Can Houston overcome Golden State?
The Rockets came the closest of any team to eliminating the Warriors during last years playoffs, taking Golden State to seven games. This was in the middle of injury problems for the Rockets, as veteran leaders Chris Paul and Joe Johnson were both injured for key games during the series. Eric Gordon also was a near non-factor, averaging the second lowest minutes per game of any Rocket to play seven games, leading only Gerald Green.
This year, Gordon has stepped up big time during the regular season, Paul looks to be in peak form, and P.J. Tucker, a man who was certainly not on any Warriors scouting reports last year, has stepped up to show that he is a valuable asset for this Houston team.
Not only did the players who the Rockets had from the previous improve, but they were also able to make a few key acquisitions. Austin Rivers has been playing really good basketball for the Rockets, most likely saving his career in the process, and Danuel House Jr is a key bench player for Houston.
Given all of this, it’s no wonder why James Harden said that the Rockets were, “more than capable” of winning the series, and he just might be right.