ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Thunder 4/21/2013 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 1)

Well, we are no doubt on the wrong road; the right one was through San Antonio. If the Rockets would have "taken care of business" we would be on it. The road now is very rough and bumpy and could result in a train wreck. Do they have a chance? Yes, but it is very narrow window. Very narrow. If they just "free stroke" and get hot it could happen. But the Thunder is clearly the better team. By a wide margin.

 

Didn't he foul out in the last game against us?

 

And please don't let Thabo have a career night again.

 

lets parsons be the man and exploit durant's poor defensive effort.

 

What an amazing game that was; it could happen again. I am sure the Thunder remember it well.

 

In a way, I am less concerned about them winning than that they get in flow, and play the kind of basketball we know they can play. I want them to have fun, and be surprised at what they can accomplish. I hope they trust in what they can do together.

Then in the off season they pick up some more pieces, and work on getting better.

But if they panic, and retreat into the iso reliance we saw yesterday, it will be ugly. I really hope they learned a lesson from these last two painful, ugly losses: that they can't retreat to that -- that the only way they will win is by relying on each other.

 

Well this sucks.

 

Win the series and we become the #1 seed (except without homecourt)

 

The road may be rough, no doubt but for a growing team I'd rather they go through a rough road then get a easy path and feasting on easy teams.

OKC will expose their weakness. If they do good against OKC (Win two games is a massive success IMO) then they have something to build on.

If they get demolished in 4 games then they will know they have to work harder to get to where OKC is. They know what it will take then.

 

SI's prediction re Rockets/Thunder series. Yes, they predict the Thunder win, but they say a lot of really complimentary things about the Rockets.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nb...ockets-nba-playoffs-2013-first-round-preview/

This won't be the most competitive first-round series, but it may be the most entertaining, however long it lasts. Conventional wisdom says pace slows and scores dip in the playoffs, but that won't be the case with Houston and Oklahoma City, who rank second and third respectively in points per game. These franchises have been linked since Oct. 27, when the Thunder sent James Harden to the Rockets for a package highlighted by Kevin Martin. Emotions will be high with Harden trying to prove why he turned down a lucrative contract extension with the best team in the Western Conference, knowing he would probably get shipped to an upstart. The Rockets exceeded expectations, and so did Harden, who emerged as the NBA's fifth-leading scorer. But the Thunder haven't exactly slipped, either. Without Harden, they have improved in almost every relevant category, and are winning at a higher clip.

Why The Thunder Will Win

Houston is where Oklahoma City was as a team three years ago, a young No. 8 seed, testing itself against the established Lakers. The following season, the Thunder reached the Western Conference finals, and after that, they made it to the Finals. They lost Harden early this season but they didn't miss him, scoring more points in his absence, sinking more free throws and handing out more assists. They are better than they were, not because Harden is gone, but because Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook continue their unabated growth. Without Harden, both could have taken more shots, and neither did. They have become more selective snipers, more willing passers and more determined defenders. Teammates have followed suit and the Thunder don't play as much one-on-one as they once did. The Oklahoma City core has been together five years, preparing for this moment. They won't allow for a first-round upset or anything even close to it.

Why The Rockets Will Win

They will space the floor and make 20 three-pointers a game. Harden will outplay both Durant and Westbrook. And Jeremy Lin will put on a two-week recital that trumps anything he did during Linsanity. Oh, and it might help if some of the Rockets grow a few inches, which is theoretically possible given how young they are. In all seriousness, the Rockets won't be able to defend the Thunder, but they can definitely run with them and score with them. They should be able to steal a game or two, thanks to their speed and three-point shooting, and Harden proved in Oklahoma City he can close playoff games. He might be able to win a duel against Durant or Westbrook, though probably not both, and therein rests the challenge. Whatever happens, this experience is invaluable for the Rockets, who are about to take the first of many steps toward the Thunder and long-term contention.

Keep An Eye On ...

Harden. He suffered through a brutal Finals with Oklahoma City last year, scoring 12.4 points on 37 percent shooting, and now he's back in another post-season pressure cooker. Harden played only one game at Oklahoma City this season and shot 3-of-16. He was much better in the next two meetings with the Thunder, but both of those were at home. As eager as Harden will be to show what Oklahoma City is missing, the Thunder will be just as eager to demonstrate how successfully they've moved on. There will be no secrets in this series. He knows them and they know him.
The Pick

Thunder in 5. The Rockets may score 100 points, rain threes and run the Thunder to exhaustion, but they can't beat them in a series, not yet. Durant and Westbrook used to be vulnerable in ways a first-round opponent could hope to exploit, but that's no longer the case.

 

Lmao, Rockets had to play the most perfect basketball of their life to win a game vs Thunder and the Thunder took off the pedal in the 4th and we made the comeback. It will 4 or 5 game series. Ugh why we couldn't win the game vs the Suns or Lakers!?

 

Two keys for OKC: length and athleticism.

If we are to win this, the only way would be breakout of Terrence Jones, who has length, athleticism and can be a stretch four, pulling Ibaka away from the rim.

 

Rockets win game one
and make 23 three pointers with only 40 attempts!
Harden, Lin, Parsons, Delfino, Garcia both have 3 or more treys@!

 

**** you Comcast!

I'm watching this game on TV!

 

I'm on the phone right now (cancelling Comcast). Uverse is coming tomorrow morning.

I will still get the Playoffs on TNT and ESPN, right? Please let me know asap! I'm on hold!

 

Nevermind, they are closed till 7am tomorrow. Now I guess I have time to do my own research! Thanks though

 

The fact we lost those games should tell you how realistic that outside shot was.

 

write it down...OKC is not playing around in game 1 they win in a blowout. Harden will get his 30 points but shoot poorly and it'll take 20 some-odd shots. Probably in the 4+ turnover range and Thabo Sefolosha will score plenty as he does against the Rockets all year.

Lin will be mediocre as well. Because of the impending blowout he'll probably play the old 20-25 minutes because McHale likes Beverley's energy.

 

either dmo or tjones has to give us something. stretch 4 so we can pull ibaka out and let lin and harden drive. if not, they are not getting pts in the paint

 

Thunder-Rockets: Sounds of the Day