THUNDER(1) vs ROCKETS(8): 2013 First Round

Beverley is a tough guy. I'm pretty sure he's thinking "Success!" in his sleep.

Wow my man is down, im pretty sure OKC will win this 1st round even without WESTBROOK but 2nd round will be tougher.. Now LAC and SAS are the only team can knock down the MIA

I say the whole Playoffs has changed due to the fact that Russel Westbrook is injured.They'll barely get passed first round and is gonna have a very tough time against either Clippers or Grizzlies

So this is how it feels to be a Laker/Celtic fan today.

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That scumbag KD tried to kill Jermy Rin who was suffering from chest contusion.

So this is how it feels to be a Laker/Celtic fan today.

Nope, 'cause many of them are thinking that they could have a proper series if their star players are not injured. Where there is none for the Rockets.

So this is how it feels to be a Laker/Celtic fan today.

Nope, 'cause many of them are thinking that they could have a proper series if their star players are not injured. Where there is none for the Rockets.

I don't care what people will argue when I say these two words: Yao Ming. Yes, I do realize the circumstances.

So this is how it feels to be a Laker/Celtic fan today.

Nope, 'cause many of them are thinking that they could have a proper series if their star players are not injured. Where there is none for the Rockets.

I don't care what people will argue when I say these two words: Yao Ming. Yes, I do realize the circumstances.

What a cheap shot... I like that.
And yes, that's how a Lakers fan enjoys the '13 playoffs.

Rockets almost win the last 2 games. OKC coach must create new strategy. when Durant is lock the whole team struggle...

So this is how it feels to be a Laker/Celtic fan today.

Nope, 'cause many of them are thinking that they could have a proper series if their star players are not injured. Where there is none for the Rockets.

I don't care what people will argue when I say these two words: Yao Ming. Yes, I do realize the circumstances.

Can we add Tracy McGrady at this one?

So this is how it feels to be a Laker/Celtic fan today.

Nope, 'cause many of them are thinking that they could have a proper series if their star players are not injured. Where there is none for the Rockets.

I don't care what people will argue when I say these two words: Yao Ming. Yes, I do realize the circumstances.

Can we add Tracy McGrady at this one?

Just Yao is enough for Rockets till the next decade

yeah one lucky bounce on a durant three, 2 consecutive harden TOs, one blown call in okc that leads to a 3, those were the turning points in the series

When you get a bounce like that, things are definitely going your way. Insane.

Seems Westbrook has been officially ruled out for the rest of the Playoffs.

People are saying that OKC has no chance to get to the finals anymore. I don't agree with that. Yes, they are weak now but still, I think KD is enough to carry them on.

People are saying that OKC has no chance to get to the finals anymore. I don't agree with that. Yes, they are weak now but still, I think KD is enough to carry them on.

The last two games against the Rockets showed much of OKC's weaknesses. So I think OKC without Westbrook will have a tough time beating teams like Memphis or the Spurs in a seven game series.

Harden had 10 TOs and shot 33% from the field. But luckily team won. Avoids the sweep.

Even with Westbrook out, Thunder in 5 isn't looking like too bad a prediction as the series shifts back to OKC.

No Lin = win. Sound harsh and may not be just in general but against the Thunder he didn't play like a NBA starting PG should do. I don't know whether this might have been just a bad season, or the whole Linsanity was just a fluke. What I know is that his per 36 min averages and his PER sucked compared to last season and he continues to struggle in the playoffs...

I don't think Linsanity was a fluke, I think he's got legitimate talent. He strung together too many good games for the Knicks in 2012 and has shown too much promise to be a fluke, in my view. However, he did have a pretty rough start to the season, which may have been partly due to the fact he was coming off a knee injury that put him out of action last year.

Lin had ups and downs this season but he did have his shiny moments in many games as well. Lots of games where he had 20+ scorings/10+ assists. But struggle came with his fitment as a combo guard. Harden was used normally as a playmaker/ball-handler and it obviously didn't play to Lin's strength. And as noted before(in this series), together with Beverly, and Harden, Lin played a spot up jump shooter role.

Really liked how Francisco Garcia defended Durant on that last possession. After hanging around and even having their opportunities to win games two and three, it's satisfying to see the Rockets finally take a playoff win. I'm also completely satisfied with the way the Rockets' season went. I will still be happy even if they lose Game Five (which there's a good chance they will), as long as it's not a blowout.

No Lin = win. Sound harsh and may not be just in general but against the Thunder he didn't play like a NBA starting PG should do. I don't know whether this might have been just a bad season, or the whole Linsanity was just a fluke. What I know is that his per 36 min averages and his PER sucked compared to last season and he continues to struggle in the playoffs...

Lin was handed a fantastic PG based system which, along with no valid scouting, helped inflated him during his Linsanity run. But he's still a decent PG and he was having some "effectively" second year struggles this year. He improved or maintained in some key areas despite the larger role. 20/4/8 was probably over his head, but 17/4/7 is still a pretty good point guard. (He was under this in part because of Harden and the Rockets unexpected status this season. He struggled to start the year with Harden being so ball dominant.)

When they're both on, they're a huge reason the Rockets +17*'d me: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... -available

+22'd.

Last edited by benji on Wed May 01, 2013 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lin played a spot up jump shooter role.

the problem is that he isn't a great spot up shooter from 3. Beverley's actually a bit better for that. I hope Lin sits out the rest of the series to give them a chance. Garcia's been playing great defense on Durant as well. He is a big key to them winning. His defense and ball denial on Durant allowed them to come back from 26 down in game 3

If i see Durant do that fucking swing through move one more time, i'm gonna sock him in the face. the league needs to do more than make it an "on the ground" foul because Durant will just wait until they're in the penalty to get cheap free throws. It's so frustrating to watch it's like playing against a cheeser online. he's exploiting the rules of the game.