Position-by-Position Matchup Guide for OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets

Basketball is a game of matchups, and this year's Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets series is a prime example of how talent at every position plays a role in the outcome.

We already know the big storyline—former Sixth Man of the Year and OKC star James Harden was dealt to Western Conference foe Houston, and now he faces his old pals in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

This series is deeper than the three ballers who share a common bond, however. While star players certainly make the league go 'round, we can't forget about the other guys on the squad as well.

So, after Game 1's anti-climactic outcome, what can be said about the matchups at every position in this series?

Do the Rockets have a chance, or is OKC's collective talent at every position too much for Houston to handle? 

Russell Westbrook vs. Jeremy Lin (Point Guard)

"Mouse in the house, mouse in the house!"

If ever there was an appropriate time for that phrase, this is it.  

Russell Westbrook against Jeremy Lin (courtesy of NBA.com) is the collision of two polar opposites on the basketball court. Westbrook is pure athleticism, scoring ability and relentless aggression. Lin is cerebral, craftier and more of a distributor, but regardless, one of them holds a key advantage over the other.

Game 1 wasn't even fair. Westbrook just destroyed the Rockets collectively with his baseline-to-baseline speed, and his aggression set the tone for the entire game. It's glaringly obvious that Westbrook is in a different stratosphere as far as athleticism is concerned, and it's clear this is going to be something the Thunder will continue to exploit as the series progresses.

Russ dropped 19 on Lin, and while that's not exactly a huge number, the fact Lin shot 1-of-7 from the field, committed five personal fouls, four turnovers and scored only four points is all you need to look at to know who holds the clear advantage. The fouls are an indication of Lin playing defense with his hands in attempt to stay in front of the quicker, stronger Westbrook, and his poor shooting is a testament to his limited scoring prowess in comparison to Russell.

Lin is going to have to work harder for baskets, and he's going to need pick-and-roll opportunities to get it done. Westbrook, on the other hand, is going to do a lot of iso, and he's definitely going to exploit Lin in transition situations. 

Westbrook snatched eight boards, clocked 10 assists and was one shot away from shooting 50 percent, but there were never any moments where he shot the Thunder out of the game whatsoever. His sheer dominance of Lin was evident. There's no question he holds a definite advantage over Lin because he can create for himself and others much more effectively, and at the end of the day, Lin cannot match his physicality and speed.

Thabo Sefolosha vs. James Harden (Shooting Guard)

Both James Harden and Thabo Sefolosha are shooting guards, but their specific roles are completely different. Sefolosha is a glue guy—he has great defense, hustle, knocks down open shots; you name it, he's expected to do it. James Harden, on the other hand, has more of a specific purpose: score, score, score and score.

The Rockets' only chance in this series is if Harden is having efficient high-scoring games on a nightly basis, otherwise their stacked odds get even tougher.

Sefolosha's primary objective is basically to ensure that Harden works for shots. Someone like Harden is going to get points no matter what because of his sheer scoring ability, but if you can make him take bad shots, you can hopefully create inefficient offense for the Rockets as whole because he's really the only guy who can create high-percentage looks for himself on any given possession.

Sefolosha did an excellent job of making Harden work in Game 1, and the box score is evidence. Harden had 20 points, but he was atrocious from the field shooting 6-of-20, and he had two assists two turnovers and nothing else worth mentioning. Harden was "there" but he had virtually no impact on the game, and despite having a couple nice shots here and there, we didn't see Harden take over the game at any point like we know he's capable of doing.

Much of Harden's struggles in this game were due to Thabo's stellar defense. He was extremely physical, and whether it was dribble drives or pull-up jumpers, Sefolosha was making it tough on Harden. Harden is a tough matchup because he's very adept at drawing fouls, he's got unlimited range and can make plays for others as well. Despite his various scoring abilities, none of them really got any shine in this game thanks to Thabo.

Thabo finished with nine points, but the best thing he did won't show up on the stat sheet. He made an elite scorer like Harden work for his offense, and it was so much so that he really prevented him from ever getting in rhythm.

Harden's elite-level scoring ability gives Houston the edge, but it remains to be seen if he can overcome Thabo's physical defense and give the Rockets efficient offensive output. 

Kevin Durant vs. Chandler Parsons (Small Forward)

This is another matchup that might have you chuckling at how obvious the answer is. So who has the advantage? The team with the league's second-leading scorer, or the team with a young but inconsistent sophomore, Chandler Parsons?

Don't get it twisted, this isn't a knock on Parsons, but it really isn't fair to expect him to be remotely capable of halting or outplaying Durant at this point in their respective careers. Parsons is a great complementary player at this stage. He runs the break, he can spot up and he can be counted upon to make plays when he's put in a position to do so.

Durant, on the other hand, is a one-man wrecking machine on offense, and on any given night he can singlehandedly dominate a game purely off of his scoring ability. Durant had a solid night with 24 points six boards and four assists. Chandler on other end finished with nine points and shot 4-of-11 from the field.

Just like the Harden-Thabo matchup, the roles here are drastically different. Durant is asked to initiate offense, whereas Chandler is required to play off of others. Parsons hung in there to the best of his ability, but it's just not a fair matchup considering how drastic the disparity in the level of talent is between KD and Parsons.

This really is an example of star versus a player like Chandler who is maybe a notch or two above being a role player or sidekick-type of asset. He's capable of going off when his shooting touch is hot, but he doesn't do it enough to give him any more credit than that.

This is a no-brainer—OKC clearly has a tremendous advantage at small forward due to the ability, athleticism and dominance of Durant.

Serge Ibaka vs. Greg Smith (Power Forward)

Now, on paper, Serge Ibaka and Greg Smith are relatively close from a statistical standpoint, and in fact, Smith edges Ibaka with 15 points and 10 boards per game (per 36 minutes), while Ibaka averages 15 and nine (per 36 minutes).

Despite the favorable stats, they mean absolutely nothing in the series so far for Houston.

Plain and simple: Ibaka against Greg Smith is another really bad matchup for the Rockets. While Smith is technically "out there" in uniform, against Ibaka it was as if he didn't even exist. Ibaka manhandled him on both sides of the court from a physical standpoint, and it's obvious that Ibaka's abilities on both ends gives OKC the clear edge.

Ibaka completely erased Smith from having any impact on the game whatsoever, and Smith finished with six points and three boards—the kind of production you absolutely can't have if you want to have any chance in the paint. Ibaka finished with 17 points, seven boards and three blocks—awesome overall production from a big man. 

He was slapping the ball out of Smith's hands, crowding him and just overall outplaying him. The battle for rebounds in basketball is like the offensive line in football. If you can set the tone and dominate the glass, you can totally shift the balance of power in your favor. Ibaka won the battle on the boards, and he won the battle of physicality.

While "physicality" doesnt't necessarily show up on the stat sheet, it's something that plays a big role in a playoff series. If you can intimidate and demonstrate to your opponent that you're capable of overpowering them at will, then it's a huge confidence booster for you as an individual and the team as a collective.

Ibaka played like he was fearless; Smith trotted about looking unsure of himself and soft. There's no question that Ibaka is completely and utterly owning this matchup in every facet of the game. Defense, offense, physicality—you name it, Ibaka is doing it flat-out better than Smith is so far, so the edge goes to OKC.

Kendrick Perkins vs. Omer Asik (Center)

Finally, the Rockets can at least shrug off the other glaringly bad matchups and rejoice that they have a slight advantage in the battle of the centers.

Yes, the battle of Kendrick Perkins and Omer Asik does indeed favor Houston, but despite the slightly better numbers for Asik, both of these guys have the same job description.

Neither of these guys are exciting. Their games aren't exciting, and their stats aren't exciting, but both of them do the little things that win basketball games. Tipping back missed shots to reset possessions, grabbing rebounds, being physical—these are the solid, physical big men you want anchoring your presence in the paint, on the glass and on the either side of the ball. 

Neither is going to fling up graceful sky hooks or can face-up jumpers from the elbow with consistency, but every single night you can count on either one of them to bring 100-percent effort and nothing less. Asik was trying his best in Game 1, but he really had trouble against Perkins from a strength standpoint. 

Perkins is a little undersized so Asik's seven-foot frame helped him quickly score some easy points on putbacks and misses at the rim, but Asik at times struggled to get good position in the paint in Game 1. It's impossible to grade whose hustle is greater between the two, but there's no question that Asik's game is a little bit more polished than Perkins'.

Asik finished with nine points and seven boards, and Perkins padded his stats with three steals, four points and four rebounds to close out the first game of the series. Neither was really a major factor in this specific contest, and they both won't necessarily be the deciding factors going forward either.

Although the matchup isn't as important as the others, Houston does have a very close edge thanks to Asik's length and height, and also considering the fact that Asik's offensive ability is slightly better.