Before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, there was much speculation as to which starting lineup Steve Kerr will send out against a team that had given them a huge scare during last season’s Western Conference finals.
Four spots were obviously a given — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green were all crucial components in a four-headed dragon, one that the Warriors were counting on to do much of the heavy lifting.
It was that fifth spot that was heavily scrutinized, and whoever Kerr chose to complement his four All-Stars would not only chart a course for how the series could turn out — it would also serve as a referendum on how seriously Kerr approached such a crucial matchup against a team anointed by some to be the antidote to what the rest of the league considered to be a dynastic venom.