The funny thing here is that even IF DH gets to LA somehow, they still won't beat OKC.
LA is better already with Steve Nash. But Kendrick Perkins defends both Drew and DH very well.
Advantage is still OKC's either way.
Instead of OKC beating LA 4 - 1, I'd give the series 4-2 or 4-3, but OKC still wins.
Durant and Westbrook still runs roughshod over anything that LA has, too - even WITH Nash AND DH.
In fairness to LA, though - given how Mario Chalmers had a good series vs Westbrook, I'd give a healthy Nash a fair chance vs RW. Nash won't defend him well, but could RW defend HIM well? Or cut off the passing lanes vs one of the greatest passers of all time?
Yep. I agree. OKC still wins but in a 4-3 or something type series. Not as easy but still win all the same.
I think you guys are wrong here. OKC's biggest asset last year was speed. I'm too lazy to look up stats, but they were at their best when they averaged their highest number of possessions.
Perkins slows them down. He found the pine a lot last year because they're more effective offensively with Collison and, honestly, they aren't giving up much on D in the West till they play the Lakers. Bynum was still putting up 20 & 10 against Perk, though I do agree no one is going to do a better job on him.
That said, Howard is a way different kind of offensive threat,
especially now with Nash at point. Imagine Perk playing 30-34 mins/night trying to guard a DH-Nash pick-and-roll? Imagine Dwight in iso, for that matter, blowing by him off the baseline like Bosh was doing - he abused him.
I've been praying Houston nabs DH. Seeing the Lakers land him is the worst possible scenario I can imagine. I'll continue to pray Houston wins out. But if LA gets him, they're the favorites in my book. I can be convinced OKC wins in a long series, but it's not going to be
nearly as easy as last year. (And I think the count was misleading, for the record - LA could've just as easily lead that series 3-1).