(1) Warriors vs. (2) Rockets - Western Conference Finals Preview

After rallying from an uncomfortable 2-1 series deficit to dispatch of the Memphis Grizzlies in 6 games, the Golden State Warriors fixed their eyes on Game 7 between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon.
Much to the dismay of NBA fans across America, the Houston Rockets finished off their monumental comeback, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in an intense and emotional Game 7 battle.
And while Houston's victory has not set up the "heated rivalry" that many basketball fans had anticipated, a series featuring two MVP-caliber players (Stephen Curry and James Harden) should prove quite intriguing.
Momentum will not likely be much of a factor in this series, as both Houston and Golden State have won three consecutive contests.
However, as the Warriors have home court advantage throughout the playoffs, Oracle Arena will undoubtedly be ready for the start of Game 1.
Recent history also seems to be on Golden State's side, as the Warriors went 4-0 against the Rockets this season.
All four victories came by double digit margins.
Nevertheless, in breaking down the starters by position, this series promises to be frightfully even.
While the Warriors unquestionably have an edge in the point guard match-up (Stephen Curry vs. Jason Terry), the other four positions are not quite as clear.
The shooting guard match-up is painfully close (Klay Thompson vs. James Harden).
The small forward match-up should also be practically unpredictable (Harrison Barnes vs. Trevor Ariza).
And while Draymond Green may have an advantage over Terrence Jones at the power forward position, Dwight Howard will likely be far more productive than Andrew Bogut at center.
For obvious reasons, Golden State will need production from their bench if they plan to defeat Houston and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in decades.
Will Golden State's role players be up to the challenge?
Only time will tell.
Prediction: Golden State in 5 (it's bound to happen eventually)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A's Win First Postseason Series Since 2006, Will Face Astros in ALDS

Image
Despite falling to the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, the Oakland Athletics rebounded with consecutive wins in Games 2 and 3 to snag their first postseason series victory in 14 years, advancing to the ALDS for the first time since 2013. After digging a 3-0 hole in Thursday's decisive Game 3, Oakland rallied with four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead. However, their biggest hit of the afternoon came in the bottom of the fifth, with the score tied 4-4. In perhaps the most crucial plate appearance of his life, Chad Pinder stepped to the plate with an opportunity to defy history. Prior to this at-bat, Pinder had posted a 2-for-35 career mark with the bases loaded. However, on Thursday, he came up with a massive two-run single to propel the A's to a 6-4 advantage. And they didn't look back. Oakland now looks forward to a best-of-5 series with the Houston Astros to be played on neutral ground at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Needless to say, th...
Read more

Ranking Every Song From Paramore's "After Laughter"

Following the relative success of my rankings of Taylor Swift's " folklore " and Maroon 5's " Red Pill Blues ", I've decided to make these posts a semi-regular occurrence.  As I've followed Paramore religiously for over a decade, this one seemed like the next logical choice. Without further adieu, let's dive into Paramore's 2017 release entitled "After Laughter", an album that saw the band adopt an entirely new sound. 12. No Friend Three years have passed and I still don't fully understand what "No Friend" is, but I'm not convinced it's a rankable song. It sounds more like a dramatic reading of a poem drowned out by one of Paramore's jam sessions. Congrats, Aaron Weiss? In any case, please let me know if there's more I can give you. 11. Idle Worship Perhaps suffering from being linked to "No Friend" in such an inseparable way, something about this track is just a tad unsettling. From its ...
Read more

Why Quidditch Is Totally Ridiculous (Yet We Still Love It)

Image
On June 26, 1997,  Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling introduced the world to a remarkable new sport called Quidditch. In theory, Rowling's invention is fairly simple. For those who are unfamiliar with the game, I will provide a brief description of its rules.  Quidditch is played in a 7-on-7 format on flying broomsticks. Each team features three "Chasers" who attempt to throw a large ball (called the Quaffle) past the opposing team's "Keeper" into one of three circular hoops.  Every time the Chasers succeed in beating the Keeper, their team is awarded 10 points. Meanwhile, there are a pair of bat-wielding "Beaters" on each team who add to the chaos by clubbing two smaller balls (called Bludgers) at their opposition. However, the most important position on the field is that of the "Seeker", which is Harry Potter's position on Gryffindor's Quidditch team during his time at Hogwarts.  Each team has one Seeker who scours t...
Read more