Intro
The San Antonio Spurs will face off against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semi-finals in a battle for Texas. If you told me we would get a James Harden vs. Kawhi Leonard matchup in the second round, I’d gladly accept it. Two of the top five MVP candidates will go head to head, in what should be a great and entertaining series.
If the regular season is any indication, then this series will be extremely close and go down to the wire. All four of their regular season games were decided by a combined 12 points with no team winning by more than six points. The playoffs are different animal, but we should have a great series nonetheless.
Key Matchups
Kawhi Leonard vs. James Harden
This matchup will easily be the most watched …show more content…
For the Spurs to have any chance of winning this series Lamarcus Aldridge needs to play better and grab boards.
Key Stat: Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs
The Houston Rockets are a predominantly three point shooting team and that’s where most of their success has come from, but they have struggled in these playoffs so far. According to NBA.com, the Rockets shot 28.3 percent from three point range last round, with Ryan Anderson shooting 3 for 24 and James Harden shooting 12 for 50. Now they managed to win the series against the Oklahoma Thunder because well it’s the Thunder, but they will not beat the Spurs shooting just 28 percent from three.
In their season series matchup, the pace was at 98.4 and the Rockets usually play at a higher pace (100), which is third in the NBA. The Spurs on the other hand, play at a typically lower pace (93.8), which was 24th in the NBA. You see where I’m going here? The Spurs need to control the pace of the game and since the playoffs are usually slower, the advantage is in their favor. If Spurs can control the pace, they will have a great chance of winning the
The San Antonio Spurs will face off against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semi-finals in a battle for Texas. If you told me we would get a James Harden vs. Kawhi Leonard matchup in the second round, I’d gladly accept it. Two of the top five MVP candidates will go head to head, in what should be a great and entertaining series.
If the regular season is any indication, then this series will be extremely close and go down to the wire. All four of their regular season games were decided by a combined 12 points with no team winning by more than six points. The playoffs are different animal, but we should have a great series nonetheless.
Key Matchups
Kawhi Leonard vs. James Harden
This matchup will easily be the most watched …show more content…
For the Spurs to have any chance of winning this series Lamarcus Aldridge needs to play better and grab boards.
Key Stat: Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs
The Houston Rockets are a predominantly three point shooting team and that’s where most of their success has come from, but they have struggled in these playoffs so far. According to NBA.com, the Rockets shot 28.3 percent from three point range last round, with Ryan Anderson shooting 3 for 24 and James Harden shooting 12 for 50. Now they managed to win the series against the Oklahoma Thunder because well it’s the Thunder, but they will not beat the Spurs shooting just 28 percent from three.
In their season series matchup, the pace was at 98.4 and the Rockets usually play at a higher pace (100), which is third in the NBA. The Spurs on the other hand, play at a typically lower pace (93.8), which was 24th in the NBA. You see where I’m going here? The Spurs need to control the pace of the game and since the playoffs are usually slower, the advantage is in their favor. If Spurs can control the pace, they will have a great chance of winning the