Warriors renew postseason rivalry with Houston Rockets

• This weekend, they meet again in the postseason for the fifth time since 2015.

The intrigue: The tale of the tape has flipped since then. The Warriors are no longer a dynasty in the making and instead are trying to squeeze one more championship run out of star point guard Steph Curry.

• Meanwhile, the Rockets are the up-and-comers looking to make their mark with a meaningful playoff performance.

Fun fact: Golden State has never lost a playoff series to Houston. That's even more impressive when you consider the Rockets in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 built their team solely to knock off the Warriors and couldn't do it once.

What we're watching: This is a classic matchup of youth versus experience.

Case in point: The Dubs' three most important players are Curry (37), Draymond Green (35), and the more recently acquired Jimmy Butler (35).

• The Rockets though, will rely on major contributions from Amen Thompson (22), Jalen Green (23) and Alperen Sengun (22).

One reason for concern: The aforementioned Thompson. The last time the Rockets faced the Warriors, he was the primary defender on Curry and held him to 1-10 shooting for just three points.

• Is it wise to think this effort will hold up over a best of seven series? Perhaps not. But if it's any indication of what's to come, Curry will have to work hard for his points, upping the load on the Butler, Green and Co.

How to watch: Despite being the No. 7 seed, the Warriors open as favorites against the No. 2 Rockets.

• Game 1 is Sunday at 6:30pm on TNT. You can find the full series schedule here.