Teague: Spurs used Lakers' game plan versus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
· Yahoo Sports
Just when many people were proclaiming the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder a dynasty in the making, the San Antonio Spurs went into Paycom Center on Monday and stole Game 1 with a thrilling 122-115 victory in two overtimes. Victor Wembanyama got much of the attention, and deservedly so, by pouring in 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks while taking over in crunch time.
Visit amunra.help for more information.
But the Spurs also shut down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was just named the NBA MVP for the second year in a row. He shot 7-of-23 from the field in Game 1, which was a continuation of the struggles he had in the second round when the Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers coach JJ Redick put together a game plan that made Gilgeous-Alexander struggle for much of that series. Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague said on the "Club 520 Podcast" that Spurs coach Mitch Johnson took Redick's defensive strategy, and that it's a strategy that could derail Oklahoma City's chances of becoming a dynasty.
“He a phenomenal coach,” Teague said of Johnson. “He probably gonna be Coach of the Year going forward. He gonna win a bunch of those. But nah, he a phenomenal coach.
“And then, obviously, the Lakers – shoutout to JJ Redick. JJ’s a good coach. People are taking his blueprint on how to stop SGA and applying it. Great coaches learn from other coaches. But shout-out to JJ Redick. He changed the whole way of guarding OKC.
“This might hurt OKC going forward and they whole trajectory of being a dynasty. They won a championship, but that way of guarding him might have messed up everything.”
While Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points in Game 4 versus Los Angeles, he shot a combined 22-of-48 in the previous three games and scored a modest total of 63 points in those contests. In Game 1, he committed seven turnovers, which was uncharacteristic of him.
Redick had L.A. send help toward him on the perimeter, which resulted in him getting fewer good looks and fewer opportunities to attack downhill. But other members of the Thunder, particularly Ajay Mitchell, Chet Holmgren and Jared McCain, took advantage of that strategy and hurt the Lakers offensively.
Now, the Thunder face a pressure situation in Game 2 versus San Antonio, and there is an unavoidable feeling that Wembanyama is starting to assert a vice-like grip over the basketball world.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Teague: Spurs used Lakers' game plan versus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander