Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

Houston Rockets Playoff Primer: How Far Can James Harden Take Them?

By Ryan Magdziarz

Mar 31, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Apr 2, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Rockets won 123-116. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Rockets won 123-116. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Worst-Case Scenario

The worst that can happen in this year’s playoffs for Houston is having Russ go completely psychotic insane and single-handedly beat the Rockets in a 6 or 7 game series. Now I don’t see that happening, but here are some things to watch out for.

As you may have heard, Russell Westbrook averaged decent numbers in the regular season. The Rockets rank 13th in the league at guarding the point guard position as a team, but Russ and Patrick Beverly have a history. Four years ago in the western conference playoffs Beverly tore Westbrook’s meniscus in an unessicary after the whistle play. Since then, the two have been in several scuffles over the years and bring out the dog in each other.

While “the best” of Westbrook gives me nightmares, there might not be anyone in the league that I would choose to guard Westbrook over Patrick Beverly. This might sound wild, but if Houston can hold Westbrook to under 30-10-10 a game, and force his supporting cast to make shots, I like the Rockets chances of avoiding the worst-case scenario.

Home/Houston Rockets