Since signing Kevin Durant, the Warriors have gone 4-3 against the Rockets and 28-3 against everyone else in the playoffs. Houston pushed Golden State so hard in last year’s Western Conference finals.
But the Rockets are no longer the biggest threat to the Warriors – at least according to Klay Thompson.
Thompson, as transcribed by Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area:“I like the team out East in Boston,” Klay told ESPN at Warriors Media Day. “They’ve got a very nice young team. One through five -- they’ve got a team that kind of mirrors ours, as far as their length, guys who can shoot and play defense, and an unselfish way about things.
“So I think that they are going to be a team to reckon with.”
I agree with Thompson.
The Celtics are loaded, and their young players showed their readiness in the playoffs last season. There might be growing pains as Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward acclimate, but Boston is in great shape.
The Rockets, on the other hand, downgraded this offseason. And they too face chemistry concerns, adding Carmelo Anthony.
This isn’t to say Houston can’t beat Golden State. The Rockets still have a chance. But their window as biggest threat to the Warriors has probably closed.