Golden State Warriors: 8 things to worry about vs. Rockets in WCF
The Others
Worry Level: High
If the referees were my third most significant concern, then I’d say Houston’s secondary role players are my second most significant concern.
First off, I’m not at all saying these guys are as good as Golden State’s rotation. The reason I consider them to be of high concern is because these are the players I expect to have the most impact on the series overall.
Harden is going to get his. CP3 is going to get his. The key to winning this series is not allowing Harden or CP3 to get any beneficial assistance from the rest of the roster.
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I’m talking about Clint Capela, who’s averaging 14.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.8 blocks on 63.4 percent shooting. I’m talking about Eric Gordon, who’s averaging 12.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30 minutes off the bench.
P.J. Tucker. Trevor Ariza. Surprisingly, even Nene is a +1.7 this year for the Rockets and one of the pieces of eight we’ve seen Mike D’Antoni play (the other being Gerald Green, whom I’m not worried about in the slightest).
So no, the Warriors can’t stop Harden, but they sure as hell can stop the other guys from being productive. I say dare Harden to score 100 points.