First things first, “The Hampton Five” is a weak nickname, its called the Death Lineup, and The Rockets have one too. I don’t believe Houston is going to win the series, in fact I have a terrible feeling if the Warriors win game 1 they are going to sweep the Rockets shit, but lets break it down and show just how closely these teams matchup. Remember friends, the playoffs are all about match-ups!
*Point Guard: Chris Paul Vs Steph Curry; Chris Paul is a 1st team All NBA Defender, one of the best leaders to ever play the PG position, and Steph Curry embarrasses him often. It will be interesting to see CP3 Rockets version VS. CP3 Clippers version, when it comes to staying between Steph and the basket. Paul was injured pretty much every time they played this year, aside from literally the very first game of the entire NBA season, so we don’t have much sample size to look at. (Slight Advantage Warriors)
*Shooting Guard: James Harden Vs Klay Thompson; This is the best individual matchup of the postseason. Klay is the most under appreciated Super Star in the league, and has a lot of experience guarding Harden. These guys grew up playing each other, played in the Pac-12 against each other, and have played USA basketball on the same team. DON’T UNDERRATE THAT! Refs have a tendency to give superstar players bogus calls when they are guarded by lesser players; that IS NOT the case here. Klay is Harden’s equal, he knows his moves, and will prove why he’s the best 2 way player in the league (Slight Advantage Houston, Harden is still the MVP this season)
*Small Forward: Trevor Ariza Vs Andre Iguodala; These guys are the same player, they even have the same height/weight (6 Foot 7, 215 Pounds). Trevor is a slightly better shooter, Iggy is a slightly better defender. (TIE)
*Power Forward: Clint Capella Vs Kevin Durant; No individual man can guard Kevin Durant. He is too tall and skilled. But as a team the Rockets have a chance. The Rockets death lineup allows everyone to switch, and this makes KD guard-able. The Rockets big men all move their feet on the pick and roll, and whether its Ariza, PJ Tucker, or Capella (or even Luc Mbah A Moute who I think will play big minutes this series) whoever ends up on Durant at the end of the possession must put a hand in his vicinity. (Advantage Warriors)
*Center: PJ Tucker Vs Draymond Green; Pitbull vs Pitbull. Draymond is a more skilled player, and coming off an awesome series vs. The Pelicans, where he averaged a triple double. This battle for rebounds is going to be crazy! Over/Under 4.5 Technical Fouls Combined for Draymond & PJ? (Big Advantage Warriors)
Bench Play
*6th man: Eric Gordon Vs Shaun Livingston; I really like Shaun Livingston. His game is unique for a PG, everyone knows the baseline back down turnaround is coming, but the player defending him is always too short to stop it. He does a great job playing within the Warriors system. Eric Gordon has more raw talent than Livingston. He has the ability to go for 30 in a game, and make a bigger impact. Sorry Shaun, but the advantage for 6th man is going to the reigning 6th man of the year. (Advantage Rockets)
Players 7 & 8
*Ryan Anderson and Joe Johnson Vs Nick Young and Quinn Cook; This Rockets team is so deep that Joe Johnson & Ryan Anderson played Zero Minutes in their Game 5 win over the Jazz. These guys would start on 10+ teams in the league! This has to be where the Rockets win this series. IT HAS to be players 7 & 8 on the roster that outscore the Warriors 7 & 8. And not just in a little way, I’m talking Anderson & Johnson need to go +65 over these 7 game series. (HUGE Advantage Rockets)
Players 9+
*Luc Mbah A Moute, Gerald Green, Ne Ne Hilario Vs. Kevon Looney, Javale McGee, Jordan Bell, David West; Mbah A Moute has a chance to play big minutes this series. He is an underrated defender, and they are going to throw him at Durant to see what he can do. Javale Mcgee has proven that he can provide 4-6 minute spurts where he blocks everything, provides energy, and rolls hard to the hoop for the alley-oop. In this Run N Gun series, the floor will be stretched, and he has potential to play meaningful minutes. Speaking of minutes Kevon Looney got a surprising amount during the Pelicans series, and I have a feeling it was Steve Kerr prepping him for this moment. My guess is they throw him onto Clint Capella at some point to see how that matchup plays out. Nene & David West cancel each other out. Overall I don’t see an advantage either way. (TIE)
Coaches
D’Antoni is the reigning Coach Of The Year and Steve Kerr was the coach of the year in 2016. These guys go way back to there Phoenix Suns days! (TIE)
My Prediction
Warriors in 5. The Warriors will win game 1, lose game 2, and win games 3 & 4 at home. At this point they are up 3-1 in the series and Houston is demoralized as a team. The Warriors finish it off on the Rockets home court.
What are your predictions!! Do you think the Rockets Death Lineup can compete?? Let me know!