Wolf-pack defense floating around the paint yet quick and lengthy enough to challenge 3-pt shots. I love it.
It's the Den of Thieves. We have 3 guys elite at steals/blocks/deflections for their positions. We switch like I've never seen a team switch before, so sharp and swift in Game 1. Team defense on a string Putting the ball on the floor inside the 3pt line against the Rockets is dangerous. Our guys are like a bunch of knife fighters when you come in, each of them waiting to pounce. If your handle is not solid, the Rockets will shred you up. That's why SGA has so hesitant, it intimidated the F out of him watching us stop Schroder and Paul in their tracks before they get to their spots. I hope we can sustain this defense. Obviously, Thunder had a bad game and they will bounce back, but as long as the effort is there, it will be good enough to win it all.
I thought the D was great but the media is just so full of **** describing it as a gimmicky zone D thrown at OKC for the first time. It wasn't a gimmick, it was the normal damn D with more effort. We are a switching team and with no real C and all wings a much more athletic team that has to play the lanes. It's nothing new except for dumbass media that doesn't actually watch the games. "You cannot win a game losing the rebound battle, you cannot win a game losing points in the paint, ..." I am so sick of hearing this ****. OKC stood still with no movement because they were afraid of TOs. This is the pick your poison with our all switch D. You're just not going to put the ball on the floor and get away with it. I saw some lapses with the PnR but other than that it seems to me without Capela it is a lot easier to communicate switches with the backside help and be in the right place and active rather than having to always think things through. It seems far more anticipatory and reactive. You always have the lapses in transition D where with poor numbers they are going to get beat but the halfcourt D looked pretty sewn up. Keep the TOs down and I think the differential in transition D will heavily benefit the Rockets throughout the playoffs. Teams no matter how athletic are just not prepared to play the entire game at that pace.
