Entering the season, the Rockets loomed as the biggest threat to a Warriors three-peat. Their Western Conference Finals matchup last season went the distance and Houston might have knocked off Golden State if Chris Paul didn’t pull his hamstring in Game 5.
Houston finished with the fourth-best record in the West this season, but as the playoffs approached, nothing changed. With all due respect to the Nuggets and Trail Blazers, the Rockets still looked like the only team capable of sending Golden State home early.
With Game 3 of the series coming up on Saturday night, Golden State can already start thinking about ordering more championship rings. The Warriors won the first two games on their home court behind Kevin Durant, who scored 35 points in the controversial 104-100 Game 1 victory and 29 more in the 115-109 Game 2 triumph.
The opener was filled with beefs about the officiating, with both sides complaining about calls and non-calls. Paul was fortunate not to be suspended for bumping an official.
Houston’s chances of winning Game 2 on Tuesday were hampered by James Harden‘s eye issues after he got poked by Draymond Green. Harden still managed to score 29 points with blurred vision, but it wasn’t enough to overcame the Rockets’ 18 turnovers, which led to 24 Golden State points.
Now the series shifts to Houston and the pressure is on the Rockets to hold serve. The extra days between Games 2 and 3 have helped Harden, who is expected to play. All of the Rockets’ other regulars are healthy and coach Mike D’Antoni has had plenty of time to ponder adjustments. But the bottom line is Houston now must beat Golden State four times in five games.
That leads us to our question of the day: Can the Rockets come back and win their series with the Warriors or have they already dug too deep of a hole?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
The rockets can do it, they just have to believe hard enough
No they can’t. But dammit they can win these two.
The 2-0 lead is less of a problem than the matchup. Not enough length. Great job of building a bench with minimum salaries. But the obsession with getting under the tax line left them a player short.
You can’t blow games like game one against a team like the Warriors. Clint Capela is a negative for the team when they need him to be a big contributor. Only hope is a team in the East.