All signs point toward the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets meeting in the second of the Western Conference playoffs. The Warriors are up 3-1 against the Los Angeles Clippers in their first round series, while the Rockets have a 3-1 lead over the Utah Jazz.

The Warriors and Rockets met in the 2018 Western Conference Finals. The Warriors won in seven games. Golden State All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson says the Rockets pose a lot of challenges because of how good Chris Paul and James Harden are.

Many believe the Rockets would have defeated the Warriors last season if Paul didn't hurt his hamstring. Houston had a 3-2 series lead, but Paul missed Games 6 and 7. The Warriors won both games to advance to the NBA Finals, where they swept LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to capture their second-straight title and third ring in four years.

Somehow, Harden is playing even better this season than he did in 2018, when he won the MVP award. The Beard led the NBA in scoring again during the regular season.

As long as Paul is healthy, he'll play at a high-level. The Rockets added Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried during the middle of the season too. The Warriors didn't have to face those two in last year's postseason. Both players have been great additions to the Rockets.