Going into game 2 of the series, Scott Brooks would like to keep Jason Terry, also known as "JET," in a no-fly zone throughout the game. Terry absolutely demolished the Thunder defense in the first three quarters in game 1, Saturday night. Terry scored 20 points with 5 assists, shooting an even 80 percent. However, Russell Westbrook was able to keep Terry on lock during the 4th quarter. Westbrook absolutely smothered Terry with tough defense, allowing JET to only put up one shot which he missed.
So could containing Terry's offense be the formula to beating the Mavericks soundly? I like to think so. Terry was flying around the court with a little more pep in his step than what I saw from him during the regular season. His teammates were really feeding off of his energy. If I were Scott Brooks, (which I'm not) I would challenge Russel Westbrook to keep the JET grounded. Keep him suffocated and make every play a nightmare for Terry whenever he gets the ball. But that's just my opinion...
Now to this guy....
In game 1, the Thunder accomplished their goal of SLOWING DOWN Dirk Nowitzki. Scott Brooks stated before the game that one of the keys to winning was to "...limit the amount of trips to the line that Dirk takes." Well... Dirk went 9-10 from the line, which isn't too shabby. Although, Dirk was able to get to the line in the final 10 seconds of the game and knocked down a couple clutch free throws to put the Mavs up by one.. But we all know how that turned out... Burn..
Tonight's gameplan for Dirk shouldnt be much different: Limit the amount of times he goes to the line and pray that either Perkins or Sefolosha can play some all-star like defense. Dirk is going to score points, it's a given. He is a freak of nature to say the least. But what the Thunder can control is the shots that he's taking. If somebody can put a hand in his face consistantly and force him to take difficult shots, then he won't get the opportunity to control the game.
Well, that's all from me. Enjoy the game and let's get this W. Thunder Up!!!!
Game 1 Stat Leaders for OKC:
PTS: R. Westbrook 28
REB: K. Perkins 8
AST: R. Westbrook 5
STL: R. Westbrook 3
BLK: S. Ibaka 5
Great stuff Mr. Porter. Nice insight and a fresh way to look at the games. Absolutely, "Thunder Up!!"
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