At times like this, Westbrook's extraordinary ability to pass from the paint into the paint was on full display.
Thanks to the Thunder's formerly cramped offensive spacing, Westbrook had developed a precise and elegant interior passing game.
Butler and Gordon's nonstop cuts left the Rockets' interior zone defense unable to attend to both.
With Chen Xi's sniper rifle waiting beyond the arc as well, their Offensive Efficiency soared in an instant.
After only two possessions, D'Antoni was forced to call a timeout and put Harden back in.
Paul's individual scoring ability was ultimately a little lacking. In certain difficult situations, he did not have enough shot-creating ability, which was exactly why he needed a teammate like Harden. (Though perhaps he really was a better fit with Kobe.)
The moment Harden returned to the court, he immediately took Paul's burden and began solving problems through individual offense.
It worked, but it was exhausting.
This Thunder lineup's defense ranked among the very best in the league.
Westbrook and Chen Xi were both capable one-on-one defenders, and with Butler rotating over to help, they formed an extremely complete defensive framework.
Gordon and Little Sabonis also provided solid Rim Protection inside.
Gordon was strong enough, while Little Sabonis was tall enough.
Therefore, Harden's only two energy-saving options were to use screens to hunt Little Sabonis or Gordon.
He would pull the Thunder's big men out, isolate against them, then look for opportunities to feed Capela or Nene easy baskets.
After all that maneuvering, the Rockets barely stabilized the situation, but they still trailed the Thunder by 7 Points.
D'Antoni stood silently on the sideline, his brows tightly furrowed.
He had thought he had rated the Thunder highly enough, but it turned out he had still underestimated them somewhat.
The chemistry among the Thunder's core