{"id":63858,"date":"2018-04-23T07:40:55","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T07:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=63858"},"modified":"2018-04-23T07:40:55","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T07:40:55","slug":"west-playoff-pulse-are-thunder-doomed-vs-jazz-should-rockets-be-concerned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/west-playoff-pulse-are-thunder-doomed-vs-jazz-should-rockets-be-concerned.html","title":{"rendered":"West playoff pulse: Are Thunder doomed vs. Jazz? Should Rockets be concerned?"},"content":{"rendered":"

West playoff pulse: Are Thunder doomed vs. Jazz? Should Rockets be concerned?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City\u2019s king of basketball and bravado, has hereby vowed to bring Ricky Rubio\u2019s series-changing run to an end and, by proxy, the Utah Jazz team for which he plays.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He made some shots,” Westbrook told reporters about Rubio, the 27-year-old playing in his first playoffs whose 26-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in Game 3 on Saturday propelled the Jazz to a 2-1 first-round lead. “Too comfortable. But I’m gonna shut that (expletive) off next game though. Guarantee that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

With Game 4 looming on Monday in Salt Lake City, time will tell if Westbrook can make good on his promise. There\u2019s a lot at stake here, as star Paul George would surely have to re-think the prospect of re-signing in Oklahoma City as a free agent in July if the Thunder can\u2019t even reach the second round.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when it comes to Rubio\u2019s ability to be such an X-factor in Game 3, this much is clear: Westbrook was more to blame than anyone. The reigning league MVP, who is on track to have the worst postseason performance of his career, was the primary defender on Rubio for five of his nine makes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet there\u2019s a bigger problem here for the Thunder that might lead to their early postseason doom, one that can\u2019t be solved with a coaching adjustment or a lineup change. The absence of Andre Roberson.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 26-year-old Thunder guard may not be a household name, but he\u2019s as good a perimeter defender as there is in the NBA. And when he went down with a season-ending knee injury back on Jan. 27, it changed everything for Westbrook & Co. This series, it\u2019s fair to say, is simply more of the same on this front.<\/span><\/p>\n

With late-season addition Corey Brewer filling Roberson\u2019s spot, the Thunder\u2019s defensive rating through three games (109) is much worse than the three months they had with Roberson (103.1). And the Jazz, make no mistake, are winning the battle of the backcourt. Consider the evidence\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Rubio<\/span><\/p>\n

This series: 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, eight assists per game<\/span>
\nRegular season: 13.1 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds<\/span>
\nJazz rookie Donovan Mitchell<\/span><\/p>\n

This series: 25.7 points, nine rebounds, 2.3 assists<\/span>
\nRegular season: 20.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists<\/span>
\nWestbrook<\/span><\/p>\n

This series: 20.7 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists<\/span>
\nRegular season: 25.4 points, 10.3 assists, 10.1 rebounds<\/span>
\nBrewer<\/span><\/p>\n

This series: Nine points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists<\/span>
\nRegular season: 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 18 games<\/span><\/p>\n

ROCKETS GROUNDED<\/span><\/p>\n

You know you\u2019re an elite team when one playoff loss is enough to sound the alarm internally.<\/span><\/p>\n

So when Houston had its series lead trimmed to 2-1 against Minnesota in its 121-105 loss in Game 3 on Saturday, it came as no surprise that coach Mike D\u2019Antoni wasn\u2019t afraid to speak his truth afterward.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’d say (the past) couple months we haven’t played really well,” D’Antoni, whose team had the league\u2019s best record (65-17) in the regular season, told reporters Sunday in advance of Game 4 on Monday. “That’s why I was worried the whole time about resting guys (before the playoffs), doing this, getting out of rhythm. (People say), ‘It doesn’t really mean a whole lot.’ Ehhhh, it does. \u2026Anyway, we are where we are. We’ll be fine. We’ll be OK.”<\/span><\/p>\n

That last part is likely true, but it has been puzzling to see the Rockets play so inconsistently when it matters most. James Harden was the Game 1 hero (44 points in the Houston win), but has cooled off since (2-of-18 shooting in Game 2; 9-of-21 in Game 3) while being guarded mostly by Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague. His fellow co-star, Chris Paul, struggled in Game 1, broke out in Game 2, then had a modest outing in Game 3 (17 points, six assists, a minus-five rating).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve kind of like traded off, right?\u201d Harden told reporters. “We’ve just got to get a rhythm. It’s not necessarily just me and Chris. We’re good enough to get enough to get our shot going and get our rhythm going at any point in any game.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We’ve just got to make sure we’re rallying everybody else around us and making sure that they’re in good spirits and always confident in their shot. … So we’re good. We’re real good.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Judging by the numbers, D\u2019Antoni\u2019s concerns may be well-founded.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the Rockets clinched the top seed in the Western Conference on March 29, they went just 4-3 with an offensive rating that took a dip near the end (113.1 before they clinched compared to 102.3 after). Meanwhile, there\u2019s even more proof now that the Rockets aren\u2019t the same team defensively without forward Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder injury; no clear timetable for return). Between the regular season and playoffs, Houston is just 15-9 in games played without him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/columnist\/sam-amick\/2018\/04\/22\/west-playoff-pulse-thunder-doomed-jazz-rockets-concerned\/540468002\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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