The 2012-2013 NBA season has finally come to a close and now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the playoffs. There are some pretty interesting match-ups set for this year, but which one is the most intriguing? Surprisingly, the most intriguing match-up is the 1st seed versus 8th seed in the Western Conference–the Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Houston Rockets.
Why is this the most intriguing match-up? Well before the 2012-2013 season began the Thunder traded away all-star shooting guard James Harden to the Rockets. But that isn’t the only reason; the true intrigue of this series comes in the scoring potential. Both teams hold players with potential to break out and put huge point totals on the board. The duo for the Thunder, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, are the highest scoring duo in the league as they averaged 51.3 points per game. Durant and Westbrook are also capable of putting the team on their back while on offense, and then Serge Ibaka can anchor the paint on defense.
On the other hand, there’s the scoring potential of the Houston guards, Harden and Jeremy Lin. Everybody remembers the end of the 2011-2012 season when Linsanity came in and helped the Knicks end their season 7th in the East after coming in and putting the Knicks on a winstreak for a couple of games. The two Houston guards averaged a total of 39.2 ppg. Don’t let the number fool you, James Harden has the potential to put up a 40 points on any given occasion; he showcased this when he opened the season scoring 37 and 45 points the first two games of the season. Lin has also showed his ability to score as he has dropped 30+ points some nights; some along with Harden scoring 30+ as well or when Harden was slacking in the scoring department.
The deciding factors in this series come down to just 3 things. First, how Lin and Harden handle the ball. Together these two averaged 6.5 turnovers per game and there have been signs that the two can be prone to turning the ball over. Second, which duo will score more? Sure Durant and Westbrook averaged 13.1 more ppg than Harden and Lin, but the scoring potential in these four is out of this world. And finally, how will the Rockets get past Ibaka on defense. This season Ibaka averaged about 3 blocks per game, but there he also forces opponents to alter shots and that’s a stat that isn’t recorded. With the combo of blocking shots and forcing opponents to alter shots, Ibaka can have a big impact on the outcome of this series.
Works Cited:
“Houston Rockets.” NBA Stats. National Basketball Association, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
<http://stats.nba.com/teamPlayers.html?TeamID=1610612745>.
“Oklahoma City Thunder.” NBA Stats. National Basketball Association, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
<http://stats.nba.com/teamPlayers.html?TeamID=1610612760&Season=2012-13>.
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