NBA: Who Has the Edge In Game 7?

Houston Rockets' Keys To Winning: After being up by 10 points at halftime in Game 6 without their floor general Chris Paul (18.6 PPG, 7.9 APG) and with James Harden (30.4 PPG, 8.8 APG) leading them with 19 points, the Rockets seemed in position to close out the series and go to the NBA Finals. But during the second half, the Golden State Warriors went on their third quarter run. The Warriors went on to outscore the Rockets 55-20 in the second half, ending the game with the Warriors winning 115-86. Paul is questionable for Game 7, but i doubt he will miss because this is an opportunity for him to go to his first Finals. One major thing the Rockets will need to do is limit their turnovers. They average 16 turnovers per game and had 20 in Game 6. Houston also has to limit the Warriors' transition threes. Klay Thompson himself was 9-14 from downtown. The Rockets are most effective when they don't allow either Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, or Thompson to get so many uncontested threes. Another key factor is how Harden responds. He was aggressive in Game 6 with 32 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, which was a big turnaround from Game 5 when he was 0-11 from three and scored just 19 points. With the assistance of Paul limiting turnovers and Harden playing to his MVP form, the Rockets could be able to see themselves winning the Western Conference and advancing to the Finals to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Golden State Warriors' Keys To Winning: The Golden State Warriors haven't looked like the team they are used to for the majority of the last four years, in this series against the Houston Rockets. Houston has been able to make them uncomfortable and it only got worse when Andre Igoudala went down with an injury. He has been ruled out for Game 7. But lets be honest, the Warriors still have four (!) Hall of Fame caliber players, all in their prime, and they should be able to win this game. The reason they have lost three to the Rockets, including a poor 2-3 record since the opening game, is partially because of Kevin Durant's (26.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG) struggles. He hasn't been able to find his shot in a while, and is continuing to take bad shots. Durant has shown the tendency to force shots and run too many isolations, so he'll have to change that up if the Warriors want to win. Durant doesn't have to score any specific amount, he just has to be consistent and efficient. The Warriors must get at least 50 points from Stephen Curry (26.4 PPG, 6.1 APG) and Klay Thompson (20.0 PPG, 2.5 APG) and it'd help if Draymond Green (11.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG) was able to come close to recording a triple-double. The Warriors have never lost when he goes for one, and he's a major key because he's able to impact so many different aspects of the game. Golden State is favored by six points so it's obvious that if they play to their potential, they should be headed for a fourth consecutive Finals appearance.

Predictions:

Chinedum Wejinya: 111-103.

Charles Post: 105-101.

Tyler Taylor: 113-112.

Photo Credit: Business Insider.