Tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET the Houston Rockets will play their first Game 1 away from the Toyota Center when they head to ORACLE Arena in Golden State to tip off the Western Conference Finals vs. the Warriors. Watch the game on ESPN or live stream it free by clicking this link. Warriors fans can listen to the game on KNBR 680, while Rockets fans may do likewise on KFWB 980.
Golden State might be the top team in the playoffs, but no team is running hotter than the Houston Rockets. After falling in a 3-1 hole to the Los Angeles Clippers, who themselves had knocked off the defending champions in Round 1, the Rockets ripped off three straight double-digit wins to send Lob City packing.
They were led by center Dwight Howard, who rediscovered his wrecking ball form and averaged 17.6 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. Over Houston's final three victories, he put up 18 points and 17 boards.
The Rockets also have the NBA's second leading scorer, James Harden, to provide perimeter firepower. He'll be out to prove that he was the more deserving MVP candidate by outplaying Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.
The Warriors' MVP declined to focus on the razor-thin MVP race that became a storyline down the stretch of the regular season. "We're four wins away from getting to the Finals and one step closer to our dream," Curry said. "There's one team in our way to get there. That's it."
At the same time, Houston is trying to shake off an 0-4 mark vs. Golden State in the regular season. Two of their losses came without Howard.
"We're a new team," Harden said. "It's a new series."
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