The Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets has plenty of headlines, but the biggest might be the standoff between the reigning MVP and the runner-up. Stephen Curry was named the league MVP for the 2014-15 season with James Harden coming in second. Now the two players face off with the NBA Finals on the line as the Warriors and Rockets are set to tip off in Game 1 Tuesday night.
The Warriors swept the Rockets this season while winning each game by an average of 15.3 points. They beat them out by a fury of 3-point shooting. However, the last time these two teams saw each other was Jan. 21. Since then, Houston has gotten a healthy Dwight Howard back, an improved Josh Smith while losing Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas. The Rockets believe they are a new team since last losing to Golden State, something they showed against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Rockets were not expected to be in this position. The team was down 3-1 to the Clippers, but pulled together a miracle comeback to win in Game 7 on Sunday. Fatigue could be an issue for the team. They have a quick turnaround including a long distance flight to the Bay Area. While stars like Smith, Howard and Harden were at their best in that matchup, players like Corey Brewer, Pablo Prigioni and Terrence Jones came up big with bench depth.
The Warriors faced some adversity against the Memphis Grizzlies. The team went down 2-1 to eventually comeback and beat the team. Klay Thompson could overshadow Curry in this series. The shooting guard averaged 21.8 points against the Rockets this season. One thing the Warriors do not expect to do is the Hack-A-Howard method of intentionally fouling Howard in order to get possession. Howard is shooting 41.3 percent from the line in the playoffs.
This matchup will be a 3-point shootout. Both teams excel from the perimeter leading the NBA in the category during the regular season. Both Houston and Golden State averaged 30 3-point attempts a game. The Warriors shot 40 percent from beyond the arc while Houston averaged 35 percent. The team that shoots the best from long range could be the team that wins in the end.
