The Houston Rockets come into this series having taken out the Dallas Mavericks in five games. As for the Los Angeles Clippers, they come into this series having taken out the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. The Rockets definitely have the advantage of being well rested in addition to playing at home, so it will be especially huge for the Rockets to win Game 1 tonight and get a jump on the Clippers who are still recovering from one of the most epic series' we've ever seen.
Both of these teams are similar in that they heavily rely on two superstars to give them the bulk of their production. The Rockets have shooting guard James Harden and center Dwight Howard as their two superstars and the Clippers have point guard Chris Paul and power forward Blake Griffin. If you notice, both teams have one superstar on the wing and the other playing in the post, which means that we should see a lot of fun battles both on the perimeter and in the paint.
In addition to these four players, there are other players to take note of in this series. For the Clippers, there is their monstrous center DeAndre Jordan and sharp shooters J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes, and Jamal Crawford on the wing. As for the Rockets, they have swingman Josh Smith, swingman Corey Brewer, and shooting guard Jason Terry.
While I would say that the Rockets have the better superstar combo, the Clippers have the better supporting cast. DeAndre Jordan is one of the best rebounders and shot blockers we have ever seen and he is very capable of scoring the ball in transition via the alley-oop. As for Redick, Barnes, and Crawford, all three of those guys are fantastic three-point shooters who can help stretch the floor and take the pressure off Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. This was certainly seen in Game 7 against the Spurs.
If the Clippers are going to win this series, they will need Blake Griffin and Chris Paul to play big and their role players to do their job. If Redick, Crawford, and Barnes are hitting threes like they are supposed to and if Jordan is getting a ton of rebounds and blocks, the Clippers are going to be really tough to stop.
As for the Rockets, it's essentially the same thing in that they need James Harden and Dwight Howard to lead the way and the role players to do their jobs as well. The difference is that James Harden and Dwight Howard have to do more than Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Especially James Harden, who has been averaging 28.4 points per game in this post season. Harden has to play big every night and get his 30 points in order for the Rockets to win. If he doesn't, the Rockets are in serious trouble.
At the end of the day, I'm picking the Clippers to win this series in 6 games. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were fantastic against the Spurs, their role players were incredible, and Doc Rivers is one of the best coaches in the game. Everyone on this team knows what their job is and has proven capable of delivering the goods. This isn't to say that the Rockets can't step up as well, but at the moment, we know for certain that the Clippers can step up in the clutch and that is enough of a reason to pick them over a team that is yet to prove capable of doing so.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news
2015NBA basketball game summary forecast, the Bulls win! We will launch a new series Cheap Nike Shoes.
ReplyDelete