(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Houston Rockets
Season Series: Thunder 2-1
You probably already know the final outcome of this series before it begins, but don’t sleep on which will probably be one of the most emotional ones in the entire playoffs. The Houston Rockets will begin their run at hopefully upsetting the Oklahoma City Thunder, with James Harden looking to step out of the shadow from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Following last year’s 4-1 to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, the Thunder are looking to continue their quest for an imminent rematch. Their journey begins against a well-coached and balanced Houston Rockets team who returns to the playoffs for the first time 3-years, since the “Yao Ming” era.
Houston has depth at every position to give OKC some problems but due to lack of experience together as a collective unit, they might show their inexperience in the later stages of this series. Bringing in Jeremy Lin and James Harden instantly turned their franchise around, making Harden an elite level player and possible MVP candidate, but the big road block they will have to face will be the two-headed monster of Durant and Westbrook.
The Thunder this year acquired Kevin Martin who can provide the outside shot, freeing up the lanes for Durant/Westbrook, as well as Ronnie Brewer, who should have important minutes in the series guarding Harden. Russell Westbrook’s had a career year averaging 23 points, 7 assist and 5 rebounds playing 81-82 games this year.
His play and leadership on the court has improved (in comparison to years prior), but he’s going to carry that throughout the playoffs, the deeper the team gets. For this year, it comes down to how bad the Thunder want to advance to the 2nd round. The Rockets might steal one of the games in this series, or even two, if they get lucky.
Westbrook and Durant will both have increased motivation to eliminate their frienemie, James Harden, who knows the OKC system, only one year removed from the team. We’re expecting the Thunder to win the series, but the Rockets will definitely put up a decent fight.
Game 1 – Sun April 21, Houston at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 – Wed April 24, Houston at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Sat April 27, Oklahoma City at Houston, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/R
Game 4 – Mon April 29, Oklahoma City at Houston, TBD, TBD
Game 5 * Wed May 1, Houston at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Fri May 3, Oklahoma City at Houston, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 5, Houston at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBD