It’s finally set.
The Houston Rockets will play the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals starting Sunday. The rematch of the 2017-18 Western Conference Finals is here.
After the Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night to advance, several players and coaches were asked about the Rockets ahead of the matchup. Kevin Durant in particular had some very complimentary things to say about James Harden.
(Free throws) aren’t his whole game. He can do everything. If you’re not focused, he can drive past you, hit you with the shoulder because he’s strong, and finish with either hand. He can shoot floaters now. Obviously the step back three-pointer is one of his staples, but I never believed he was just a free throw guy. He can score in a variety of ways. So we have to be locked in from the beginning. You can’t fully stop a guy like that. You just have to be ready to play him tough all game.
There’s a good chance the Warriors will start Andre Iguodala and have him defend Harden for the majority of series — that’s what they did in last year’s series. It’ll be interesting to see if they imitate some of what the Utah Jazz did to defend Harden in the first round since they limited him to a below-league-average 52.9 percent true shooting.
The Rockets traveled to Oakland early Friday so they will likely be well-rested and prepared for what should be an exciting Game 1 Sunday in Oracle Arena at 2:30 p.m.
