Though Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals surprised many basketball fans, Tencent Sports has invited another group of experts – five Chinese and foreign professionals – to share their thoughts on the upcoming Western Conference Finals between the defending champion Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. 

The group included: 

Tim MacMahon, senior journalist stationed in Houston for ESPN

Wang Meng, basketball reporter and commentator

Ohm Youngmisuk, senior journalist stationed in Los Angles for ESPN

Shen Zhiyu, basketball reporter and commentator

Kevin Pelton, data analyst for ESPN

Tim MacMahon: Can Houston's role players make those open three-pointers? The Rockets have introduced Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and P.J. Tucker so they can join Trevor Ariza to make one of the league's best 3D (players who can defend and shoot three-pointers) combinations. They made the Warriors pay heavily in the regular season by making 21 field goals out 37 attempts, including nine three-pointers of 18.

Wang Meng: Head Coach Mike D'Antoni's move will be the decisive factor. Both the Rockets and the Warriors are outstanding at offense, but in totally different ways. Houston has been relying on James Harden and Chris Paul who create opportunities for teammates with their powerful isolations. In response, Golden State will try to cut the links between these two and the rest of the team, forcing them to carry over by themselves. And the problem is, the Warriors have excellent one-one-one defensive players. If Paul and Harden cannot score as usual, will D'Antoni come up with any counter measures?

Ohm Youngmisuk: Can Houston's defense resist the continuous waves of offense by the Warriors? Though Harden and Paul did a good job cooperating in the regular season, the playoffs are a different world. Paul is a good defensive player, but also 33-years-old and only six feet tall. Harden, at best, is a close-to-qualified defender, not to mention his weakness guarding the players with no ball in their hands. Will they be able to resist Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant?

Shen Zhiyu and Kevin Pelton: Houston has to break Golden State's strategy of switching for pick and rolls. The Rockets have been doing pick and rolls all season to create opportunities for Paul and Harden to strike the opponent's big guys after the switch. However, if the Warriors put their "Hampton Five" (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green) on the court, will Houston's back court combination get what they want as usual?

MacMahon and Youngmisuk: The health of the team, or particularly, the health of Stephen Curry, will be the Warriors' lifeblood. They will surely put Curry in as a role player to protect him on defense. In response, the Rockets will definitely keep going for the pick and rolls to force Curry to face Paul or Harden. Even at 100 percent health, Curry is not the perfect choice to defend either of them. If he still suffers from knee injuries, the situation could only get worse.

Wang: Golden State needs to stop Paul and Harden with one-on-one defense. Harden is one of the most effective scorers in today's NBA. He can shoot three-pointers, attack the rim and make the defender commit fouls. Meanwhile, Paul is the league's best jump shooter. He defeated the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter in Game Five almost all by himself. Golden State has Klay Thompson, Iguodala, Durant and Draymond Green who are excellent players. But can they stop Harden and Paul? Furthermore, are the Warriors fast and well-coordinated enough to switch to protect Curry?

Shen: Golden State has to adapt to playing without home advantage. The Warriors have been the number one seed in the regular season for the past three years, and are used to enjoying more home games in the playoffs. However, they have to start with two away games at Houston this time, something totally different. Good news is that they have won 70 percent of the away games in the regular season, only next to the Rockets.

Pelton: Golden State's bench must contribute. If head coach Steve Kerr decides to start with the Hampton Five, it means their bench players will have to go without Andre Iguodala, the MVP in the 2015 NBA Finals. If the starting five can dominate the game with a stable leading advantage, it will be a good price to pay. If not, then fans from the Bay Area will have to worry.

Youngmisuk, Shen and Pelton: There may not be a single matchup to watch, considering how the two teams play. The Warriors will always switch defensive players for pick and rolls, while the Rockets launch their offense with pick and rolls. The most likely case can be that every key player will face different players every round, or even in one round.

MacMahon: Clint Capela and Draymond Green. No matter whether the Warriors start with the Hampton Five, Green will be playing as the center for a long time, which will put him against Capela. Though he has a height advantage, Capela did a terrible job in the three games with Golden State in the regular season. Nonetheless, his size, rebounding and rim protection is necessary for Houston against Golden State. The competition between these two can have an impact on the series.

MacMahon: Andre Iguodala. The former "second AI" was the 2015 NBA Finals MVP for two reasons. First, he stopped LeBron James with his comprehensive and seasoned defensive skills. If he can cast the same spell on Harden, then Houston may have to kiss good-bye to their dream of overthrowing the Warriors' dominance. Second, when he enters the playoffs,  Iguodala has a history of becoming a different player who can not just organize, but also make those open three-pointers that he kept missing in the regular season.  

Wang and Youngmisuk: Clint Capela. The Rockets will rely on him to see how much they can challenge the Warriors defensively. He does not need to contribute a triple-double like Draymond Green. But he must protect the rim, get defensive rebounds, and provide good screens for his teammates while avoiding committing too many fouls too soon. Can Capela stop Draymond from being himself, will be key to how the series will end.