Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Game 2 preview

Well that was kinda deflating, huh?

After working all year to grab homecourt advantage throughout the NBA playoffs, the Rockets lost that right to the Golden State Warriors in a span of 48 minutes. The Warriors were the clearly superior team in Game 1 and it remains to be seen if a dialed-in Dubs squad is even capable of losing a single game. We can bash this team all we want and call KD a snake (because he is), but this is the greatest team of all-time.

It’s going to take four perfect or near-perfect games to fell these Warriors in a seven game series. In Game 1, the Rockets weren’t close to perfect. For as much playoff heat as James Harden has received over the years, his effort in Game 1 cannot be understated. He was exceptional and most of his mistakes came from trying to do too much. And he was trying to do too much because he had to.

While the Rockets enjoy having a future Hall of Fame point guard on the floor at all times, the Warriors can keep at least two All-Stars and likely Hall of Famers on the court at all times. It’s devastating, especially when Durant goes into cheat mode. It’s the equivalent of turning on all the easy sliders in a video game. The Warriors get to do things other teams don’t because they can.

There’s hope for the Rockets though. The game was tied at halftime and Houston was definitely not playing its best basketball. Multiple times throughout the second and third quarters it appeared that the Dubs would pull away and leave Houston in their dust. More than once, the Rockets crawled back into the fight, only to falter once more.

Golden State will land their haymakers because they always do. Houston can hit some of their own. But what separates the Warriors is that the third quarter belongs to them. For years now they have obliterated teams out of halftime, and Game 1 was no different. This team lives to end all hope for their opponents.

The Rockets need their role players to step up. Remember, Chris Paul isn’t the only player that Daryl Morey brought in during the offseason. If Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, P.J. Tucker, and Gerald Green cannot give Houston anything, then it’s hard to see anything but a resounding sweep coming.

Tip-off is at 8pm CT on TNT