Breaking Down Rockets’ Possible First Round Matchups

The 2024-25 regular season has run its course.

Yet even so, the Houston Rockets do not know who their first round matchup will be.

Thats their reward for attaining the second seed in the Western Conference.

What is known is the candidates.

So, which candidate would the Rockets prefer? Breaking Down Rockets Possible First Round Matchups By finishing the season with the second-best record in the Western Conference, the Rockets booked themselves a first-round matchup with the winner of the 7-8 Play-In Tournament game.

The seventh and eighth seeds this year? The Memphis Grizzlies and, courtesy of some final-game heroics by former Rocket James Harden , the Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets have had memorable run-ins with both teams this season.

It seems like just yesterday they were locked in a battle for the two-seed with the Grizzlies.

As for the Warriors, the Rockets finally snapped their 15-game losing streak to them while simultaneously eliminating them from the NBA Cup.

The Rockets will have the mentality that they can beat anybody.

Thats just as well, because theres nothing they can do to sway the outcome of the Tuesday night Grizzlies-Warriors Play-In Tournament game.

But Rockets fans will have their personal preferencers for who the team would face.

There are arguments to be made either way.

One sides arguments are more immediately compelling than the others.

The Rockets-Grizzlies Matchup The Grizzlies have been where the Rockets are now.

The bragadocious youngsters with the run-you-off-the-floor athleticism and an in-your-face team culture led by now Rocket Dillon Brooks .

That the Rockets have seemingly usurped their niche doesnt make the Grizzlies any less dangerous though.

For one thing, the Grizzlies have some playoff experience in their corner.

Memphis franchise player and resident grenade lobber Ja Morant has played in 19 playoff games.

In those, he has averaged 27.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists on 55.1% true shooting.

In Morant, the Grizzlies have what the Rockets lack, a clear superstar creator.

The Rockets by-committee approach isnt exactly a weakness, however.

It obviously served them well in the regular season as they went 3-1 against the Grizzlies.

Memphis only win was achieved by committee as well, as it was the only one of the four Morant didnt play.

The old adage of the team with the best player winning the series isnt terribly reliable either.

Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the world the past four years easily, but he has only one title in that time.

Some Rockets fans would maybe even contend that Rockets star Alperen Sengun has surpassed Morant anyway.

Even if that were true though, the modern NBA is generally more suited to offense being run through perimeter players than post players (best player in the world excluded).

The peculiar center matchup between Sengun and the Grizzlies seven-foot-four Zach Edey could be a potential highlight of this matchup, though.

Alternatively, the Rockets may shrug it off in favor of extra minutes for backup big man Steven Adams in a double-big alignment.

The Grizzlies Ghastly Season Despite prior postseason experience, the Grizzlies will nonetheless be something of an unknown this time around.

Thats because of the surprising trend they set for end-of-season head coaching changes .

But that overhaul didnt do much to reinvigorate their season.

The only over .500 team the Grizzlies have beaten since the change was a young Detroit Pistons squad, losing to five others .

Memphis has had issues with putting wins together against good teams all season.

With that in mind, most Rockets fans would probably rather face them than their old nemesis, the Stephen Curry -led Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets-Warriors Matchup The Rockets do have some recent experience of beating the Warriors.

Even after the Dubs went out and hired some help in the form of two-time NBA Finals veteran Jimmy Butler .

The Rockets beat the Warriors in their fourth-to-last game of the season.

Doing so effectively secured the two-seed and put a bow on their season.

Indeed, so neat was the bow that the Rockets didnt bother trying to top it in any of the final three games.

Houstons starters did get some run in the season finale against the Denver Nuggets, but none of them topped thirty minutes of playtime.

The win over the Warriors was the Rockets last truly competitive outing.

And truly competitive it was.

The Rockets threw every trick in the book at stopping Curry.

The result was his second-lowest scoring game of the season.

Interestingly enough, he had his lowest against the Grizzlies.

The Warriors complained afterwards about the level of physicality the Rockets had been allowed to get away with.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was decidedly pleased about said level of physicality.

A Playoff Setting Even though the playoffs have a reputation for more physicality being allowed, the truth is it varies enormously game-to-game.

In a seven-game series, such an aggressive Curry-hugging strategy is likely to come undone.

That could be through an adjustment in the Warriors play calling or in the referees officiating.

While the Grizzlies may have more playoff experience than the Rockets, the Warriors are another animal entirely.

Curry and possible DPOY costar Draymond Green have won four titles together.

The Warriors didnt just stumble into a 15-game win streak over the Rockets because the Rockets didnt play physical enough.

Granted, most of those wins came against a Rockets team tank diving for lottery picks.

But the Warriors do have a particular habit of shutting down key Houston scorer Jalen Green .

Hes gone 23 for 73 from the field against the Warriors in 2024-25, just 31.5%.

Thats even being dragged up by their most recent encounter, in which Green was 9 for 19.

If Green can show hes turned a corner against this team, then that would be a significant boon for the Rockets.

Meanwhile, over a seven-game series, Sengun could expect to be the recipient of plenty more elbows and physicality from the other key Green in the matchup.

Last Word Both of the Rockets possible first-round matchups present unavoidable perils.

The Western Conference is such that there are no easy opponents.

Even so, most Houston fans will be hoping to avoid the perils of Currys Warriors.

If Golden States past Play-In Tournament performances are any indicator, the Rockets could be in luck.

The Warriors have never won a Play-In Tournament game, going 0-3.

Theyve even lost before to the Morant-led Grizzlies specifically.

Whoever the Rockets wind up playing though, the team will do so with house money.

The 2024-25 season has already been a huge win for this young Rockets team.

But just because they wont be breaking down in tears either way, doesnt mean they wont be hoping for one matchup over the other.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..

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