The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies and became the first team to advance to the second round. Even though the Thunder didn’t play their best basketball in that series, they still found ways to win, which is what good teams should do. The Thunder will get a much-needed break as they fight the rest vs. rust problem again. The Thunder await the winner of the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers series, which is tied 2-2. Ultimately, the question that remains is between the Clippers and Nuggets, which is the better matchup for OKC?
In the regular season, the Thunder went 4-0 against the Clippers; however, only one of those games came when the Clippers were at full strength. In addition, the Thunder haven’t played the Clippers yet at full strength and were still able to sweep them in the season series. Against the Nuggets, the Thunder went 2-2 against them in the season, with zero of those games coming when both teams were fully healthy. However, the back-to-back games in March were the closest meeting between the two teams, where they were relatively healthy, but both teams lost players to injuries during those games. Let’s dive into which of the Clippers and Nuggets is the better matchup for OKC in the second round.
Clippers and Nuggets: Who is The Better Matchup For the Thunder?
The Case for The Nuggets
If the Nuggets can advance to the second round to take on the Thunder, it will be the best series for fans to watch. The top two MVP candidates, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, going head-to-head would be a spectacle that fans couldn’t wait to see. Furthermore, there are three reasons why the Thunder would want to play the Nuggets instead of the Clippers. The first reason is the depth of the Nuggets. The Nuggets don’t have great depth behind their starting five, whereas the Clippers can match OKC with their depth. This would be a series where the Thunder can overwhelm the Nuggets with its depth.
The second reason is that the Nuggets fired their coach right before the postseason, and when that happens, teams usually aren’t successful in that season. There are usually three big keys: who has the better player, the better coach, and who has the better depth to determine the team most likely to win in a series. The Thunder in the series will have the better coach and depth; however, the best player in the series most likely would be a draw. The final reason is that the Thunder have multiple bodies to throw at Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets’ two best players, to make life difficult on them.
The Case for The Clippers
If the Clippers can advance to the second round, it would just be destiny, as these two teams are forever tied to the Paul George trade. This trade turned out to be one of the worst trades in NBA history, as the Clippers never won in the Paul George era, but they can get a chance to make up for it by possibly knocking out the Thunder. Ultimately, there are three reasons why the Thunder would want to play the Clippers over the Nuggets. The first one is the Thunder matchup better with the Clippers. The Nuggets’ all-around size is a big challenge for the Thunder, whereas the Clippers don’t nearly have that same size.
The second reason is that the Clippers’ strength on offense is perimeter-oriented, which is exactly where the Thunder’s strength on defense is. The Nuggets run their offense through Jokic, which would neutralize the Thunder’s biggest X-Factors on defense: Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace. However, the Clippers run their offense through Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, which would make those three defenders important in this series. The final reason would be that they are 4-0 against this team. In the last three seasons, the Thunder are 9-2 against the Clippers, as OKC simply has their number.
The Last Word
While both teams would be a harder challenge for the Thunder than the Grizzlies were, the Thunder would be favored in both series. Ultimately, the better matchup for the Thunder would be the Clippers. It just boils down to the Thunder matching up better with the Clippers than the Nuggets. The Clippers are perimeter-centric on offense, which the Thunder can neutralize with their point-of-attack defenders.
If the Thunder were to play the Nuggets, it would neutralize one of their best strengths on defense, as the Thunder would have to rely more on their front-court defenses as opposed to their back-court defense. Regardless of who the Thunder play in the second round, the Thunder should be able to win both series in six. However, the difference is that the Nuggets series could go to seven, whereas the Thunder could beat the Clippers in five, with them matching up better against them.
Photo credit: © Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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