NBA Playoffs 2018: 5 keys to Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors matchup

5. Draymond vs. Capela

James Harden and Chris Paul are pretty obviously key contributors on the Houston Rockets. What was less obvious before this season was how crucial Clint Capela is to Houston as well. Capela has been a huge difference-maker on both ends for the high-flying Rockets.

The three most-used Houston lineups in the postseason all feature Capela. They have outscored opponents by between 18 and 36 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs, meaning all three of them simply obliterate the opposition.

Draymond Green is maybe the most controversial player in the NBA right now. The Warriors can afford his antics because there aren’t many better defenders across league history, much less the current crop of defensive talents, and because he does a lot for Golden State’s offense despite his low scoring totals.

Seeing how Draymond guards Houston’s onslaught of pick and rolls will be fascinating. The Rockets got a lot of good offense by using Harden and CP3 as the ball handler in those sets, and punishing Rudy Gobert no matter if he hung with the guards or stayed on Capela.

Gobert is a better straight up-and-down rim protector than Draymond, but there’s no doubt Draymond is more versatile. If he can slow down Houston’s pick and rolls, it will limit Capela’s offensive contributions and help the Warriors guard the bevy of shooters the Rockets have on the floor at all times.

On the other end, Draymond’s shooting will be a huge key for the Warriors. When he’s nailing open triples, Golden State is nigh unstoppable. Guarding Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry one-on-one is impossible, and help has to come from somewhere. Draymond has hit 33.3 percent of his 3s thus far in the playoffs. If he heats up, life will be difficult for the Rockets.