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And let’s be thankful they did. Around much of the Western Conference, the dominance of the Warriors, who rolled through the postseason with 16 wins in 17 games last year, canada goose outlet uk sent a chill through front offices. Better to focus on the future, the thinking went, canada goose outlet store uk than to take on the futile task of slowing down the Golden State juggernaut in the present.
The one other team that put up a fight, Oklahoma City, went down with a spectacular failure in the first round, and if the Rockets had not aggressively resisted canada goose jacket outlet the Warriors, the Western canada goose outlet Conference playoffs would have been as much a farce as they were last season. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute, two canada goose outlet reviews aggressive, switch friendly defenders canada goose outlet uk sale who would work well against the ball sharing Golden State offense. They put increased focus on the defense throughout the year, then added Gerald Green during the season to give the bench an offensive boost.
canada goose clearance sale As it turned out, the plan worked better canada goose outlet nyc than expected, even against non Warrior teams: Houston won 65 games, finished with the best record in the NBA and beat out Golden State by seven games for the top seed in the West. The Rockets’defensive efficiency rating of 103.8 points per 100 canada goose outlet online uk possessions was sixth, an improvement from coach Mike D’Antoni’s first Rockets season last year, when they were 18th (106.4). Why should they? Their four top rotation players Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are All Stars, and bench stalwarts like Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and David West canada goose outlet online agreed to come back as free agents. canada goose clearance sale
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Trevor Ariza vs. Kevin Durant
Ariza is a raritybecause he canada goose outlet toronto factory checks all the boxes for canada goose outlet shop a guy you’re going to send out as the primary defender against Durant. He has size and length, good quickness and, with 14 years in the league, ample experience.
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Canada Goose online There’s also this: Durant is shooting just 28.1 percent from the 3 point arc in the playoffs, and shot just 30.9 percent from distance in his final nine games of the regular season. Canada Goose online
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Canada Goose Outlet For a guy who has never played this deep in canada goose outlet jackets the postseason, Chris Paul is certainly storming his way into the conference finals. In Houston’s closeout game against Utah in the conference semifinals, Paul was nearly unstoppable, scoring 41 points on 13 for 22 shooting, including 8 for 10 from the 3 point line, where he had been struggling (29.4 percent) all postseason. Canada Goose Outlet
canada goose store That’s the big difference in this Houston team. Harden has had several duds in the playoffs this year, but the rest of the team has been there to boost him when he does the Rockets are canada goose outlet sale 4 0 when Harden shoots below 40 percent from the field. canada goose store
Paul needs to continue to be that offensive safety net for the Rockets in the conference finals. Oh, and, at the same time, he’s got to figure out a way to corral Stephen Curry consistently.
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uk canada goose outlet The big numberGo back to 5:09 to play in a February game between these two teams in 2016. That’s the last time you will find that Thompson committed a foul against Harden that sent the Houston star to the free throw line. That’s a huge part of his game, but Thompson is always very careful when going against Harden he just does not give in to the temptation to foul Harden. uk canada goose outlet
In two games against the Rockets this season, Thompson spent most of his defensive time on Harden, and with good reason Harden is the toughest guy to defend in the Western Conference, and Thompson is one of the top wing defenders in the league. Harden shot 50 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent from the 3 point line.
canada goose clearance But canada goose outlet black friday he did not take a single free throw that could be pinned on Thompson, an impressive feat for an offensive player who shoots 10.1 per game during the season. Thompson and the Warriors will live with Harden’s shooting from the floor, especially because he’s struggled in the playoffs, at 41.7 percent from the field before going 7 for 22 in Game 5 against Utah. canada goose clearance
canada goose coats on sale But the goal will be to keep him off the line, which Thompson and the Warriors have done well this year Harden has taken six total free throws in two games against the Warriors. canada goose coats on sale
Rockets vs. Warriors: The prediction
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