There was plenty of optimism surrounding the Houston Rockets' chances at challenging the Golden State Warriors. However, it has quickly been deterred by the 119-106 loss in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
It is no secret that playing a team like Golden State can sometimes force opponents into being too scared to make a mistake. Some feel this may have been the case with Houston in Game 1.
However, Paul said via NBA TV that the loss can simply be attributed to the Rockets not making the right plays when they needed them:
“I don't think it's about the pressure of it. We had a lot of makeable shots and that happens on a given game,” Paul said. “Defensively, I think we got to get better. I got caught helping a couple times in the first half and Nick Young hit three 3's off of those plays. Some series you may make those mistakes and guys don't make the shots. every time we did it, they made the shot.”
Needless to say, there is plenty of truth to Paul's comments. There are certain looks that players are willing to give up to certain opponents with every game. Unfortunately, talented teams like Golden State are able to take advantage of these decisions more often than not thanks to role players like shooting guard Nick Young and point guard Shaun Livingston.
That said, the Warriors actually did a solid job of containing players like point guard Steph Curry and power forward Draymond Green. However, they were unable to soften the blow of small forward Kevin Durant and shooting guard Klay Thompson's stellar performances in Game 1. If Houston is to have any chance in this series, they will need situations like these to ultimately work out in their favor.
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