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2018-08-23 08:29
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HOUSTON — Nearly lost amid the cliched responses Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul uses to deflect the usual array of mundane questions was one nugget that perfectly encapsulates the Western Conference Finals.

It is a ballyhooed matchup featuring the two most efficient offenses in the NBA but defense will play an important role in deciding the series.

The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors present a cavalcade of All-Star performers.

On hand are Splash Brothers and point guards with Hall of Fame credentials sharing a backcourt; an MVP and Sixth Man of the Year; a versatilely skilled forward and a burgeoning big primed for a pay raise.

The Rockets are helmed by an innovative offensive mind http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/byron-jones-jersey , the Warriors stewarded by a former player and executive who has enjoyed rousing success on the bench.

For months, NBA fans have anticipated this spectacle of the rim runs and fast breaks, the hail of 3-pointers and sublime passing. But, for all their otherworldly talent, the Rockets and Warriors have no secrets. And, as Paul noted, how the teams defend on Monday in Game 1 at Toyota Center will set the tone for a series many assume will be decided on the offensive end.

Even with Paul and James Harden, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, Rockets-Warriors will be dictated by defensive might. Both teams closed the season ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, and both have ratcheted up their efforts in the playoffs. Golden State is first in defensive rating (99.3), the Rockets second (102.1). Points won’t be at a premium, but how Draymond Green, P.J. Tucker, and Clint Capela defend will clearly dictate in-game strategy.

“He does a good job on guards,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green, who averaged a triple-double of 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New Orleans Pelicans in the West semifinals. “Obviously, they’re an isolation team once everything shakes out so he’ll play a big role this series staying in front of Harden and Paul and also protecting the rim.

“He’ll play quite a bit against Capela. But he can also guard Tucker and (Rockets reserve forward Luc) Mbah a Moute. The whole key defensively these days is can you guard multiple positions and multiple actions http://www.buccaneersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ronald-jones-ii-jersey , and he can do that. He’s a valuable player for us.”

The Rockets have outscored their opponents by 13.8 points per game on 3s in the playoffs while also averaging 52 drives per game, also tops in the NBA this postseason. Their offensive foundation is isolation out of the pick-and-roll, with Harden and Paul exploiting matchups off the dribble or feeding teammates camped behind the arc.

Houston paced the NBA averaging 1.12 points per possession on isolations during the regular season, and 14.1 percent of their possessions in the playoffs have been isolations, the highest among the four remaining teams.

How the Warriors corral Harden and Paul on drives and midrange jumpers will resonate. If they can siphon off lobs to Capela and close out on 3-pointer shooters, success will be theirs.

“Our goal is to not have many breakdowns, communicate and not foul, and play solid defense for 48 minutes,” Curry said. “And we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far throughout the playoffs. They’re a new, different type of challenge with how they go about isolation and shoot as many 3s as they do, but we’ve seen a lot of film. We’ve experienced it throughout the season the three games we played them and we’ve got to be ready.”

For Houston, the challenge is as daunting. Ever since Kerr turned to his “Hamptons Five” lineup of Curry, Durant, Green, Thompson and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors have outscored their opponents by 41 points per 100 possessions over 54 minutes. That lineup has assisted on 75 percent of its field goals and is playing at a torrid pace of 114 possessions per 48 minutes.

Defending the Warriors presents a multitude of challenges, starting with Durant. He shot 41.9 percent on 3s during the season and is shooting 60.9 percent from midrange in the playoffs.

“He’s maybe the best scorer in the league,” Tucker said of Durant. “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to that (defending Durant). You do what you can. You try to pick him up early, you try to get physical. You try to do stuff and he’s going to try to counter it. It’s a chess match.

“Those guys can score the ball. They’re going to score the ball. They’re going to score a bunch of points. It’s a product of sticking together and trying to minimize that as much as possible.”

That philosophy applies to both teams on both ends. Golden State produced a robust 61.8 effective field goal percentage against the Rockets during three regular-season meetings, leaving the onus on Houston to defend at a more rigorous clip. The Rockets countered with an effective field goal percentage (56.0) above their season average (55.1) against a team rife with stellar individual defenders http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/landon-collins-jersey , meaning Houston will continue to do what comes so efficiently.

“There will be iso,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Now whether it’s a little bit more or a little bit less, I think that depends on the game. But we’re not going to change up a whole lot of what we do.”

Eric Staal was coming off his least productive NHL season since he was a teenage rookie with Carolina when Minnesota took a flier on him two summers ago to add some depth at center.

The three-year contract was modest for a player with Staal’s ability and accomplishments. The expectations were, too. Three consecutive seasons of decline in points per game, after all, don’t provide a hint that the scoring touch or passing knack is primed for resurgence.

Bruce Boudreau could see the rebound potential, though. His first day of training camp with the Wild happened to be Staal’s practice debut with his new club, and a strong impression was made on the new head coach.

”I said, `You know what? Everybody was wrong,”’ Boudreau said. ”Because he did the skate test on the very first day, and he blew everybody out of the water. So I said to the staff, `He should be able to play for us.”’

Staal has done much more for the Wild than simply prove he can keep up and stabilize a key position with some savviness and leadership. Nobody on the team has scored more since he arrived, and with 40 goals this season he’s tied for sixth in the league through Monday’s games.

”I never thought a specific number was a goal. I don’t ever usually think like that,” Staal said. ”Once you start a season, it can go a lot of different ways, but once the puck starts hitting the back of the net and you’re gaining confidence that way, you want to hold on to it as long as you can and accumulate as much as you can to help your team win.”

Staal became just the second player in NHL history, joining Gordie Howe, to record a 40-goal season at least nine years apart with none in between. Slumps can factor into that, but so does dedication.

”Look http://www.authenticsminnesotavikings.com/cheap-mike-remmers-jersey , he’s won a Stanley Cup. He’s won an Olympic medal. He’s got all the money that he’s ever going to need,” Boudreau said. ”But when he came here he wanted to prove to the world that he’s still a really good player, and to me he has.”

The lanky 33-year-old with the left-handed shot has been a big reason why the Wild, despite some rough patches of the schedule and significant injury absences by several of their best skaters, have clinched a spot in the playoffs for the sixth straight season.

”You want that, especially as a player who’s in the second half of his career. You want to make sure you’re in a spot to try to win again, and coming here I felt gave me that chance,” said Staal, the second overall pick in the 2003 draft who won the Stanley Cup in 2006 at age 21 but only returned to the playoffs once more with the Hurricanes. ”We’ve still got some work to do here, but hopefully we can finish strong.”

Staal only has one goal-less stretch on his ledger longer than four games in a row, when he played six consecutive contests without scoring from Jan. 9-22. He still contributed four assists over that span. Not coincidentally, the Wild have only one losing streak larger than two. They dropped three in a row from Nov. 4-8.

”He’s a guy we’ve definitely looked to to help lead us,” said left wing Jason Zucker, one of the many linemates Staal has saddled up to this season – without, Boudreau said beamingly, a single complaint.

Durability has been one crucial component of his value, of course. Staal has yet to miss a game since signing the $10.5 million deal on July 1, 2016. The emotional steadiness he has contributed can’t be overlooked, either.

”He’s been through the best of teams. He’s been through the worst of teams. He’s been the leader on all of these teams,” Boudreau said. ”He’s had to make sure he’s the steady one http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-sampo-ranta-jersey , because if he gets too high, maybe the rest of the group gets too high. If he was one to get too low, maybe everybody else would follow his lead.”

The Wild actually left Staal exposed in the expansion draft, banking on his age being less attractive to the Vegas Golden Knights. His salary cap hit is only the ninth-highest on the roster.

”If he was playing in Toronto, he’d be up for the MVP,” Boudreau said.

Settling in Minnesota was more than satisfying for Staal, with the perennial postseason opportunities and the relative proximity to his hometown of Thunder Bay, Manitoba, about a six-hour drive away. He and his wife, Tanya, have been able to raise sons Parker, Levi and Finley, in a similar northern culture and climate that he was raised in, delighting in seeing the boys at 8, 6 and 3 years old take to the local hockey rinks or eagerly hop on their sleds after the latest snowfall.

”All that stuff I grew up doing and loving, and now I’m kind of living it back through them,” Staal said. ”It’s definitely made it a ton of fun.”

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2018-08-23 08:29