The Warriors and Rockets are set to meet in the opening round of the Western Conference finals, starting with Game 1 on Sunday, April 20 in Houston. Prior to meeting the Rockets, the Warriors will get four days off after securing a crucial win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.

The next season James Harden demanded a trade and got it in January, sending the Rockets into a freefall to the basement of the NBA. After moving on from Harden, the Rockets traded or released most of their veterans and finished the 2020-21 season with an NBA-worst 17-55 record under first-year coach Stephen Silas.

The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are set to face each other in the NBA playoffs for the fifth time in 11 years, marking another chapter in the recent rivalry. After squaring for the first time in 2015,