Rockets at Spurs
The consensus seems to be that the MVP race in the NBA came down to Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and Houston Rockets point guard James Harden, but San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard might be the best player in the Western Conference playoffs. Leonard and Harden will settle it on the court when the second-seeded Spurs host the third-seeded Rockets in Game 1 of the conference semifinals on Monday.
Leonard averaged 31.2 points on 54.8 percent shooting, six rebounds and two steals in the six-game win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and consistently attacked the basket, leading to a 59-of-61 effort from the free-throw line. "Obviously, Kawhi Leonard is in my opinion the best player in the league right now," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. "He's the best two-way player, and does it all with such class. It's impressive." Harden averaged 33.2 points, seven assists and 6.4 rebounds in the five-game, first-round win over the Thunder but went 13-of-41 from the floor over the final two contests while dealing with an ankle injury. Harden put up 29.8 points, 11.8 assists and nine boards in four regular-season meetings with Houston, but the Spurs won three of the four matchups.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Houston is ready for the step up in competition and knows it needs to focus on execution at the end of the game against the veteran-laden Spurs. "We understand what type of team that we're playing," reserve shooting guard Lou Williams told the Houston Chronicle. "They're a very sharp team. They're not one of those teams that's going to go out there and beat themselves. You're going to have to go out there and really put in a good effort, put four good quarters together and just go win the game." Williams was second on the team in scoring in the first round behind Harden, averaging 18.8 points on 47.8 percent shooting.
ABOUT THE SPURS: While Leonard carried the heaviest load for San Antonio in the first round, the team also enjoyed strong performances from some of its veterans. Manu Ginobili turned back the clock with 10 points in Game 5 while point guard Tony Parker averaged 16.3 points in the series and exploded for 27 in the Game 6 clincher. "Tony wasn’t just effective today," Popovich told reporters after Game 6. "He’s done a masterful job of getting in shape down the stretch of the season and playing his best basketball during this playoff -- finding people, scoring himself, working hard defensively. He had a magnificent playoff."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets, who led the NBA in 3-point attempts (40.3 per game) during the season, shot 28.4 percent from beyond the arc in the first round.
2. San Antonio, which led the NBA in 3-point percentage (39.1 percent) during the regular season, shot 41 percent in the first round.
3. Houston SF Sam Dekker (wrist) is expected to be available after sitting out the first round.