NBA Playoffs 2015: Remaining Schedule, Predictions for Western Conference Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in.
LeBron James' squad reigns supreme in the East after a 118-88 trouncing of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 to sweep the series and move on to the NBA Finals. Now, there's the matter of which Western Conference team the Cavaliers will face on basketball's biggest stage.
The Houston Rockets appeared dead in the water heading into Game 4 of the series. Down 3-0 and coming off a horrifying 35-point loss in Game 3, the Golden State Warriors looked poised to head to the Finals. Well, James Harden had something else in mind. He dropped 45 points en route to an enormous victory that kept his squad alive.
Still, the Rockets are on life support. They remain on the brink of elimination and will need to make history to overcome the Warriors—no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. Can Harden put up another monster performance and force a Game 5, or will Stephen Curry shut the door on this series?
As we anxiously await another compelling battle on the hardwood, let's take a look at the remaining schedule and predictions for the Western Conference Finals.
Remaining Schedule
| 5 | Wed., May 27 | Rockets at Warriors | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 6* | Fri., May 29 | Warriors at Rockets | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 7* | Sun., May 31 | Rockets at Warriors | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
Full schedule courtesy of NBA.com.
Prediction
Throughout the playoffs, Houston has lived and died by its offense. Defensively, the Rockets have been dismal, giving up an average of 111.1 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 46.3 percent from the floor. On the other hand, Houston has shot 45.3 percent from the floor while averaging 109.3 points per game in the playoffs.
When taking those numbers into consideration, and looking back over the course of the series against Golden State, it's easy to see why the Rockets fell into such a deep hole. Houston allowed a slightly better shooting percentage to Curry's Warriors during the first two games, and with Golden State's offensive prowess and ability to collect boards, that was enough to squeeze by Harden and Co. on both occasions.
Then there was the Game 3 travesty. No team will come close to defeating the Warriors after shooting just 33.7 percent from the floor, so let's just leave it at that.
Something clicked for Houston in Game 4, as the team ramped up its shooting percentage to a whopping 56.6 percent while also hitting 53.1 percent from downtown—and a total of 17 three-pointers. The Rockets still allowed the Warriors to shoot 45.4 percent from the floor and connect on 20 three-pointers, but Houston's offense was too sharp to overcome.
Harden spoke of the difference in his play during a post-game press conference, via Kristie Rieken of NBA.com: "I always want to take it out on my opponent in a good way. Just being aggressive, taking shots, getting to the basket, not really forcing anything and allowing the game to come to me."
If this series is to continue past Game 5, he'll need to duplicate that kind of performance on the road.
The series moves to Golden State, where the Warriors have been extremely dominant this season. They are averaging 113.3 points per game in their home stadium while shooting 49.6 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from downtown. Expect some big numbers against a Rockets defense that has not been able to contain that high-flying offense through four games.
It will all come down to the offensive output of the Rockets. Houston won't need to shoot 56.6 percent again or get 45 points from Harden, but it will need to be efficient. Picking its shots carefully and remaining competitive in the boards will be the difference-makers in this impending contest. If Dwight Howard can get some help down low and give Harden more scoring opportunities, chances of success dramatically increase.
Expect Houston to come out firing and looking to make a statement early on with some physical play. However, with Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut very capable of dominating the interior for the Warriors, Houston's lack of opportunities to collect rebounds will lead to too few scoring chances for Harden, allowing Curry to gain the early lead and never look back.
Prediction: Warriors 118, Rockets 113; Golden State wins series 4-1
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