As the Thunder aims to make adjustments in the final half of the season, there is one thing coach Scott Brooks says isn't likely to change.
That's the starting lineup.
“I don't see a change,” Brooks said Friday.
The reason?
The Thunder is winning.
“Our record is good,” Brooks said. “We won 50 games last year, which I don't like to talk about. That's history, but it is part of what this team is. Every year has its own dynamics. But we're 27-15 right now. We're winning games.”
Mounting questions, however, surround three of the Thunder's five starters as the team enters tonight's game against New York.
Starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha's perimeter defense hasn't been as stout as a year ago, while his shooting continues to be streaky. Starting power forward Jeff Green has struggled to defend opposing big men, while also being mired in a shooting slump. And starting center Nenad Krstic might be becoming less useful offensively as Russell Westbrook continues to emerge. Krstic also is in the final year of his contract and might not return next season, which could push the Thunder to see what it has elsewhere.
Additionally, each of those three starters has a backup who has outplayed them throughout stretches this season. For Sefolosha, it's second-year man James Harden. For Green, it's been second-year forward Serge Ibaka. And for Krstic, it's been gritty glue guy Nick Collison.
Brooks, though, continues to believe in his starters.
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