Since OKC has no post presence or interior game Miami is able to take a lot of chances on defense. Against the Spurs, OKC bigs had some career games, namely Ibaka and that was able to put OKC over the top. OKC has become the same team it was all season, a one on one perimeter team trying to be a great perimeter-oriented defensive team.

[cheguevara]

Lebron, Wade both easily 1st defensive team all nba

Battier is top 5 perimeter defender

Haslem is as crafty defender as Horry/Posey

the PG scrub is top 10 defensive PG

bosh is long

fuck :pctoss

[cheguevara]

:lmao at Pop thinking offense wins championships

[TampaDude]

Lebron, Wade both easily 1st defensive team all nba

Battier is top 5 perimeter defender

Haslem is as crafty defender as Horry/Posey

the PG scrub is top 10 defensive PG

bosh is long

fuck :pctoss

Yup...pretty much...if the Spurs had made the Finals this year, they'd probably be suffering the same fate. Heat got this. :lobt2:

[thunderfan]

Miami really presses on the perimeter at times. It can be a bit of a risk, but it's forced OKC into making some bad decisions and they have been able to rotate quick enough when OKC passes out of any double teams or when a Miami player gets burnt by overplaying. Miami is very good at perimeter defense though. At the same time, OKC has at times done a pretty good job at finding the open man, but they just aren't hitting. Thabo can't hit the broad side of a barn it seems and he's actually a good 3 point shooter (granted, he only shoots when he's wide open). And then Harden, of course.. OKC just has to move more on offense. More cuts, sharper cuts, sharper screens. What they are doing isn't cutting it.

[thunderfan]

Eric Maynor would be extremely nice to have on the court about now. Losing him was a bigger blow than people realize. He's Westbrook's polar opposite. He comes in and simply creates for everyone on the floor.

[Frenzy]

Wow a thunder Fan,haven't seen one in a while. Figured they left after the spurs rape. Really no need to stay here tbh.

[thunderfan]

Wow - an ugly Japanese woman putting her vag in the camera. No need for that either.