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It's Curry! It's Harden! It's Warriors-Rockets! http://tinyurl.com/k9bpr6c

西部決戰!  Curry vs 鬍子, 勇士 vs 火箭!  (文超長, 所以不重要處簡略翻譯請見諒)

One way or another, a score will be settled and no doubt, an exciting if not
exhausting series will take place between the two best teams, record-wise, in
the West. The Warriors are bringing the most lethal offense-defense balance
the league has seen in years with a season differential of plus-10, while the
Rockets are bringing supreme survival skills because, to paraphrase former
coach Rudy Tomjanovich, never underestimate the heart of a team that fell
behind 3-1 in the semis.


而剛從1-3落後展開驚天大逆轉的火箭則有著絕對打不垮的拼鬥精神


You look at the Warriors and you see a team that's deeper than Chicago pizza,
with an abundance of 3-point shooters and frisky defenders. You look at the
Rockets and you see castoffs and rejects being proudly reborn and refusing to
shrink when thrust into important roles. You see these teams and you ...
well, c'mon. Seriously, now. You see Curry and Harden.

看看勇士, 陣容深度比芝加哥Pizza還要厚! 餅皮上灑滿了三分射手跟活躍的防守球員!


Curry is having an epic postseason from a shooting standpoint, being quicker

to 100 3-pointers than anyone in history, and once again leaving defenders
tangled in their own legs and ankles. The league MVP shows no signs of being
a regular-season wonder and is usually in the mix whenever the Warriors are
peeling off a tenacious scoring run.



Harden answered with a politically correct shoulder-shrug when he finished
second to Curry for the MVP but nobody in basketball was buying that. He was
genuinely hurt, believing he did more for his team -- one that missed Dwight
Howard for a stretch, one that's loaded with role players -- than Curry or
anyone did for his. Harden has been somewhat inconsistent in the postseason
and the Rockets' biggest playoff moment -- their Game 6 rally against the
Clippers -- did happen with him on the bench, partially weakened by illness.
And yet, with the Rockets a heartbeat from the Finals and Curry standing in
his way, Harden knows he finally has his chance to make a lasting statement.




這是個讓全世界知道誰才是正港MVP的好機會賊哈哈哈

Reaching this deep into the postseason has been a long time coming for both
teams. Coincidentally, this is the 40th anniversary of the Warriors' last
championship, when Rick Barry, shades of Curry, was the core of the club. The
Warriors reached the conference finals the next season but since then it's
been mostly dry, with the exception of the fun Run-TMC era and an epic
takedown of the top-seeded Mavericks by Baron Davis and friends. After a lost
decade where they simply didn't register on the NBA pulse, it all came
together swiftly for the Warriors, and now they're loaded and built to last.

"It's a credit to our organization and the moves that were in place well
before I got here," said Steve Kerr, the first-year Warriors coach.



Likewise, the Rockets enjoyed back-to-back titles in the mid-'90s then fell
asleep. They were often beset by misfortune because the ambitious Tracy
McGrady/Yao Ming project never really launched. And then they benefited when
the tightwad Thunder refused to give Harden a max contract, and again when
Howard didn't want to be teammates with Kobe Bryant. General manager Daryl
Morey did a marvelous job scrapping together unwanteds such as Josh Smith and
Corey Brewer and Jason Terry and wouldn't you know, the Rockets are back in
the conference finals for the first time since Hakeem Olajuwon was dream
shaking.

"The injuries through the year made us fight through adversity no matter
what," said Harden. "There's nothing we feel can't do."

同樣的火箭在90年代大夢二連霸後, 姚麥不給力火箭陷入沉睡, 直到Morey吸納了鬍子跟
草莓獸後休士頓才得以再次沖天, 踏上當年大夢展現夢幻步伐的西冠舞臺.

鬍子說: 今年我們遭到一堆衰小的傷病困擾, 但撐過來後就沒啥是我們做不到的了!

If nothing else, we'll see the changing of the guard in the West. Over the
last 16 years, the Lakers or the Spurs won the conference title 12 times. It
was a dynastic run by those championship-rich teams, and now, the new blood
is ready.
So are Curry and Harden and an argument that will see new life. The changing
of the guard could be decided by the challenge of these two guards.

西部強權變了, 前16年中湖人跟馬刺就囊括了12次西冠, 變態啊~
但現在新血入注, 西區改朝換代了, 就讓我們看看Curry跟鬍子誰領風騷吧~

以下是五個簡要的自問自答觀賽重點:

Five quick questions (and answers):
1. Should Dwight Howard have a larger role in the offense? Howard averaged 11
shots against the Clippers, which is rather generous considering he was up
against DeAndre Jordan. Now he gets a slightly less defensive presence in
Andrew Bogut. Howard is much more mobile than Bogut and, while he still lacks
polish outside the paint, could force the Warriors to provide help, which
could leave single coverage on James Harden and other shooters.

1.草莓獸會在攻擊上獲得更重要的角色嗎?


2. Has Harrison Barnes arrived? The cold stats might not reflect it but
Barnes was tremendous in spots for the Warriors in the last round. He brings
the elasticity and athleticism the Rockets must respect, and in addition,
he's bringing more confidence than ever in his short NBA career. Barnes shot
50 percent and averaged 5 rebounds against the Grizzlies and the growth he
showed is evidence that Steve Kerr's gamble is paying off. When the season
began, Kerr benched Andre Iguodala in favor of Barnes, not because Barnes was
the better player, but Barnes needed a confidence boost and to benefit from a
chance to play with the first unit. Kerr reasoned then that, while Barnes
might make mistakes early, he'd be secure in time for the playoffs.

2. H.Barnes能否正常發揮呢?


3. Has Kerr arrived as a coach? Here in his first season, Kerr has taken the
Warriors deeper than his predecessor did. That alone is enough to squash any
doubts whether the Warriors did the right thing when shifting from Mark
Jackson. Kerr leans heavily on his two very capable assistants, Alvin Gentry
and Ron Adams, while staying in control himself; Kerr has no technical fouls
in the playoffs after leading all coaches during the season. He admitted a
week ago that he often dials up his mentors, such as Gregg Popovich, to seek
their advice on how to approach playoff games and game plan against
opponents. The best coaches are great listeners, and Kerr is taking that
route.

3. Kerr已經是名成功的總教練了嗎?


4. Is Josh Smith having a charmed life right now? Sure seems that way. Just
three months ago he was ceremoniously dumped by the Pistons, which marked the
second time in three years that a team wanted nothing to do with him.
Remember, the Hawks refused to even make him an offer when he became a free
agent, leading him to sign a bloated deal in Detroit. New coach Stan Van
Gundy thought he was a bad fit and cut him loose. But now, not only is Smith
getting an image makeover by helping the Rockets, he's getting paid (through
2018) by Detroit and becomes a free agent again this summer.

4.前鷹王Josh現在過的爽嗎?


5. Is Oracle Arena the best house that's still open? Absolutely. The arena by
the bay is noisier than the nearby Oakland Airport. The atmosphere in Oracle
is college-like without the bands and painted faces. Rich people suddenly
loosen up and turn giddy when Curry puts another foolish defender in a clown
suit. You should know that Oracle was always a fun and lively building even
when the Warriors were stuck in losing and totally irrelevant outside of the
Bay Area. That's why they fetched a nice penny when they came on the market
five years ago. If any of the four arenas provide an advantage to the home
team, it's Oracle and it's not even close.

5.勇士的甲骨文球場, 是目前四座NBA還開門比賽的球場中, 最好最棒的~

When the Warriors have the ball ...
They were slowed in the semis by the grinding Grizzlies, which was
understandable, and now there's no reason the Warriors shouldn't re-rev
themselves. Curry and Klay Thompson naturally are the main forces in the
offense and when both guards are scorching and headed for 20-plus points, the
Warriors are tough to beat. The offense, designed by assistant coach Gentry,
emphasizes spacing and ball movement and cutting, making the Warriors more
than just your typical spread-the-floor team.

The Rockets feature very active and quick defenders such as Trevor Ariza,
Jason Terry and Corey Brewer and therefore can rotate with the best and are
no slouches in guarding the perimeter. But the most important defender will
be Howard, their only shot blocker. He'll allow the Rockets to play tight and
risk Curry or Thompson attacking the rim.


When the Rockets have the ball ...
Harden is averaging 26.3 points but shooting 43 percent in the playoffs. When
he shoots close to 50 percent the Rockets will surely damage any defense,
because then he forces the double team and is more likely to get to the
free-throw line. The big surprise is Smith is shooting a respectable 36
percent on 3s and not only that, he's being encouraged to take them by coach
Kevin McHale.

The Warriors were rated No. 1 defensively during the season and here in the
playoffs, they're holding teams below 30 percent on 3-pointers, also tops in
the postseason. That's important, because the Rockets' main weapon, besides
Harden, is the 3-pointer. After initially taking a beating from Zach Randolph
and Marc Gasol, the Warriors improved their interior defense and that played
a huge role in the elimination of Memphis.


In the clutch
How many players strike fear in the defense more than Curry when the clock is
ticking? You can count them on one hand and perhaps one finger (props to you,
LeBron James). Curry is dangerous because he can shake free and shoot from
almost any angle or distance. But don't sleep on Thompson, or course, or
Iguodala, a veteran who doesn't back down from a challenge.

There is only one play in the book when the game's on the line, and that's an
isolation for Harden. It's no secret and everyone in the building knows it.
What happens next, however, depends on Harden and the defense and the
referee. When he does surrender the ball, don't be surprised if it falls to
Terry, who is championship tested, or Ariza.


Wild cards
Pablo Prigioni was the unsung hero of Game 7 against the Clippers by swiping
two inbounds passes and sinking an important 3-pointer. He became a savior of
sorts for the Rockets after Patrick Beverley's injury, giving the Rockets a
steady hand of the bench at the point guard spot. Prigioni never expected to
be in this position after he left the Knicks. Which means, he has something
in common with Smith, Brewer, etc.
Draymond Green has morphed from a role player into a featured player for his
ability to guard four and sometimes all five positions and also score in
bunches. Not many players in the league are bringing his versatility, which
make him valuable to the Warriors in any situation and against any team.
Green is averaging almost 14 points with 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the
playoffs. Unreal from where he was a year ago.

Prediction
The Warriors have had it relatively easy in the context of the rugged West.
They didn't have to play the Spurs or Clippers to this point. And that's no
slap at the Rockets; those two, from a matchup standpoint, were a lot more
frightening. Also, the Warriors emerged from their first two rounds unscathed
from a health standpoint, and that's something you can't take for granted in
these playoffs. Essentially, the Warriors are in a solid groove and when we
reflect on these playoffs, their toughest test might prove to be the
slow-it-down Grizzlies. The Rockets play a similar style and therefore are
playing right into Golden State's hands; nobody can match the Warriors for
up-tempo or 3-point play. Houston has Harden and Howard and therefore should
put up a respectable fight; in the end, the Warriors are bringing the real
MVP and better help. Warriors in six.


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