Fansided

Step aside, Warriors — it’s the Rockets’ time to shine

By Michelle Bruton

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 3: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets congratulates James Harden #13 after a three point shot in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center on April 3, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 3: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets congratulates James Harden #13 after a three point shot in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center on April 3, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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It’s almost a given that the team that represents the NBA’s Western Conference in the Finals will be the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets. But aren’t we tired of Golden State?

Anyone reading this who is from or currently residing in the Bay Area, avert your eyes. You’re not going to like what comes next.

The Golden State Warriors are going for their third championship in four years. No one else in their division has been able to get a

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title in edgewise since 2015.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets, who finished the regular season with the best record in the West and the de facto league MVP in James Harden, are looking for their first championship in more than 20 years.

It seems obvious which team we — “we” being general fans of basketball, since obviously actual Warriors and Rockets fans have an agenda here — should want to see take the West. But maybe it isn’t. Let us know who you’re pulling for by voting in the poll below:

Let’s talk a little bit more about this, because I know that plenty of you are going to click that #WarriorsFTW option.

Golden State is fun. The Warriors boast an explosive offense, one that averaged 114.5 points per game this season, good for fifth in the league.

They also finished in the top five in many other offensive categories, including three point percentage (47.2, No. 2) and field goal percentage (53.5, No. 2). And they’ve gotten even more fun in the playoffs as Klay Thompson has exploded to become the team’s top scorer (which we all foresaw, of course).

But Houston is arguably more fun, and Harden is a huge reason why. He’s the only player in the league to have finished the regular season putting up more than 30 points per game on average, and he also rained down threes, making a league-high 265.

Then you add Chris Paul into the mix. The Lob City Clippers have been dismantled, but CP3 has brought his swagger and scoring prowess to Houston.

When Paul and Harden share the court, the Rockets blow out their opponents by an average margin of 10-plus points.

Neither player has been able to find much success in the postseason, but perhaps the other is what they were both missing. In contrast to the 2015 Warriors, who were a young team that shocked the world, these Rockets are powered by hungry vets who have been waiting too long for their chance.

It’s the Rockets’ time to hoist the O’Brien Trophy, and the Warriors just need to take a step back.

Poll data provided exclusively for FanSided by The Tylt.

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