Getty Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors shoots over PJ Tucker of the Houston Rockets.
After an exciting and controversial game one win by the Golden State Warriors over the Houston Rockets, the NBA world was abuzz regarding a few non-calls towards the end of the game. Somewhat swept under the rug was yet another masterful performance from Kevin Durant as he was the driving force offensively once again. With an incredible start to the 2019 NBA Playoffs already, Durant looks to build on his already strong start as he and the Warriors work towards a third consecutive NBA title.
Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant NBA Playoffs: ‘There’s nothing you can do’ says Celtics Legend Paul Pierce on Houston Rockets
Despite saying that “There’s nothing you can do” about Kevin Durant, Pierce did offer a possible workaround to make things more difficult on him. Specifically, Pierce cited a tactic he and the Celtics often deployed against Kobe Bryant. Not only do you just defend him tough and make him work for his buckets but you have to force him to switch on defense to cover players adept at attacking the rim and drawing fouls. Getting in foul trouble early forces the star off the court and is a savvy move to help limit the inevitable onslaught of points that are coming your way.
Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets NBA Playoffs Preview
After dropping game one in heartbreaking fashion on the road, the Houston Rockets look to try and steal home court advantage in a game two matchup at Oracle Arena against the Golden State Warriors. Kevin Durant continued his brilliant postseason by racking up 35 points to go with five rebounds and three assists. Durant has been a force so far in the postseason, averaging an insane 35 points per game through his first seven games. While Curry has still been quietly brilliant, Durant has stolen the spotlight and is the biggest story on the NBA’s best team.
To the Rockets credit, they fought hard in a hostile arena and were a few questionable calls away from possibly pulling out the game one win. Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey has built this team specifically to counter Golden State and given the fact they held a 3-2 lead in the conference finals last season before Paul got hurt, they pose an extremely dangerous threat to the Warriors. With an extremely underrated defense that switches EVERYTHING, they help neutralize easy open looks off screens for the Warriors’ trio of deadly shooters and have their own one-two punch that can go toe-to-toe with Golden State offensively.
Speaking of the one-two punch, the Rockets need exceptional play from both James Harden and Chris Paul in order to pull the upset off. Golden State simply has two many weapons to the point where if even one has an off night, the other is simply outgunned. Running out a team filled with MVP’s, All-Stars, and a DPOY, and the best three-point shooter in the history of the NBA, the Rockets can ill afford to have a bad game from anyone, much less their offensive catalysts.