NBA Playoffs 2015: Updated Conference Finals Schedule and Picks Entering Weekend
Two games through both NBA conference finals, each series has gone according to plan.
Strong favorites entering the penultimate round, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have jumped to 2-0 leads. Halfway to an NBA Finals showdown, they each must capture another pair of victories to seal the deal.
Let's take an updated look at the conference finals with each series entering Game 3 this weekend:
| Saturday, May 23 | Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets | 9 p.m. | ESPN | GS 2-0 | HOU | GS in 5 |
| Sunday, May 24 | Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers | 8:30 p.m. | TNT | CLE 2-0 | CLE | CLE in 5 |
Saturday Preview: Warriors at Rockets (Game 3)
To nobody's surprise, the Warriors head to Houston with a 2-0 lead over the Rockets. The heavily favored squad maintained its home dominance, extending its Oracle Arena record to 45-3.
Yet the series now shifts to Texas after two heavily contested matchups. The Rockets—which owned a regular-season scoring margin that was about 6.7 points per game lower than that of the Warriors, according to ESPN.com's Hollinger stats—dropped both games by a combined five points. They can thank James Harden, who averaged 33 points, 10.5 rebounds, nine assists and 3.5 steals while posting two near-triple-doubles.
Or, you know, everybody can instead blame him for one ugly play to end Game 2:
Down one, Harden drove down the court, with head coach Kevin McHale pocketing his timeout. Harden didn't get off a shot, swarmed by a double-team from the Splash Brothers. He discussed the broken play with the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen:
"Got the ball off the glass, and I’m thinking, just to try to get an easy one. They did a good job of having two guys on me, so I couldn’t attack. When I looked up I saw a red jersey and it was Dwight so I tried to throw it back to him. At that time I’m thinking, ‘five seconds on the clock,’ so I tried to get the ball back, and it was still two guys right there. It’s just a tough, tough play.
"
Before overreacting to the final ticks, let's step back and appreciate his playing the NBA's best team neck-and-neck while going up against basketball's toughest home-court advantage. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Houston hasn't witnessed such incredible postseason play in some time:
ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh provided some rare sanity on Twitter after the game:
In the previous round, Houston pulled a complete 180 after being dominated through four games. After the Rockets shocked the Los Angeles Clippers, it'd be foolish to prepare their eulogy after two close calls on the road.
Yet ESPN Stats & Info offered a reminder of the tough task ahead:
Oddly enough, two of the league's premier three-point-shooting squads both have struggled from behind the arc. Golden State has gone 18-of-54 while Houston is 15-of-45, with its bench missing all nine attempts.
Long balls will play a huge role in determining how long this series lasts. Pay particularly close attention to Klay Thompson, who drained just one of seven long-range shots in each game. He entered the series with 31 threes through 10 postseason bouts, shooting 47.7 percent.
If he heats up, the Rockets won't take more than a game. Given his tall order of defending Harden on one end while fending off Trevor Ariza on the other, it's no guarantee. Then again, he produced 27 points in both January meetings after two previous bouts in which he went 1-of-14 from deep territory.
This is where everyone ignores basic math and calls Game 3 a must-win for Houston. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, and the Warriors haven't lost more than two games in a row all year.
The Rockets can't afford to back into another seemingly insurmountable hole. They'll come out swinging and take Game 3, as long as someone lends Harden a helping hand, but don't expect another improbable comeback.
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