Kiwi Steve in the NBA Playoffs: First Round vs Utah Jazz, Game 1
BOX SCORES
vs UTAH JAZZ (W 116-108):
37 MINS | 12 PTS (4/9 FG, 4/6 FT) | 7 REB | 3 AST | 1 PF
NEXT WEEK
GAME TWO vs UTAH JAZZ, Thursday at 12.00pm (NZT)
GAME THREE at UTAH JAZZ, Sunday at 2.00pm (NZT)
THE SERIES PREVIEW THINGAMAJIGGY
A week ago the Thunder were wondering if they’d even make the playoffs but they ended up snatching the fourth seed and home-court advantage against the Utah Jazz because… basketball.
Cannot deny that this is a great opponent for OKC either. The Jazz are a tricky team who, like Oklahoma City, had a brilliant second half of the season after a slow first. Also a very similar one to the Thunder in that both teams finished with 48-34 records and OKC got the tiebreaker because of their 3-1 head to head record – not that you can read much into those games given they last played before Christmas (when Rudy Gobert was still injured and before Andre Roberson got hurt himself).
In rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell they have a genuinely scary offensive weapon while Joe Ingles might be the best three-point shooter in the league. Ricky Rubio’s been shooting the lights out recently even if that’s probably just a minor trend while Jae Crowder gives them another curious option, picked up at the trade deadline. Quinn Snyder’s a top notch coach as well. But they’re a team built most of all upon the defensive prowess of Rudy Gobert.
Gobert is the finest rim protector in the league and a very good bet for Defensive Player of the Year. That’s a monstrous task for Steven Adams to take care of and it could also affect Russell Westbrook’s game quite a bit, forcing him to rely on his jumper rather than getting to the rim. Gobert and Adams both went in the 2013 NBA Draft, by the way, and the French Rejection has a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to players, like Adams, who were selected ahead of him back then.
Both these teams have top-10 defensive records but OKC’s has slumped since Roberson was hurt while Utah’s is the best in the NBA since the All Star Break and it ain’t even close. Gotta think that makes the Thunder’s efforts on the offensive glass rather essential. They probably can’t foot it in a shootout over seven games with the likes of Houston or Golden State, at least you wouldn’t think so with the inconsistencies of their three main scorers, but defensive warfare suits them nicely. As long as they can make the most of their bonus shot attempts because good looks are tough to come by against the Jazz.
Fred Katz/Norman Transcript: “Rudy Gobert vs. Steven Adams: The fascinating part of this center matchup is the way the two big men mirror each other’s styles. Both are defensive minded. Both are top-notch screeners. They finished first and second in screen assists this season. Both rebound. Both are elite rim-divers and finishers there. Yet, the fight between Gobert and Adams isn’t truly between Gobert and Adams. Sure, they’ll battle on the boards, but one neutralizing the other’s screens means more uncomfortable movement for an entire offense. Blowing up their pick-and-rolls means taking away the opponent’s primary scoring option. Keeping one away from the rim on defense means easier shots around the basket. The effects of their play are greater than on just each other.”
All up it’s a fascinating clash between two extremely evenly matched teams. There are upsets on the cards all around the league in this first round but it’s hard enough just to pick a favourite here. Must be time to crack into that first game then and see what we’re working with…
GAME ONE
You know what’s a terrible way to start a playoff game? Shooting 1/9 and trailing 16-4 midway through the first quarter. Yet that’s only what the Thunder went and did. Corey Brewer was fit to start despite that knee thing last game but it was Mitchell who got it going early, after a Joe Ingles triple. But Utah’s sprint out of the blocks didn’t last and Paul George ensured that it was all tied up at 25-all after the first quarter. Carmelo Anthony did a few things too.
Paul George was still leading the way with 20 points at the half as OKC’s ‘Big Three’ (quotations used for effect) combined for 43 points over the first two quarters. About what was expected from them. It’s been said all along that this was a team built for the playoffs and this is why, the three main blokes can extend their minutes and get off a few more shots, with Billy Donovan still able to stagger them with the bench. Utah, on the other hand, had Mitchell doing his thing but Rubio was popping a lot of shots for not a lot of return and Aussie Joe was tough to spot beneath Paul George’s restrictive coverage. 54-48 at the break.
As for Steven Adams, this isn’t a great offensive matchup for him and he was hesitant to attack Rudy Gobert in the paint a couple times. He did go at him once in the second and managed to draw a foul on the reverse layup which accounted for his only points, as Playoff Steve made both free throws. But he was blocked on all three of his initial field goal attempts and by three different players too. The Jazz don’t spread it out too much, anchored by Gobert. It makes them ruthless to score against inside amongst the crowd - to the detriment of Adams’ shots - but it also gave Paul George room to unleash from deep.
It may have started as a joke… but Playoff P is for real. He came out and threw down a couple triples on his way to another 11 points in the third quarter. He was probably the difference in the frame as these two teams locked down defensively and the pace slowed down, fouls getting whistled and shot clocks dragging low. Steven Adams finally got a shot to go on his fifth attempt, tipping one back in, but scoring is not going to be his mission operative in this series. His job is to limit the effectiveness of one of the finest defensive players in the league: Rudy Gobert. Good place to start is by forcing him off the boards and you can call it mission accomplished on that front. Gobert averaged 10.7 rebounds per game over the season but was limited to 7 against Steve, same as Funaki logged, plus he took his fourth foul in the third quarter (Steve had only one PF all game). PG drained another three at the end of the quarter to fend off a little Jazzy run.
Then the last thing Utah needed was an injury to Donovan Mitchell but he had to have his foot checked out in the locker room after copping a stomp from Brewer. He was all good to return in the fourth but he also wasn’t at his most dynamic... no way are you keeping the rookie out of his first playoffs game though. The same couldn’t be said for Paul George who spent the 4Q stretch lying down on the sideline getting his back worked on. Some muscle tightness, according to Billy Donovan. He reckons he’ll be all good for game two in a few days.
So Rudy Gobert’s being limited to second chance points, shooting 6/8 but only scoring 14. Joe Ingles is being tied up by PG13, scoring 13 points on 5/9 shooting but unable to be as much of a factor as he should’ve been, Donovan Mitchell’s hobbling on one leg (still ended with 27 pts & 10 reb) and Ricky Rubio is on his way to scoring just 13 points from 18 shots. What else is there to get you back into the game? Crowder scored 13 off the bench and Alec Burks and Dante Exum each had 10 but, nah, it wasn’t gonna happen. Utah saved their best offensive frame until the end except so did OKC, who never trailed in the second half.
The big Steven Adams highlight finally came as he reeled in a trailing Westbrook lob and slammed that sucker down with the force of Zeus. Too much force, as it happened, because he hurt his right arm pretty bad in the process.
He stayed in the game but you could see him immediately favouring his left arm, his right just kinda dangling there. He challenged a Ricky Rubio shot from the wrong side and turned down a shot at the other end from a tight Russ feed… although Rusty was having none of that and gave it right back to him for the lay-up to take his scoring into double figures. He then stayed in following a timeout, dishing out leftie handshakes, and uncharacteristically missed an easy put-back dunk.
The game felt won but then Utah went on a 7-0 run to keep things interesting. It came down to free throws and the Thunder, who struggled with those buggers all season, had zero worries with that. They were 20/23 as a team and even a banged-up Steven Adams was able to split a pair to make it a three-possession game again. That’ll do it, chief. Thunder take game one 116-108 and both coaches now have two full days off to work on any adjustments.
Paul George topped with 36 points and 7 rebounds. He shot 8/11 from deep, the Thunder whit their triples at 48.3% all up. Russell Westbrook added 29points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists while Alex Abrines scored 11 off the bench. Also 15p/7r for Melo and 12p/7r for Stevie. We already looked at the Jazz’s numeros.
Another thing to mention is that Adams’ screen game had a lot to do with George getting hot early on. He bought him the time on the perimeter to pop it up and by the time the Jazz adjusted to that he was onto the next strategy, one step ahead. He was blood great here, Paul George. Here’s a quote from the Utah coach about it.
Quinn Snyder: “Steven Adams is a good screener, and I thought we were connected to him (George). We changed up what we were doing and he went to something else.”
Thunderous Intentions Player Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (B-)
“Adams had a rough time against the stout Utah Jazz defense tonight. The Big Kiwi struggled to make shots around the rim and wasn’t as much of a factor on the glass. He ended up with 12 points and 7 boards, but it wasn’t Steve’s best performance.”
Daily Thunder: “Big Steve - Steven Adams finished with a line of 12 points and 7 rebounds, wrapping up his night as a -4. He went 0-of-2 in the first half, then came back and shot 4-of-7 in the second half. Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 7 rebounds in a match-up that should be critical moving forward.”
SLAM DUNKS
Up to Steve?
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