May 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA;Houston Rockets center
Dwight Howard(12) out reboundsLos Angeles Clippers guard
Jamal Crawford(11) in the second half in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Rockets won 124 to 103. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Centers:
Warriors: Andrew Bogut & Festus Ezeli
Rockets: Dwight Howard & Clint Capela
Bogut is a great defender down-low and Ezeli does his thing off the bench for about 11 minutes a game. That’s essentially all you need to know about the Warriors playing in the middle.
The real determining factor for the center position in this series is Dwight Howard. As it turns out, LaLa Land is not for everyone. After a one year stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, Howard found his way to Houston on an enormous contract that he has quite frankly yet to live up to.
In a small league (in comparison to the big dominant eras of years past), Howard can be an incredibly dominant force in the paint for the Houston Rockets. He very well could be the best player on the court on a nightly basis if he could just find a way to recapture that dominance he once exerted over all of his opponents.
He needs to block shots, grab rebounds, and bully anybody who dares to stand between him and the basket if the Rockets are to have any hope of pulling out four victories and heading to the NBA Finals. He can win this matchup against Bogut if he plays like he is capable of playing, anything less than that will most definitely be considered a win for Bogut because it means that they forcing James Harden to do it alone once more.
Advantage: Houston Rockets (maybe?)