NBA Playoffs Rd 1: (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Houston Rockets

[King Taharqa]

[1] Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22)

PG-#0 Russell Westbrook

UCLA '08

6'3 190 lbs

23.2 PPG 5.2 RPG 7.4 APG 1.8 SPG

SG-#2 Thabo Sefolosha

SWITZERLAND '06

6'7 215 lbs

7.6 PPG 3.9 RPG 1.5 APG 41.9 3PT%

SF-#35 Kevin Durant

Texas '07

6'9 235 lbs

28.1 PPG 7.9 RPG 4.6 APG 51.0 FG% 90.5 FT% 41.6 3PT%

PF-#9 Serge Ibaka

CONGO '08

6'10 235 lbs

13.2 PPG 7.7 RPG 3.0 BPG

C-#5 Kendrick Perkins

Clifton J. Ozen HS '05 (Beaumont, TX)

6'10 275 lbs

4.2 PPG 6.0 RPG 1.4 APG 1.1 BPG

BENCH

PG-#6 Derek Fisher

SG-#23 Kevin Martin

SF-#8 Ronnie Brewer

PF-#4 Nick Collison

C-#34 Hasheem Thabeet

HEAD COACH

Scott Brooks

[King Taharqa]

[8] Houston Rockets (45-37)

PG-#7 Jeremy Lin

Harvard '10

6'3 190 lbs

13.4 PPG 3.0 RPG 6.1 APG 1.6 SPG

SG-#13 James Harden

Arizona State '09

6'5 220 lbs

25.9 PPG 4.9 RPG 5.8 APG 36.8 3PT%

SF-#25 Chandler Parsons

Florida '11

6'9 227 lbs

15.5 PPG 5.3 RPG 3.5 APG 38.5 3PT%

PF-#20 Donatas Motiejunas

USSR '11

7'0 222 lbs

5.7 PPG 2.1 RPG 3.0 BPG

C-#3 Omer Asik

TURKEY '08

7'0 255 lbs

10.1 PPG 11.7 RPG 54.1 FG%

BENCH

PG-#12 Patrick Beverley

SG-#10 Carlos Delfino

SF-#32 Francisco Garcia

PF-#41 Thomas Robinson

C-#4 Greg Smith

HEAD COACH

Kevin McHale

--------------------------------------------

I fully expect Harden to light his old team up this series. I'm talking 30 and 40 points a game. But it wont be enough. I got Houston stealing one game, then bowing out in 5. OKC begins their journey back to the Finals by eliminating their old teammate "The Beard" first.

[Guest]

I can only see this going one way in OKC's favor. I think the Rockets will get one or two wins tops. So I think OKC win 4-1 or 4-2.

[Sapper]

I think OKC's starters are way too much for Houston's starters.

Harden will make an impact but try to do too much. OKC 4-1.

[CarolinaNCSU]

OKC in 5. Harden goes off once to steal a win at home.

[Kevin Greene]

Sweep.

[ZB1224]

OKC in 5, but I could see it going to 6 I guess (if Harden is just unbelievable, and their 3pt shooting in on).

[kman72]

OKC in 5, the Rockets can shoot and will get hot at least 1 game to be able to win. Thunder are just too good overall and will control the series

[King Taharqa]

Tough blow to OKC making it back to the Finals

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook to have surgery on right knee

The battle to reach the NBA Finals from the Western conference just got even more wide open today.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook will undergo surgery in the coming days to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced today.

Westbrook suffered the injury in the second quarter of Game 2 of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The three-time NBA All-Star averaged 23.2 points (6th in NBA), 7.4 assists (7th), a career-high 5.2 rebounds and 1.77 steals (9th) in 82 games this season.

“Our players’ health is our first and foremost concern. The Thunder’s medical team and several specialists we consulted with determined that Russell undergo a procedure to address the issue,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. “We have thoroughly discussed this with Russell. Despite being the competitor and teammate that he is, he respects and understands the decision and is committed to come back even stronger. Certainly Russell is a leader and core player for this team, but we are in the midst of the playoffs and I know other players are determined to step up and contribute. We have a resilient group of players who have always taken pride in playing as a team and that approach will continue.”

There is no timetable set for his return.

http://www.insidehoo...4#ixzz2RaaBXF4l

[thatlookseasy]

Such a freak injury, that really sucks. He is gonna be really hard to replace with the guys they have now, no more Harden and not even Eric Maynor as a backup.

I can see one of two things happening that I didnt think were possible before the season- either the Clippers make the finals, or Durant takes another leap as a player and carries the Thunder back himself

[nickzz]

that was pretty unbelievable.... not even that much contact but beverley is a fug face for doing that after he had already called for the timeout.

[Kevin Greene]

Tough blow to OKC making it back to the Finals

http://www.insidehoo...4#ixzz2RaaBXF4l

Dude looks like that **** Fujita trying to take out Smitty's knees.

[Kevin Greene]

LOL Harden defers at the end of the game. That was a brutal last 5 minutes you just played Beard.

OKC up by 3 games.

Brilliant game by KD.

[King Taharqa]

Thunder now 1-2 without Westbrook. Rockets won last night to send the series back to Houston. 3-2 Thunder.