JENNY DIAL CREECH.
One thing James Harden has that Russell Westbrook doesn’t: a bunch of other offensive weapons on his team
Before Oklahoma City played its final game of the regular season on Wednesday against Denver, Thunder coach Billy Donovan already was thinking about what was next.
Donovan knew what was ahead: James Harden and the Rockets.
He made comparisons between the Nuggets and Rockets and talked about how the Thunder could use that game to grow, improve and prepare before the playoffs started. But the Nuggets aren’t the Rockets. Few teams in the NBA have the same caliber weapons, and the Thunder will have their hands full when the two meet in Game 1 on Sunday night at Toyota Center.
“They are a good team that does a lot of things well,” Donovan said. “We are going to have to be ready for all the things they do.” He’s absolutely right. The talk in Houston has surrounded what the Rockets will do to contain Russell Westbrook. But the flip side of that is that the Thunder have to contain Harden.
And if they somehow manage to find a way to keep The Beard at bay, they have to contend with everyone else the Rockets have in their arsenal.
The Rockets have dealt with Westbrook and his uncanny ability to do just about anything. In two of the Rockets’ three wins over Oklahoma City this year, Westbrook had a triple-double. In the other Rockets win, Westbrook didn’t get a triple-double, but he scored 49 points.
Westbrook is obviously a threat — one the Rockets will have trouble with throughout the series.
And Harden is the same kind of issue for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City forward Andre Roberson is charged with the challenge of shadowing Harden. He hopes to become Harden’s kryptonite. But he knows doing that will require almost perfect defense.
“He keeps you on your toes,” Roberson told the Daily Oklahoman on Friday. “You have to play all 48 minutes disciplined. No silly fouls, no reach-ins. Just playing disciplined defense.”
Harden is as tough as they come to guard. In addition to his ability to score and facilitate, he’s also pesky when it comes to drawing fouls.
Donovan knows Roberson will have to be ready for the test Harden brings. He also knows the Rockets are more than Harden.
“They have a lot of great players on that team,” Donovan said.
That’s what makes the Rockets so hard to scout — especially for a best-of-seven series.
“We have a lot of guys who can step up on any night,” Rockets guard Eric Gordon said. “You can’t just key in on one person. We have too many that are capable.”
Gaggle of gunners
Harden, Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Lou Williams — they all have the green light to shoot. And when any of them gets hot from the 3-point line, it gets extremely tough to tame the Rockets.
Pat Beverley has also been known to produce offense, as have big men Clint Capela and Nene.
Even when their offense is off, the Rockets break 100 points a game. When their offense is on, outscoring them is going to be tough for a team that gets so many of its points from one guy.
Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter all average double digits in scoring, but the dropoff between Westbrook’s NBA-best 31.6 points per outing and Oladipo’s 15.9 is big. Kanter averages 14.3 and Adams 11.3.
The Rockets have six players who average double digits in scoring. Harden (29.1), Gordon (16.2), Williams (14.9), Anderson (13.6), Capela (12.6) and Ariza (11.7) lead the way, while Montrezl Harrell, Pat Beverley, Troy Williams and Nene have all averaged over nine points in games they’ve played for the Rockets this season.
“Every guy on this team can score in different ways,” Gordon said. “Pick your poison.”
So maybe Roberson steps up in a big way and contains Harden. The Rockets have plenty of other options around him.
OKC tough on boards
Oklahoma City isn’t without its strengths over the Rockets. The Thunder are a much better rebounding team. Between Westbrook’s 10.7 boards per game plus the ones that big men Kanter and Adams pull down, OKC is the top rebounding team in the league.
Westbrook is a game-changer, and there’s zero doubt he will bring his “A” game and the desire to prove himself to the postseason.
Oladipo has a lot of upside and could be a factor. Roberson’s defense has been solid all year. He does have the ability to disrupt Harden, and that could go a long way. But the Rockets just have more. They have an MVP candidate in Harden, whom many have dubbed the hardest player in the NBA to defend. They have more offensive firepower than any other team. They have coach Mike D’Antoni’s playoff experience.
The Rockets have given Donovan and company a lot of work to do. Scouting Harden and his team is one of the toughest tasks in the NBA.
On Sunday, the Thunder will see if they can pass the test.