GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS HOUSTON ROCKETS
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS HOUSTON ROCKETS
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GAME 6 L i v e STREAM: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS HOUSTON ROCKETS
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What are the Rockets' chances without Chris Paul? Are Kevin Durant's isolation plays bad for the Warriors?
1. Is this series more about the Rockets or the Warriors?
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider:
Absolutely, Houston. I think there was a lot of skepticism about
whether Houston could compete on a stage like this given the Rockets'
playoff history (and Chris Paul's before arriving in Houston). Whatever
ultimately happens in this series, the Rockets have absolutely removed
that kind of doubt. They have proved themselves good enough to win a
championship.
Tim MacMahon, ESPN.com: The
Warriors, a potential dynasty on the brink of elimination, dominate the
storylines. But give the Rockets credit for the results. Houston
associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik designed the Rockets'
switch-everything defensive scheme with Golden State in mind. The
Rockets have been able to take arguably the best offensive team of all
time totally out of its rhythm, making the Warriors a stagnant group of
one-on-one players instead of the beautiful, ball-moving team they've
always been under coach Steve Kerr.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: The series will
ultimately be about who comes out as the winner, but if I had to pick
one, it'd be the Warriors. If they lose the series, history will look
back at it as the one where the Warriors' Western Conference dominance
was disrupted -- that is, unless the Rockets win consecutive titles from
here on out, in which case the series will have marked the beginning of
the Rockets era.
Andrew Han, ESPN.com: Can it be
both? It's about the Rockets in that Houston GM Daryl Morey has
constructed the best roster he could to take down the defending champion
Warriors -- and they're proving they can alter the flow enough to have
an impact. For Golden State, attrition and accumulated fatigue of a
fourth straight Finals run is revealing just how difficult it is to
sustain championship-level success season after season ... after season
after season.
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Sadly,
this series looks like it's going to be more about injuries than
anything else. With Paul out, a Warriors win will come with an asterisk
that Houston was missing one of its two Hall of Fame offensive focal
points for likely the last two games of the series. Warriors supporters
will counter that two of the losses they suffered were without key
contributor (and Hamptons 5 bass player) Andre Iguodala. This is part of
what makes winning an NBA championship so incredibly difficult, and
it's no coincidence that the team crowned at the end is usually the
healthiest one.
Elhassan: A. My reply to question 1 foreshadowed my
answer here. With Paul (and with no Iguodala), Houston was able to piece
together two nail-biting victories, in large part due to stellar
performances by Paul. Mike D'Antoni's rotation already had shrunk to
about seven deep (and the seventh, Gerald Green, averaged less than 14
minutes a game in those two wins). The idea that Houston can just slide
everyone on the roster one slot over and be fine is a bit too optimistic
in my view.
MacMahon: B. It's pretty close to
catastrophic, but it doesn't completely kill Houston's hopes of winning
the series. Remember, the Rockets rallied to win at Oracle Arena in the
season opener when Paul had to sit down the stretch due to a knee
injury. Houston was 15-6 without Paul this season when James Harden and
Clint Capela both played. Harden played like an MVP in those games,
averaging 30.6 points and 10.2 assists. The Rockets need that Harden to
knock out the champs without his playmaking partner.
Pelton: I guess B, but my answer -- as explained in a column Friday
-- falls somewhere in between. Because of the power of home-court
advantage in Game 7 and Harden's ability to run the offense, Houston
certainly has the ability to win the series. But the loss of Paul,
assuming he's unable to return at close to full strength for Game 7,
takes them from favorites in this series to underdogs.
Engelmann: It's
A. Beating these Warriors is already hard enough with a healthy Paul,
as can be seen by the fact that the Warriors average five more points
per game for the series. Paul has been the Rockets' second-best player
-- second on the team in points and assists while averaging less than
half the turnovers of Harden. Without him, the Rockets will struggle to
create shots, miss his crafty defense and be underdogs to advance.
Han: B.
The Rockets have enough to win one game, especially with the Warriors
dealing with the ailments to Iguodala and Klay Thompson. Houston has
been a high-volume 3-point-shooting squad all season but has yet to
break out a deep flood against Golden State so far this series. It's the
kind of volatility that can propel the Rockets past any team for at
least one game.
3. Kevin Durant post-ups and isolation plays are a ...
A. good option for Golden State.
B. problem for Golden State.
Elhassan:
B. Like Paul and Harden, Durant is one of the most devastating and
unstoppable iso forces in the league, ranking fourth in the NBA in
points per direct iso among players with at least 400 iso attempts,
according to Second Spectrum. But turning to that too often comes with a
bitter cost for the Warriors, as it noticeably slows down and gums up
the offense that Kobe Bryant once called "the Golden Democracy." For
Golden State to be most effective, the Warriors have to strike the
balance between staying true to their identity but knowing when to turn
to their doomsday device to rescue broken possessions. What has happened
this series is Houston has cleverly lured the Warriors into tilting too
far toward the iso side of the spectrum.
Engelmann: That's a tough one. Durant is scoring
very efficiently in the series, with a 60 percent true shooting
percentage and just 10 turnovers. On the other hand, he has only 10
assists, which seems ridiculously low for a player who has the ball in
his hands this much and shares the court with Steph Curry and Klay
Thompson. While all the iso plays are somewhat ugly basketball and would
probably cause chemistry issues for most other teams, I think these
Warriors are OK with running them, given that he's one of the best
scorers of all time.
Han: A. If a Kevin Durant
iso is the worst thing in a team's offensive repertoire, the team must
be pretty good. Posting up the former MVP or going one-on-one in and of
itself isn't the problem for Golden State, but how Durant gets
set up for said opportunities is the key. Durant running off of several
screens and misdirections to set up a mismatch? Good option. Durant
bringing up the ball and going straight into an isolation? Well, it's
still a good option, but not the optimal option.
MacMahon:
B. They're a great bailout option, but the Warriors don't want to live
on a steady diet of Durant isos and post-ups. The Warriors can't let the
Rockets dictate their offensive identity. Golden State doesn't want to
play a slow, grinding style. The Warriors are at their best pushing the
tempo and moving the ball for good looks early in the shot clock.
Pelton:
C. Part of a balanced offensive diet, but not a good staple of it. When
the Warriors' offense grinds to a halt because of the Rockets' off-ball
switching, Durant one-on-one is a good option with the shot clock
winding down. Golden State just shouldn't rely on it too heavily.
5-on-5 panel breaks down the twists and turns of the Western Conference finals.
