Before his team’sfirst round playoff series victoryover the Rockets, Lakers coach JJ Redick laid out what needed to happen for his team to have success:take care of the basketball and prevent offensive rebounds.
The Lakers won early in the series despite struggling in those areas, before finding the right formula in a series-clinching Game 6 victory.
Now, they’re doubling down on the first emphasis ahead of their second round matchup against the Thunder, thedefending NBA champions, with Game 1 set for Tuesday night at Paycom Center.
“The reality of their defense is that whatever moments we felt Houston pressuring, like the maximum amount of pressure they put on us, that’s OKC’s baseline,” Redick said. “That’s their core.”
The Thunder have had the league’s top-ranked defense for the last two seasons for multiple reasons.
They’ve been the best team in the league at protecting the rim from an accuracy standpoint for three seasons in a row.
California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
In general, the closer opponents get to the basket, the stingier the Thunder’s defense gets.
But on the perimeter, they’re the most disruptive team in the league.
They were one of two teams, along with the Pistons, during the regular season to be top-five in deflections (league-most 20.7), steals (second-most with 9.7), blocked shots (second-most with 6.4) and turnovers forced (second-most with 16.7).
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
