Although each team still has one game remaining in their regular season, entering play on Aug. 14, we are certain that the Thunder and Rockets will meet in the first round of the NBA’s Western Conference Playoffs.
Many expect the series to be competitive, as the Thunder have rounded into form and have quietly been one of the NBA’s best teams since the All-Star break.
TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is buying stock in them and predicting that they’ll emerge victorious over James Harden and his squad.
Barkley made his comments on TNT’s Inside The NBA on Thursday night shortly after the Portland Trail Blazers earned a dramatic victory over the Brooklyn Nets that preserved Portland’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
Barkley’s choosing of the Thunder in the series, however, was at least partially due to questions surrounding Russell Westbrook’s availability.
Westbrook, it was learned on Wednesday, is questionable, as the former MVP (and former Thunder) is nursing a strained right quad. Reports indicate that the Rockets are expecting him to miss at least their first few playoff games. Because he hasn’t been ruled out for an extended period, though, there certainly seems to be a chance that he’ll recover in time to have an impact on the series.
Despite that, Barkley doesn’t believe that an extended absence of Westbrook is an obstacle that Houston can overcome.
The pertinent exchange between Barkley and host Ernie Johnson was relayed by Fansided Sports’ SpaceCityScoop.com.
“How many games is Westbrook going to miss. Two? The Oklahoma City Thunder,” said Barkley. “The wording was ‘at least the first few’, ” said Ernie Johnson….
“Without Westbrook, I’m going with the Oklahoma City Thunder,” restated Charles.
Without Westbrook, the Rockets will certainly be facing an uphill climb, especially with Chris Paul presumably being motivated to square off against the team that traded him away last summer. Recall that prior to the trade, there were rumors of Paul not necessarily seeing eye-to-eye with members of the organization.
The schedule for the playoff series was announced, with Game 1 between the Rockets and Thunder scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Fortunately, in short order, we’ll have more than injury reports and opinions on which to base our predictions.