San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge has averaged 39.5 points in the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Oklahoma City guard Dion Waiters is never scared to say anything on his mind.
So, when asked about the Thunder’s defensive strategy against San Antonio star LaMarcus Aldridge in the first two games, which has been to not double-team him, he bottom-lined the reason why for everyone.
“One man can’t beat you,” said Waiters to reporters. “So we’re fine with that. If they want to continue to get out of their offense and throw the ball down there to him, we’re fine with that. One guy can’t beat us, no matter how much he scores.”
And yet Aldridge almost did on Monday, scoring 41 points in the Spurs one-point loss to Oklahoma City. He was the only Spurs player to score more than 15 points.
But, as Waiters said, the Spurs did lose. Aldridge has put in 79 points in the first two games of the series facing single coverage as Oklahoma City has put more resources into slowing down Kawhi Leonard and the multitude of Spurs 3-point shooters.
Not that they want to have no resistance against Aldridge.
“We’ve just got to make adjustments, try to make it tough on him,” Waiters said. “He’s a great player in this league, an All-Star. He’s going to make shots. He’s playing tremendous right now. But we’re fine with one guy just beating us. We’re fine with that. At the end of the day, Serge (Ibaka) and Steven (Adams) got to continue to do what they’ve been doing, but guys are going to make shots in the NBA and as long as they’re not running the offense and dropping it down to them, we’re living with that.”
But is Waiters right? Can Oklahoma City survive night after night of Aldridge scoring onslaughts and still win the series? History says probably not. Big scoring nights usually equal playoff wins for Aldridge over the course of his career. When going over 30 points in playoff games, Aldridge’s teams are 5-3. Monday was the third time Aldridge has scored over 40 points in a playoff game, and was the first time it resulted in a loss.
ALDRIDGE 30-POINT PLAYOFF GAMES
2015-16
41 vs. Oklahoma City, L
38 vs. Oklahoma City, W
2014-15
32 (with Portland) vs. Memphis, L
2013-14
46 (with Portland) vs. Houston, W
43 (with Portland) vs. Houston, W
30 (with Portland) vs. Houston, W
32 (with Portland) vs. San Antonio, L
2009-10
31 (with Portland) vs. Phoenix, W
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @chrisadempseyor email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
