On Wednesday, NBA fans get another Game 7 matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Houston Rockets.
It has been a back-and-forth series thus far. Russell Westbrook of the Rockets missed the first few games, and Houston dominated in his return in Game 5. Many thought the Rockets could take care of business in Game 6 to move on.
However, the Thunder had different plans. Chris Paul was clutch down the stretch, and Oklahoma City forced a Game 7 with a 104-100 win.
Pressure on the Rockets
In this game, all of the pressure is on the Rockets. No one thought that Oklahoma City would be at this point, but Houston has championship aspirations.
In Game 6, Westbrook played terrible, especially towards the end of the game. He had a handful of turnovers, one coming with just seconds to go on their last possession.
It is hard to believe that the Rockets didn’t have the ball in the hands of one of the most talented offensive guys in the league in James Harden. They need to live or die by Harden in Game 7.
Coach Mike D’Antoni might be coaching for his job in this one. If they lose, it could be his last game for Houston. He is big on analytics and coaches this team to take more threes than any team has taken before, but it isn’t proving to be effective in the playoffs so far.
“There is no excuse for D’Antoni to have not one, not two, but several possessions down the stretch. where James Harden didn’t touch the damn ball.” said NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith. “If Mike D’Antoni loses this game, he’s gonna get fired, it’s done. and if he ends up in Indiana, there’s gonna be some problems, just so you know.”
Thunder Playing Spoiler
The Thunder are trying to knock off the Rockets to unexpectedly make it past the first round. They have a young group of guys, led by the veteran Paul.
Paul scored 28 points in Game 6 and will have to have a big game for the Thunder to win. He has definitely played with a chip on his shoulder after getting traded from the Rockets in the offseason.
The Thunder also need another big game from Danilo Gallinari. He is one of their only three-point shooters and scored 25 points in the Game 6 win.
Prediction
Looking at these lineups, the Thunder shouldn’t win, but here we are in Game 7. Harden and Westbrook aren’t very consistent as a duo.
These two can have a great game and beat most any team in the league, but they can also come out and look awful. It totally depends on what version of the Rockets comes out of the locker room.
The Rockets are 5.5-point favorites.
I’m going to go ahead and say that Harden takes over offensively in Game 7. He has heard the talk after Game 6. I am betting on him that he won’t make the same mistake and has the ball in his hands more often.