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At long last, the NBA Western Conference Finals are finally upon us. This series is between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. The Rockets entered the season with hopes of dethroning the Warriors as Western Conference champions. However, Golden State dominated in the second half of game one and took a 1-0 series lead thanks to the efforts of star forward Kevin Durant. Now, the Rockets are in must-win territory and will look to even the series up at one apiece before having to travel back to California for games three and four.
Houston’s success is due to its elite duo which consists of James Harden and Chris Paul. This season, Harden has looked like a lock to win the MVP award. Harden averaged 30.4 points and 8.8 assists per game as he carried the Rockets to the best record in the NBA this season. However, unlike previous years, Harden finally has a fellow superstar on his team who might be able to lighten the load for Harden throughout the rest of this series. Assisting Harden is future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. In his first season with the Rockets, Paul was phenomenal and averaged 18.6 points along 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. If the Rockets plan on winning game two, both Harden and Paul will need to have big games.
Golden State’s success has been due to its star point guard Stephen Curry and its star forward Kevin Durant. Both players are former MVP award winners and have proven that they are still elite in today’s NBA. This season, Curry averaged 26.4 points per game along with 6.1 assists per game. Curry’s statistics are even more impressive once one factor in his efficiency from the floor. Curry was shooting an absurd 49.5% from the field and 42.3% from the three-point line. However, Curry was surprisingly quiet in game one and only scored 18 points while shooting an efficient 8-15 from the floor. Look for Curry to be more aggressive in game two after looking a bit passive in game one.
Leading the Warriors now is fellow superstar Kevin Durant. This season, Durant averaged 26.4 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds per game. Similarly to Curry, Durant was also extremely efficient from the floor. He was shooting 51.6% from the field and 41.9% from behind the arc. Unlike Curry, Durant took control of game one almost single-handedly and scored 37 points on just 27 shots. Durant looked unguardable the entire game and will likely look to duplicate that performance in game two.
As for my prediction, I have to side with the Warriors. The Warriors are clearly the better team and should be able to overpower the Rockets regardless of who is the home team. With Curry and Durant in the lineup along with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors possess too many weapons for the Rockets to handle and I do not believe that the duo of Harden and Paul will be able to outplay all four of them.
Rockets vs. Warriors: Game Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Start Time: 9:00 P.M. EST
Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
Broadcast: TNT
How to Watch Rockets vs. Warriors On Your Tablet Or Mobile Device
You can live stream the game on the Watch TNT app.
You can download the Watch TNT app on Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, and the Windows Store. The Fox Sports Go app is also available on the following devices: Apple TV, Roku, Android TV and Fire TV.
How To Live Stream Rockets vs. Warriors Online Without Cable Subscription
You can also live stream the game through Sling TV free trial. Just click on the Sling website and click “Watch Now 7 Days Free” for the free trial. Choose the Sling Orange package, which costs $20 per month and comes with TNT, along with many other sports channels.