The mission was made easier by the absence of Zion Williamson, but the Thunder completely extinguished the Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs. Already by winning four matches in a row, without losing one, but also by limiting New Orleans to an average of 89.5 points. Brandon Ingram and his teammates have never exceeded the 92-unit mark in a meeting…
Is it really surprising when we finished the regular season with the fourth most efficient defense in the league? “I think that when we constantly put in the effort on defense during the season, as we did, then nothing really changes in the playoffs”, judge Jalen Williams.
The symbol of this continuity is Chet Holmgren. Already having a very good season, with an average of 2.3 blocks, the rookie took it up a notch, with 2.8 shots rejected in this first round. Faced with the power of Jonas Valanciunas, he held his own.
“He is very intelligent and understands what we are trying to do on defense. He knows when to rotate and knows how to defend on the outside.” explains Jalen Williams again. “He defends in different situations and he does a remarkable job adjusting. »
Everyone makes the effort and it rubs off on others
The rookie is the Thunder's last bastion. First, we have to deal with Lu Dort. Quite a challenge. “He is our anchor. With his physique, his efforts »says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “When we see Lu defending like this, we can't abandon him and not make the same efforts. It would feel like we were letting him down. »
“I often talk about invisible qualities and work. Lu does a lot of things that don't show.”continues coach Mark Daigneault, who saw his player dominate Brandon Ingram. “We can't count them all, or put them in the statistics, but when we play against him, we feel it. And we also feel it when he is on our side. »
And even the team's star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, spares no effort. Clever, in a more subdued style, the Canadian from the Thunder steals balls and is not a weak point on this side of the field like other stars can be. Remember that he is the 2nd best interceptor in the NBA!
“We know the player he is in attack but he plays hard in defense. This allows everyone to understand that we can give our all to be the best possible, because he doesn't take a break, on any action.”, concludes Aaron Wiggins. But the level will go up a notch, with the upcoming duel against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
