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The Golden State Warriors are in a prime position to close out their Round 1 playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Despite being the No. 7 seed, the Warriors possess a 3-1 lead after winning both games at home inside Chase Arena.
At one point, however, it didn't seem like the Warriors would even get to this stage.
They had a chance to clinch an outright berth in the postseason, but lost two of their last three games, relegating them to the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts during a game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
One player who has seemingly gone missing at times for the Rockets has been their star guard, Jalen Green.
Green averaged 21 points per game in the regular season but is averaging just 15.5. If you take out Game 2, in which he scored 38 points, it drops to an abysmal eight points per game.
This is the first taste of playoff basketball for this young Rockets team, and Green is finding out firsthand the difference between regular-season and postseason defense.
After attempting just eight shots in Game 4, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back when discussing Green's future with the team.
"Do you not recognize that you're an NBA player?" asked Smith. "Do you not recognize that you're supposed to be the face of the Houston Rockets franchise?
"You're supposed to be relying on Jalen Green. He's going to get himself traded out of Houston."
Smith also brought up the Rockets as a potential trade partner for the Phoenix Suns, who are looking to get some of the draft capital back they've given up for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal over the past few seasons.
Whether Green can be a reliable playoff performer or not remains to be seen. While the early returns aren't what the Rockets had hoped for, it might be too early to give up on him moving forward.
But if the Rockets truly believe that what Durant could bring is better than whatever Green can turn into, it wouldn't be out of the question to hear Green in trade rumors this summer.
Continue reading...
Despite being the No. 7 seed, the Warriors possess a 3-1 lead after winning both games at home inside Chase Arena.
At one point, however, it didn't seem like the Warriors would even get to this stage.
They had a chance to clinch an outright berth in the postseason, but lost two of their last three games, relegating them to the NBA Play-In Tournament.
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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts during a game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Jalen Green's poor performance could have ripple effect
One player who has seemingly gone missing at times for the Rockets has been their star guard, Jalen Green.
Green averaged 21 points per game in the regular season but is averaging just 15.5. If you take out Game 2, in which he scored 38 points, it drops to an abysmal eight points per game.
This is the first taste of playoff basketball for this young Rockets team, and Green is finding out firsthand the difference between regular-season and postseason defense.
After attempting just eight shots in Game 4, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back when discussing Green's future with the team.
"Do you not recognize that you're an NBA player?" asked Smith. "Do you not recognize that you're supposed to be the face of the Houston Rockets franchise?
"You're supposed to be relying on Jalen Green. He's going to get himself traded out of Houston."
Smith also brought up the Rockets as a potential trade partner for the Phoenix Suns, who are looking to get some of the draft capital back they've given up for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal over the past few seasons.
Whether Green can be a reliable playoff performer or not remains to be seen. While the early returns aren't what the Rockets had hoped for, it might be too early to give up on him moving forward.
But if the Rockets truly believe that what Durant could bring is better than whatever Green can turn into, it wouldn't be out of the question to hear Green in trade rumors this summer.
Continue reading...
