Amid all the controversy surrounding the marquee matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, perhaps the most startling development has been the transformation of what was expected to be a clash of offensive titans into a high-level defensive chess match.
The Warriors and the Rockets finished 1st and 2nd in offensive rating, respectively, which set the stage for a highly explosive shootout between teams who possess the deadliest offensive weapons in the NBA. The prospect of elite scorers such as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant going up against offensive maestros such as James Harden and Chris Paul created anticipation over the NBA’s version of mutually assured destruction between two of the NBA’s superpowers.