The Rockets Should Root for Memphis in the Play-In Tournament

The Houston Rockets are moving into the postseason with confidence despite taking a loss to the Denver Nuggets in the regular season finale. Houston didn't play well against the Nuggets, but Denver is a difficult opponent for the Rockets. Houston could have to battle through another difficult match, depending on the results of the Play-In Tournament.

It took until the final game of the season to find out how the final seeding in the Western Conference would play out. The Rockets now know which of the two teams they might face in the first round.

The Golden State Warriors fell to the No. 7 seed after an overtime loss against the LA Clippers. They'll take on the No. 8-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the Play-In Tournament.

The Rockets have had different levels of success against those two teams. They dominated the Grizzlies this season, winning all but one game in four attempts. Things didn't come as easy against the Warriors. Houston won two of five games against Golden State, one of which was in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.

The Warriors have historically had the Rockets' number, especially in the postseason.

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are two of the remaining players from Golden State's dynastic run in the late 2010s. They also returned to play key parts in the Warriors' 2022 championship, and many consider Golden State as a current contender because of these two players.

Green and Curry have historically had lots of success against Houston. Curry has had offensive explosions against the Rockets in both the regular season and the playoffs. Green plays a physical style of defense that makes things difficult for opposing offenses, and no one else in the league is better at creating open shots for Curry with screens.

New additions to the Warriors make this matchup even more difficult. Jimmy Butler adds a different layer to the Warriors, both on offense and defense. He also facilitates to Curry effectively.

The Warriors are considered a contending team because of their impactful defense and their reliance on Curry offensively. The Rockets found a formula to victory in their last game against Golden State, holding Curry to just three points. However, it's not likely a team could neutralize Curry for an entire series, which makes playing Golden State in the first round a dangerous prospect.

That's why the Rockets should be rooting for the Grizzlies to beat Golden State in the Play-In Tournament.

Memphis is by no means an easy out in the playoffs. The team once held the No. 2 seed this season, and it still has talented players on both sides of the court. The Grizzlies will be missing one of their best perimeter defenders, Jaylen Wells, but Houston had success against Memphis even when the Grizzlies were fully healthy. The firing of former coach Taylor Jenkins just before the postseason could be a distraction for a team that's also dealing with drama surrounding its star, Ja Morant.

The Rockets finished the regular season understanding that they'd have a difficult opponent in the first round of the playoffs. Now that they know their two choices, they might have a preference regarding who they'd like to see in the postseason.