There has been a lot of discussion about who the MVP is heading into the 2017 NBA playoffs. Looking at the statistics, the wins, big performances and more, it has been completely up for grabs.
This game did not have that level of uncertainty.
Never in question and with no need for debate, The Houston Rockets thumped the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-87 in the first game of their 7 game series. James Harden vastly outperformed the other MVP candidate. Accruing 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists on 46.4% shooting.
André Roberson, who usually does a wonderful job at defending Harden, was less than great. James realized early on that he could not be stopped from getting to the rim. He went at it constantly in the 1st half, scoring 16 points in the paint.
Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, struggled. Shooting 4/15 in the first half, in large part because of the Rockets defensive strategy. Harden would play way off of Roberson, clogging the paint. Roberson initially responded by hitting 3 of his first 3 shots from three-point range. Then his confidence surprisingly waned. He refused to shoot from the outside and mucked up the offense immensely.
Something the Thunder need to do in their next game against the Rockets is make sure Roberson is never on the side Westbrook is when he comes off a screen. That allows Harden to drop in front of him, forcing him to make the pass. If Harden is defending off Roberson on the opposite side, it would hinder the roll man but open up the lane for Westbrook. It would also cause Harden to have to run much farther to defend the three if Westbrook did sling it to the opposite side of the court.
What clinched this game for the Rockets was Patrick Beverley’s intensity. His defense on Westbrook was extraordinary. He would not stop hassling OKC players, even after he got flattened by Steven Adams. He accumulated his 2nd playoff double-double of his career and was all over the court.
It is unlikely every game goes this well for the Rockets. Westbrook will be more efficient, his energy seemed dwarfed by that of Beverley. He will find his teammates in better positions, and Roberson probably won’t be as paralyzed when he receives the ball. But, It is unlikely the Thunder will be able to keep up with the Rockets fire power. They shot only 10/33 from 3pt range, well below their season average.
Harden is a maestro of this offense right now, Westbrook may just need to put up a couple of his classic 45-12-12 lines in order to win. The Thunder should also look to slow down the game, take it possession by possession instead of attempting to run up and down the court, they can not beat them at their own game.
Their next meeting in the 2017 NBA playoffs will be on Wednesday at 8pm Eastern.
