The Golden State Warriors will open ring night at home against the Houston Rockets. They will also face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas.
It was announced today that the Goliath of the NBA – or the Golden State Warriors will take on the mighty Houston Rockets on championship banner and ring night. There will be several storylines leading up to opening night and the night itself including the dynamic of new Rocket Chris Paul and the dynamic James Harden and how much better the Warriors have gotten in the offseason.
One of the storylines of the night will be how Chris Paul fits into the Rockets style of play on both ends of the floor and how he will be tested against the defending champs. In a similar way, the Warriors had to incorporate the new addition of Kevin Durant to the roster in their first game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors will be looking to start off the 2017-2018 season strong unlike what they did a year ago.
Another storyline of opening night will be the new additions the Warriors had this offseason including trading for the 38th pick in the draft in Jordan Bell and sharpshooters Omri Casspi and Nick Young. How will the new players fit into the Warriors style on both ends of the court?
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As it was with Durant, it took time to get used to the flow of the offense with movement and cutting and I expect much of the same from the new players.
An additional storyline to opening night is play both mentally and physically. The mental aspect of a team can be wearing, especially of a team of this caliber and how they play mentally could be one of the keys for the Warriors this season. How do the Warriors play with a big lead? Do they stop playing within the flow of the offense or does the offense remain the same?
These are important questions moving forward and could be answered as soon as opening night. Physically, the players need to be ready for a track meet against the Rockets and need to be at high physical performance levels.
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The Warriors and Rockets are two of the best teams in the league. They can run and gun with the best, but the edge the Warriors possess is on the defensive end. I expect Draymond Green, the Defensive Player of the Year, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Durant to overwhelm the Rockets into careless turnovers. Nonetheless, the Rockets and Warriors will be worth watching on championship banner and ring night.