Westbrook out for Game One
Russell Westbrook is out for game one against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook is dealing with a quad strained right quad that could keep him out even longer.
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Westbrook could miss a "few games" in the first round of the playoffs, which should give Oklahoma City a significant advantage. According to Michael Shapiro of Inside the Rockets, not much will change for James Harden with Eric Gordon getting the start in place of the former MVP.
"For me, nothing changes, no matter who's on the court.".... "What's missed is his ability to get to the basket, draw defenders in, and create opportunities for our team."
Houston/Oklahoma City presents an interesting contrast in styles. The Rockets lead, the league in three-point attempts at 45.3 a game. At the same time, the Thunder is 27th with 30,2 per game.
Oklahoma City prefers to take mid-range shots, and drive the lane while playing half-court. Houston will look to speed things, and be willing to live and die from beyond the arc.
Bill Donovan says, "For us, it's about getting good looks."..." We've got some unique players in Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, and even Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]."..." That when they get into that teeth of the defense whether it's the mid-post that Chris gets to or Shai kind of gets into the lane or Dennis gets to the free-throw line like those guys are comfortable taking those shots."
"As long as they're open shots, they're not contested we're gonna feel good about our guys taking those shots."
Oklahoma City may not be able to take all of Houston's three-pointers away, but they must contest every attempt possible. Donovan also says the Thunder will have a do a better job of protecting the ball as the Rockets are averaging 22 points off of turnovers in the bubble.
Thunder/Rockets at 5:30 on Fox Sports Oklahoma and 91.7 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.
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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.
