James Harden wanted no part of the MVP race that he insists is already over. Whatever campaigning he and Russell Westbrook did during the regular season is over and will not play a factor the first round series between Harden’s Rockets and Westbrook’s Thunder, per Harden. Good luck convincing the rest of the basketball world that it’s a non-factor. But it wasn’t the Rockets’ trademark 3-point shooting that did the Thunder in. It was everything else. Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman has more:
James Harden missed his first 3-point shot.
An air ball. Seemed like that ought to be a good omen for the Thunder.
But Rocket hustler Patrick Beverley saved the ball while jumping out of bounds and a few seconds later got the ball back for an open 3-pointer. Swish.On Houston’s next possession, Steve Adams blocked James Harden’s driving shot, but Harden corralled the ball and flipped to Beverley. Another 3-pointer.
The next time the Rockets got the ball, Ryan Anderson missed a 3-pointer. But Clint Capela outjumped Steven Adams for the rebound and passed to a cutting Trevor Ariza for a dunk.
The Thunder had played solid defense, with nothing to show for it. It was a sign of things to come.
The Rockets routed OKC 118-87 Sunday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series, after heating up in the second half. And the Rockets always heat up.
But it wasn’t 3-pointers that sunk the Thunder. It was getting beat at its own game.
The best way to beat these spread-it-out, shoot-it-up Rockets is to muscle them. Push them around. Batter them on the boards.
Instead, the Thunder was the team pushed around. The Rockets had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, when they outscored OKC 21-0 in second-chance points.Somehow, the Thunder trailed only 59-54 at halftime, but that was fool’s gold, considering Houston had made just three of 16 3-pointers, and all three makes came off offensive rebounds. Houston made four 3-pointers in the first 7-1/2 minutes of the third quarter, and the rout was on.
The final numbers were ugly. The Rockets outscored OKC 31-4 in second-chance points. Rebounding has to go the Thunder’s way to have any chance in this series. Instead, Capela and Nene Hilario continually made the Thunder pay.
Nene and Capela combined for 29 points on 14 of 17 shooting, plus 12 rebounds. Thunder big men Enes Kanter and Adams combined for 14 points on six of 13 shooting, plus eight rebounds. That’s a recipe for Thunder disaster.
“We limited their second-chance points and made it tough for them pretty much the whole night,” said Ariza.
Adams and Kanter have to play better. Each had one offensive rebound, Adams in almost 28 minutes, Kanter in 16-1/2 minutes.
If the Thunder can’t rebound better than that, Billy Donovan is better off going super small and not even playing a center.
Part of the problem was OKC’s defensive strategy, which switches on all screens and often took Adams, Kanter or Taj Gibson far from the basket. That is a mismatch on two ends: 1) a Thunder big man trying to keep up with Harden or Eric Gordon or Lou Williams, adept shooters and ballhandlers; 2) a Thunder guard or wing trying to box out the springy Capela or the burly Nene.
Thirteen of the 21 second-chance points in the first half came against OKC’s big lineup.
It all has to leave Donovan wondering what to do in Game 2. His big lineup otherwise held up, guarding the Houston perimeter reasonably well. But the rebounding domination put OKC in a severe hole. Through three quarters, Houston had outscored the
Thunder 50-32 in the paint; the Rockets had made 25 of 37 shots in the paint, despite a much smaller team.
