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

#1 Rockets live & die by the three

The Houston Rockets is filled with players that can shoot the long ball.

It's no breaking news that the Rockets live and die by the three-pointers but it's a risk their General Manager Daryl Morey and D'Antoni are willing to take. This motto helped them win Game 1 against the Spurs by 27 points but it was also the reason why they lost Games 2 & 6 by a combined 64 points in the 2017 Conference Semifinals.

From the 47 games played so far, the Warriors are ranked third best in opponent's field goal percentage at 43.7% and that's bound to get tighter after April. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 47.1% (23rd) in this category. If we stick to just defense on three-point shooting, Golden State holds their opponents to 35.8% shooting (11th best) whereas Houston does it at 37.4% (25th ranked).

So if their strategy is to outscore the Warriors, that isn't going to work but that's the risk Morey is willing to take.

In terms of percentage of points from beyond the arc, the Rockets are at a league-best 41.1% while the Warriors are 12th at 30.2%. But the tables turn when scoring is checked from 2-point range. Houston is ranked dead last in percentage of points inside the three-point line - 41.3%. Again Golden State is more balanced and thus ranks 15th in this category with 55% of their points coming from inside the three-point arc.

Here the question the team from Texas has to answer is how will they adapt when their team is a rough shooting night from long distance? And don't just count the one game they might have a bad night, count an extra one for the night the Warriors give nothing away defensively.