Rockets at Warriors
The Houston Rockets waged an epic comeback to reach the Western
Conference finals but now must figure out how to compete with the host
Golden State Warriors, beginning with Tuesday’s opener. Houston became
the ninth team to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Los
Angeles Clippers in the semifinals but went 0-4 against the Warriors
this season.
Second-seeded Houston looked like a team ready to call it a season when it trailed by 19 points with 14 minutes left in Game 6 but roared back to defeat Los Angeles and then outclassed the Clippers in the finale. “Ultimate confidence booster,” Rockets guard James Harden told reporters. “There are only a handful of teams that have done that. It gives us confidence.” Harden was the runner-up for NBA MVP honors behind Golden State guard Stephen Curry, and both players will be under the microscope as they go head-to-head with an NBA Finals berth on the line. Top-seeded Golden State advanced to the conference finals with a six-game series win over Memphis, claiming the last three games after falling behind 2-1.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Harden averaged 25.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists versus Golden State during the regular season, and he has scored 20 or more points in all 12 games this postseason with a high of 42. Houston received a surprise when playoff disappointment Josh Smith emerged to average 17 points in the final two games against the Clippers while small forward Trevor Ariza made six 3-pointers in the series finale for his second 22-point effort in three games. Center Dwight Howard has been superb in the postseason with six double-doubles in the series against Los Angeles and nine overall.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Curry averaged 25.8 points, 8.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds in the four regular-season games against Houston and is coming off a superb outing in the finale against the Grizzlies in which he made eight 3-pointers while contributing 32 points and 10 assists. He has five 30-point outings in the postseason and Golden State is hoping shooting guard Klay Thompson will regain his shooting stroke after his high point total was just 21 against Memphis. Forward Draymond Green is averaging 13.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists in the postseason, while center Andrew Bogut’s main job will be getting under the skin of the easy-to-frustrate Howard.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Golden State won the four regular-season meetings by an average of 15.3 points.
2. The Warriors are in the conference finals for the first time since 1976 and the Rockets are making their first trip since 1997.
3. Houston PG Patrick Beverley (wrist) will have his cast removed later this week but is unlikely to recover in time to play in the series.