After defeating the Dallas Mavericks in a near sweep (4-1) the Houston Rockets had to wait the better part of a week to find out who they would face in the second round of the Western Conference series. After a nearly impossible last second shot made by Chris Paul Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs, the Clippers have advanced to face Houston in the farthest they’ve been in the playoffs since 2009.
The Clippers and Spurs series was unique in that the caliber of teams facing each other is typically reserved for the second or third round of the playoffs. The Spurs won the NBA Championship last year and the Clippers were eliminated by Oklahoma City Thunder and then MVP Kevin Durant in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. The Thunder would go on to face, and lose to, the Spurs in the Western Conference championship. To see the defending champs face a legitimate conference title contender in the first round is rare and it made for the most exciting series of the first round in terms of competition.
The Rockets have had time to rest while the Clippers have players Blake Griffin and Chris Paul playing just days after exhibiting injuries in their game 7 with San Antonio. Chris Paul, who injured his hamstring and left the game to sit on the bench and even retreat to the locker room, has been listed as a game time decision for tonight’s match up.
During the regular season the Rockets and Clippers split the series 2-2 but Dwight Howard, then injured, did not play in any of the four games. In exchange, the Rockets will be without Patrick Beverly who had a season ending wrist surgery near the very end of the regular season. The Rockets will have their hands full in comparison to their previous matchup with the Dallas Mavericks as the Clippers are armed with the force that is Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, who leads the league in rebounds per game with 15, and Chris Paul who leads the league in assists per game with 10.2.
Not only will the rest be an advantage for the Houston Rockets but they could also be playing a bit harder with the recent announcement that the Golden State Warrior’s Stephen Curry, not James Harden, was named the MVP this weekend. Dwight Howard said the team is “all pretty upset” but “our goal is the championship”.
A NBA Championship trophy would make a great consolation prize.
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