Reason 14: The Rise of a new ‘Big Three’ in OKC
Yes, when we all here talks of the “Big Three” we think of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, or even the Boston Celtics’ version of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Surprisingly enough, however, a new “Big Three” is forming down in Oklahoma City. 2010-11 scoring champ Kevin Durant, super athletic point guard Russell Westbrook, and the bearded-fiend James Harden have become a dominant threat in the NBA. Let’s just look at their stats from last year.
Kevin Durant: 27.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.13 spg.
Russell Westbrook: 21.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 8.2 apg, 1.89 spg.
James Harden: 12.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.12 spg.
These numbers, especially for Harden, increased during their playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. The ‘Big Three’ averaged more than 3/4 of the Thunder’s points each game. All three of them are not shy about taking the last shot either.
Jeff Green, who mostly started ahead of Harden before he was later traded away to the Celtics, took some minutes away from Harden. Also, with the addition of Kendrick Perkins (who was aquired in that Green trade), Nick Collison down low, and the fearsome Serge Ibaka, this young Thunder team is something to be reckoned with.
