NBA Playoffs: 5 reasons Rockets can upset Warriors
By John Buhler
The No. 8 seeded Houston Rockets have a huge challenge on their hands as they try to upset the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors. Here are five reasons they can.
The 2016 NBA Playoffs are set to begin this weekend with eight first-round series. One of the series that many expect to be a one-sided blowout is the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup in the Western Conference between the 73-9 top-seeded Golden State Warriors and the middling 41-41 eighth-seeded Houston Rockets.
Golden State state set an NBA regular season record by winning 73 of their 82 games, topping what many deemed as an unbreakable record of 72 wins set by Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. The Warriors are the defending NBA Champions and on all accounts are expected to repeat in 2016.
Houston crashed immediately out the gate in 2015-16, stumbling to 4-7 under then head coach Kevin McHale. McHale was promptly fired over apparent friction with players on the Rockets roster and he was replaced by J.B. Bickerstaff on an interim basis. Houston scuffled to a .500 record to squeak into the Western Conference Playoffs over an arguably more deserving Utah Jazz team.
Regardless, there is a chance that Golden State won’t sweep Houston in round one. If the Rockets want to pull off the biggest first round upset in recent playoff history of the NBA, here are five ways they could unravel Golden State’s otherwise storybook 2015-16 NBA season.
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