Are the Houston Rockets the Golden State Warriors' kryptonite?
For the second time in three meetings this season, the Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors with a scoreline of 116-108 in their favour on Saturday night. These two teams don't play each other again during the regular season, meaning that the Rockets have already won this series 2-1.
Both of them occupy the top two places in the West; Golden State Warriors at the helm with a 37-10 record and the Houston Rockets closing in behind them with a 32-12 record. It is highly likely that these two teams will meet in the Western Conference Finals.
While most neutral fans have bought in on the Rockets bandwagon, what remains to be seen is whether Houston will be able to deliver the same performances against a Warriors side who lost just one game in last year's playoffs; a Warriors side that is absolutely lethal in the business end of the tournament.
For starters, the Houston Rockets are 17-0 this season when Chris Paul, Clint Capela, and James Harden all play in the same game. They present an interesting feature that no other team in the Western Conference has. Houston has two acting point guards in Harden and Paul who can drive with the ball, score, and dish it.
The Rockets are currently ranked second in the NBA in scoring this season with an average of 114.7 points per game. The only team ahead of them are the Golden State Warriors with 115.8 points per game. The Rockets are ranked 19th in the NBA for points scored against by giving up 106.9 points per game. The Warriors are ranked 20th in the NBA by giving up 107.1 points per game.
This means that on a good day, the Rockets can open up the Warriors' defense and score heavily against them. But likewise, the converse is also true.
Houston also has a very good bench. They have Eric Gordon, Luc Mbah a Moute, PJ Tucker, and Nene. The Rockets also have someone who can guard Kevin Durant in Trevor Ariza. Clint Capela is also much better at the center position than anyone on the Golden State Warriors. Having attempted the highest number of three-pointers in the season, the Rockets can also match the Warriors in terms of scoring from beyond the arc.
It is pretty evident that the Houston Rockets are matching the Golden State Warriors like-for-like in every department. But the one big thing that Houston doesn't have going for them against Golden State is that the Warriors have been to three straight NBA finals, winning two of them.
The Warriors are a side who have become accustomed to making title runs unlike Houston, whose last NBA Finals appearance came way back in 1995. Thus, what's left to be seen is whether the Rockets have the mental guile to grind out a series win against Golden State. Apart from that, they have all the weapons in their arsenal which make them capable to do so on paper.