Houston (34-20) makes their second appearance in San Francisco and this time, look for some redemption as they go head-to-head with the Warriors (12-43) for the third time this year, tipping off at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
It’s really a shame we as NBA fans won’t get the treat of seeing Steph Curry have yet another duel with James Harden and the Houston Rockets since that formalized into being one of the finer regional rivalries that this league has seen in the past five years. And for another year, most media prognosticators traced every step and action that both Curry and Harden have made, often circling advantages that the more physically-gifted Harden has over a 2x MVP.
And of course, we know how the story has gone: James Harden, as the starting guard of the Houston Rockets, has yet to beat Wardell Stephen Curry in a single playoff series. Ignoring the goliath-like rosters that Curry has had created around him in the past half-decade, the tables may have finally turned in Harden’s favor, as he will be graced with the blessing of going against a talent-deficient Warriors roster that will be without the likes of Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant for the foreseeable future.
And for this season, though only suffering one weird, uncharacteristic loss to the Warriors on Christmas Day, Harden is likely to smell blood in the water, as he and Russell Westbrook not only lead the NBA in backcourt scoring as a starting duo but have somehow revolutionized the game overnight, it seems, with this improvised brand of positionless, small-ball offense. Now, 5-out sets are harder to mirror on the defensive end if oppositions roll out both zone and man coverage schemes.
Tonight’s game will feature another test for this brand of ball: the healthy Warriors play with grit and have multiple skill positions filled by guys like improving rookie Eric Paschall, tenacious rebounder Omari Spellman, team leader and defensive savant Draymond Green, and new Warrior Andrew Wiggins (who came by way of Minnesota via the D’Angelo Russell trade) who has almost rebirthed his game after seeing greener — and much, much warmer –pastures in the Bay.
Ex-Rockets like Marquese Chriss will get another chance to prove that the Rockets were wrong for not wanting to keep him on the roster. And Damion Lee certainly remembers his Christmas Day game against the Rockets when he dropped 22 points and 15 rebounds to go with a perfect night from the free-throw line.
So though the Warriors aren’t without their stars in Curry, Thompson, and Russell, the Rockets are still looking for their first win against Golden State that won’t be inside the defunct Oracle Arena. If it comes tonight, this will positively kick-off a soft spot on the Rockets schedule, as their next nine opponents will have losing records, and what better way to start it against the team that terrorized them with the small-ball offense with a taste of their own medicine.
Recent Comments