NBA Playoff Preview - Golden State vs. Houston
Sometimes, it's fitting when the two best teams in a conference meet up in the finals, such as the case this season when the Golden State Warriors tangle with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, starting Tuesday in Oakland.
Most believed the San Antonio Spurs, the defending champions, and annually the most dangerous team in the postseason, could be the conference's representative in the NBA Finals a third straight year.
When the Los Angeles Clippers bounced them in a seven-game classic, focus shifted on those Clippers. They won Game 1 in Houston without Chris Paul. They demolished the Rockets in Games 3 and 4 in Hollywood.
But, a funny thing happened. The Rockets won three straight, including an improbable comeback in Game 6 Thursday in LA and then an easy Game 7 when the Clips didn't come to play.
Even the top-seeded Warriors, who tied for the sixth-best regular-season mark in NBA history, found some doubters in round two. After a sweep of the scrappy New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State fell behind the Memphis Grizzlies, 2-1, including its first home loss since January.
Facing their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Warriors won Game 4 on Beale Street and never looked back. They needed six games to dispatch the physically-demanding Grizzlies and are in the conference finals for the first time since 1976.
Houston hasn't gotten this far since 1997 when it lost to the Utah Jazz in six games.
This series will feature the men who finished Nos. 1 and 2 in MVP voting.
Steph Curry has been his usual amazing self, while Houston's James Harden struggled at times during the postseason. In the Rockets' eye-opening Game 6 comeback, Harden wasn't even on the floor. However, in the decisive Game 7 Sunday, Harden had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
For the Rockets, it was as simple as overcoming more adversity in a season littered with it.
Dwight Howard missed half the campaign with a knee injury. Josh Smith was signed after an embarrassing release from the Detroit Pistons. Corey Brewer was acquired during the season, as was Pablo Prigioni, who was huge in Game 7. Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas are both sidelined with injuries.
"I'm really proud of the guys, how they fought all year long," Harden said.
That fight continued into the postseason. The Rockets had a relatively easy time of it against the Dallas Mavericks, then played poorly in three of the first four games versus the Clippers.
The last three were something. Houston got important contributions from almost everyone en route to the emphatic Game 7 win.
"Our guys ground it out," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. "It was one game at a time. They did a hell of a job."
The Warriors have been off since Friday night's victory and homecourt should be huge for them. They went 39-2 at Oracle Arena during the regular season.
If one is looking at the regular season for a barometer, a Rockets fan may want to skip ahead. The Warriors swept the Rockets by an average of 15.3 points, including a 131-106 blowout in Houston.
That factors into this series in terms of most matchups being favorable to the Warriors, but the conference finals are a different animal.
"The pressure goes up a notch, the level of intensity goes up a notch, but we're excited to be part of it," said Warriors center Andrew Bogut.
Golden State has one player - Leandro Barbosa - who has been this far in the playoffs. Houston has Terry and Trevor Ariza, who both won titles, and Howard and Harden, who both lost in the NBA Finals.
There are many variables outside of, but including who finished where in the MVP race, regular-season records and deep playoff experience.
What it boils down to is, the two best teams, after months of battle, will meet in the Western Conference Finals, contrary to what anyone thought.
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XXJefferson51
9 years ago
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XXJefferson51
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