The best two words in sports are “Game 7.”
After the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz provided an excellent classic with a Game 7 of their own on Wednesday, it’s the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets’ turn to entertain basketball fans with their own version of a sudden-death showdown.
This particular battle is especially enticing because the two former Rockets teammates, Chris Paul and James Harden, are each helming a squad that goes home with a loss.
Catch this game live on Thursday at 9 AM, Manila time.
HOME TEAM: #4 Houston Rockets (3-3)
Rockets Mike D’ Antoni may be feeling his seat a bit warmer heading into Game 7, as a loss this Thursday could mean the end of his tenure in Houston.
Whether he’s thinking of his job security or not, he’ll have to pull the right strings in order to guide the Rockets into the second round, and the easiest decision he’ll be making in Game 7 is to let James Harden loose on offense.
Harden is unsurprisingly the most consistent Rocket in the playoffs, as the bearded superstar is averaging 31.8 points on 48.8 FG% in the first round. In Tuesday’s loss to the Thunder, Harden manufactured 32 points and seven assists, though, he shot just 3 for 11 from downtown. Overall, the Rockets still made 15 3-pointers on 34.1 3FG%.
Together with Russell Westbrook, Harden forms a rare MVP-duo in Houston that’s capable of taking over the game. That being said, Houston has to cut down on their turnovers after committing 22 errors in Game 6, with Harden and Westbrook combining for 12 of those miscues.
ROAD TEAM: #5 Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3)
Despite letdown performances from both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder, the Thunder managed to survive Game 6 — all because Chris Paul did everything he could to lead his team to a Game 7.
Paul scored 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field and added three assists and seven rebounds, as he showed a score-first mentality in a game that saw Gilgeous-Alexander and Schroder combine for just 22 points on a salty 9-of-27 shooting.
The Thunder would not have won the game without Danilo Gallinari providing ample support to Paul, as the stretch-big shot 9 of 17 on his way to a 25-point outing.
The Thunder can’t just hope that Paul will do it all for them and Gallinari put up the same solid performance in Game 7 and expect to win.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Schroder will have to show up and take the pressure away from Paul, who’s been averaging 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game in the playoffs. As a team, the Thunder are scoring 104.3 points per game in the first round.
PREDICTIONS:
As mentioned, the Rockets have two MVPs whom the team can rely on to carry them, unlike the Thunder, who have a 35-year-old vet in Chris Paul leading a very young team.
We are taking the Rockets to win this game, 117-112.
