Rockets 'are better' than the Warriors, says Clint Capela
Star centre Clint Capela has added fuel to the blossoming Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets rivalry by claiming that his team "is better" than the reigning NBA champions. Capela is averaging a career-best tally of 14.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in his fourth season with the Rockets.
The Rockets clinched the regular season series against the Warriors on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) with a 116-108 victory over a healthy Warriors team at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Capela finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block and a game-high 4 steals during Houston's second win over the Warriors, a few months after the opening night victory.
In a post-game interview, Capela claimed that the Rockets will beat the Warriors during the 2018 NBA Playoffs. "We're confident, because we know if we're doing what we're supposed to do, we're going to beat them. We've got to keep playing. We know that they're going to come back if we have the lead, and we've just got to keep that mind-set," Capela told ESPN.
Clint Capela believes Rockets can upset Warriors
"Sometimes I feel like, in the past, we were all dragging down after mistakes. But today, we were ready. I think that if we're doing what we're supposed to do on defence -- all the switches, the weak side -- and keep playing our offense by keeping that mentality all game long, we have the weapons to beat them. We are better than them," said Capela, a contender to win the Most Improved Player award.
Though Las Vegas oddsmakers still view the Warriors as the favourites to repeat as NBA champions, the Rockets could be primed for an upset if they can dethrone Golden State as the No. 1 seed. Rockets guard Eric Gordon realises that his team could use home court advantage during the postseason.
"Mentally, now we have a chance to go after the No. 1 seed. Because if it's a tie at the end of the year, we have that edge. That's why we all thought it was very important to win. Now that we're healthy, I think that we're going to get back to a big winning streak and get back to doing what we need to do, like we did earlier in the year," said Gordon, the runaway favourite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.