12 hours Ago
The Houston Rockets' first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors is almost here, with Game 1 set to tip off on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. CT.
The series marks another chapter in the rivalry between these two teams, meeting in the postseason for the fifth time in 11 years. The Warriors are a scary team to face right now, given that they finished the regular season 23-9 after acquiring Jimmy Butler at the NBA trade deadline. With two postseason risers in Butler and Curry at the helm, Houston will have a lot on its plate.
As for the Rockets, many of their players will be in their first playoff series, including All-Star center Alperen Sengun. The 22-year-old made his first All-Star team this year, averaging 19.1 points, 10.
3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 49.
6% shooting from the field. Sengun is widely regarded as a Nikola Jokic prototype. He has a knack for scoring and rebounding, but also has a solid jump shot and displays great passing vision despite being 6-foot-11.
Much of Houston's offense has run through him and his ability to coexist with star guard Jalen Green. Expectations should be mixed for the Turkish center's first playoff series. There are many reasons to believe he can rise to the challenge, as Golden State lacks a true center.
The Warriors have had to play a lot of small ball with 6-foot-6 Draymond Green at the five, which gives him a big advantage in the paint. Sengun's fresh legs also help in this case, as Golden State has a lot of aging players and is coming off an 83rd game from the Play-In Tournament. The turnaround is significantly shorter.
However, Sengun's lack of experience could hold him and the Rockets back in this series. He's only 22 and hasn't played in high-stakes games like those in a playoff series. To put it simply, the Warriors have been there before.
Plenty of times. This playoff run is more of a chance to gauge where Houston is in a new era of being competitive. The Rockets have many players who haven't sniffed the postseason, so the goal should be just to go out there and get that experience against a great team.
Sengun will lead the way in trying to muster up a deep playoff run..
