Jan 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Members of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after a play during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Warriors defeated the Rockets 131-106. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets meet in the Western Conference Finals in hopes of advancing to the NBA Finals. We know what Steph Curry and James Harden will be bringing it every night, but each team will need their role players to step up.
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Who will be the breakout player of the series? 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
Hard to call a nine-year veteran a candidate for a breakout series, but Shaun Livingston doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s a quiet guy, someone who is rarely in front of the camera or making a raucous in the locker room. He’s the opposite of Green in that sense, with Livingston being in more of the Iguodala mold: proven but serene, a veteran that everyone knows is there but best equipped not to share the limelight. Like Iguodala, the stat line will rarely wow, but it’s the other facets of the game, the ones that can’t necessarily be recorded by a regular box score that he contributes.
December 10, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Livingston’s length off the bench bothered Memphis wings, and he has the speed to keep up with most guards on that end of the floor as well. While his patented mid-range jumper was best suited for previous versions of the Warriors offense, it’s still effective when he has a mismatch. And one of the biggest detriments to this team in the past was lack of ball handlers, and Livingston gives the team another contributor in that regard as well, giving Curry the ability to play more off-the-ball when they’re both on the floor.
Against the Rockets, Livingston will once again have plenty of opportunities to handle the offense as the Warriors are likely to go small often, and given his defensive awareness he can guard any wing the Rockets have matched up with him. Altering shots, rebounding, the ability to switch on most and running the offense. Livingston is a quiet contributor, which is just what he prefers.
Danny Leroux
Klay Thompson. It could be more on the defensive end since Klay will have a ton of responsibility on that end. Golden State’s other All-Star will not have Tony Allen hounding him and could benefit from another cross-match because I sincerely doubt the Rockets will use James Harden on him. The Warriors can win the series without a huge performance but adding a quality Klay series makes it that much harder for the Rockets to take control of any game.
Sheed Malek
Alex Torres
Harrison Barnes. He already showed that he perform under pressure and with all the focus on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Playoff Barnes will have plenty of open looks. If he can continue to knock down the corner three and keep driving to the basket, the Warriors will be in great shape.
Yama Hazheer
Andrew Bogut will show why the Warriors traded for him in 2012. He was brought in for the big moments, games, and opposition knowing that Golden State would one day be in this position. He didn’t have a great series against Memphis, but I expect him to perform much better against Dwight Howard. Bogut loves the challenge of defending some of the best centers in the league and Howard is that. He isn’t as skilled offensively as Marc Gasol, which will make it easier for Bogut by not having to run around the perimeter. Howard’s athleticism can cause some trouble, but Bogut is one of the better defensive centers in the league and this will be the ideal time to showcase it to the national audience. Bogut will be the breakout player.