The greatest thing in all of professional sports is a Game 7. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets give us just that on Wednesday night. After the Nuggets and Jazz gave fans a shocking ending in their Game 7 Tuesday night, the Thunder and Rockets will try to one-up them on Wednesday.
Game 6 between these two teams plays as the perfect lead up to Wednesday night. From the Russell Westbrook turnovers to the Chris Paul stare down of James Harden, the ultimate preamble. Especially considering that no one expected OKC to make it this far.
As Paul and Westbrook look for the ultimate revenge against their former squads, The leader of the Rockets, Harden, is still on the hunt for his first championship. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET on Wednesday night.
Feel the Thunder
When the Thunder traded Westbrook for Paul in the off-season, they did so with tempered expectations. It was the Rockets who were supposed to be getting the edge in the trade, right? Wrong. Paul seems to have taken so much offense to this notion that he propelled the Thunder to first-round Game 7.
The best moment of the game was Paul staring down Harden while standing at the free-throw line. It wasn’t a secret that Harden wanted Paul gone, an insane notion to anyone who understands the game. Paul now has the opportunity to lead his team to the next round.
Space-Bound
A few late turnovers by Westbrook sealed Houston’s fate on Monday night. A fate they hope to reverse on Wednesday. Westbrook played his worst playoff game ever after returning from injury. The Rockets need Westbrook to come out in some sort of rhythm to have any chance in Game 7.
No matter how much he thinks he can, the last few years have proven that Harden can’t lead this team to a championship on his own. Houston needs to get their range going early and often on Wednesday. They can’t afford to shoot something like 25% from three-point range again.
Red River 2.0
The Texas vs. Oklahoma rivalry is a real one, and one that can bleed over into any sport. Although this isn’t quite Texas vs. Oklahoma football, it is pretty close. So, how should you make your pick for game night?
The Rockets are once again favored by 5.5 points in Game 7. This is the third time in the series they’ve been favored by that exact number. They’ve split the first two opportunities, 1-1. The game total is set at 215.5.
The pick here is the underdog. Paul will be able to keep his team close and cover the 5.5, whether they advance or not. Anticipate a high scoring shootout as well. The move here is Thunder +5.5, and the over. Good luck.
