Jan 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives the ball during the third quarter as Houston Rockets guard Corey Brewer (33) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors will face the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors are the favorite, but the Rockers will be looking to get some revenge against a team that beat them up four times during the regular season.
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Who will win the series and in how many games? All of our writers here at Warriors World have submitted their predictions for the series, tell us what you think and comment at the bottom of the page:
Jordan Ramirez
Warriors in 5. I’ve seen predictions ranging from a Warriors’ sweep to Rockets in 7 (OK, that was only one person), but the Warriors are heavy favorites for a reason. They have the best player in the series, the better depth, the more experienced coaching staff and homecourt advantage. Unlike the Grizzlies, the Rockets don’t play a particular style that bothers the Warriors if executed. There’s no Marc Gasol or Zach Randolph inside to punish Draymond Green or Andrew Bogut. Without Patrick Beverly, the Rockets are forced to start Jason Terry with some Pablo Prigioni mixed in throughout. Against Steph Curry, let’s just say that’s not ideal.
The Rockets love chaos, and the Warriors wouldn’t mind an up-tempo, sporadic, run-and-gun type pace for the series. The Warriors have a counter for anything or anyone the Rockets can trot, and they do those things better than Houston do. Ironically, the best chance Houston has at winning the series is if the game slows down, getting Golden State into foul trouble and getting James Harden a heavy dose of foul shots throughout. A frustrated Warriors team that turns the ball over is what doomed them last series in their losses, and the Rockets need to implement the same type of energy into closing passing lines, clogging the paint with Josh Smith and Dwight Howard and recovering well on three-point shots as well as pick-and-roll situations.
Jan 21, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA;Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a lot to ask for from a team that had to scrap their way into an ugly, historic comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Rockets have a weird enough energy, diverse collection of talent and coach to make something happen. The fact is, the Warriors aren’t likely to succumb to them for any long stretches. The Rockets will need to win ugly, and the Warriors can adapt to any situation well enough where it doesn’t matter what their opponent does. The Rockets aren’t that good yet.
Danny Leroux
Warriors in 5.
Sheed Malek
Warriors in 5. Rockets are coming off an exciting 7 game series only to get humbled by the Warriors. Warriors defense and firepower will be too much for Houston. Warriors get to push tempo and play in space vs the Rockets, should average 110+ppg.
Alex Torres
Warriors in 5. I was tempted with picking them in four, but it is hard to imagine a series where James Harden doesn’t take over in at least one game. The Warriors already beat the Rockets four times this season and that number will quickly grow to eight.
The Rockets don’t have anybody who can slow down Steph Curry or Klay Thompson. Sure, Trevor Ariza is a great defender, but it’s going to take more than Ariza to slow this offense down. Bogut and Dwight should cancel each other out and outside of Harden, there is no other Houston player that scares Golden State. If the Warriors take care of the ball and their shots are falling, this series will be over fast.
Yama Hazheer
Warriors in five. I would not be surprised if the series is a sweep or if it extends to six games, but I can’t see it going the full distance and ending up seven. Golden State swept the Rockets in the regular season and James Harden struggled throughout. Stephen Curry dominated Houston during the season and will have an extra edge in his step going up against the runner-up in the MVP voting. The Warriors were able to get loose against the Memphis Grizzlies in the final few games of the last series and their defense is much better than the Rockets. It will be a high-scoring matchup, and the Warriors excel in that.