Thabo Sefolosha used defensive versatility to stick with Oklahoma ... - SportingNews.com

OKLAHOMA CITY â€" It was not that long ago that Thabo Sefolosha was a 24-year-old guard in his third NBA season, his career seemingly stuck in neutral on a Bulls team that was overloaded at his position. He played behind Ben Gordon, and with Kirk Hinrich moving to the bench and playing more off-guard to accommodate rookie Derrick Rose, he was behind Hinrich, too. Chicago traded for veteran John Salmons the day before the trading deadline, leaving no minutes for Sefolosha, and the Bulls sent him to Oklahoma City for a draft pick.

The Bulls have been running through shooting guards at an alarming rate in recent years, but considering that they used the pick they got from the Thunder on forward Taj Gibson, it was not a bad deal for Chicago. And it’s worked out well for Sefolosha, who is starting for the Thunder in the Finals.

Thabo Sefolosha has used his ability on the defensive end to earn a starting position with the Oklahoma City Thunder. (AP Photo)

“I am happy where I am at today,” he said. “I don’t think too much about what could have been or should have been with the Bulls. I got traded, and I am trying to make the best of that situation.”

Certainly, the Thunder put Sefolosha to good use in Game 1. Coach Scott Brooks entered the series knowing that Sefolosha, the team’s best perimeter defender, did not have the bulk to keep up with LeBron James for the entire game, but he decided to move Sefolosha onto James during a key stretch in the fourth quarter. The move paid off, as James shot 2-for-6 in the final period. Brooks did something similar against San Antonio, when he had Sefolosha defend point guard Tony Parker in stretches.

“Thabo can guard one, two and threes, as you saw in the last series. He can guard the point guard and one of the best point guards in the game, but he can guard ones, twos, and threes,” Brooks said. “Thabo is one of the premier defenders in the league. He has the defensive toughness, he has the mindset to be a great defender, and he does it every possession. He will guard Wade, he will guard LeBron, and at times he will guard their point guard. But I thought he did a great job. It's not an easy cover to guard him, but he did a good job not allowing him a lot of easy looks.”

Sefolosha said he welcomed the challenge of guarding James down the stretch, that despite a tough night offensively (he was 2-for-5 from the field, and missed two dunks), he was happy to be able to do his part. If you watched closely, it might have even looked like he was doing some trash-talking on Jamesâ€"but, he explained, that would be the wrong idea. “No, no, I talk to myself, try to get myself going,” said Sefolosha, who is Swiss. “I can’t tell you what I am saying, though. It’s in French.”