I think Warriors in 5...hope we kick their ass, but honestly they are a super team. It's tough to beat 4 all-stars... Our bench is crap except for Luc who play great defense. Gordon has been awful...like the past playoffs
I'd like to believe that the Rockets will pull it off, but they haven't been playing terribly well lately so I have to go with Warriors in 6 even though I really hope that isn't the case. Honestly if the Rockets don't play better than they have recently, it could be over quicker than that. Here's to hoping that the Rockets flip the switch and make me wrong.
My predictions: Game 1 - Rockets Win by a fairly healthy margin of 8-12 points Game 2 - Warriors steal one by 3-5 points Game 3 - Rockets come back strong and go back and forth but win by 2-3 points Game 4 - Warriors even up the series and take it by 6-8 points Game 5 - Rockets win a tough battle at home by 1-3 points Game 6 - Rockets win another tough battle and close out the series at Oracle! ROCKETS in 6! Split at home, Split at GS and win the next 2! F the Warriors!
I honestly have no idea. My gut tells me Warriors in 6. My heart tells me Rockets in 7. Obviously the offense must be more consistent, especially from EG. But the defense has been stellar. And that's what wins championships. I will say that I don't think this series is nearly as one-sided as the media seems to. It's almost as if they're dismissing what the Rockets have been doing all season.
They're a great team, but our defense is solid. We just need to be hot from downtown for four games. I think our team can do that. Bring it on.
I have Rockets in 6 provided Harden can be healthy. If we get Utah game 4 and 5 Harden, we're in trouble.
A lot of it is going to hinge on how much Green and Iggy slow us down offensively. The Warriors have to have those two guys disrupting our offense to win the series. I
I picked Rockets in 7; here's my thoughts: 1. Will Kerr continue to start Green at the 5 (and play their "Death" lineup from tip-off like vs New Orleans)? I personally think he does. If so, I think GS match-ups (defensively) will be: Klay on CP3, Iguodala on James, KD on Ariza, Steph on Tucker (we ALL know Kerr will hide Curry and have him rest on that end), and Green on Capela. If he goes back to McGee, their defensive rim protection improves, but that decision allows Clint to stay near the basket (as opposed to having to defend Green on the outside). It also comes at the cost of clogging up their own paint on offense; it also makes it more likely that Curry would defend someone other than PJ. 2. Will Ryan actually show up? I sure as hell hope so. If he does make some shots, the created spacing will force GS to honestly defend all 5 players, leaving their rim unprotected, opening up drives to the basket. If he (in any conceivable way) shows up, it will open things up tremendously for the Rockets offense. 3. Make Curry play some damn defense. When the Rockets go ultra-small (CP, James, EG, Trevor/Luc, PJ...aka their "Tuck-wagon" lineup), Curry should be unable to hide on defense. The rim will open up at will to attack due to the spacing. 4. As mentioned earlier, there's a reason why Jeff B. implemented this "switch-all" defensive scheme this season. So they don't get caught on those blatant moving screens (we all know it's coming). That is definitely going to come in handy in this series. 5. Who else will knock down shots? James, I feel, will get his. I strongly believe CP3 will get his. But who will come next? Maybe EG snaps out of his shooting funk. Hopefully PJ can keep on shooting well (especially if Curry does "hide" on defense). But someone must step up to the challenge. 6. Don't fall for the bait. Green is going to do anything to bait the Rockets into losing their composure. Show your resolve, and don't fall into that trap. Refs will already be on GS side, but the Rockets can't afford to lose their cool. The mental game is won by simply not allowing it to impact their game or strategy. I honestly think the Rockets will pull this out. I also won't be surprised at all if both teams win one on the road, considering that did happen during the regular season. As mentioned earlier; THIS is the real NBA Finals. We know it, GS fans know it, and, in all honesty, the league office knows it as well.
The Rockets are keeping Capela on the floor because it is one of only two positions that the Rockets have a clear advantage. Further, Capela will help cut off penetration and help us control the boards. Maximizing possessions is a key to winning this game. Further, if Green wants to shoot a lot, the Rockets will gladly take him hoisting 3's over KD or Curry or KT.
That is the thing. The Rockets are not trying to "Out Warrior the Warriors". The two teams are very different..... the Warriors play faster and rely on ball movement. As a result the Warriors shoot a higher percentage from the floor but also turn the ball over. The Rockets play slower, and isolate more. As a result the Rockets overall field goal percentage is lower, but they don't turn the ball over. The Warriors rely on their two point shooting to set us high percentage threes. The Rockets rely on high volume threes to set up high percentage two point shots. These are two very good teams, but very different teams. The Rockets are not a carbon copy of the Warriors blueprint. Indeed this Warriors team isn't that similar to the pre-KD Warriors.
Golden State in 6 Figure we'll catch the hot hand in a couple of games but the other ones will be of the10-38 3-pt shooting variety
I agree with you that the Rockets will win at least one of the first two home games. However I also am confident that the Rockets can take one on the road against the Warriors. The Rockets are not a great home team, but they are the best road team in the NBA.
Yeah, I agree. I think we will see a lot of “free safety” draymond. He will probably guard tucker, the same way he has been rondo. Just cheating and helping off him a bunch to protect the lane and for help side defense. He’s probably going to leave tucker open quite a bit and tucker is going to have to make the shots. As long as he is in the corner I have faith but this is what I expect to see.
Yea they have played better defense than us in the playoffs. They have a better defensive efficiency that is. So basically we have less TOs? That's our big advantage?
They played the worst offensive team in round 1 without there coach. Followed up by the Pelicans whose best player couldn’t iso his defender in Drayomond Green. The Rockets actually have paint protection and the quality defenders on the perimeter.
I'm not going to actually pick because Im not going to vote against my Rockets, lol. But since Im being a realist this year, I'm going to say that no one can expect ANY TEAM to beat the Warriors. They just have too much unfair talent that it's ridiculous. They can stagger their stars and always have two stars on the court at the same time. That's just going to be tough to defend and then try to score. I hope the Rockets win ofcourse but I am not expecting it at all.
