SAN FRANCISCO — It took longer than they wanted, but the Warriors’ first-round playoff matchup is set.
With a thrilling 121-116 win over the Grizzlies in the play-in tournament Tuesday, Golden State earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will rekindle an old rivalry to open the NBA playoffs.
The Houston Rockets await, though they are a different team than the one Steph Curry and Co. ousted on four of their five trips to the NBA Finals from 2015-19.
The storyline: There won’t be James Harden or Chris Paul on the opposing bench this time, but in their place is the bounty of a rebuild that blossomed into one of the league’s most exciting squads this season under coach Ime Udoka.
Udoka, whom you’ll remember from the Warriors’ 2022 NBA Finals battle with Boston, has a talented, young group of athletes fully bought into the his intense defensive style. The coach showed in the teams’ most recent matchup that he isn’t afraid to mix it up himself, jawing with Steph Curry just before halftime about the Rockets’ physical defense.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr will have to find a way to counter the length the Rockets get from Amen Thompson (14.1 ppg, 8.2 reb), Jabari Smith Jr. (12.2 ppg, 7.0 reb) and Tari Eason (12.0 ppg, 6.4 reb), the size they have down low in Alperen Sengun (19.1 ppg, 10.2 reb) and Steven Adams, and the pure scoring ability of Jalen Green (21.0 ppg). And sure to stir things up, Dillon Brooks (14.0 ppg) provides another character from Golden State’s postseason past.
The schedule
• Game 1: Warriors at Rockets (Sun., April 20, 6:30 p.m. PT, NBCSBA/TNT)• Game 2: Warriors at Rockets (Wed., April 23, 6:30 p.m. PT, NBCSBA/TNT)• Game 3: Rockets at Warriors (Sat., April 26, 5:30 p.m. PT, ABC)• Game 4: Rockets at Warriors (Mon., April 28, 7 p.m. PT, NBCSBA/TNT)• Game 5: Warriors at Rockets (Wed., April 30, time/TV TBD)*• Game 6: Rockets at Warriors (Fri., May 2, time/TV TBD)*• Game 7: Warriors at Rockets (Sun., May 4, time/TV TBD)**=if necessary
Season series: GSW 3, HOU 2
127-121 GSW (Nov. 2)99-93 GSW (Dec. 5)91-90 HOU (Dec. 11)105-98 GSW (Feb. 13)106-96 HOU (April 6)
The Rockets are responsible for one of just seven losses the Warriors have been handed since Jimmy Butler III debuted on Feb. 8. Houston blitzed Curry for 48 minutes and contained him to 3 points on 1-of-10 shooting. Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield combined to drain 10 3-pointers, but Golden State turned the ball over 20 times.
It went better for the Warriors in their first post-trade deadline meeting, getting 27 points from Curry and 19 from Butler in his fourth game with Golden State, but Houston was playing without Eason and Fred VanVleet (14.1 ppg, 5.6 ast) in the 105-98 loss.
Key stat: 109 vs. 110.3
The series promises to be a brawl.
While the Warriors have been the NBA’s best defensive team since adding Butler, the Rockets have been doing it all season. Golden State has allowed 109 points per 100 possessions in 31 games with Butler; Houston has allowed 110.3 per 100 over the course of 82 games.
The Rockets also crash the glass and create second chances better than anyone, leading the NBA with 48.5 rebounds per game and a league-best 14.6 on offense.
X factor: Playoff experience
The Rockets may be on the rise, but the Warriors are wise with experience.
The future looks bright in Houston, and the Rockets’ regular season was impressive. But the fact remains that they haven’t proven they can do it when the lights are the brightest.
The same can’t be said for a team led by Curry, Draymond Green and Butler. The three have combined to play more postseason games (448) than the Rockets’ entire roster.
Jalen Green, Segun and Thompson make up Houston’s three-headed monster, and this weekend will be the postseason debuts for all three of them.
Originally Published:
Source: Paradise Post
