NBA playoffs on Apr. 24: Rockets make semi-finals, GSW lose at home

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The Houston Rockets advance to the Western semi-finals after a close win against the Utah Jazz 100-93 in a defense contest at the Toyota Center on Wednesday. In the other game, the Golden State Warriors suffered a painful loss against the Los Angeles Clippers 129-121 at Oracle Arena.

Rockets vs. Jazz: this series could have been closer and longer

Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz chase the ball in the game at the Toyota Center, April 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

Utah's performance in the past three games proved that they might not be able to knock out Houston, but they were able to make Houston suffer by making the right choices on offense and defense.

James Harden added a floater to his arsenal but it's not the way he's used to scoring. Neither was he interested in perimeter shots. So, strategies like having a strong swingman stand by Harden's side to close his 3-pt shot, letting him drive towards the paint but following closely while a big man remains under the rim, worked in terms of defense.

James Harden (L) of the Rockets blocks a shot by Donovan Mitchell (C) of the Jazz in the game, April 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

The Jazz started to guard Harden like this from Game 3 and managed to limit the Rocket's scoring. However, they did not have enough fire power on offense. Donovan Mitchell's disappointing field goals and unwise shooting choices wasted too many opportunities for the team but he was not alone. In the whole series, Utah failed to make Houston pay for leaving them open in any game.

Most players zoomed in on the other problem of the Jazz: they are not creative enough in offense. The team passes because they can barely create good opportunities. Unnecessarily passing too much not only increases the chance of committing turnovers, but also forces players to take unprepared shots.

James Harden #13 of the Rockets shoots a floater under the defense of Rudy Gobert of the Jazz in the game, April 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

Houston were far from a perfect team in this series either. Besides betting too much on 3-pointers, the team's role players moved too little on the court, making the passing lines of their orchestrator, especially Harden, very predictable.

When Harden didn't earn many fouls, he's not as intimidating as he was in the regular season. His defense on the lower block was also overestimated. Harden's strong, but he's still only 1.96 meters tall. When big men catch the ball around the rim, Harden could hardly obstruct them. Meanwhile, his hobby of reaching out to steal in defense gives the referees more chances of calling fouls on him.

Royce O'Neale #23 of the Jazz shoots in the game against the Rockets, April 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

The Rockets were terrible at the rim and rebounding. Of their four inside payers, Capela had the biggest role but he's not qualified in either. P.J. Tucker is more reliable on rebounding in key time but he's only 1.98 meters tall. Nene is smart and experienced in defense but he's 36 years old and too slow for today's NBA. As for Kenneth Faried, he's a good choice for committing suicide in defense.

Warriors vs. Clippers: it's not over until it's over

Lou Williams (L), Montrezl Harrell (C) and Patrick Beverley (R) of the Los Angeles Clippers at the press conference after they win agaisnt the Golden State Warriors 129-121 at the Oracle Arena, April 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

The Clippers played an epic game at the Oracle Arena. Patrick Beverley buried five three-pointers to get 17 points and more importantly, he grabbed 14 rebounds. Montrezl Harrell made 11 of 14 shots to contribute 24 points from the bench. And Lou Williams claimed 33 points and 10 assists, including seven precious straight points in one minute in the end of the fourth quarter that helped the Clippers solidify their game.

Game 6 will happen at the Staples Center on Friday. Regardless of the final result, the Clippers already deserve respect.

Steve Kerr (C), head coach of the Warriors, give instructions to his players in the game against the Clippers, April 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

By contrast, Golden State were nothing but disappointing. They watched the Clippers score 104 points in the first three quarters. They chose 3-pointers when they had height advantages and could have gone in the paint for two. Their focus on defense was never longer than four minutes. The Warriors had too many casual plays in the game but the problem now is that they seemed to forget how to switch to playing with more intensity, especially in the middle of the game.

Though it's a long shot, to say the best, but the last time GSW lost two home games in the playoffs was in the 2016 NBA Finals in which LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers came back from trailing 3-1 to win the championship.