Golden State Warriors: Five Opening Night matchups

Houston Rockets

For the last three seasons, the Warriors have absolutely dominated the Houston Rockets. It didn’t matter what Houston did because Golden State was just better. This year, though, the team from Texas has a shiny new toy.

James Harden was spectacular all season long. Up until the last week or so of the season, he was (my) leader in the chase for the MVP. He tried to play through an injury and it didn’t bode well for him. His body failed him down the stretch, he lost the MVP, and he got bounced in the second round.

Instead of sitting around and doing nothing, GM Daryl Morey went all in. The Rockets traded seven players, a pick, and money to the Los Angeles Clippers for All-Star point guard Chris Paul. They’re now pairing up two of the league’s top guards.

Whether or not they’ll fit as seamlessly as Morey hopes has yet to be seen, but they will, surely, be better than last year. The NBA is dominated by star power and Paul’s mere presence will have an instant impact. It was a huge move that stunned the league.

The Warriors and the Rockets have the two best backcourts in the league. It should be a high-speed shootout whenever these two teams get together. It may or may not be competitive, but if nothing else, it will be fun.

The Warriors have dominated both the Houston Rockets and Chris Paul individually. Collectively, they should be stronger, but is it enough? Many have them penciled in as a Western Conference Finalist, but will it matter?

The hype is there for an Opening Night battle.