Warriors in five. I actually think this is a situation in which the Rockets' own outspoken obsession works against them. Add in the fact that they won the regular-season series, and they will get Golden State's absolute best shot from the jump. I expect to see the very best version of the Warriors. Unless the Rockets go absolutely bananas from beyond the arc, which isn't out of the question, I think the Warriors get to their fourth straight Finals and do it convincingly.
It will be five hard-fought games, but Golden State will notch its fourth straight trip to the Finals. Afterward, Morey will consult with Elon Musk's Boring Company on flamethrower mechanics, brick manufacturing and the applicability in winning an NBA title. Also, expect GPU prices to climb as the Rockets' analytics staff builds a graphics-card farm to mine incremental plus-minus data.
Houston in seven. The explanation is pretty simple: The Rockets have home court, and they were the best team all season. It shouldn't feel like such an outlandish thing to pick that kind of team, but here we are because ... Warriors. It feels like maybe something special is happening for Paul and Harden, and they can check a big box off together.
I expect a very long series. A lot of 3s. High-scoring. Beautiful basketball. Challenged defenses. But as good as Harden and Paul are, the Warriors' star power is too much to overcome. Too much offensive power, and the experience will be very helpful, too. The Warriors will advance to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals with a Game 7 victory in Houston.
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