As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to spiral downwards, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Golden State Warriors’ biggest challenger this season likely resides in Houston.
And based on how the teams have fared against each other, the Rockets have proven they’re up to the task of taking down the NBA’s giants if they end up meeting in the playoffs.
In the third and final regular-season clash between the Western Conference rivals, Houston looked impressive in handing the Warriors a 116-108 defeat on Saturday to snap the defending champions’ 14-game road winning streak.
James Harden hit a clutch step-back 3-pointer over Stephen Curry with more than a minute remaining before blocking Curry’s long-range attempt on the next possession, while Chris Paul finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the Rockets’ best victory of the season.
Chris Paul put up 33 pts, 11 rebs, & 7 asts to lead the @HoustonRockets at home! #Rockets pic.twitter.com/pUtlkSnzbR
— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2018
The win had Houston players feeling themselves and no one more so than centre Clint Capela, who claimed his side are better than Golden State.
“We’re confident because we know if we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, we’re going to beat them,” Capela told ESPN.
“We are better than them.”
While Capela’s words may seem nothing more than boastful, there is a semblance of truth to his bold statement.
The Warriors are coming off a title and, even after their most recent loss, have the best record in the league at 37-10, but when they’ve gone head-to-head with Houston, the Rockets have looked like a legitimate threat.
Houston have claimed two of the three regular-season meetings, with their lone lose coming in a game that didn’t feature Harden or Kevin Durant as the two stars sat out with injuries.
With both Harden and Paul on the court, the Rockets won the two games against full-strength Warriors teams.
What’s more, when Harden, Paul and Capela have all been healthy and in the lineup, Houston are a perfect 17-0.
A deeper look at the head-to-head stats in the Rockets’ wins over Golden State reveals these aren’t exactly aberration victories.
The Warriors actually outshot Houston in those two games, connecting on 51.2 per cent of their field goals and 50.0 per cent of their 3-pointers, compared to 47.8 and 37.2, respectively, for the Rockets.
It’s not as if Golden State have suffered from dry spells as one of their major strengths has let them down. And it’s not like Houston are hitting everything they throw up.
Instead, the difference between the teams has been on the margins.
The Rockets have capitalised on the Warriors’ propensity to be loose with the ball and force careless passes, leading to quick scores on the other end. Houston like to play fast anyways, but by attacking Golden State before they get a chance to set their half-court defence, the Rockets have picked up easy points.
Then there’s the rebounding edge, which Houston held by an average of 44.5 to 32.0 in the wins. That’s a trend that should be here to stay with the Rockets having the best defensive rebounding efficiency in the league at 81.5 per cent, while the Warriors rank 26th at 76.2 per cent.
And while Golden State’s sheer talent can’t be matched, Houston have multiple stars in Harden and Paul, along with players like Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker, Ryan Anderson, Gerald Green and Nene who add depth and form a supporting cast that could very well make this a dogfight of a series in the Western Conference Finals.
