Yes, the Thunder’s defense is going to be an issue while Enes Kanter was a sieve off the bench, he was coming off the bench, playing behind Steven Adams. If coach Billy Donovan goes small ball with Patrick Patterson at the five, there will be many nights when OKC drops a 130 spot. Carmelo Anthony will be as good a third option as anyone in the league has, though he will eat regularly on the weak side as defenses scramble to handle Westbrook-Paul George pick and rolls a quick seal and ‘Melo will be off to the races. So, is OKC now a legit threat to the Warriors? They’re not cheating their players, or fans. In all likelihood, it won’t be enough to beat Golden State. It’s an appealing brand of basketball.ĭenver could have just kept building through the Draft, climbing a few more wins here or there for a while, and snuck into the eighth seed, choosing to be comfortable rather than bold. The Rockets could have just kept selling tickets to fans to watch James Harden and his pals shoot 50 threes a game for the next two or three years. The Thunder could have rode Russell Westbrook alone to another first-round playoff loss, watched him walk out the door in free agency next summer and thrown up its hands, plead ‘woe is us and all small-market teams,’ and enjoyed a luxury tax-free life for the next few years.
