Houston Rockets: What we learned about the team in Game 1 vs. OKC

The Houston Rockets were able to admirably be able to take Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1. What did we learn about this team? Let’s take a look.

We knew the playoffs were going to be different this year, but the energy, athleticism, and pure hustle we’ve seen displayed in these game ones are truly next level, and the Houston Rockets first game was no exception.

We’ve seen in the past that our Houston Rockets play down to other teams, or otherwise have off nights when a piece of the puzzle is missing so with Russell Westbrook being out with a strained quad it drew some concern but with Eric Gordon back and healthy, he did not disappoint in taking Westbrook’s spot in the starting line up. Eric Gordon stepped up huge for the Houston Rockets, he bought the energy that would have otherwise been absent from Russell Westbrook.

The beginning of the first quarter was pretty rocky, it was apparent from the jump that there was tension between our guys, rightfully so given their history. By the end of the quarter, we finally started to find our rhythm. James showcased his ever so handy step-back three, Jeff Green remained a solid factor for them off the bench and Eric Gordon pushed the ball almost every possession, something we haven’t seen much this season.

The second quarter is when we started to widen our lead, Gordon was really heating up and displayed a side of him that, when combined with Harden, and a healthy Russell Westbrook is

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going to be incredibly scary for, not only the Oklahoma City Thunder but any team we face from here on out.

We saw a lot this game, that we haven’t seen displayed so far this season, and I speak for every Houston fan when I say, I hope everything we saw last night is here to stay. Last night, the Houston Rockets transformed from one of the top shooting teams in the league to a driving team that we have yet to see.

Green proved himself to be an immensely solid factor for the Rockets off the bench eventually ending the game with a nice little 22-piece, as well as Danuel House and Ben McLemore. James even did his fair share of pushing down the court, in an attempt to keep up with the energy and pace that was out playing the Thunder.  Gordon’s energy and hustle remained until the very last minute, which was a definite winning factor for the Rockets last night.

This series is going to be without a doubt a good one, it will continue to be intriguing to watch, especially with proving last night that we are now able to win as a team, even if there is a missing piece to the puzzle. James even commented at the postgame interview on TNT last night that “we can be way better” so it will be exciting to see what else the Rockets have up their sleeve, in an attempt to bring a championship back to Houston.