The Mavericks look to close out the Western Conference Finals in Dallas tonight against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. It will be interesting to see how the Thunder come out tonight, after being completely demoralized by the Mavericks late comeback in Game 4.
If the Thunder intend on getting back into the series, the team needs big performances from James Harden and Daequan Cook. These two players not only help the bench production, but also open the court and create one-on-one matchups for other teammates. After Harden fouled out with about 4:30 left in Game 4, the Thunder could no longer score because of their inability to spread the court and create lanes for stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. The Mavericks were able to use help defense and double teams to contain Durant and Westbrook and put the pressure on the supporting cast. OKC players Thabo Sefalosha, Nick Collison and Serg Ibaka are not the ideal players to open up the court and help with double teams. Besides Ibaka at times, these players are solely on the court for defensive purposes. I also noticed Westbrook’s inability to make the medium to long range jumper in the fourth quarter. If the Thunders want to advance, they must get a smart performance out of Russell Westbrook. His turnovers and inability to make long jumpers has affected the way Dallas has played defense in the series. The Mavericks have tried to clog up the lane and force Westbrook into tough shots and bad turnovers, which he tends to do a lot. The Thunder cannot handle turning the ball over 26 times like in Game 4.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, could use another strong and efficient game from old reliable, Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki finished Game 4, 12-20 for 40 points and was perfect from the free throw line. His size and footwork make him one of the greatest big man shooters of all time. Even with Collison playing lockdown defense, Dirk still looks calm and collected with the ball in his hands.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, struggle very little when it comes to spreading out the court and making long range shots. Mark Cuban has done a great job this season bringing in the right role players, one through around nine. Chandler and Marion are key defensive components to this new-look Mavericks squad. Shawn Marion did a wonderful job slowing down Durant at the end of Game 4 with swarming defense. The Matrix has always been known for great D because of his size and athleticism. It will be interesting to see how Durant comes out against the defensive minded, Marion. Durant needs to be aggressive and try to force Marion into foul trouble early.
In the end, the Mavericks just have more scorers then the Thunder do. The Thunder have two excellent players, but a lot of youth and inexperience as well. With scoring role players like JJ Barea,Peja Stojakovic, Jason Terry and occasionally Jason Kidd, the OKC team just does not have enough to contend when Durant and Westbrook are not going off. Like in Game 2, a big game from Harden would definitely help the OKC chances. With the Mavs playing so well on the road, winning their last five games, it could be good for Oklahoma City to travel to Dallas and steal a win.
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