NBA Playoff Preview - Golden State vs. Houston

May 18, 2015 - 5:07 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Sometimes, it's fitting when the two best teams in a conference meet up in the finals, such as the case this season when the Golden State Warriors tangle with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, starting Tuesday in Oakland.

Most believed the San Antonio Spurs, the defending champions, and annually the most dangerous team in the postseason, could be the conference's representative in the NBA Finals a third straight year.

When the Los Angeles Clippers bounced them in a seven-game classic, focus shifted on those Clippers. They won Game 1 in Houston without Chris Paul. They demolished the Rockets in Games 3 and 4 in Hollywood.

But, a funny thing happened. The Rockets won three straight, including an improbable comeback in Game 6 Thursday in LA and then an easy Game 7 when the Clips didn't come to play.

Even the top-seeded Warriors, who tied for the sixth-best regular-season mark in NBA history, found some doubters in round two. After a sweep of the scrappy New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State fell behind the Memphis Grizzlies, 2-1, including its first home loss since January.

Facing their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Warriors won Game 4 on Beale Street and never looked back. They needed six games to dispatch the physically-demanding Grizzlies and are in the conference finals for the first time since 1976.

Houston hasn't gotten this far since 1997 when it lost to the Utah Jazz in six games.

This series will feature the men who finished Nos. 1 and 2 in MVP voting.

Steph Curry has been his usual amazing self, while Houston's James Harden struggled at times during the postseason. In the Rockets' eye-opening Game 6 comeback, Harden wasn't even on the floor. However, in the decisive Game 7 Sunday, Harden had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

For the Rockets, it was as simple as overcoming more adversity in a season littered with it.

Dwight Howard missed half the campaign with a knee injury. Josh Smith was signed after an embarrassing release from the Detroit Pistons. Corey Brewer was acquired during the season, as was Pablo Prigioni, who was huge in Game 7. Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas are both sidelined with injuries.

"I'm really proud of the guys, how they fought all year long," Harden said.

That fight continued into the postseason. The Rockets had a relatively easy time of it against the Dallas Mavericks, then played poorly in three of the first four games versus the Clippers.

The last three were something. Houston got important contributions from almost everyone en route to the emphatic Game 7 win.

"Our guys ground it out," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. "It was one game at a time. They did a hell of a job."

The Warriors have been off since Friday night's victory and homecourt should be huge for them. They went 39-2 at Oracle Arena during the regular season.

If one is looking at the regular season for a barometer, a Rockets fan may want to skip ahead. The Warriors swept the Rockets by an average of 15.3 points, including a 131-106 blowout in Houston.

That factors into this series in terms of most matchups being favorable to the Warriors, but the conference finals are a different animal.

"The pressure goes up a notch, the level of intensity goes up a notch, but we're excited to be part of it," said Warriors center Andrew Bogut.

Golden State has one player - Leandro Barbosa - who has been this far in the playoffs. Houston has Terry and Trevor Ariza, who both won titles, and Howard and Harden, who both lost in the NBA Finals.

There are many variables outside of, but including who finished where in the MVP race, regular-season records and deep playoff experience.

What it boils down to is, the two best teams, after months of battle, will meet in the Western Conference Finals, contrary to what anyone thought.

MATCHUPS:

BACKCOURT: Curry's scoring is up almost 5.0 ppg during the playoffs. His assists are down, but who cares? Curry has been amazing this postseason, sometimes putting the team on his back, which is what MVPs do. Matchups favor Curry in a substantial way in this series. He'll be covering Terry, who is a 3-point shooter at this stage in his career, and if Terry isn't covering him, Ariza, a good defender, would be the man. Ariza is bigger, but probably can't keep up with Curry. Klay Thompson is shooting 47.7 percent from long range in the postseason. That's an absurd number. He's a plus defender who will give Harden all he can handle.

Harden's scoring and rebounding are down from the regular season, but when the numbers are that high anyway, it doesn't matter much. He still got to the line and converted when he got there. When Harden sat during Houston's comeback in Los Angeles, it had to be a little embarrassing. He responded with a Herculean effort in Game 7. Harden is spectacular, no matter if the stats are down. Terry has played 105 postseason games in his career. He's seen everything and he's hit big shot after big shot. Terry is shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc this postseason which is certainly respectable. He might become a defensive liability against Golden State. Can he guard Curry, Thompson, or even Harrison Barnes?

EDGE: GOLDEN STATE

FRONTCOURT: Draymond Green has averaged 13.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 5.1 apg and 2.1 spg. Those are all up from the regular season. He is built for the playoffs with his intensity, defensive prowess and overall versatility. Green battling Smith at different points in this series could be exciting. Bogut will have Howard, who has been very good this postseason. Howard is a load, but so is Bogut, who is one of the premiere defensive big men in the association. Bogut is also a bit of an agitator and Howard is prone to getting into foul trouble and altercations. Barnes has become steady. He scores 11.1 ppg in the playoffs, but has struggled a bit from deep. Barnes has shot 50 percent from the field through 10 games.

Howard has averaged 17.2 ppg and 13.8 rpg. He's been a beast on the glass and defensively, but he's been prone to foul trouble. Bogut can get under his skin, but when Howard has been on the floor, he's been what the Rockets expected when they signed him. They'll need him offensively. Defensively, with Golden State's reliance on jump shots, he may not get too much of a chance to be a defensive stopper. Ariza leads the Rockets in minutes in the playoffs. He may have to guard Curry for a chunk of time this series, or, possibly Thompson. The Rockets backcourt is just not good enough defensively and Ariza is the best option. He shot 35.6 percent from 3-point range through Houston's first two series. Smith was inserted into the starting lineup for Game 5 versus the Clippers and the team's results are hard to argue. Smith is versatile and appears committed. A matchup against Green could be a fun showcase of two multi-talented forwards.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: Barbosa, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli played all 10 games thus far in the playoffs. David Lee gave them good minutes at times. This group is solid, but, outside Iguodala, head coach Steve Kerr relies on his starters. Ezeli might be needed if Howard gets Bogut in foul trouble. Iguodala could see even more minutes if Kerr feels he needs his defensive prowess. This is a dependable, professional unit.

Six Rockets averaged double-figures in scoring so far this postseason and Terry is at 9.2 ppg. If Smith continues to start, Terrence Jones is a nice weapon off the bench. Brewer is just fantastic. He's averaging 12.4 ppg and shooting 35 percent from 3-point land. Brewer can score and defend. He's a huge piece of Houston's success. Prigioni is fun to watch. In Game 7, three hustle plays from him played huge. He can defend point guards the length of the floor despite his age. Clint Capela is Howard's backup, although McHale will go with a smaller lineup more often than not.

EDGE: HOUSTON

COACHING: Kerr finished second in Coach of the Year voting and it's fair to wonder how he will do as the playoffs progress. He has done brilliantly managing the team's time between series and even during them, giving the guys off to relax during this grind. Kerr figured out how to beat the Grizzlies, who were physically more imposing than his group. He kept the team calm in the face of their first three-game losing streak, which could have been catastrophic since they really didn't face any adversity all season. Everything Kerr has done has paid off handsomely.

McHale has never been considered a coaching great, but anyone who gets his team past a 3-1 hole and wins on the road, does something special. He told them to take it one game at a time, and, while cliche, it worked. McHale has to figure out a way to beat Golden State and do it quickly.

EDGE: GOLDEN STATE

PREDICTION: The Warriors appear to be a team of destiny. They have the Rockets number this season and experience can be overrated.

What's troubling for Houston is what happened to the Clippers. They won a Game 6 on the road against the Spurs, then took that series. The emotional high is huge and could even be ridden to an early win in this series given the quick turnaround.

But what will the Rockets have left in the tank? Doc Rivers thought fatigue was an issue for his guys although his poor bench play could be to blame. Houston may feel a sense of accomplishment already after that great win over LA.

This just seems to favor Golden State heavily.

SPORTS NETWORK PREDICTION: WARRIORS in FIVE