POLL: Who are YOUR key Rockets in this first-round series?

The starting rotation is key. In a multi-game series the GS will game plan so that the weakest Rockets rotation player will be forced to be "key".

 

Our best 3 players: Sengun, Thompson, Green. They are all young and whether they collectively rise to the occasion will be the reason for the outcome of the series.

 

It’s Jalen. When he plays well our winning % is very, very high.

 

Whoever punches Draymond in the face will be my MVP

 

Guard play - can Fred & Jalen shoot well enough to keep defenses honest?

Sengun ..... He's got to play well.

Not worried about the rest of the roster, they always bring the effort. These three are pretty inconsistent.

 

I think the two biggest factors are:

- How will Sengun hold up when they force him to guard Butler and Curry over and over? How will he respond if Curry breaks his ankles once or twice and the Oracle crowd erupts on the make?

- What will Amen do when we see for the first time ever a team sagging off him to a dramatic extent and every miss will suck the sound out of the arena? Remember from Ben Simmons days - teams don't do this often in the regular season but they do it non-stop in the playoffs.

I think they will both hold up and we will win the series but these are the key strategies Warriors will employ before surrendering to the dog fight.

 

Any way I consider one of the role players I just come back to this being the time for the 3 main guys. We need them to breakout as stars now, start our rise and finally beat the Warriors in the playoffs. All 3 of them need to play out of their minds and lead us past GS, that's literally all I want for the playoffs. Anything past that is icing on the cake but please ****ing beat that Gremlin and his pet Orc.

 

The Rockets' backcourt has to play well, or they will be trading 3s for 2s. This is why Dillon Brooks is a key cog. He's Houston's least-streaky perimeter shooter and will be on the committee that switches onto Curry and Butler.

The Warriors are pinning their playoff hopes on veteran savvy to thwart Houston's inside game and Jalen's ability to finish.

If the Rockets can exert their physicality and don't fall for Golden State's tricks, this series could signal the end of the Warriors' grip on the Western Conference.

 

I'm predicting Steven Adams will be a beast during this series. He has the experience, he's now in shape, he knows the systems, and GS doesn't have anybody that can hold his jock strap. Adams is going to get every single rebound and avg 2 blocks.

The x-factor will be Steven Adams.

...but we still need Jalen to score 25ppg, pref 30+.

...and we need Amen to hold Curry to <50 fg%.

 

We have such a balanced roster, I couldn't choose a player (I'd have chosen Jalen). I choose other. I think it's Ime.

Kerr is a whiny b****, but he's a great coach in the playoffs especially. Ime cannot allow him to dictate the game to the refs, dictate the perspective of the media, etc.

If the refs **** us in game 1, Ime has to come out and blast them about not letting us play physical, letting the Warriors play dirty, moving screens, whatever it is. You can be sure if we win game 1 Kerr will go all out in the media about how unfair things are like he always does. They are front runners at the end of the day, so when we go up 2-0, we'll put it out of reach as long as Ime can keep the kids focused.

 

Freddy, Alpi and Jabari

 

Green is typically at one or the other extreme. If Jalen is hot, GSW doesn't stand much of a chance. If he's way off, someone has to seriously pick up the slack for the Rockets to have a chance.

 

Our defensive studs.

 

Dillon Brooks is absolutely key for us both defensively and as a 3-pt shooter. We’re going to need to hit some 3s occasionally and he’s the only player we have that has shown he can do so consistently. We need him to stay consistent from the arc while helping to contain GSW offense.

I’ll put Jalen and Sengun together. Playoffs are make or break for reputation. This is a big opportunity to step up and fulfill the potential we know they have shown at times. If we get All-Star level offense from them both I feel pretty good about the series.

Lastly, FVV/Amen are key because we know their primary assignment will be Curry. If they can stay out of foul trouble and turn some of that defense into fast break offense, if FVV can avoid putting up bad shots, I think we have a chance.

 

“Curry wasn’t as active as he usually is”

I noticed this too and I’m pretty sure it was a purposeful choice by Curry and Kerr. They are smart and didn’t want to show their cards or special sets. I fully expect them to have a gameplan to get Curry open. Ime adjustments mid-series will be crucial.

 

Maybe he was just tired then, coming off a few big games in a row. Whatever it was he was noticeably less active that night.

 

that's what an ELITE defender does to you

BUT... toward the end of the game, the GSW finally adjusted and Butler got wide open path to rim.