By MIKE PIELLUCCI
FOXSportsSouthwest.com
Jan. 22, 2011
The easy way out would be to say that the Thunder didn't deserve to win Saturday night's game versus New York.
It's not a hard case to make, either. They shot terribly -- 38.6% from the field and 29.4% from three-point range. They were careless with the ball, turning the rock over 15 times that resulted in 14 Knicks points. They allowed seven different Knicks to reach double figures in points.
Here's the thing, though: good teams find ways to steal a few games each year that they don't have much business winning. The Thunder did just that on Saturday, stunning the Knicks at the buzzer 101-98 behind a lot of defense and just enough Kevin Durant.
While Durant's jumper is going to get the run on the nightly highlight shows, the real story lies in the defense. It's no secret that the Thunder have regressed defensively from last season to this one, plummeting from; and from third in opposing three-point percentage all the way down to 25th; 11th in points allowed to 20th; from seventh in opposing field goal percentage to 24th.
All of that was on display in an atrocious first half that was bad even by the Thunder's diminished standards, as they allowed the Knicks to put up 60 points on 54.8% shooting including 41.7% from beyond the arc.
"That first half was an embarrassing performance defensively," coach Scott Brooks said after the game. "They were getting anything they wanted. The only good part of it was that it was only 24 minutes long.
"We made some adjustments at halftime, said a few things, and got some stops."
Brooks wouldn't reveal exactly what he told his team in the locker room at halftime -- "my mom would not be very happy with me if I told you what I said," he smirked -- but Thunder fans should hope he's got more of it in reserve, because the defensive clinic Oklahoma City put on over the final 24 minutes not only won them the game but doubled as perhaps their best defensive half all season.
After hitting 23 of their 42 first-half attempts, New York only made 14 of their 44 second-half shots (31.8%) including 4 of their 14 three-point attempts (28.5%) for a total of 38 points.
The Knicks' two best players, Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton, were held to a 28 total points -- some 15 less than their combined average -- on 12-of-34 shooting (35.2%)
All that included Mike D'Antoni's vaunted fast break, too. The Knicks notched 19 points in transition in the first half; in the second, they didn't score a single one.
The secret to that success came from two guys who, to quote Thunder play-by-play announcer Brian Davis, are charged with "putting the rubber gloves on" to do the dirty work -- reserve big men Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka, each of whom flourished on the offensive end as well.
Collison's three points and five rebounds may appear measly in the box score but he made possibly the biggest contribution of all to the win by playing outstanding pick-and-roll defense on Felton and Stoudemire to almost single-handedly shut down the lifeblood of the Knicks offense.
He was just as fundamental yet unsung on the other end, playing the entire fourth quarter and setting innumerable screens that freed up Durant and Russell Westbrook, who combined for 58 of Oklahoma City's 101 points, to shoot the Thunder to victory.
Ibaka, meanwhile, was simply everywhere. The second-year pro doesn't garner as much attention as Durant and Westbrook but has quietly become the team's third-best player with the athleticism and hustle to bang with centers despite being a lithe 6'10'', 235lbs while adding considerable touch to offensive game.
On Saturday, he influenced the fourth quarter more than anyone apart from Durant, scoring six points in the period to go with six rebounds and two blocks as part of an 11-point, career high-tying 15-rebound game that included five crucial boards on the offensive glass.
He also played center stage in the Thunder's two biggest defensive stops in the game.
First, he combined with Collison to stuff Stoudemire in the paint off a foiled pick-and-roll attempt with the Thunder trailing 96-95 with 1:40 left in the ball game.
A minute later, with the Thunder trailing 98-97, he came to the rescue once again, forcing Felton to alter his floater attempt just enough to err wide, leading to a loose-ball foul on Westbrook that helped tie the game from the free-throw line.
Those were the types of plays that helped the Thunder claw back into the game in spite of their poor shooting and not leading since the first minute of the second quarter, all done with a resilience and poise that belied the age of the young group.
"Like I tell the guys, there's going to be nights where the offense is not flowing the way that we would like and that's just part of being a basketball player -- you're not going to hit every shot," Brooks mused.
"But if you defend the way we defended in the second half, that's alright because we're gonna have a moment in the game where the offense is going to look better."
By now, you know what that moment is. Durant's game-winning, buzzer-beating three capped off the perfect and gave the 22-year-old his star moment less than 24 hours away from when All-Star voting closes and he'll be named to Western Conference's starting lineup.
For the third straight game, it didn't come easy, with a gaudy 30-point, 12-rebound performance marred by a 10-of-25 shooting night. The shot that mattered most went down, however, despite the Knicks' Danilo Galinari playing almost perfect defense.
"It looked short to me," a beaming Durant said of the trajectory on his winning bucket.
"But I'll take it.
So, too, will the Thunder.
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