NBA: Preview Rockets vs. Warriors – The toughest test of the curry era

Never before in Stephen Curry’s era have the Golden State Warriors met such a strong opponent as this issue of the Houston Rockets. Can Houston really take the champion off the throne or will the Dubs remain in a class of their own?

Since the Rockets trade for Chris Paul the fans are waiting for this series – now the time has come. Houston fulfilled the high expectations and, with 65 victories in the Regular Season, easily secured the best balance of the entire league. And also in the postseason James Harden and Co. didn’t give themselves any nudity. In the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz, only one game was played each.

Especially the games against a defensive jazz team showed that the Texans can reach a higher level with CP3. In game 5, the small Point Guard Utah almost single-handedly defeated 41 points (8/10 trio), easily covering the problems of MVP candidate Harden. In addition, Clint Capela played an awesome performance on the Five, which has become irreplaceable for Houston with his ability to keep guards in front of him.

The Swiss played a big part in the Rockets raising their level in the defence again in time for the postseason. While Mike D’Antoni’s team lost 103.8 points to 100 ball possessions in the regular season, they only scored 99.1 points against Jazz. Even during the entire playoffs, a defensive rating of 102.1 means second place in the league.

Only the opponent is better – which is all the more impressive when you consider that Golden State had to pass the explosive offense of the New Orleans Pelicans in the second round. The team led by Anthony Davis set the champion some tasks and blew the dubs out of the hall in game 3, but still had to admit defeat in five games.

After the only defeat against the Pels, head coach Steve Kerr made an interesting change: He brought Death Lineup 2.0 without a real center for the first time in two years with Kevin Durant. With Andre Iguodala and the four all-stars (Curry, Thompson, KD, Green) the Dubs issued an incredible net rating of 40.9 in 54 minutes.

The dynamo for this formation is of course Stephen Curry, who made his comeback after a long injury in game 2 against the Pels. Nothing could be felt of rust, the chef scored 24.5 points on average in the four games and sank 44.1 percent of his three in a full 8.5 attempts.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey said it before the season: “This team was formed mainly with the Warriors in mind, CP3 was brought in to relieve Harden – and all eyes will be on the MVP to come. Although Paul may have pulled the coals out of the fire in a few games in the playoffs, it takes a dominant series from the bearded player. If he can be the best player on the field, the Rockets have a good chance.

The Rockets will rely on their familiar concept: Slow down and find your opponent’s weak spot and milk it until vomiting. If you look at the Dubs squad, there are two weak points in the defense: Curry and any center that isn’t called Draymond Green.

The Warriors will try to hide the double MVP (probably Trevor Ariza’s), but Houston will keep the Guard in Pick’n’Rolls wherever Curry goes. In addition, nobody knows exactly how mobile the playmaker really is after his inner ligament puncture, even though Curry has already indicated that he is not afraid of being attacked by the rockets.

In addition, Houston must use every minute Green is not on the field as a center. Golden State have plenty of bigs in the squad, but they all have their flaws. JaVale McGee or Kevon Looney are no good after switches, Jordan Bell is still too green behind the ears and David West is too lame on foot for Houston’s department attack with almost 38 lugs.

Of course, the Rockets also need production from their role-players. The shooters around Ariza, Eric Gordon or P.J. Tucker must hit the free throws, there will probably be some of them.

The warriors are a chameleon. They can play just about any style if they want. After the tough Spurs series, high-speed basketball against New Orleans was the key to success against Houston. The rockets are susceptible to transition, especially with hard drives, if the hard drive cannot complete and the contactors in the corners do not switch quickly enough.

Curry’s comeback also changed the dynamics within the team. With the superstar, the Warriors play much faster and don’t shy away from fast finishes even in the crunchtime. With Curry, the pace is over 111 without him at just 104 ball possessions per game.

It is particularly important to avoid switches in pick’n’rolls with curry. Also, Kerr’s team will try to keep Harden off the drive. Especially his stepback threesome does not want to fall in the postseason yet. If he met a staggering 44 percent during the regular season, it’s only a cool 30. the dubs will force the Rockets to beat them. Can Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute or Gordon hit their distance throws and will Tucker remain so hot from outside (46 percent)? The Warriors will definitely test this.

On the other hand, Golden State has fewer shooters, increasingly shifting the game to mid-range and running creative sets with lots of movement and off-ball screens. The Rockets will take quite a bit away with their good communication and switching, but the Warriors have too much star power for them to be greatly affected.

The pick’n’ roll between Curry and Durant was only sporadically seen against New Orleans, but it can be assumed that Kerr is now increasingly counting on it – especially if Houston manages to keep the pace low. Still no opponent has managed to defend this move respectably, it seems impossible anyway. KD is known to be able to punish smaller mid-range players by simply throwing over them. Biting Jrue Holiday will know a thing or two about it.

Houston have the best chance of beating this historically strong Warriors team, plus the home advantage. But even that won’t be enough against Golden State. The Warriors are more experienced, have two All-Stars more available and are able to play any style at the very highest level. Nevertheless, the Rockets are not without a chance, as they can always catch extremely hot nights and Harden is able to decide a game on his own. But the reigning champion is much more homogeneous, which is the decisive factor in the end. Forecast: Warriors in 6.