Kiwi Steve in the NBA #24: Assisted Rebounds and Playoff Tickets
BOX SCORES
at HOUSTON ROCKETS (W 108-102):
29 MINS | 12 PTS (5/7 FG, 2/3 FT) | 8 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 1 PF
at MIAMI HEAT (W 115-93):
32 MINS | 7 PTS (3/6 FG, 1/4 FT) | 3 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PF
vs MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (W 137-123):
37 MINS | 24 PTS (9/12 FG, 6/7 FT) | 7 REB | 1 STL | 2 TO | 2 PF
at HOUSTON ROCKETS
Two wins away from clinching a playoffs spot, three games left. Away to the Houston Rockets. Not a must-win but it was for damn sure their last last-chance. Oh and Houston had won 20 consecutive home games.
The Rockets burst out of the gates with a flurry of threes, PJ Tucker throwing it up. But the Thunder had a few spanners in the tool box as well, Paul George and Corey Brewer made some shots before Steven Adams whipped one in from nine-feet. He chased that rare bit of range with a three-point play and a dunk off a Westbrook feed. Seven straight for the big fella. Thunder up 36-30 after one with a solid offensive start.
Problem was they couldn’t keep up the pace. Shots weren’t really falling, OKC hit only 39.6% from the field for the game, compared to Houston dropping them in at 47.4%. What the Thunder did have was rebounding. The overall numbers were pretty similar but OKC hauled in 15 on the offensive end and on this occasion it wasn’t all Steve. He had a couple in the second but they led to a missed shot and a blocked shot, so cheers to the rest of the buggers as seven different Thunder players had an offensive rebound. Yeah… except the Rockets still closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 62-61 lead into oranges.
Still, OKC were bringing the energy. They were keeping up with the number one seed in the West, a Rockets team pretty much at full strength too. Adams added another hook shot early in the third, Westbrook tied it up at the line… and then we got a good indication why that field goal percentage was so low. The good news was that HOU were turning the ball over like it was summer league but OKC couldn’t take advantage, Brewer missing three straight triples at one point.
Doesn’t bloody help when Kiwi Steve is getting copped on the noggin either. He took a blow (inadvertently) from Nene and had to pop backstage to get his head checked. The doctors gave him the all clear to return but he never did. By the time he normally would’ve returned, the Thunder were playing their best stuff of the game and Billy Donovan decided to roll with the hot hands.
Without him it was Jerami Grant extending his season-long emergence. Bringing a bit of that dynamic bounce to the five whereas Steve is more about immovable power. But you don’t beat the Rockets by adding a tad more fluidity. You also need some ridiculous defence, and OKC had to do it without Andre Roberson going HAM on Harden. All goods, that’s what Paul George was for. And even Russell Westbrook zoned right in. When he finds the right balance, he’s a genuinely troubling defender, ripping off steals like bandaids. And midway through the fourth it all clicked. An 11-0 run from 7:09 to play until 2:48 left and, damn, where did this come from?
Best indication of it all was that the Rockets, the bloody Rockets with James ‘Continuation’ Harden, didn’t shoot a single free throw in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile OKC shot 13 of 17 from the line in the fourth.
22 points for Carmelo Anthony. He had 14 of those in the first quarter. Paul George had 24 points, not at his best on the offensive end but an absolute monster defensively, particularly in the fourth quarter. And Westbrook, that old dog, scored 24 points with 10 assists. Houston had five dudes in double figures with James Harden topping with 26p & 9a while Chris Paul also had 9 assists to go with his 17 points.
Daily Thunder: “Steven Adams dropped 12 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes of action, finishing as a -4. He left the game in the first half due to getting hit in the face and later left again to ride a bike after falling and being slow to get up. He wasn’t on the floor for OKC in the fourth quarter, although Billy Donovan said post-game that it was a personnel decision.”
Thunderous Intentions Player Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (B)
“Adams had a solid game against the rival Rockets. Despite taking some blows and sitting for most of the second half, the Big Kiwi finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds. He remains a lethal threat rolling to the cup when he and Russell Westbrook run their vaunted pick and roll. Heres hoping that none of the minor bumps and bruises Adams ended up with tonight keep him out any time. He’s too important to this team’s success.”
at MIAMI HEAT
Beating the Rockets pretty much saved the Thunder’s season. Not to make massive statements here but the final game against the tanking Grizzlies was always a sitter so beating Houston all but confirmed that OKC would make the playoffs after all. Beating the Miami Heat over in Florida a couple days later only confirmed it, and with a game to spare, leaving the fourth seed within their grasp. That’ll do nicely, lads. (Only downside is that they now owe their 2018 first round pick to Minnesota but that’s all good).
It didn’t start well. Seven minutes into the game and they were down 23-5 without a field goal, having shot 0/10 from the field with three turnovers. Free throws were all they had to go on and even that wasn’t so flash thanks to Steven Adams missing a brace. Miami were on pace for 39 points in the quarter and it was ugly.
Steven Adams usually loves a battle with Hassan Whiteside but there was only one winner on this occasion. Whiteside blocked Adams from three feet in the first minute and Steve didn’t even attempt another shot until halfway through the second and that one missed as well. All up Steve had 1 point in the first half. 1 point and 2 rebounds, one of the least effective halves he’s played in ages and it’s no surprise from that to know the Heat outscored OKC in the paint this game by 58 points to 32.
Alex Abrines was the bloke who finally made a field goal, with 4:47 left in the first. The rest of the bench all chipped in with buckets too, Grant, Felton and Patterson, and then Paul George and Russell Westbrook got down to brass tax on it all. The Thunder recovered from that abysmal start and went into the half only down by three points and when Kiwi Steve finally made a bucket, almost four minutes into the 3Q, putting back a Melo miss with a dunk, we were all tied up at 65-all. The Heat went on the counter attack to be up 81-76 after three… and then the funk kicked in.
The final twelve minutes were simply a masterclass. For all the struggles the Thunder have had this season, they’ve had moments of transcendence in there too where the suddenly topple the Warriors or Rockets or Cavaliers while playing some sublime basketball. They proceeded to outscored the Heat 39-12 in the fourth, the worst points differential in Heat franchise history for a quarter in a home game.
Once again it was Jerami Grant bringing some serious energy in the final frame, assisted ably by Ray Felton and, eventually, Russell Westbrook. Adams didn’t check back in until there was only 5:28 remaining and pretty soon this was a blowout and he sat back down again. No worries there but it did all contribute to a minimal statistical haul for Adams (he had three boards meanwhile Russ, the starting point guard, grabbed 18 of them. The ghost of Wilt Chamberlain weeps). And these fourth quarter lineups without Adams are likely to get a look in during the playoffs too, for what that’s worth (Steve usually does his best work in the first).
Paul George topped with 27 points. Rusty Buckets added 23p/18r/13a and would average a triple-double for the second straight season if he could get 16 boards against Memphis. Jerami Grant scored 17 points. Carmelo Anthony, who booked his first playoffs appearance since 2013, shot 4 of 11 for 11 points. Miami’s best was Josh Richardson with 18 points while Whiteside had 16p & 8r in 21 minutes.
Daily Thunder: “Not the best night for Steven Adams. Big Kiwi finished as a -1 in 32 minutes, turning in just 7 points and 3 rebounds on 3-of-6 shooting. Hassan Whiteside got the better end of that match-up, contributing 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.”
vs MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Therefore coming into the final day of the regular season it was already mission accomplished. There was still playoff seeding to worry about, but with so many teams in that 46-47 win range in the West that was largely out of OKC’s control. Which meant that, sure, task one was to win the game. Against the team with the second worst record in the league that ought not to be so tricky. Task two was then to get Russell Westbrook the 16 rebounds he needs to average another triple-double this season.
Russ denied the stat padding accusation pretty bluntly when asked about it. Basically saying that if he’s quicker to the ball then you then that’s your problem, his job is to do a little bit of everything and others would get 15-20 rebounds from his position if they could. All true. But this is also a team tactic. Like, it’s just better for the Thunder to get the ball in his hands as quickly as possible to unlock his downhill transitional attack, hence Steven Adams usually ties up the oppo big man leaving the rebound free for a teammate rather than chasing those defensive ones himself. That’s just how they play. Anyway, he’s already locked up his statistical anomaly for the season.
We got this thing underway with Adams splitting a couple free throws after rolling to the rim and getting fouled. This shaped as the kind of game where he could absolutely annihilate the Grizz, who only dressed nine players for their final game and that meant no Marc Gasol, no Tyreke Evans, no Mike Conley, no Chandler Parsons… it’s a long list. Shame that Russ wasn’t chasing 16 assists or Stevie mighta gone for 40.
Dillon Brooks and Ben McLemore came out hitting shots, giving Memphis a little boost to start things, but a couple Paul George triples soon hauled them back. Kobi Simmons couldn’t sink ‘em though and his missed three gave Westbrook his first rebound. Three seconds later he had an assist on a Melo made treble. There was also an Adams dunk in there somewhere, assisted by Rusty Buckets of course.
OKC got to the line 12 times in the first quarter. Too big, too quick and too strong. Somehow Adams shot 5/6 of them, making his presence known against rookie Ivan Rabb before getting unleashed by his point guard. He had 11 points in the first (although his two rebounds came immediately after Russ checked out, curiously) while PG13 added 14 on 5/6 shooting for a 38 point firstie. Thunder up ten.
Russ’ Rebound Count, 1Q: 4 REB | 0 PTS | 7 AST
The pattern of the game was the Grizz getting thumped in transition. Westbrook was barely taking a shot, only getting on the board with a free throw, but he didn’t need to. There was always someone breaking in front of him and it was often Corey Brewer plus his passing was coming straight from the top shelf here. Then, as the Grizzlies started missing shots, rebounds began falling in his lap. Adams missed a couple shots in the second… but then he threw down an absolutely sick reverse dunk and ripped off a three-point play to boot. Hey, if it ain’t too late for Russ to get his rebounds up there, then maybe it ain’t too late to fix that FT%.
Half-time and OKC were up 77-57, Paul George with 26 points and Steven Adams with 18. This is one half of basketball, remember. As for the Russ Wagon…
Russ’ Rebound Count, 2Q: 11 REB | 1 PT | 12 AST
The last five boards took no time at all. One he almost ripped from Adams’ hands on the offensive end, another it was almost like Deyonta Davis missed that free throw short on purpose. Not even three mins into the half he’d grabbed the last five. 9:18 to play in the third was the exact measure. Which meant it was time to start scoring… though he had some catching up to do with Adams already on 20 points and Paul George a blistering 32 with 7/7 3pt. This was midway through the third.
The Grizz then forged a little comeback sparked by Dillon Brooks but that was a good thing as it gave Billy Donovan a reason to leave his starters out there deep into the third, with Funaki taking his scoring up to 24 points. The air must be pretty thin all the way up there in the mid-20s. 105-96 after three.
Russ’ Rebound Count, 3Q: 18 REB | 6 PTS | 16 AST
This was Russell before the game. He may have been about to lock up a TD average over 164 games but this one was also memorable for Nick ‘Mr Thunder’ Collison having now played in more than 1000 NBA games. He wasn’t too likely to actually take the court in this one but then in the fourth Corey Brewer went down hurt clutching his knee, fouled on a three pointer. He couldn’t shoot the FTs because of the injury so JB Bickerstaff, Memphis coach, got to nominate a player to shoot ‘em instead. He chose Mr Thunder to a roar from the home crowd. (The sentimental moment didn’t quite go as hoped though, he missed all three).
Nothing much left to do after that. Adams grabbed another couple boards but didn’t add to his points tally. 13Dillon Brooks shot his way up to 36 points alongside five other Grizzlies in double figures while Paul George led the way for OKC with 40 points (but after starting 7/7 from deep he was 1/7 for the rest of the contest). Adams got his 24p & 7r and Russ, well...
Russ’ Rebound Count, 4Q: 20 REB | 6 PTS | 19 AST
Thunderous Intentions Player Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (A)
“With all the noise surrounding Westbrook and George’s performances tonight, we can’t forget about the Big Kiwi. Quietly, Adams scored 24 points and snagged 7 rebounds. His presence in the middle is a formidable one for this OKC Thunder squad.”
SLAM DUNKS
Zach Lowe’s got Steven Adams second on his Most Improved ballot: “I gravitate toward veterans who add new skills. Every part of Adams' game inched forward. His numbers are up across the board. He is a better passer and defender, and his floater has become automatic.”
Dime Magazine/Uproxx: “Adams doesn’t blow up the box score on a regular basis and, frankly, it would be difficult for almost any big man to do so on a team with players like Westbrook, George, and Anthony dominating offensive usage. Still, Adams is the embodiment of a player that does “all of the little things” that contribute to winning and someone in Griffin’s position (even as simply a fan in this case) can recognize that.
Adams is a thoroughly dominant offensive rebounder. Even on a team with Westbrook (who flies around with historic rebounding rates for a point guard), Adams leads the NBA in offensive rebound rate (16.8) and those extra possessions are vital to the way Oklahoma City plays offensively. In fact, the Thunder have a 109.5 offensive rating when Adams plays and, when he exits, that dips to a paltry 103.3. As you may expect, the team experiences a similar dip when Westbrook leaves the floor but, in the same breath, his impact is more obvious, whereas the way Adams contributes is far more understated.”
Paolo Uggetti/The Ringer: “Congrats to Steven Adams, who is also the winner of the very official award for Underrated Player Who’s Fun to Watch Do the Little Things (the title needs a lot of work, I know). The award was created to honor Mike Conley, who won his third straight last year. Adams is a savant of the pick-and-roll, and he’s the perfect steady, guiding force to pair with a rampaging Russell Westbrook. Adams is shooting a career-high 62.7 percent from the field on a career-high nine shots a game this season, but scoring is not his forte. He’s a rebound hound, totaling 28 double-doubles this season—12 more than last season—and posting a career-high 16.6 offensive rebound percentage. Adams isn’t so much a glue guy as he is an oil guy who keeps the engine running, and for a team with three ball-dominant players, that’s incredibly valuable.”
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