NBA Playoffs 2015: Schedule, Preview and Predictions for Thursday

The NBA playoffs have been nonstop action to this point, and Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals has a good chance to continue this trend.

Game 1 between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors provided fans with everything they could have hoped for going into the contest. Not only was it a close battle that went down to the wire before the Warriors pulled out a 110-106 win, but the two top players in the NBA this season stepped up with fantastic games.

James Harden put the Rockets on his back once again with a near triple-double of 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Of course, Stephen Curry was able to answer with 34 points in a winning effort.

If the two elite players continue to perform at this level, we are going to have quite a series.

Western Conference Finals Game 2 Info

When: Thursday, May 21

Where: Oracle Arena; Oakland, California

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

While Riley Curry stole the show after the game, Stephen Curry was the star during it. He was nearly unstoppable, shooting 13-of-22 from the floor and 6-of-11 from three-point range. ESPN's Skip Bayless noted the player's impact:

Peter King of the Monday Morning Quarterback had even higher praise:

The Memphis Grizzlies contained Curry during the only two losses the Warriors have faced in the playoffs, holding the guard to 4-of-21 from three-point range. However, this seemed to be little more than a speed bump, as he has shot 24-of-46 (52.2 percent) from deep in the four games since.  

If the Rockets have any chance of hanging around this series, they will need to find someone capable of sticking with him and at least making the shots a little tougher.

Of course, even if Curry slows down, there are plenty of other top offensive players capable of carrying the squad, such as Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes or, in Tuesday's case, Shaun Livingston. The guard had 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench, earning praise from Draymond Green after the game, per Fran Blinebury of NBA.com:

"

Credit Shaun for coming in and saving the day, keeping us afloat when everybody else was struggling. Once again complete team effort. You never know who's going to step up on this team. We've prided ourselves on our depth all year and it continues to come through for us.

"

The Warriors' depth is miles ahead of the Rockets', who have admittedly dealt with injuries this season but still don't have a lot of production outside of Harden. 

Dwight Howard is obviously talented but is dealing with a knee injury, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Even when healthy, he would have a hard time scoring inside against Andrew Bogut, who recently got a nice payday for being named to the league's All-Defensive team, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group:

Green—who was named first-team All-Defense—also can take out some of Houston's complementary scorers.

As a result, Harden can keep putting up big numbers but will struggle to do enough to get the Rockets over the top. Look for Houston to keep things close for three quarters before the home crowd starts to cause problems.

At that point, Curry will once again show why he is the MVP and help the Warriors pull away for a Game 2 win and a 2-0 series lead.

Prediction: Warriors 105, Rockets 96

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