Trailing 2-1 against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, it is make-or-break time for the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4. The crushing Game 3 loss has highlighted the need for significant changes.
Start Alex Caruso in Game 4
At long last, the Thunder have eliminated the double-big starting lineup featuring Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, replacing Hartenstein with Cason Wallace. However, Wallace has proven he’s not the right person to start. Instead, Alex Caruso should start Game 4.
Caruso has been a game changer in the minutes he plays, providing excellent defense and consistently hitting three-pointers. Unfortunately, due to his physicality on defense, he fouls a lot, which is likely the reason Mark Daignault has not started him already. However, at this dire point in the series, selecting the best players to play the most minutes is the only viable option.
Give Isaiah Hartenstein More Minutes
It has been clear that playing Hartenstein off the bench was the right decision — limiting him to only 19.1 minutes per game in the series, though, is a mistake. Nobody on the Pacers, especially their bench, can match his physicality; he’s had easy backdowns and plenty of putback opportunities.
(All clips via shotcreator.com)
Hartenstein’s push shot was one of Oklahoma City’s most effective scoring options this season, and so far in the Finals, the Thunder have hardly tried to get him those shots. The combination of his playmaking and efficient scoring is an excellent way for the Thunder to obtain easy looks on offense, which they have struggled finding in many instances throughout this series. They should look to Hartenstein more in Game 4.
Limit Sloppy Turnovers
OKC had 19 turnovers in Game 3, including six from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For a team that has dominated the turnover battle all season, that many turnovers is unacceptable, especially the three inbound steals from T.J. McConnell. Although Indiana did a fantastic job of trapping players and forcing those turnovers, this is something that can’t happen to Oklahoma City.
A simple way to limit turnovers for Game 4 is to stop overdribbling. Many Thunder players, especially Holmgren and Jalen Williams, tend to panic and dribble too much, which leads to easy steal opportunities for Indiana. If Oklahoma City wins the turnover battle, they have a great chance of winning any game.
Get SGA More On-the-Ball Looks in Game 4
The main factor behind SGA’s 24-point Game 3 performance was Indiana’s ability to deny him the ball. One of the Thunder’s primary ways of getting him the ball are dribble hand-offs, and Indiana almost completely shut those off in Game 3. With Indiana figuring out how to suppress the MVP, Oklahoma City needs to get him the ball earlier in the possession.
Having SGA take the ball up and setting the play up earlier in the possession will lead to fewer hurried shots from players like J-Dub and Chet, which have been disastrous at times in this series.
Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren Closing Games
On the surface, it looked like Chet (20 points) and J-Dub (26 points) each had a good Game 3, but they crumbled in the fourth quarter. In instances where SGA can’t get the ball, Oklahoma City relies on its other two stars. They could not get their shots down the stretch in Game 3, however, combining to go 3/10 from the field in the fourth.
Although this game is certainly not all on them, they are two All-Star caliber talents who have disappeared on multiple occasions in these playoffs. If Oklahoma City wants to have a chance to win Game 4 and, more importantly, win it all, Chet and J-Dub need to play up to their expectations.
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