By Sean Kennedy
With responses to the recording of Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s racist remarks currently dominating the media, the sad part (aside from the obviously atrocious nature of the comments and the sobering realization that there are still far too many people that feel similarly in what should by now by a more enlightened society), is that all of the incredible basketball being played right now has been set on the back burner. I mean, there have been a slew of overtime games, incredible buzzer-beaters, and underdog stories galore as two 8-seeds are either tied or leading their series right now. Amazing is happening, it just so happens that repulsive is overshadowing at the moment. However, let’s take a look at the two biggest statistical storylines thus far in the first round of the playoffs.
The Portland Offense Shredding the Houston Defense
Portland’s offensive rating (stats courtesy of NBA.com) has jumped from a solid 108.3 during the regular season, a mark good for 5th-best in the NBA, to an otherworldly 114.6 through 4 games of the playoffs. That increase represents the largest jump in offensive efficiency in the first round. The main reason is the phenomenal play of LaMarcus Aldridge, who has averaged 35.3 ppg on 53% shooting, and made his team nearly 10 points better than Houston per 100 possessions when he’s on the court. As his playoffs shot chart below shows, Aldridge has not only been incredibly efficient scoring down low in the post, but he’s been deadly with the mid-range jumper from the left side of the court. With Houston coach Kevin McHale needing to keep either Dwight Howard or Omer Asik on Aldridge to try and slow down his interior game, Aldridge’s jump-shooting prowess pulls his man away from the rim. This action effectively opens up the lane for Damian Lillard and the Portland wings to attack the basket, so not only is Aldridge a threat to score himself, but he makes everything easier for his teammates. If he continues his hot shooting, there’s little chance of the Rockets coming back from their current 3-1 series deficit.
The Memphis Defense Silencing the Thunder Offense
On the other end of the spectrum, the Thunder have gone from a 108.1 offensive rating in the regular season to a lowly 99.5 in the playoffs (a mark that would have been bottom-5 in the NBA), representing the biggest drop in scoring prowess thus far. A large part of that drought is the Grizzlies holding Kevin Durant to just 39.6% shooting through 4 games, well below his 50.3% average during the regular season. Tony Allen has rightfully received a lot of publicity over the last week and a half for his efforts in guarding Durant. As others have pointed out as well, I’ve never seen someone so adept at fighting through screens; the word shadowing your man is a common euphemism for playing defense but in regard to Allen on Durant, it actually seems to be the case. It doesn’t help that Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks’ big solution on offense is just to take turns having Durant and Westbrook attack via isolations. If Reggie Jackson hadn’t caught fire late in Game 4, the Thunder would be looking at a 3-1 series deficit. Instead, they’ve caught a brief reprieve to try and figure out how to unlock the back door to the Grindhouse.
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