At 8pm on May 19, 2015, the first game of the Western Conference semifinals officially started.
The two teams facing each other were the Warriors and Rockets, and the game was held at Oracle Arena.
Although they both reached the Western Conference Finals, the mentality of the two teams is completely different!
The Warriors have reached the Western Conference Finals for the sixth consecutive year, and they also swept their opponents in the last round.
In fact, not only the Western Conference semifinals, the Warriors also swept their opponents in the first round. They played very relaxedly in both rounds of the series, without any suspense.
Whether it's the Pelicans or the Grizzlies, known as the Warriors' killers, they have no power to parry in front of the Warriors!
The Rockets were different. They played 5 games with the Mavericks in the first round, which didn't take much effort. They played 7 games with the Clippers in the second round, which made them use up all their energy!
The physical exertion is secondary, but the impact on morale is the most important.
Logically speaking, if the Rockets win the series, they should be in a happy mood, at least not depressed or unhappy, but this is not the case.
In the sixth game, the Rockets came back to win, and they escaped disaster. However, what embarrassed Rockets fans and management was that Harden almost sat off the court in the fourth quarter of the decisive game, and the team's reversal had nothing to do with him.
!
The reversal doesn't matter, that is to say, the previous big deficit was related to him!
If Harden was a role player, that would be fine, but he is not!
Harden is the core player of the Rockets, and his status should be higher than Howard!
It is impossible for the star player not to let him play, but whether Harden's playing at critical moments is good for the team, and whether he is worthy of being the boss? These questions will definitely pop up in the hearts of every team member!
It would be fine without Howard, but the Rockets still have a second-in-command in Howard, and he has been the boss for a long time and has a great desire for the ball, so this idea is not surprising.
Although no one openly questioned it, everyone was not stupid, and they all murmured in their hearts.
Fortunately, winning can solve many problems. Although there are some thoughts in the mind, the Rockets still seem to have no problems on the surface.
Because the Rockets are a newly formed strong team and have reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in so many years, there is a lot of attention on this year's Western Conference Finals.
Although they played seven games against the Clippers, the Rockets are still very strong on paper.
With the core of Harden and Howard, plus high-quality role players such as Josh Smith, Ariza, Brewer, and Terry, the Rockets have a very strong lineup.
In addition, this series is a duel between the 2009 duo Curry and Harden. Curry is of course the most dazzling superstar in the league, but Harden has also performed very well recently and is basically sitting at the top spot.
Stable.
Which of the 2009 duo is more powerful can be tested in this series.
For the Rockets, they have a problem that needs to be solved, and that is Beverley's injury.
Beverley sprained his wrist in a game against the Pacers in March. During subsequent examinations, Beverley was diagnosed with torn ligaments in his left wrist.
After discussing the treatment plan with the Rockets team doctor, Beverley finally decided to undergo ligament repair surgery and give up the rest of the season.
Beverley had been the Rockets' starting point guard before getting injured, and his absence still had some impact on the Rockets.
One of the important reasons for having been entangled with the Clippers for so long in the second round was Beverley's absence.
Without Beverley, the Rockets will have to let John Terry start, and the Rockets' defense will have some problems.
Terry has always been terrible at defense, and one of the Clippers' strongest points is Paul in the backcourt!
If there was Beverley, at least Paul wouldn't have played so well!
However, there is nothing the Rockets can do. Beverley's injury requires surgery, and it is impossible to cure it as soon as possible.
Of course, except looking for Deng Fang!
Of course, the Rockets also approached Deng Fang, but Deng Fang rejected them flatly.
Of course, Deng Fang did not reject it completely. He said, "If you can reach the Western Conference Finals, you can come to me again!"
So the first thing the Rockets general manager did after eliminating the Clippers was to find Deng Fang!
What to do?
Treat Beverly!
Fortunately, Deng Fang kept his word and cured Beverly after receiving the money.
Looking at the happy Beverley, Deng Fang smiled, but he snorted coldly in his heart: I want you to see what impact one more Beverley can have! How many games can the Rockets beat the Warriors!
Because she knew this was a possibility, Beverly has not slackened off in the past two months. She usually exercises in the gym to maintain her condition.
Even if my hand is injured, I can still run without any problem, and I can also shoot with my right hand.
So as soon as Beverley's injury was cured, he immediately returned to the team and started training with the team.
Also because of Beverley's return, more people are optimistic about the Rockets!
Why?
Because Beverley is a defensive warrior and a famous mad dog in the league!
Who is the biggest headache for the Warriors?
Curry!
Who is Beverley guarding?
Defender!
It can be said that with Beverley, the Rockets will not be so frightened when they see Curry!
At least I have a mad dog in my hand that can bite people at any time!
Not surprisingly, Beverley's name was also on the Rockets' starting roster for this game.
The Rockets' starting five are Beverley, Harden, Ariza, Josh Smith, and Howard.
It can be said that the Rockets' starting strength is not afraid of anyone in the entire league, and they are definitely among the top three!
Beverley, Ariza, Josh Smith, and Howard are all the best defensive players in the league at their respective positions. In this case, it is not a big problem to have Harden who is unable to defend his hips.
On the offensive end, Beverley, Harden, and Ariza all have good three-pointers, and Howard is also a great inside threat.
As for Josh Smith, he is an uncontrollable variable!
Josh Smith can play three or four, but most of the time he plays the fourth position. His advantages are good physical fitness and good dribbling ability. His disadvantages are unreliable shooting and relatively simple offensive methods.
Josh Smith had been with the Hawks before, but he switched to the Pistons last season.
Smith performed poorly during more than a year with the Pistons and was eventually bought out by the Pistons, leaving the Rockets with a loss.
It's actually easy to deal with a player like Josh Smith, just leave him open and let him shoot three-pointers!
Josh Smith's highest three-point shooting percentage in the regular season over the years was only %, and it was even more pitiful in the playoffs. Before coming to the Rockets, his highest three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs was %, often hovering around 15%!
To put it bluntly, it’s just throwing it around and watching the weather!
But what makes people confused is that Josh Smith has a good touch in this year's playoffs. His three-point shooting percentage is as high as 8%, and his number of shots is also the highest in history!
If Josh Smith also has three points, then this Rockets team will indeed not be very easy to defend.
The Rockets' starting defense is already very strong. If the offense is very strong, it will be really difficult to deal with! (To be continued)