Kevin Durant gives the Spurs massive headaches
It’s not that the Spurs’ offense is bad — in fact, it’s great (props to Kawhi Leonard with 17 points — I bet most people don’t even know who he is). Their problem is their defense, which is day-and-night different from OKC’s. OKC just smothers the Spurs on defense, sticking to each open man like super glue and pressuring the Spurs to make a decision at every moment.
Here’s the difference: While OKC throws down a proactive defense, the Spurs choose a reactive defense. What’s the result? The ever-effective Kevin Durant comes out of nowhere and makes a play. Durant was simply on fire today.
Throw more people at Durant to try to shut him down? Well, you’ve got another problem, which is the fact that anybody else on the court for OKC is very capable of making a shot, especially if you leave them open for even a second.
But of course, Popovich knows all of this. He’s a seasoned coach, and he’s the master. He knows that OKC’s perimeter shooting is fantastic and he’s going to devise something to try to shut it down. You ever hear that talking point on TV about how in the Playoffs it’s more about playing with heart that brings you the win? Well, I watched this last game, and both teams are playing with tons of heart… but OKC out-hearts the Spurs on the defensive end, and you can just see how that makes the difference.
Dear Spurs: OKC is throwing you in disarray with their defense. If you want to win, you’ve got to do the same thing back.
Simple concept, massively difficult execution.
BTW, GJ OKC for making this series a fantastic nail-biter.
