D’Antoni set to counter any Warriors 5
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said he’s not concerned about which lineup Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr rolls with in Monday’s opener of the Western Conference finals at Toyota Center.
Kerr might go with a bigger first five, or he might go with the smaller, more athletic version he trotted out in Games 4 and 5 of the semifinals against New Orleans: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala.
“They can start small and do all of the switches (defensively). That’s what we do in practice every day,” D’Antoni said. “Or they can start big (with a handful of options including JaVale McGee or Kevon Looney) and keep a guy back — we just came off Utah, and that’s what they did.
“I think we’re ready for either side, and we’ll see which (defensive approach) is effective.”
Coach to pen a mystery novel
Mike D’Antoni might be an author by the time the Rockets’ series with the Warriors wraps up.
“They have so much talent, they play together, and they play hard, and Steve Kerr does a great job of molding them into a team,” D’Antoni said before practice Saturday. “There are a lot of challenges. We could write a book about it.”
D’Antoni’s plan to slow the Warriors?
“Write a book about it,” he said with a smile.
In other words, he’s in no mood to tip his hand on the Rockets’ offensive or defensive plans over the next week or two.
Durant poses challenge for Ariza
Trevor Ariza will primarily be tasked with slowing the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, and there’s no absolute way of doing so, Ariza said.
“There’s no one way to slow anybody who has the ball like that in their hands, who’s that tall and that skilled,” Ariza said. “It’s about trying to make it as tough as possible, as uncomfortable as possible. Whatever you have to do to get it stopped, that’s what you have to do.”
Durant scored 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the Rockets’ season-opening win in October in Oakland and didn’t play in the Warriors’ win in early January in Houston because of injury. Later that month, he scored 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting (including 4-of-6 on 3 pointers) in the Rockets’ victory at Toyota Center.
Casey’s firing hard to fathom
Mike D’Antoni shook his head in disbelief when asked about the firing by the Raptors of Dwane Casey, named coach of the year by the NBA Coaches Association after Toronto won the most regular-season games in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers swept Toronto out of the playoffs in the second round for the second consecutive season.
“Who knows, (and) coaches are numb to that,” D’Antoni said. “You get coach of the year, you have the best (regular season) the franchise has ever had, and you get fired. And it’s, really? But he’ll find another spot, and he’s classy and good, and he’s one of the better coaches in the league.”