NBA Playoff Check-In: Round One

The first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs kicked off yesterday, and the Western Conference features two representatives from the state of Texas.

The San Antonio Spurs played the first game of the postseason in an early afternoon match-up against the Golden State Warriors. Despite being the 7th seed, the Spurs have a real opportunity to make this series interesting with Steph Curry out.

The Spurs were unable to capitalize yesterday, as the game ended with a final score of 113-92. If they want to make any kind of noise in this series, the effort needs to come from the defensive end.

It's clear to most that San Antonio doesn't have the offensive talent to keep up with the Warriors. However, if one man can make the necessary adjustments for the rest of the series, it's Gregg Popovich.

The Houston Rockets are the other representative of the Lone Star State, and they come in with significantly better odds of success.

After securing the best record in the NBA and home court advantage for the entirety of the postseason, the Rockets have some heavy expectations. At this point, even losing to Golden State would be considered by many to be an underachievement.

Houston, led by James Harden and Chris Paul, currently have the best statistical chances at an NBA title of any team in the league. They begin their playoff campaign tonight at 8 p.m. on TNT against the Minnesota Timberwolves.