OKC Thunder Game 1 Preview – Rockets Editor Offers Insight

OKC Thunder begin their 2017 NBA Playoff journey today facing the Houston Rockets. In a twist TI gets the perspective of a Rockets fan.

Game 1 for the OKC Thunder versus Houston Rockets tips off today at the Toyota Center. Several subplots exist given the two squads recent history. Prior to jumping into those let me direct you to my co-hort, Tony Heim’s stellar series breakdown to get you set for the day.

Must Read Full OKC Thunder vs Houston Rockets Series Breakdown

Since the above analysis offers a plethora of information, I thought I’d do something a little different today. To offer the perspective of a Rockets insider and Red Nation fan, a former colleague and I exchanged opinions on the series. Ben Casey is the Editor of Space City Scoop the Houston Rockets FanSided site.

My heartfelt thanks go out to Ben for taking the time to provide his input on the series. You can also read my responses to his Editors round table here:

3-on-3: Biased and Unbiased Opinions on the Rockets/Thunder Matchup

With that, let’s dive in to Ben’s insight on the series:

Question 1:

Andre Roberson arguably provided the best man to man defense on James Harden this season. What can Mike D’Antoni and his staff do to counteract this for Harden. Do you anticipate more screens being set to free him up? Or what can Harden do on his own to combat Roberson?

Harden averaged fewer points per game against the Thunder than any other team for a reason and that reason’s name is Andre Roberson. He handled the Beard better than anyone else in the league. The most obvious way to fix that problem is to introduce more motion to the offense. For a team that averages so many assists per game like the Rockets, there’s surprisingly little motion on most trips down the floor. Usually one or two picks will be set for Harden, but other than that he’s left to create on his own.

I’d love to see D’Antoni run a few more picks for Harden up top to force a switch every now and then, and maybe give him a few open three point opportunities. He’s yet to shoot the three ball well against OKC this season, and that’s affected Roberson’s defense positively. When Harden doesn’t shoot well, defenders can back off a couple of feet, giving them the advantage on drives. So, if the Beard makes a couple of early threes to get his confidence up, Roberson will be forced to guard him tighter, losing those extra milliseconds of a head start when Harden starts a drive.

Question 2:

This is a three part question. The Houston Rockets have lit up the NBA this season from the perimeter, attempting and scoring more threes than ever recorded.

First, do you anticipate the shooting barrage to continue?

The Rockets would be foolish to stop the three-point onslaught. They have enough shooters to where not shooting just doesn’t make sense. Even if they aren’t making them at a given moment, they’re bound to start falling at some point. The Rockets have made it clear that their game plan is to shoot the other team out of the building, and they should stick to it.

If the Rockets shooting goes cold (or the Thunder manage to contain the perimeter) what effect will that have on the Rockets/what options can they utilize?

If their shooting goes cold, that’ll be bad news for Houston. And, if they really can’t get a long shot to fall, they’ll have to turn to drawing fouls (Harden and Lou Williams are two of the best foul-drawers in the league) or go to their bigs.

Clint Capela finished the season at third in points per possession on PnR plays out of players who ran 3 or more such plays per game (trailing only Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid). So, if the three ball won’t work, run PnRs with the intent of either lobbing it to a big or drawing a foul. And keep shooting the three too. Like I said, it’ll fall eventually (hopefully).

I’ve gained a whole new respect for Eric Gordon this season on both sides of the court, but I’ve noticed a change in him recently. Prior to the All-Star Break Gordon was shooting 38% from the perimeter. Since then he’s shooting 34%. How much do you think this has to do with Gordon staying healthy and playing so many games this season? Is it making him wear down?

Gordon has dropped off significantly after the ASB, and that’s got me worried too. Optimistically thinking, I’d say it’s just a slump that everybody goes through at some point and that a few days of rest and preparing for playoffs will have it fixed right up. Pessimistically thinking, it’s a nagging toe injury that kept him out of a few games earlier this season. Because his shot is so mechanical, one little issue can throw the whole thing off. So if his toe is giving him issues, even small issues, it could be affecting things.

Question 3:

Outside of James Harden, who is the most important player(s) for Houston and why?

Two words: Patrick. Beverley. He’s the only man on Houston’s roster who has a prayer of slowing Russell Westbrook down. The two have a testy history, with Bev’s controversial steal attempt that led to Russ’s torn meniscus in 201. But that only adds to the story and hype.

The Rockets are not a great defensive team, but Bev is one of the more pesky defenders in the league at his position. If he weren’t playing, I’d anticipate a Rockets loss. With him, I’m confident they’ll win in the end. Russ will still go nuts, but maybe he won’t go quiiiiite as nuts as he would with Gordon, Harden, or Ariza trying to keep him at bay.

Thanks again Ben for taking the time to provide a different perspective, it’s much appreciated.

History Between Clubs:

As mentioned above there is substantial history between the two teams which is lending itself to earmark this series as the most anticipated of the first round.

Super star James Harden is the most prominent story line given his former tenure with OKC. Adding fuel to the combat is the likelihood Russell Westbrook will win this seasons MVP award.

Just three seasons ago James Harden lost out to Steph Curry in a year (at least from this scribes perspective) he had embodied everything the Most Valuable Player stands for. Much like what Westbrook has done this season, except with all the bells and whistles.

The ‘Accident’:

Westbrook also factors into another narrative with the Rockets given the injury he sustained during the 2013 playoffs. As Westbrook was headed to the sideline to signal time out. A simple play that occurs several times a game essentially ended any hopes of a deep Thunders playoff run. Beverley continued to pressure going in for the steal.

Rockets and Thunder fans clearly saw the play differently, however the resulting effect was tragic. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus requiring the first of what was inevitably several knee surgeries.To put this in perspective, prior to this injury, Russell Westbrook had never missed a game — not in the NBA, not in College, not even in High School.

Suffice to say, there is ample fodder to fuel the competitive fires in this series.

Here’s everything else you need to prep for tip-off.

Game Specifics:

Recent History: Merging games played as the Seattle Super Sonics/Thunder the minor edge goes to OKC with a 107-106 record. Not surprising given how close many of their contests have been.

More from Thunderous Intentions

Counting just the Thunder vs Rockets it’s Houston who hold a 5 game edge 19-14, mostly due to the 3-1 edge this season.

Playoff History: Breaking down the meetings between the two teams, the OKC Thunder hold a decided advantage 24-13.

The Line: Not surprisingly the he odds makers have the home town Houston Rockets favored by 7 points with an over-under of 227.5 points.

The Venue: Toyota Center, Houston TX

The Tip: 9:00 PM ET (8:00 PM CT)

TV: FS Oklahoma HD

National TV: TNT

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP)

Check back after the game for the TI Game 1 Roundup offering insight on highlights from the match.