Preview of Warriors-Rockets game
The game
The Golden State Warriors will be tipping-off their season tonight against the Houston Rockets at the Oracle Arena. The Warriors have made a number of changes to their team both in the management and on the court. They are hoping that these changes will spark
a turnaround season, while the Rockets are looking for redemption for their loss to the Lakers.
Fresh start for the Warriors
During the off-season the Warriors saw the arrival of new acquisitions David Lee and Dorell Wright. In July the Warriors underwent a change in ownership and most recently head coach Don Nelson stepped down from his position and was replaced by assistant coach
Keith Smart.
As the newly minted head coach, Smart is looking to change the playing style. Smart wants the Warriors style of play to complement their newly acquired physical stature.
"We will play a more traditional style, with bigger players in different spots. We have two talented guards who can play at a faster pace and we don't want to take away their creativity,” says Smart.
Smart also wants to translate the larger physical presence into more rebounds.
“It starts with how we can rebound the basketball. We're not going to win if we don't rebound. David Lee is a rebounder. A healthy (Andres) Biedrins is back and he's a proven NBA rebounder.''
Lee was acquired from the New York Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal that is worth $80m over 6 years. Last year, Lee had a career high point average of 20.2. Over his past two seasons Lee has averaged 11.7 rebounds per game. Lee will come in handy for the Warriors
who struggle off the boards with an NBA-worst 38.4 rebounds per game last season.
Lee is both determined and optimistic going into the season saying, "my focus since day one has been to get a good rapport with the guys and to be a leader and to lead by example and to help that translate into more victories."
The Warriors are looking to turn around their franchise after an embarrassing last season, winning only 26 games making it their worst record in eight years.
Biedrins, who played only 33 games last season due to injuries, is looking forward to writing some wins on this blank slate of a season. Biedrins told reporters, "It's a whole new chapter and we have good directions to where we are going. It's a great beginning,"
adding, “All the coaches, everybody, is excited about the new direction. We're ready to go."
Last year, Monta Ellis led the Warriors in scoring with 25.5 points per game. He has continued to play well this preseason with a scoring average of 21.1 points. Complementing Ellis, is Stephen Curry, who was runner-up for last year’s rookie of the year. Curry
averaged 15.4 points and five assists this preseason.
Rockets looking to redeem themselves
The Rockets are coming off a crushing 112-110 defeat against the L.A. Lakers last night. The Rockets found themselves up going into the final quarter but were outscored in the fourth 35-28 leading to a Lakers’ come-from-behind win.
Coach Rick Adelman spoke after the game saying, “I thought we responded pretty well. I think (for) about seven minutes, we just didn't play the way we're capable of, and they got back in the game.''
The coaching staff of the Rockets are expected to be extra prudent with Yao Ming who missed most of last season due to a foot injury. He is not expected to play tonight for the Rockets.
The Rockets have a good history with the Warriors winning the last nine games played against them.
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