In the opening round of the NBA Playoffs the OKC Thunder are taking on the Houston Rockets.
Before the season started, there were a great many questions about the OKC Thunder. How would they fare without Kevin Durant? Would Russell Westbrook be able to lead them to the NBA Playoffs?
Thankfully the answers to these questions have all been positive. The OKC Thunder have been a decent team, not as good as when Durant was playing, but good enough. Westbrook has been a beast and has taken the Thunder to the sixth seed in the Playoffs thanks to a triple double average.
Related: OKC Thunder Regular Season Player Grades
Now, the Houston Rockets await Russ and the OKC Thunder. The Rockets have been a high offense team, shooting the three ball at an alarming rate. Unfortunately the OKC Thunder have struggled against these teams due to their defensive rotation issues.
However, the OKC Thunder have been playing the cards that have been dealt to them all season and this series will be no exception. Listed in the slides below are five players that the OKC Thunder need to focus on and how they can stop them.