With that in mind, Russell Westbrook made a strong stance about his friendship with Harden when it comes to facing him in the playoffs.
Houston led by 11 points late in the third quarter in that matchup on November 16, by 13 in the third quarter when it won at Oklahoma City 102-99 on December 9, and by 18 before holding on for a 118-116 home victory on January 5. The Rockets finished the regular season with the third-best record in the National Basketball Association (55-27), just one game behind the record of the team that went to the Western Conference Finals two seasons ago.
Winning for the 10th time in their last 13 meetings overall with the Thunder, the Rockets had a commanding 56-41 rebounding advantage as James Harden totaled 37 points and nine assists.
Westbrook did not have much of a supporting cast in the series opener. During Sunday's Game 1 of the Houston first-round series, Roberson was 4-of-6 on 3-pointers and finished with his best scoring total - 18 points - in a playoff game.
With as bad of a problem we had with team chemistry in the preceding season, that thought is now a distant memory as certainly a factor as to why this team has won so many games.
Many people believe this series between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder is going to be a close one.
Once teammates just some five years ago, they're now opponents that have both elevated themselves as the respective cornerstone for their franchises. Draymond Green was everywhere, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, five blocked shots and three steals for the Warriors. "I've been hit with many screens before".
Pence visits Tokyo to reaffirm security ties as N. Korea tensions rise
Pence's Japanese hosts will likely be cautious about any U.S. military action that could trigger a broader regional conflict. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un observes a target-striking contest by the Korean People's Army (KPA).
The rude truth of it is that Westbrook doesn't play well against people and/or teams with which he has beef because, while he's at his best when angry, he's at his most careless when annoyed.
Not to mention that Harden broke a four-decades old record held by Tiny Archibald, being a player to have accrued 2,000 points, 900 assists and 600 rebounds in one season. He wasn't the only Boston player a little off their game in the first half.
Some things to know about the Thunder-Rockets series. Worse than that, the Rockets took the big, bad Thunder and worked them on the glass, beating them 31-2 (not a typo) on second-chance points.
Six players are averaging at least 11.7 points per game for the Rockets, they are: Harden (29.1), Eric Gordon (16.2), Lou Williams (14.9), Ryan Anderson (13.6), Clint Capela (12.6) and Trevor Ariza (11.7). On top of that, the 42 triple-doubles are more than 11 National Basketball Association teams have in their respective team history.
NOTES: Thunder F Andre Roberson made three 3-pointers just three times in the regular season. "I'm sure they'll bounce back, and we've got to be ready to go".
Game two is Tuesday night at Toyota Center.
Comments