Houston Rockets ruin Ring Ceremony in Golden State: 3 takeaways
The new-look Houston Rockets featuring James Harden and Chris Paul beat the defending champion Warriors on opening night.
The Golden State Warriors and their fans were waiting for this night since they won the NBA Championship back in late June. It was the raising of the banner and ring ceremony in Oracle Arena, but the Houston Rockets were looking to ruin the opener for the home team.
Houston had a lot of change over the offseason, adding Chris Paul and P.J. Tucker to an already loaded roster. The rich got richer in Golden State, adding Nick “Swaggy P” Young and Omri Casspi to restock for a repeat run.
Golden State came out firing on all cylinders, with Klay Thompson lighting it up in the opening frame and Nick Young not missing anything in the second quarter. The Rockets hung around behind James Harden and Eric Gordon’s play.
The injury to Draymond Green flipped the script, allowing the Rockets to climb back into this game. A huge fourth-quarter comeback later, the Rockets leave Oakland at 1-0. Here’s the full box score and takeaways for opening night at Oracle Arena.
3 Takeaways
1. Draymond Green might be the most valuable Golden State Warrior
The game seemed to be in control for the Warriors, who were cruising to a blowout victory. Offensively, they weren’t clicking on all cylinders, but they were getting enough contributions from their new guys that they were able to hold a decent lead.
Draymond Green landed awkwardly on his knee in the third quarter and leftthe game, opening the door for a Rockets’ comeback. His defensive presence, leadership and calming presence on the court always goes unnoticed.
But as soon as he left, the score flipped for Golden State, giving up 34 points in the fourth quarter to the Rockets. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry get all the name and fame for their offensive performances, but Green’s presence truly proving his value on the court.
2. Nick Young might be a “Splash Cousin” (shout out to Rachel Nichols on the nickname)
Nick Young was stellar in his Warrior debut. Young was always known for his three-point shooting and ability to let the ball fly, regardless of the situation.
Young was 8-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from three-point range, finishing the game with 23 points. He was so unconscious from long distance that we had to formally adopt him in the Splash Family. It already features Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and will now have Nick Young.
He’s going to continue to get more opportunities this season and be a huge key piece off the bench alongside Andre Iguodala. If he can continue to shoot the ball like this, it’ll be another addition that the rest of the NBA didn’t want to see in Golden State.
3. Don’t hit the panic button over Chris Paul and James Harden’s chemistry
Yeah, Chris Paul didn’t have the best debut as a Rocket. He came out flat, only attempted nine shots total, only connected on two of those and seemed to be involved in early foul trouble. He was also a minus-13 for the game and seemed to stand around a lot on the offensive end.
The Rockets didn’t seem much different from last season, reverting to isolation possessions with James Harden, allowing him to operate the offense. But don’t hit the panic button yet. Give the duo time to work out their on-court chemistry.
They were also playing the best team in the league, which throws most teams into their basic tendencies and out of the sets they want to run. Houston is used to running through James Harden, and that’s what happened tonight.
As the season goes on, the Rockets will get the chance to improve the way they play as a team. All that matters is they got the W and to do it on the road in Oakland is a start they dreamed of. 82-0 for the Rockets, coming up.