The Rockets only shot 39.6% from the floor last night and it negated the fact that they out-rebounded the Thunder 57-40!  James Harden only shot 9 of 24 from the floor and he turned the ball over six times, but he still led the way for the Rockets with 36 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal.  Chandler Parsons also had a rough shooting night (7 of 23 from the floor), but he still finished up with 17 points and 7 rebounds.  Rookie guard Patrick Beverly got a start and he was outstanding last night for the Rockets.  He finished up with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in 41 minutes on the floor.  Carlos Delfino (11 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 36 minutes) and Omer Asik (9 points, 14 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) also pitched in for the Rockets.  The Rockets are now down 2-0 in this series.

The Rockets never had a chance last night as the Thunder ambushed them right from the start of this game.  The Rockets were out-rebounded 46-39 and they didn’t play much D as the Thunder shot 53% from the floor last night.  James Harden only shot 6 of 19 from the floor last night, but he led the way for the Rockets with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.  Patrick Beverly (11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 28 minutes) and Carlos Delfino (10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 26 minutes) both pitched in off the bench for the Rockets.  The Rockets are now down 1-0 in this series.

The Houston Rockets only have 106 games of playoff experience on their roster, while the Thunder have 621 games.  But, the Rockets have James Harden and he is going to be out to stick it to the Thunder for dealing him last summer.  That being said, I expect the Rockets to put up a good fight in this series.  Here is a look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD:  24-year old Russell Westbrook is one of the most exciting players in the NBA as he likes to attack the rim with ferocity.  He played in 82 games (all starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 34.9 minutes, 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  Westbrook has now played in 43 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 37.6 minutes, 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  He is likely going to abuse Jeremy Lin.

24-year old Jeremy Lin was up and down in his first year with the Rockets.  He played in 82 games (all starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 32.2 minutes, 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  This will be Lin’s first shot at the playoffs, as he missed the Knicks’ games last year in the playoffs due to injury.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR THE THUNDER

SHOOTING GUARD:  28-year old Thabo Sefolosha is a defensive specialist, but he also shot well from long range this year.  He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 27.5 minutes, 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  He has now played in 52 games (43 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 19.5 minutes, 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game.

23-year old James Harden is going to look to make the Thunder pay for trading him to the Rockets.  He played in 78 games (all starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 38.3 minutes, 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  Harden has played in 43 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 29.9 minutes, 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Out of Durant and Westbrook’s shadow….it is time for Harden to really shine.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR THE ROCKETS

SMALL FORWARD:  24-year old Kevin Durant just keeps getting better and that has to be scary for the rest of the NBA.  He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 38.5 minutes, 28.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Durant has now played in 43 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 41.6 minutes, 28.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game.

24-year old Chandler Parsons really stepped up in his second year with the Rockets.  Parsons played in 76 games (all starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 36.3 minutes, 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  This will be Parsons’ first shot at the playoffs and he’s going to have his hands full trying to slow down Kevin Durant.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR THUNDER

POWER FORWARD:  23-year old Serge Ibaka really improved his offensive game in 2012-13 and the Thunder are going to need that to continue in the playoffs.  Ibaka played in 80 games (all starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 31.1 minutes, 13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 3.0 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 43 games (37 starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 28.2 minutes, 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 2.9 blocked shots per game.

22-year old Greg Smith moved into the starting lineup late in the 2012-13 season and he played pretty well.  Smith played in 70 games (10 starts) this year for the Rockets and he averaged 15.9 minutes, 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  The Rockets would probably be happy with Smith if he hits the glass and plays well on defense in this series.

EDGE:  THUNDER

CENTER:  28-year old Kendrick Perkins is going to be counted on to rebound and play defense in this series.  Perkins played in 78 games (all starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 25.1 minutes, 4.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  Perkins has now played in 105 games (99 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 26.1 minutes, 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

26-year old Omer Asik really played well for the Rockets in 2012-13.  He played in 82 games (all starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 30.0 minutes, 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  Asik has played in 21 games (3 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 13.1 minutes, 1.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

EDGE:  ROCKETS

BENCH:  The Thunder have a lot more playoff experience off the bench than the Rockets do and they will look to take advantage of that in this series.  30-year old shooting guard Kevin Martin has James Harden’s old role of being the offensive assassin off the bench.  Martin played in 77 games (0 starts) this year for the Thunder and he averaged 27.7 minutes, 14.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Martin has played in 6 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 32.8 minutes, 14.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  32-year old PF/C Nick Collison will be the first big man off the bench for the Thunder.  He played in 81 games (2 starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 19.5 minutes, 5.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  Collison has played in 54 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 20.2 minutes, 5.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  38-year old point guard Derek Fisher could also have a big role off the bench for the Thunder in this series.  He played in 33 games (9 starts) for the Mavericks and Thunder this year and he averaged 17.4 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 229 games (158 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 27.5 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  28-year old SG/SG Ronnie Brewer could get some P.T. in this series due to his defense.  Brewer played in 60 games (34 starts) for the Knicks and Thunder this year and he averaged 14.2 minutes, 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  He has played in 46 games (17 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 18.4 minutes, 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  23-year old point guard Reggie Jackson and 26-year old center Hasheem Thabeet could also get in on the action in this series.  Jackson played in 70 games (0 starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 14.2 minutes, 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Thabeet played in 66 games (4 starts) for the Thunder this year and he averaged 11.7 minutes, 2.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

Outside of 30-year old SG/SF Carlos Delfino and 31-year old SG Francisco Garcia, the Rockets have no playoff experience coming off the bench.  Delfino played in 67 games (5 starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 25.2 minutes, 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He has played in 36 games (7 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 14.3 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  Garcia played in 58 games (20 starts) for the Rockets and Kings and he is averaging 17.7 minutes, 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  He has played in 6 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 6.8 minutes, 2.2 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  24-year old rookie point guard Patrick Beverly will also likely get to play a lot in this series.  He played in 41 games (0 starts) for the Rockets this year and he averaged 17.4 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.  22-year old power forward/center Donatas Motiejunas played in 44 games (14 starts) as a rookie for the Rockets this year and he averaged 12.2 minutes, 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  21-year old rookie power forward Terrence Jones played well late in the year for the Rockets.  He played in 19 games (0 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 14.5 minutes, 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  22-year old rookie power forward Thomas Robinson was s0-so this year.  He played in 70 games (0 starts) for the Rockets and the Kings in which he averaged 15.1 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

EDGE:  THUNDER

COACHING:  47-year old Scott Brooks keeps getting better as a coach every single year.  He led the Thunder to a 60-22 (73.2%) record in 2012-13.  Brooks is now 24-19 (55.8%) in the playoffs as an NBA head coach.

55-year old Kevin McHale will be making his first venture into the playoffs as an NBA head coach in 2012-13, but he has plenty of experience as a player.  He led the Rockets to a 45-37 (54.9%) record this year.

EDGE:  THUNDER

PREDICTION:  THUNDER IN SIX GAMES

30-year old SG/SF Carlos Delfino was considered a small signing for the Rockets last summer, but he has really been an asset off the bench for them in 2012-13.  He has played in 66 games (5 starts) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 25.4 minutes, 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Delfino has played in 4 games (0 starts) so far in April for the Rockets and he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  Delfino is going to be a big part of the bench in the playoffs, so the Rockets hope he gets hot.

23-year old shooting guard James Harden continues to roll for the Rockets.  He has played in 4 games (all starts) so far in April and he is averaging 37.0 minutes, 25.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Harden has now played in 74 games (all starts) for the Rockets in 2012-13 and he is averaging 38.2 minutes, 25.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  Harden is the biggest reason why the Rockets are going to break their playoff drought this year and his play will likely determine how far they can go in the playoffs this year.

26-year old center Omer Asik was signed last summer to a big contract and he has earned every cent of it so far in 2012-13.  Asik has played in 75 games (all starts) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 30.0 minutes, 10.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  He already has 32 double-doubles so far this year as he has been a machine around the basket.  Asik has played in 2 games (both starts) so far in April and he is averaging 31.7 minutes, 20.5 points, 14.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Asik is shooting an amazing 81% (17 of 21) from the floor so far in April.  He is getting revved up at the perfect time, right before the playoffs start.

22-year old center Greg Smith is turning into a very solid backup center.  He was a beast last night in the Rockets’ loss to the Pacers as he played 32 minutes in which he had 18 points and 19 rebounds.  Smith has now played in 59 games (0 starts) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 14.4 minutes, 5.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Smith is shooting better from the floor (63.1%) than he is from the free throw line (61.6%) so far this year.  If Smith can keep up the good work, the Rockets can watch Omer Asik’s workload the rest of the way in 2012-13.

22-year old rookie PF/C Donatas Motiejunas has looked pretty good lately for the Rockets.  He has played in 31 games (10 starts) for the Rockets so far this year and he is averaging 11.0 minutes, 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  In his 10 starts, Motiejunas is averaging 22.5 minutes, 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He has moved into the starting lineup since Patrick Patterson was dealt to the Kings and he has done a solid job since.  The Rockets hope that he can keep up the good work.

21-year old rookie power forward Royce White will be spending the rest of his “rookie” season in Houston, at the advisement of the team physician for the Rockets.  That doesn’t mean that he will play for the Rockets this year.  He played in 12 games (8 starts) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League this year and he averaged 25.9 minutes, 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  He only shot 41.6% from the floor and 62% from the free throw line for the Valley Vipers this year.  The Rockets probably wish that they never drafted White already.

UPDATE:  (3/27/2013) - The Rockets have sent White back to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.

24-year old small forward Chandler Parsons is taking his game to a new, much higher level in March.  He has played in 5 games (all starts) for the Rockets so far in March and he is averaging 38.0 minutes, 23.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.  He is shooting 59.7% from the floor and 63.9% from three point range so far this month, which is pretty amazing.  Parsons has now played in 63 games (all starts) overall this year and he is averaging 36.4 minutes, 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  The Rockets hope Parsons keeps rolling along as he has been the second option offensively for the Rockets behind James Harden.