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After a disappointing playoff series last year for the Oklahoma City Thunder in which Carmelo Anthony and Paul George both had clunkers against the Utah Jazz, this year’s playoffs are off to a similarly rocky start against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Russell Westbrook has been close to disastrous to start the series, while Blazers counterpart Damian Lillard has looked like a superstar. Questions linger about Paul George’s shoulder, and the Thunder’s lack of shooting has existed in stark contrast to the 3-point bombers of Portland.
In a recent piece by Erik Horne of The Oklahoman, switches and help defense were the ways outlined to contain the two-headed monster of a backcourt the Blazers can trot out: Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan went into more detail in the piece by Horne:
“We’re going to need the help of everybody, everybody contributes,” Donovan said in the story. “It’s a five-man defense. I think a lot of times everyone wants to look at matchups, but with the amount of pick-and-rolls and drives and screening action, there’s always two guys generally close to the ball, so its’ really a team effort defensively.”
The first-round series shifts to Oklahoma City on Friday night, and the Thunder will need to turn the tide quickly to get back into the series.