It seems to be a foregone conclusion that the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors will face off in the Western Conference final. The Warriors are the defending champs and outside of a couple of dry spells, have looked every bit the team that should win again. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have emerged as their top contender in the west, even winning two of the three meetings between the teams. As a result, the oddsmakers at BetDSI have posted an early look at the Western Conference Finals series odds. Let’s take a closer look at the betting line and the matchup.
Western Conference Finals Series Odds (matchup must occur for action)
Houston Rockets +150
Golden State Warriors -180
Odds courtesy of BetDSI.
Where The Rockets Have The Edge
The Rockets have won two of three meetings with the Warriors. The key point to takeaway from those wins is that the Rockets weren’t intimidated by the Warriors. Houston might be the only team in the league that can match up with the offensive juggernaut that is the defending NBA champions, averaging 117.3 points per game in the three contests.
Houston has two of the top offensive players in the league in James Harden and Chris Paul, and they have improved a lot defensively. If Houston has home-court advantage in this matchup, this will be anything but a walkover for Golden State.
Where The Warriors Have The Edge
The Warriors are, well, the Warriors. You get the feeling that they still have another gear. We all know what Golden State can do offensively, but too often this season, they have taken their foot off the gas defensively. That’s understandable given how weak the West is outside of Houston. They’ll sort out their issues once they get closer to the postseason.
While the Rockets have two of the game’s best offensive pieces, the Warriors have two MVP-caliber players. The Warriors also have the experience of going to three straight NBA Finals and winning two of them.
X-Factors
The Rockets’ X-Factors are Eric Gordon and Clint Capela, two under-the-radar players who are playing very well. Capela has improved by leaps and bounds as a starting NBA center, giving the Rockets their biggest advantage in the starting lineup as he is a rebounding rim protector.
For the Warriors, their X-Factor is their head coach, Steve Kerr. Mike D’Antoni is an offensive genius but far too often, he’s been outcoached in playoff series against elite opponents. Kerr knows exactly which buttons to press – at both ends of the floor – and that’s a keen edge.
Outlook
The Rockets have been the biggest threat to the Warriors’ throne so far in the Western Conference, with Harden playing at an MVP level and Chris Paul has slotted in seamlessly. However, both have had their issues in the postseason and slaying the giant is not in the cards for them. The main issue is that Houston – and D’Antoni’s teams in general – are built for strong regular season showings. In the playoffs, when the game slows down and defense is emphasized, his teams come up short. The same will happen to this year’s Rockets.
They’ve done well in the regular season but they’re not good enough to beat a Warriors team with four All-Stars in four out of seven games. The Warriors are the better bet for the Western Conference Finals series odds.
Prediction
Golden State in six
