7 keys for Game 7

COME OUT SWINGING

With all that’s on the line for the Rockets — and Oklahoma City having already overachieved with a bright future ahead — Houston has to play fearlessly and with confidence from the start.

TAKE CARE OF THE BALL

As obvious as it is crucial, the Rockets have won when they limited turnovers. In their three wins, they committed an average of just 8.3. In the three losses, they averaged 17.

GET A GUARD GOING

It does not have to be Russell Westbrook. It does not have to be Eric Gordon. But the Rockets will play both for long minutes, needing Westbrook’s force and Gordon’s defense. They need either Westbrook to be efficient or Gordon to knock down shots. Both would be better.

TIED UP, D UP

The Rockets’ defense has excelled in the series, with their rating leading the postseason. There have, however, been letups, usually with the lead, that has allowed the Thunder to keep some games close. The Rockets can’t permit this if they get a doubledigit lead.

ATTACK THE RIM

The Rockets have done a good job at spreading the floor and driving, averaging the fourth-most drives in the NBA in the playoffs. For all that is said about playing small, they rank sixth in scoring in the paint. But that is one area where they cannot have too much of a good thing.

STRENGTH IN SMALL NUMBERS

Though the Rockets have used four players off the bench since Russell Westbrook’s return, Ben McLemore has played little, with coach Mike D’Antoni opting to stick with the better defense of Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon and Danuel House Jr. But the Rockets do need some help from the second unit, as in the first two games of the series. They might need a bounce-back game from Jeff Green, who excelled in the wins but went 1-for-5 with three turnovers Monday.

FINISH IN CLOSING TIME

If Game 7 brings another stretch of “clutch situations,” the Rockets need to just keep playing. Keep running the offense. Keep taking open 3-pointers. Keep spreading the floor and going to the rim. Of the playoff teams that have been in more than one “clutch situation,” only the 76ers, who were swept, have been worse offensively in those final five minutes. No team has been more turnoverprone. That can change and might have to.