Rockets Square Series with Dubs, but It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It

When's a home blowout not a blowout?

Easy. When it only counts as one game.

Why? Well, as they say in another world, you can earn back money, but you can't earn back time.

The physics works in sports, too. The Houston Rockets blew home court advantage by dropping Game 1 to the Golden State Warriors ...

 

... and odds are they're probably not gonna get it back.

Bummer. Houston laid a 127-105 pasting on the Dubs that sent their fans home happy, but history says their smiles are gonna be fewer and farther between from here on out.

 

You can bet your Oscar-winning patootie it will be.

But first, here are the Rockets getting it while they can:

 

Here are a couple of easy-to-understand trends:

• Since Kevin Durant set up shop in the Bay Area, the Warriors are 15-for-15 in home playoff games; and
• Counting the Game 2 loss, Golden State's now 25-4 in their last 29 playoff games.

Two of those losses needed LeBron James to make them happen. The Rockets have their own alpha dogs, but no matter how close the comparison, neither is LeBron James.

 

So what Messrs Harden, Paul & Co must overcome is inevitability.

That's a hard opponent to conquer.