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

By Ti Windisch

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors defends against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets on October 17, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors defends against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets on October 17, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 20: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on January 20, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 20: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on January 20, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Will Harden bring it?

James Harden has been far from bad in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, but he hasn’t played as well as he did in the 2017-18 regular season. Harden went from posting 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game on 44.9 percent field goal shooting and 36.7 percent 3-point shooting to averaging 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game on 40.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from deep.

Those are far from horrible numbers, of course, but Houston needs Harden to be at his best if they’re going to beat the Warriors. Golden State’s ho-hum (by their standards) regular season may have caused some folks to forget, but this is a legitimate juggernaut.

The potential Harden problem is actually bigger than it looks in the averages. In four out of ten postseason games, Harden has shot below 40 percent from the field. He’s scored less than 20 points twice, both games that Houston won anyway.

The Rockets might be able to live one lackluster game from the Beard, if every other shooter on the team is hot, but the Warriors feast on any weakness they find. A high-turnover, low-efficiency game from Harden might be an easy win for Golden State. He’ll need to play like the MVP he is to give his team an edge in this series.

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