Matchup |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
73-9 (39-2 HOME) |
vs | 41-41 (18-23 ROAD) |
||||||
Details |
||||||||
April 16, 2016 |
||||||||
Oracle Arena -- Oakland, CA |
||||||||
12:30 p.m. PST | ||||||||
ABC | KNBR 680 AM | ||||||||
Blog Buddy: The Dream Shake | ||||||||
Projected Starters | ||||||||
Stephen Curry | G | Patrick Beverly | ||||||
Klay Thompson | G | James Harden | ||||||
Harrison Barnes | F | Trevor Ariza | ||||||
Draymond Green | F | Donatas Montiejunas |
||||||
Andrew Bogut | C | Dwight Howard | ||||||
Key Injuries | ||||||||
Kevon Looney (hip) - Out |
Sam Dekker (back) - Out Terrence Jones (illness) - Out |
The Houston Rockets must find a way to stop this unstoppable force aiming to repeat another title. It’s the Playoffs Baby!
Team Overviews
The Warriors. First off, cheers to an incredible 73 win season.
Now let's get back to business: We Gonna Be Championship, Part 2! Set aside all those records we've broken during the regular season, the new challenge begins. We're 16 wins away from another Larry O'Brien trophy.
You've got a Warriors team that has made improvements on almost every level to get them where they're at today, whereas the Rockets have struggled throughout the season but managed to creep back into the playoff picture. Anyway you look at it, the Dubs have an the advantage in this series.
The Rockets enter the post season as the 8th seed looking to derail Golden State's championship-bound train. Consider it a rematch from last year's Western Conference Finals expect an offensive show. Fun fact: Houston shot the second most threes in this season. So expect a ton of shots beyond the arc!
Some players to keep an eye on: James Harden can be a threat against the Warriors if he gets his pot stirring. Looking forward to seeing what type of rotation we'll have when it comes to guarding him. We might get a feel for how he plays today. Patrick Beverly makes his return to the playoffs with his eyes on guarding Stephen Curry. Beverly's defensive presence will be put to the test.
Key to the game: Run and gun.
We'll take it any we can and we're going to do it with the variety of weapons we have. So long as the turnovers are low and the shooting percentage is high, we can out play Houston in their own game. Expect a high scoring game that will have Golden State on top.
Highlight Predictions:
- Stephen Curry has had a field day against the Rockets all season long averaging 30 points per game. Let's set the tone early and show em' what it's all about. My big prediction would be of course for Steph to be Steph and let his plays speak for itself.
- Klay Thompson. We've got a full squad on deck but you know Klay: When he gets hot, there's no stopping his streak! Rewind it one time to this seasons New Year's Eve game where Thompson dropped in 38 points to help seal the deal. A repeat performance could be in the works.
- Put the pressure on Dwight Howard. It will be interesting to see how Dwight Howard performs against Golden State. With Draymond, Andrew, Festus and Mo' Speights defending the basket, if we can outplay Superman, our front line of bigs may be his Kryptonite during the series.
- Defense. Expecting a high scoring series? You bet cha'! If we can sprinkle in some defensive pressure and force Houston to create turnovers, we'll be one step ahead of the Rockets.
- Can't forget the Roaracle Crowd. Yea, its only the first game of the series but there's just something magical about our fans that make it a tough place for visiting teams to win in our arena. Set the tone Dub Nation, make it insanely loud for the Rockets to stay focused.
Win Prediction
Show em' who's Boss to set off the series! Warriors defeat the Rockets, 119-110.
Links
What should the Golden State Warriors do with Harrison Barnes?
2016 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview: Breaking down each Western Conference series
2016 NBA playoffs: Warriors have dominated first round foe over past two seasons
Warriors chasing history: Golden State sets NBA record with 73 wins (Posts from GSoM)