Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Western Conference Finals Preview
Keys for Each Team to Win the Series
Jan 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives to the basket during the third quarter as Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Keys for the Warriors:
1) Who Wins Three-Point Battle? So far in the 2015 NBA playoffs, the Warriors have attempted more three-point shots per game (29.9) than any other playoff team. The Rockets aren’t far behind, as they are tied for third most three-point attempts in the playoffs at 28.4. The Warriors have arguably the two best three-point shooters in the NBA in Curry and Thompson, but the Rockets have several quality three-point shooters too in Harden, Ariza, Jason Terry, and Corey Brewer. The Warriors need Iguodala, Green, and Barnes to knock down threes to gain the three-point advantage.
The Warriors will win this series on the defensive end.
2) Rebounding: Houston has averaged 47.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs, which is the best in the NBA. Their rebounding efforts are led by Howard, Ariza, Josh Smith, and Terrence Jones. The Warriors have averaged 44.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs (eighth out of all playoff teams), but they give up just 42.3 rebounds per game (third out of all playoff teams). The Rockets allow their opponents to grab 45.5 rebounds per game (eighth out of all playoff teams), so the Warriors need to stay aggressive on the boards and contain the Rockets’ offensive rebounding.
3) Defense: Both the Warriors and the Rockets are strong offensive teams who like to play at a quick pace, but the defensive end is what sets the Warriors apart. They are a superior defensive team to the Rockets. The Warriors allowed their opponents to shoot just 42.8 percent from the field in the regular season, which led the NBA, and the Rockets allowed their opponents to shoot 44.3 percent from the field (12th in the NBA). The Warriors will win this series on the defensive end.
Keys for the Rockets:
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1) Health of Beverley: As discussed earlier, Beverley represents the Rockets’ best chance at stopping Curry, so his health is key in this series. There’s a chance he could return in the middle of the series, but we won’t know until later on. The Rockets will need to determine how they plan on stopping Curry, and even Thompson, without Beverley. Ariza is their next best perimeter defender, and Brewer is an option too.
2) Carry over Defensive Momentum from Games Five, Six, and Seven of the Clippers Series: In the first four games of the series against the Clippers, the Rockets gave up 117, 109, 124, and 128 points. This will not cut it in the Western Conference Finals. They won the matchup that they allowed the Clippers to score 109 points. The Warriors are an elite offensive team, but the Rockets will need to play defense the way they did in Game Five (allowed 103 points), Game Six (allowed 107 points), and Game Seven (allowed 100 points) in their series with the Clippers.
3) Playoff Experience: The Warriors have been to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and have gained some valuable playoff experience as a team. However, the Rockets have more experience at this stage of the playoffs. Harden, Terry, Howard, Ariza, and Brewer have all played in the NBA Finals, and no Warriors player has. The only player on the Warriors to reach the conference finals is Leandro Barbosa. The Rockets need to use their experience to their advantage.
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