OKC Thunder G1 loss, 3 takeaways: bench disparity, fastbreak absence, Dort missed

The OKC Thunder lost Game 1 of the series failing to take advantage of the Westbrook-less Rockets. Three takeaways offer insight.

This was not how things were supposed to go for the OKC Thunder! Superstar and former beloved Thunder player Russell Westbrook was sidelined for the Rockets with a strained quadriceps muscle which theoretically gave OKC the edge. Yeah – right, not so much.

In some ways, it felt like that became the onus for the Thunder as they seemed ill-prepared for this game. It’s only one game so there’s no need to panic – plenty of future champions have lost the opening game of the playoffs. Last year it happened as an example.

Still, this truly was a lost opportunity for the Thunder because if Russell Westbrook returns from his injury it’s only going to make the Rockets more difficult to beat.

That said, there were three prevailing insights to offer from the Game 1 loss.

Three takeaways from OKC Thunder Game 1 loss

Missing Dort:

If anyone ever wondered how important Luguentz Dort is to this Thunder team they got their answer last night. To be clear, no one player is going to stop James Harden. But, what Dort does do is limit the bearded man from scoring easily.

Moreover, there were numerous occasions in Game 1 where Harden either powered through a player, used his chest or pushed off and the resulting effect was a Thunder player flying backward. It happened to each of Terrance Ferguson, Dennis Schroder, and Chris Paul. That’s the strength of Harden that creates the advantage. But he can’t do that to Lu nor can he fly by Dort.

Watching Andre Roberson guard Harden gave us the sad realization that Dre either lost a step or perhaps isn’t fully back as James flew by him like he was standing still.

The report on Dort is he is progressing nicely. Let’s hope that progression speeds up because the Thunder truly needs him on the floor.