5 reasons why Houston can't beat Golden State in the Playoffs

#2 Close shaves

Stephen Curry and Chris Paul

We've discussed what went wrong for the Warriors in their losses to the Rockets. Despite those deficiencies or non-showings, Houston's win margin is only in single digits and when we talk about the opening night clash, it's just one point.

So it's not like the Rockets are running away with these games.

They've strengthened their squad with more modern NBA players (PJ Tucker, Luc Mbah A Moute), guys who can play both sides of the ball, but even with that ammunition, they are just about managing to catch the Warriors' off-guard. Come Playoff time, there's going to be no road trip that Golden State would have to recover from as they head to Houston unlike their most recent clash on Saturday.

In a seven-game series, especially in the later couple of rounds of the postseason, there are only so many times luck will be on your side. There will be only so many times the Rockets will be able to run away with these close wins. To beat Golden State four times out of seven games, you have got to outplay them.

Not only has that not happened in the last three years (except in the 2016 Finals), it's also extremely difficult, given each team's roster construction