April 28, 2011
Paint Patrol
Ibaka, Perkins Solidify OKC D

by Kevin Pelton

Early in the season, one of the league's most pressing questions was whether the Oklahoma City Thunder's defense could overcome the loss of assistant coach Ron Adams, the architect of a top-10 defense in 2009-10. Without Adams' attention to detail, the Thunder slipped badly in the early part of the season. Oklahoma City overcame that thanks to a series of close wins and an improved offense, but porous defense still loomed as a major issue looking ahead to the postseason.

Skip ahead to April and any such concern is long in the rear-view mirror. The Thunder's defensive fortunes changed dramatically with the deadline-day deal for Kendrick Perkins of the Boston Celtics. The deal improved Oklahoma City's defense at two positions. Not only was Perkins a major upgrade over Nenad Krstic after he recovered from an MCL injury that sidelined him for nearly his first month with the Thunder, sending out Jeff Green allowed premier shot blocker Serge Ibaka to claim his rightful place as Oklahoma City's starting power forward.

The Thunder's five-game playoff series win over the Denver Nuggets has been the ultimate testament to the team's upgraded interior defense. Only the Celtics have held their opponent further below their regular-season Offensive Rating than Oklahoma City, a statement that remains true even when we account for the Nuggets' own deadline deal.

Denver has found the paint walled off by the duo of Ibaka and Perkins--which badly needs a nickname; I'm thinking "The Bouncers"--as evidenced by a number of remarkable statistics. All by himself, Ibaka has blocked more shots (24) than six teams that have played an equal number of playoff games. Overall, the Thunder swatted away one in seven Denver attempts inside the two-point line (14.7 percent, to be exact), most of them at the rim. According to NBA.com's StatsCube, the Nuggets shot 51 percent inside the restricted area in this series. During the regular season, Denver made 60 percent of those shots.

All the numbers seem to point toward a single conclusion: With Ibaka and Perkins together in the frontcourt, Oklahoma City is an elite defensive outfit. During the regular season, lineups with both Ibaka and Perkins allowed 100.8 points per 100 possessions according to BasketballValue.com, as compared to 107.1 for all Thunder fivesomes. During the playoffs, the rest of the Oklahoma City lineups have been much better (probably because they do not include Green and Krstic), allowing 103.5 points per 100 possessions, but that still drops to 101.4 with Ibaka and Perkins together.

For some perspective, the Thunder's new starting five of Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Ibaka and Perkins posted a 99.6 Defensive Rating during the regular season. BasketballValue.com shows just four lineups that played more minutes than that group having allowing fewer points per 100 possessions--a pair of Boston combinations, Memphis' starting five with a healthy Rudy Gay and Orlando's starting lineup. That is, needless to say, elite company.

Ibaka is one of the league's most interesting defenders because his strengths and weaknesses are both so easily defined. He struggles individually in the post, where opponents can overpower him and beat him with good footwork. That's why Ibaka thrives more as a power forward than as a center. Playing alongside Perkins (or Nick Collison, the Oklahoma City backup five with whom Ibaka's minutes were usually paired last season) allows him to avoid these matchups and focus on help defense.

Since the Perkins trade, Ibaka has taken his shot blocking to another level. Only Washington's JaVale McGee had a better block percentage among players with at least a thousand minutes, but Ibaka went from 3.3 blocks per 40 minutes before Perkins' arrival to 4.4 thereafter. During the playoffs, he's simply beasted in the paint, nearly doubling his block rate to 12.4 percent of Denver's two-point attempts. Many of these have been impressive athletic feats, like Ibaka's rejection of Nenê literally at the rim late in the fourth quarter of Game Five. Ibaka's finger wag after that shot, a nod to Dikembe Mutombo's, was well earned.

Perkins may not block a ton of shots, especially since his torn ACL has left him more earthbound, but he's as solid as they come defensively. Nenê's quiet series--the NBA's regular-season leader in two-point percentage shot just 47.8 percent in the playoffs--can be attributed largely to Perkins battling him in the post without giving an inch. Perkins' experience with the Celtics and his quick feet have also made him effective defending the pick-and-roll. Having a pair of big men who can counter the pick-and-roll is a tremendous luxury in the modern NBA.

The Ibaka-Perkins combination does not space the floor as the duo of Green and Krstic, both jump shooters, once did. This can be an issue when Ibaka is struggling from midrange, especially when Sefolosha is in the game instead of sixth man James Harden. Because Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook carry such a heavy load offensively, the Thunder can usually get away with it, and adding a potent defense to an offense that was already one of the league's best has made Oklahoma City very dangerous indeed. Adjusted for opposition, the Thunder has been the league's second-best team in the playoffs, trailing the Miami Heat. This comes after Oklahoma City finished the regular season on a tear to secure home-court advantage in the first round.

Now, with the Memphis Grizzlies a game away from knocking off the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder might enjoy the chance to play at OKC Arena for another round. The Thunder won all three home games against Denver and was 30-11 at home during the regular season, a record as good as Miami's or the L.A. Lakers'. Given the way the two teams are playing, even if San Antonio manages to rally and knock off the Grizzlies, Oklahoma City looks like the favorite in that series. Despite a starting lineup with no player older than 26 (Sefolosha, the old man of the bunch, turns 27 next week), the Thunder has a realistic path to the Western Conference Finals, if not beyond. Should Oklahoma City get there, it will be say nearly as much about Ibaka and Perkins as it does stars Durant and Westbrook.

Kevin Pelton is an author of Basketball Prospectus. You can contact Kevin by clicking here or click here to see Kevin's other articles.