You're typically going to emerge victorious when you win the turnover battle 25-7, as the Oklahoma City Thunder did in their NBA Finals Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers were sizzling from deep, and the clutch-time heroics of Tyrese Haliburton crept up again.
The 20 hands at all times approach OKC has is what forces so many turnovers. That calling card of theirs has to be slammed on the table again. Open 3s are a byproduct of this defensive approach, and they can live with the results.
What the Thunder cannot live with is burning calories games from their young stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the rightful MVP this year, and he shows up when needed. It's going to be an uphill battle to hang onto leads if those two don't show up.
The Thunder need to keep their foot on the gas for 48 minutes
The Thunders' terroristic defense has suffocated teams all year. Per Cleaning the Glass, 17 percent of their opponent's possessions ended in a turnover in the regular season, and that number bumped up to 18 seventeen games into these playoffs ā both rank number one in basketball.
Active hands is the name of the game for them. It feels as if each defender has four hands when facing this Thunder team. If they want to overcome the magical run Indiana is on, the pressure needs to continue to be applied.
Haliburton delivered another clutch bucket, but he wasn't his dazzling self in the first 46 minutes. The pressure from Lu Dort and Cason Wallace led to Hali finishing with 14 points. He was plus-12, for what it's worth, but the nonstop hands were hounding and changed his approach.
Active hands and staying in the gaps are recipes for the Thunders's opportunistic defense. Gapping up allows them to get into the lane and get hands on balls when their teammates are beaten, but it does lead to open 3s. OKC allows the most 3s per game in the playoffs among teams that won a playoff series.
That trend will continue if the Thunder continue to operate on what's got them here and had them two minutes away from winning Game 1. Indiana shot 50 percent on wide-open 3s. That wasn't abnormal for them. Indy employs snipers who can drill it, but they were still down in the water for most of the game, even without key OKC pieces playing well.
Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams need to step up
SGA is going to show up. No changes are needed there. But he can't do it alone. Jdub was an All-Star and All-NBA player this season, going 6-19 from the field isn't going to get the job done.
He picked it up in the 4th, but he'll need to perform how he did against the Minnesota Timberwolves (22/7/4) if OKC wants to raise their first banner.
No one is asking him to reach a level he's not capable of playing at. Same with Chet Holmgren. In Holmgren's defense, he played less than 25 minutes. He mustered up a measly six points. More is needed.
Their opposition in the Pacers has shown that they can walk down teams with their best players scoring over 30 points each. Indiana is never dead. They've had historic jaw-dropping comebacks in all four of their playoff series.
To put them down, the blossoming stars who blitzed the Wolves need A performances. In reality, OKC goes how they go in terms of dominance.
Thursday night was no different. If OKC is going to reign victorious, Jdub and Chet need to play ball. That's not a major change. Just be who you are and do what got you here.
The Thunder defense will continue to pressure the ball and stay locked in with this defense, which features no "bad" defenders. You'll usually win when you force that many turnovers, but you have to shut the door vs. this magical Indiana Pacers team.