OKC Thunder: 5 keys to victory over Rockets
Five specific keys for the OKC Thunder to claim the series versus the Houston Rockets.
The OKC Thunder fan base waited months for basketball to return. As 22 teams descended upon the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World we still held our collective breath with the pandemic raging in Orlando.
Approaching six weeks into the experiment the bubble remains intact with no positive COVID-19 cases. The first-ever play-in tournament occurred this past weekend and yesterday (August 17th) marked the start of the 2020 NBA playoffs.
Today, the Thunder will begin their postseason journey. That they will play the Houston Rockets adds to the excitement and drama. It was a little over 13 months ago that Sam Presti traded favorite son Russell Westbrook to Houston for Chris Paul and draft picks.
Related Story. The inevitable collision course of Chris Paul and the Rockets. light
The Thunder GM consistently spoke of the replenish and reposition era but few bought in fully to his mantra. We now know there was a deal on the table with the Miami Heat for Danilo Gallinari. The loss of Gallo would have greatly affected the team formulation. The Italian is critical to floor spacing and a vital member of the clutch time group.
Yet, much as the rest of the Thunder season has gone, everything has seemingly happened for a reason. The organic fit of the three point guards, Gallinari and Steven Adams is the best clutch time unit in the association.
Andre Roberson has made a triumphant return to the team after more than two years off the hardwood rehabbing and could be a Thunder x-factor. Hamidou Diallo and Darius Bazley returned from the hiatus playing with the aplomb of players following a full offseason of growth with both seemingly ready to help bolster the team’s reserve depth.
5 keys to beating Rockets
Despite the Thunder ascent, this Houston Rockets squad is considered the favorite to win the series and a title contender.
Much of that was tied to the presence of top-10 talents. Both James Harden and Russell Westbrook are previous regular-season MVP winners with Harden in the mix again this season.
That said, this thinking took an abrupt turn with the news Westbrook suffered a strained quadriceps muscle. How long he’ll be off the court is unknown.
Even without the Brodie, Harden is capable of dropping 50 points or more on any given night. The Rockets won’t just rollover. Certainly, the Thunder odds of winning increase exponentially with the absence of Westbrook. And, there are several ways OKC can increase their odds of winning the series.
Although the OKC Thunder won the season series two games to one it’s important to note the Rockets’ roster significantly changed since those three contests.
Much like Daryl Morey jumped on his mandate of layups or 3-point shots he’s pushed all his chips into the center of the table emphasizing small ball. P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington are both great defensive players who are capable of guarding at least four and arguably all five positions. While most of the core Rockets players aren’t the vertical equivalent or their opponents they are deceiving given their reach, speed and athleticism.
In fact, virtually every take given initially pegged Houston as the definitive favorite to win this series with many experts and analysts saying Houston was the only Western team with the potential to beat one of the LA clubs.
The Thunder will look to spoil that party. Here are 5 keys to help them get there.