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NBA Playoffs: 3 lessons OKC Thunder learned from Western Conference Finals

By Alex Mcewen

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 24: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets grabs his leg after falling against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter of Game Five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 24, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 24: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets grabs his leg after falling against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter of Game Five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 24, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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NBA Playoffs
HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 07: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets takes a three point shot defended by Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Alex Abrines #8 in the second half at Toyota Center on April 7, 2018 in Houston, Texas.  (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Too much of anything can be a bad thing

Take vitamin k for example, the mineral is essential for healthy blood flow, bone health, and proper gut bacteria. Yet, too much vitamin k can be detrimental, especially to those who have kidney disease.

The same can be said about threes in the NBA. In Game 7 the Boston Celtics shot 7-39 or 17.9 percent from beyond the arc. Similarly, the Rockets shot 7-44 for 15.9 percent from the perimeter in their own Game 7. Moreover, Houston missed 27 consecutive threes at one point, the most in playoff history.

When the Utah Jazz eliminated the OKC Thunder, Oklahoma City shot 10-34, 29.4 percent from three, including 7-19 from Russell Westbrook. The Celtics and Rockets poor shooting was an aberration, they’re better from the perimeter than their Game 7 percentage indicates.

29 percent was not an abnormal percentage for the Thunder, they shot sub 30 percent on 23 occasions in the regular season. The C’s and Rockets shot sub 20 percent only twice combined this past regular season.

Threes have their place in today’s NBA and they are here to stay, yet instead of aimless shooting maybe more teams should pick and choose the more appropriate time to launch a three.

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