1. Kobe Bryant is guarding Russell Westbrook from the very start of the game. Instead of conserving Bryant’s energy, it looks like Lakers coach Mike Brown is rolling with his best matchup for Westbrook’s speed from start to finish.
Two Defensive Trends To Watch
2. The Thunder’s double teams on Andrew Bynum are not nearly as aggressive as the Nuggets’ were in the last series. On one post play, Westbrook doubled Bynum, then scampered away to cover Ramon Sessions clearing out to the corner. That seems like a bit of an overreaction to me. Sure, Kendrick Perkins is a better post defender than anyone the Nuggets have, but it’s odd that the Thunder haven’t copied the Nuggets’ blueprint to stop Bynum.
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