Hi like many of you guys I’ve been enjoying this physical as hell, intense WCF and want to catalogue all the adjustments that each team has put forth throughout the series and to show as much as its individual performance, its also how the coaches adapt and adjust the game plan to meet whatever the other side puts out.

Game 1:

• Spurs used their Wemby zone (Wemby in the paint, covering corner shooter), Spurs also doubled SGA, asking the help defenders to sprint to recover. Only Caruso could hit from the corner, rest of Thunder struggled.

• Thunder used Caruso and JDub to deny Wemby post touches, perimeter defenders pressured on-ball to create turnovers off bringing up the ball and intercepting high post passes.

Game 2:

• Thunder adjusted by attacking with the shooter left open by the Wemby zone, using multiple shooters off the bench to find the best shot, harder to recover to 2 good shooters instead of 1 average and 1 good.

• Thunder adjusted to Hartenstein single coverage and Chet help defender, while maintaining ball pressure, specifically using Mitchell/Wallace/McCain to intercept entry passes from help position. Wemby denied high post pass often, struggled with physicality.

Game 3:

• Spurs added Fox back, limiting live ball and post pass turnovers, and played high pick and roll to get Wemby more involved in on-ball action.

• Spurs adjusted SGA coverage to 1 strong defender (Castle, Carter) and closeby help defender to trap when he gets by.

• McCain attacked on weak side kick out, Thunder shooters wide open due to help defender doubling, hit many open threes.

Game 4:

• Spurs adjust pick and roll to incorporate flare screens to get 2 people open (2 picks, 1 Wemby, 1 shooter). Wemby attacks on roll collapsing defense, opens up shooter or ball handler.

• Thunder lack offense due to poor outside shooting. Spurs single coverage on SGA + Wemby help defense forces difficult lineup decisions; more shooters to abuse weak side defense, need corner shooters but IHart is not a good shooter, IHart is only center able to stop Victor in single coverage but offensively paint is more congested.

• Lack of perimeter help defense also forces Thunder role players to make good passes under duress, but no second side creator results in a lot of turnovers.

Game 5:

• Thunder adjust and play McCain in starting lineup. Single coverage on SGA allows McCain to use space created to attack or pass out for better offense.

• Poor foul discipline on Castle and Carter results in high foul rate on SGA and Spurs struggling to contain his drive and kicks.

• Wembanyama over stressed on interior as SGA cannot be stopped in single coverage, forcing hard contests from Wemby into immediate recovery into McCain drive or big rolling to basket.

• Spurs pick and roll is countered by Thunder sending an extra defender from the weak side on Victor rolling to the basket, leaving an open shooter but all the Spurs were shooting rather poorly.

Game 6:

• Spurs force Thunder adjustment to defensive coverage by spamming threes and attacking Thunder over indexing on Wemby. Spurs used Wemby to initiate offense and attack IHart/Chet in space (generated by their hot shooting) which causes defensive attention that can be used to make even more outside shots. Their heavy emphasis on denying Victor rolls to the basket changed from only taking threes to also driving into space/close outs and hitting layups or mid range shots

• Spurs also used more flare screens as distractions, getting Thunder help defenders to chase shooters off screens and away from Wemby to give him more space.

• Spurs started out man to man and let OKC initiate their sets. If they stopped the initial action and used up the OKC shotclock, Spurs transition to a Wemby zone and there’s no time to adjust anymore. Credit to u/VeniceRapture

I’m very excited to see what Mark Daigneault has prepared for Game 7. Hoping for a great game from both teams. Let me know if I missed anything I’ll try to add them