Houston Rockets need to be close to perfect to have a shot at knocking off Golden State Warriors

Jay Asser 17:52 15/05/2018
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  • James Harden's big Game 1 wasn't enough to pull out a victory for Houston.

    It was only one game, but the series opener of the Western Conference Finals was a reminder of just how uphill a climb it takes to beat the Golden State Warriors.

    It’s obviously too early to say with any conviction this series is already over, but it sure feels like the outcome is inevitable.

    We spent the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs being impressed with a 65-win Houston Rockets squad which boasted the MVP frontrunner, one of the best point guards in history, a historically-good offence and home-court advantage.

    And yet, the collective worth of all those advantages appeared to turn to dust with a Thanos-like snap of the fingers by the Warriors in Game 1.

    Consider everything which went in the Rockets’ favour: James Harden was arguably the best player on the floor and turned in a terrific 41-point showing, Stephen Curry was kept relatively quiet with 18 points and one 3-pointer, and again, Houston were on their home floor.

    None of it seemed to matter as the Warriors won by 13. Not by a few possessions. By 13.

    It was a close game throughout the first half when the teams were trading punches, but after the intermission, Golden State went to another level the Rockets probably aren’t capable of. That’s less an indictment of Houston and more telling of how much of a juggernaut the Warriors are.

    The Rockets’ margin of error is just too minuscule. Even though they have two of the best creators in basketball and thrived with Harden and Chris Paul attacking in isolations all season, that method of attack can only get them so far against the long and versatile defenders of Golden State.

    Attacking primarily through isolation may be enough if Houston can turn this series from a shootout to a grind-it-out affair. But that would involve slowing down the Warriors’ offence, which the Rockets did little of in Game 1.

    Part of that was Kevin Durant being Kevin Durant and hitting shots Houston have no choice but to live with, but the Rockets also too often got caught matching-up in transition and left Klay Thompson wide open for easy triples.

    Add in 13 turnovers leading to 17 Golden State points and 11 misses in the restricted area, and the combination left Houston with too much to overcome.

    Against any other team, the Rockets’ Game 1 performance would have been enough. The Warriors aren’t just any team though.

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