Paulo Alves

So he was six of eight from inside the arc.

And so Tari and Jabari were the lead story offensively in terms of how they, you know, punish the Thunder for overplaying on the perimeter.

Dave, I love that you mentioned

how aggressive Jabari was at getting to the line.

When he was able to get the Thunder in a tough spot, he leaned into the contact.

He showed some craft that we haven't always seen in the past.

But Reed as well, six of eight, not a perfect game from Reed.

The first half, he was terrible defensively.

Throughout, he had issues with turnovers.

But in terms of getting to the bucket, he had two or three layups and a couple of mid-range shots as well.

I think that's what you have to do against this Thunder defense.

And I really think

You know, the Thunder were missing their guys offensively, but defensively, they had the pieces they need.

And so what Reid, Tari, and Jabari did offensively, to me, that's the key to eventually having a chance to beat the Thunder.

I'm not saying that's going to happen this season.

You know, the Rockets have their issues right now.

So no, let's not act like the Rockets are ready to go toe-to-toe with the Thunder in a playoff series.

But eventually, whenever that time comes, when you want to really challenge them, like I think on offense, at least, this is at least the initial blueprint.

Now, maybe if Reed and Tari and Jabari do it enough, then they've relaxed their defense against the likes of KD and Shingun and the Stars can get going a little bit more.

But for right now, I think the formula from not just Tari and Jabari, but Reed as well, that's exactly how you have to attack this Oklahoma City defense.