Mighty Warriors to battle fiery Rockets in West final

WASHINGTON: Defending NBA champion Golden State, seeking a third title in four seasons, faces season wins leader Houston in a tantalizing playoff showdown between a powerhouse Warriors squad and a Rockets team assembled to beat it.

“I like where we are. Our guys have rings. That’s a good position to be in,” said Golden State coach Steve Kerr, whose Warriors open the best-of-seven Western Conference finals at Houston on Monday in search of a fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals.

“We’re going in here knowing we’re the defending champs, knowing we got a couple championships here the last few years. Let’s go get another one. It’s a nice feeling to have to go into a series with.”

The Rockets, sparked by NBA scoring champion James Harden, were 2-1 against Golden State in the regular season and went a league-best 65-17 overall, seizing a home-court advantage in the series.

After being ousted from the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs in three of the past four seasons, the Rockets added star guard Chris Paul and 3-point threat PJ Tucker to join Trevor Ariza, then watched Swiss big man Clint Capela enjoy a careerbest season with 13.9 points and 10.8 rebounds a game.

The clash between the two offensively explosive teams has been anticipated since the start of the season.

“You wanted us. You got us. Now you’ve got to play the game,” said outspoken Golden State forward Draymond Green.

Past NBA Most Valuable Players Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry join Green, Andre Iguodala and 3-point sharpshooter Klay Thompson in a starting lineup dubbed “Death” or “The Hamptons Five.”

Curry has made a solid return after missing several weeks with knee and ankle injuries.

Golden State led the NBA in scoring just ahead of Houston this season. Now the Warriors rank as the top defensive squad in the playoffs just ahead of the Rockets.

“They are the champs. It’s going to be tough,” said Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute.

“We were the best team in the league all year but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to go further.”