Australia's Claire Polosak will make history on Saturday as she becomes the first female umpire to stand in a men's ODI when she officiates in the final of the World Cricket League Division 2 between Namibia and Oman.

It is far from the first time Polosak has led the way for female umpires. She was the first woman to stand in an Australian men's domestic fixture in 2017 during the JLT Cup. Then last December she and colleague Eloise Sheridan became the first female umpires to officiate on-field together during a professional match in Australia when Adelaide Strikers faced Melbourne Stars in the WBBL.

"I am thrilled to be the first woman to stand in a men's ODI and how far I have come as an umpire," Polosak said. "It really is important to promote women umpires and there's no reason why females can't umpire in cricket. It's about breaking down barriers, creating awareness so more females can come into the role."

"Umpiring is a team effort. I would like to thank all the umpires I have worked with, my local umpires association - NSW Cricket Umpires' and Scorers' Association and Cricket Australia, as well as my family and friends, as without their support, this match today would not be possible."

Adrian Griffith, the ICC senior manager of umpires and referees, said: "Congratulations to Claire for this fantastic achievement of becoming the first woman umpire to stand in a men's one-day international. It is one thoroughly deserved and a result of her hard work and perseverance. She is a role model for women who want to get into officiating and proves how successful they can be once they are on the right path and get the opportunities."

Polosak has previously stood in 15 women's ODIs since 2016 and also umpired the semi-final of last year's World T20 between England and India.

Sri Lanka Cricket has called off the Under-19 series against Pakistan following serial blasts that left over 250 people dead in Colombo last week.

The Pakistan team was set to leave for Colombo on April 30, with the first game scheduled for May 3 in Galle. As things stand, the tour has been postponed indefinitely.

The PCB had been monitoring the situation, and had kept the doors open for the tour.

"The tour has been postponed indefinitely," an SLC official confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. "It was a decision taken by SLC, as we didn't want to take any chances."

Pakistan Under-19 were scheduled to play two four-day games and three one-day matches on the tour, in Galle and Hambantota.

The squad led by Rohail Nazir has been training at a conditioning camp in Karachi over the last five days.

The team's next assignment is a tour of South Africa in June-July, as part of their build-up to next year's Under-19 World Cup, also in South Africa. At the previous edition in New Zealand, Pakistan were one of the losing semi-finalists.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs couldn't have found a wide receiver much more like Tyreek Hill than the one they chose with their first pick in this year's draft.

The Chiefs selected Georgia's Mecole Hardman in the second round with the 56th overall pick on Friday. They traded up in the round to select him, sending picks Nos. 61 and 167 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Hardman is a burner in the mold of Hill. He ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.

"We like, obviously, his speed, but he's more than that," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "He can play inside. He can play outside. He did both at Georgia. And then he's a phenomenal returner, arguably the best returner in the draft."

Hardman might well be the replacement for Hill. The Chiefs on Thursday barred Hill from offseason activities after audio surfaced of Hill and his fiancée discussing how their 3-year-old son broke his arm.

The Johnson County (Kansas) District Attorney's office has reopened a criminal case investigating Hill's possible involvement in how the injury occurred.

But Reid indicated the Chiefs would have drafted Hardman regardless of Hill's situation.

"This is somebody [GM Brett Veach] had his eye on from the get-go," Reid said. "It doesn't have anything to do with things going on right now."

The Chiefs also have Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson as their main receivers.

At the age of 30, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin might be unable to play again because of the cumulative effect of multiple injuries, league sources told ESPN.

There is a real chance that Baldwin, one of the Seahawks' best and most popular players, has played his last NFL down, one source said Friday.

This offseason alone, the Pro Bowl wide receiver has undergone surgery on his groin and a shoulder. It is believed that Baldwin would like to continue playing, but he simply might not be able to, per sources. The Seahawks know he could be facing the end of his career.

Asked Friday night if Baldwin had indicated whether he might retire, general manager John Schneider said, "He's considering it, yeah."

Coach Pete Carroll, when asked the likelihood that Baldwin would not play again, added: "We'll find out. We're going to deal with Doug and respect everything that's going on. I don't know."

Seattle used the final pick of Friday's second round of the NFL draft, the 64th overall selection, on Ole Miss wide receiver DK Metcalf.

The Seahawks know they needed help at the position. It was widely known that Baldwin fought injuries all last season but played through them. Carroll and Schneider have made no secret about the difficult road ahead for Baldwin given his recent injuries and surgeries.

"He has been an extraordinary part of this program since we've been here and he has given us everything he has had, been a great competitor, player and all that," Carroll said. "We believe in him so much and trust in him so much that wherever this goes, we're going to support him forever. He's been a great contributor in so many ways, not just on the team but in the community and everything else. He's been awesome, so we'll see what happens. He's working through it and we're going to follow Doug on this one."

Baldwin's nightmarish season included injuries to both knees, an elbow, a shoulder, groin and hip. Carroll said he had a "process" done on a knee during this offseason and that the issue is still cause for concern.

"When you get to this point, he's at a point in his career where he's considering a lot of things, and once you get there, there's a lot of different ways -- there's stuff with the league office, with the union that we need to work through," Schneider said.

The receiver acknowledged in December that he's on "the downside" of his career. That was a couple of days before he caught a pair of touchdown passes in a loss at San Francisco. He had his best game of the season a week later in a victory over Kansas City, with seven catches for 126 yards and another score.

So he was still an impact player despite the injuries that kept him out of three games and limited him in others, but his 618 receiving yards were his fewest since 2012. Before 2018, that was the most recent time he didn't played a full 16-game season.

"He's been challenged by it," Carroll said in March when asked about where Baldwin's head is after the most trying season of his career. "To be less than he's been in years past -- he's always done everything, never missed a day of practice, always worked in every drill we've ever had. It was challenging for him to have to deal with that. We had to monitor him throughout the year. I have so much respect for the way he was able to deal with it."

Baldwin is scheduled to make $9.25 million in 2019 salary, with another $750,000 available in per-game roster bonuses. He could make up to $11 million in 2020, the final year of his contract.

Tyler Lockett led the Seahawks with 965 receiving yards last season, followed by Baldwin (618) and David Moore (445). Veteran Jaron Brown, whose 166 yards ranked sixth, is under contract for another season with a cap charge of $3.725 million. Amara Darboh, Malik Turner, Keenan Reynolds and Caleb Scott round out the receiver depth chart.

Schneider said Baldwin's status wasn't a major factor in the team's decision to draft Metcalf.

"We know that Doug's going to have a hard time. There's a process we need to go through with Doug," the GM said. "But at that point with DK, that didn't really weigh in. But there's still several doggone good receivers on the board, so we'll work our way through that."

ESPN's Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

DAVIE, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins made a big splash at quarterback Friday night, acquiring Josh Rosen in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for a second-round selection (No. 62 overall) this year and a fifth-rounder in 2020.

The Cardinals used this year's pick on speedy UMass wide receiver Andy Isabella.

Arizona had wanted a first-round pick for Rosen, but the Cardinals' leverage diminished after they drafted Kyler Murray first overall Thursday and two other quarterback-needy teams selected passers in the opening round.

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said Friday night that he would have been "fine" and "happy" keeping Rosen on the roster but trading him came down to getting enough value in return. Keim insisted he wasn't focused on that value being a second-round pick, instead weighing the difference between keeping Rosen on the roster against the players he could draft with or around No. 62.

"It was really about the opportunity," Keim said. "Certainly, all of us are big fans of Josh Rosen's, wish him well and think he's going to have a heck of a career in the NFL."

The Dolphins already had traded back in the second round from No. 48 to No. 62, collecting a 2020 second-round pick and a 2019 sixth-rounder while also giving up a 2019 fourth-round pick. That lesser-valued second-round pick made more sense for Miami to give up for Rosen.

Rosen, the No. 10 pick last year, immediately speeds up the Dolphins' rebuild. His acquisition also is a sign that Miami liked the value of Rosen better than selecting any quarterback in the first or second round outside of Murray and possibly Daniel Jones, who went sixth to the New York Giants.

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A second-round pick is still a significant asset for the rebuilding Dolphins, so this indicates they will give Rosen a serious chance to prove he can be their franchise quarterback. It's also a strong move for Dolphins general manager Chris Grier to capitalize on Rosen's diminished value.

"It was an opportunity to add more competition and talent at a position," Grier said. "We've always talked about creating that competitive environment at every position. It was a grueling two days for both of us working through it."

The Dolphins now have 10 picks in the 2020 draft and are projected to have two more compensatory picks.

Miami was arguably the NFL's most quarterback-needy team after trading away longtime starter Ryan Tannehill and signing veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick as a stopgap last month.

Rosen becomes a leading candidate to start for the Dolphins in 2019, although Fitzpatrick likely will want to force an open competition. It'll be a chance for redemption for Rosen, who had an extremely rough rookie season in Arizona, completing 55 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and an NFL-low 66.7 passer rating in 13 starts (3-10 record). But he did so behind arguably the NFL's worst offensive line and on a team that fired its coaching staff after one season.

"He was always a guy that's had a ton of talent," Grier said of the former UCLA standout. "He's a guy that everyone knows has arm talent. What everybody always liked about him is how cerebral he was as well. It's a young, talented guy at a premium position in this league."

Leadership has been a key intangible for new Dolphins coach Brian Flores, and Rosen will have to show his growth in that department. Rosen did reportedly handle the uncertainty of the past few months well.

Flores and offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea were "very involved" in the trade, Grier said, and added that it will be up to Flores if Rosen will start over Fitzpatrick.

"Ryan Fitzpatrick has been great," Grier said. "He's got a personality, as you guys know he's a character, great leader. So the two of them will be good."

Arizona already paid Rosen's signing bonus, so he is set to make just $6.24 million over the next three seasons -- a bargain for a starting quarterback.

The Dolphins had a shot at Rosen in the 2018 draft before the Cardinals traded up one spot ahead of them and landed him with the No. 10 selection. Sources told ESPN that Miami was primarily interested in Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen. So what's the difference now? A lower value for Rosen and a new coaching staff might have the Dolphins believing they can get more out of the former top-10 pick.

"I wouldn't say we didn't like Rosen [a year ago]," Grier said. "It's a different coaching staff for what they're looking for at the position. At that point, we were talking about top-10 pick and he just wasn't in those five or six guys we were comfortable taking at Pick 11."

Rosen's brief tenure in Arizona was turbulent.

The Cardinals traded up from 15th to 10th in the first round to take him. That night, he declared there were nine mistakes taken ahead of him. He toned down his rhetoric the next day by saying there were only three mistakes taken ahead of him -- the three other quarterbacks picked: Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Allen.

However, Rosen's rookie season didn't back up his braggadocio after he took over for a struggling Sam Bradford late in Week 3.

Keim said he never actively shopped Rosen but he had a "number" of conversations with teams about the QB starting around the time of the NFL scouting combine in February. Keim had not talked to Rosen before his news conference, which started late in the third round Friday night.

"The bottom line is a team has to make a hard offer, and I always leave that door open because it's my job whether I'm actively shopping somebody or not to let somebody know, 'Make me an offer,'" Keim said.

But as the Cardinals continued to scout and evaluate Murray, they felt they had a clear-cut decision in front of them.

Keim wouldn't admit Rosen didn't work out in Arizona.

"I don't know that it wasn't that he didn't work out," the GM said. "I would say, obviously, he was put in a tough situation last year. But I think, really, when you come down to the bottom line, is we had an opportunity to find a dynamic player that we think can be special."

Now Rosen gets a fresh start, and Miami has its quarterback, at least for now. The path is clear for Murray and Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury to work their magic together without a distraction. But these teams' paths will be intertwined for years to come.

After meeting with top coaching candidate Monty Williams on Friday night in Toronto, Phoenix Suns officials are flying to Portland to interview the Trail Blazers' two top assistant coaches on Saturday, league sources told ESPN.

Suns GM James Jones and VP of basketball operations Jeff Bower will meet with Blazers assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool on Saturday, sources said.

Williams, a Philadelphia 76ers assistant, met for an extended period with Jones and Bower on Friday night, sources said. The Sixers play Toronto in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday.

Phoenix fired coach Igor Kokoskov on Monday, after a 19-63 rookie season as head coach.

Tibbetts and Vanterpool also are set to interview for the Cleveland Cavaliers' opening soon, league sources said. Portland will play the winner of the Spurs-Nuggets Game 7 on Saturday in a Western Conference semifinals series.

Tibbetts has been an assistant for six seasons with the Blazers, after two years on Byron Scott's staff with the Cavaliers. He had a successful two-year run in Tulsa of the G League before ascending to the NBA. Tibbetts was a finalist for the Atlanta Hawks opening that went to Lloyd Pierce a year ago.

Vanterpool has been with the Blazers since 2012, joining them from the Oklahoma City Thunder front office. Vanterpool had a successful run under Ettore Messina with Russia CSKA as an assistant coach and player. He had a lengthy professional playing career including stops with the Washington Wizards, Continental Basketball Association and EuroLeague. Vanterpool played collegiately at St. Bonaventure.

LOS ANGELES -- After a hard-fought season during which the LA Clippers exceeded expectations and took the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors to six games in a gritty first-round series, coach Doc Rivers could only marvel at the heart his team displayed during the 2018-19 campaign.

"I've never been more proud of a group of guys in the 20 years that I've coached," Rivers said after his team's 129-110 season-ending loss Friday to the Warriors at Staples Center. "They were just really fun. As I've said before, I've never had a group where you wanted to, in the morning, you raced to the car, you raced to practice just because you love being around them. So for me, it was just a pleasure to coach them."

But the Clippers had no answer for Warriors star Kevin Durant's 50 points, with 38 coming in the first half.

"I mean, he's Kevin Durant," Clippers guard Patrick Beverley said. "We didn't roll over. We didn't just say, 'Come on, man, just give us 50 tonight.' Of course not. He's a hell of a player. The shots he took -- he made some tough shots. If you were a coach, what would you tell us to do? Thank you."

Said Clippers guard Lou Williams of Durant, "We tried everything. Like sometimes -- sometimes you come across special people, and it doesn't matter what you send to them. There's no scheme. There's no nothing that you can do with special people. He's one of them. And he showed it tonight. He put them guys on his shoulders."

Williams had been a dynamic scorer off the bench for the Clippers all series, but he struggled mightily in Game 6, finishing with eight points on 3-of-21 shooting. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Williams' 18 missed shots were the most by a player off the bench in a game since starters were listed in 1970-71.

"I live and die with the shots I take," Williams said. "Tonight was especially tough because it was a deciding game. I wish I would have played better. But I'll go to sleep tonight happy with the shots that I took and missed."

Still, Rivers had nothing but praise for his team and even compared it to the 2008 Boston Celtics team he coached that won a title.

"This was the 2008 Celtics without [Kevin] Garnett, Ray Allen, [Rajon] Rondo and Paul [Pierce]," Rivers said. "It really was, like, same heart, played every night hard. And that's why they connected. I think you could take this team and put it in every NBA city, and when they leave, every NBA city would love this team. Because the people who come to games go to work all day. And they love to see players who play like they work.

"And I thought what the city saw in this team, what I saw in this team, was a hard-hat team that came to work every day. And it doesn't matter if you're blue collar or white collar, people appreciate workers."

Williams noted that the Clippers were a 48-win team seeded eighth in the Western Conference.

"There were a lot of teams that would die for a 48-win season," he said. "For me, we weren't just happy to be here. I think our record and how we played and how we carried ourselves throughout this season, it proved that we weren't just happy to be in the playoffs and let's get 4-0. We came into the series really thinking we could put some pressure on these guys and give them a run for their money to upstage these guys."

Said Beverley: "And we did."

As for what is to come for the Clippers, Beverley and Williams said it's "way too early" to think about the offseason, with Williams adding, "I'm trying to find a beach somewhere." However, the Clippers have put themselves in position to target at least one All-NBA free agent.

"I'm happy to be a Clipper," Williams said. "I think it showed with me taking the extension last year, just the way everything is run here is smooth. Everybody communicates with each other. It's no surprises, no sneaky stuff, no funny business. If there's an issue, it gets discussed. And I'm just happy to be here. So as far as ownership and the front office goes, I have a lot of confidence in the decisions they make. And I look forward to seeing what they put together this summer."

LOS ANGELES -- Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant scored 50 points in a dominating 129-110 series-clinching win over the LA Clippers on Friday night in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round playoff.

"It was one of the great performances I've ever seen in my life," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Durant. "I've seen some good ones, been around some decent players. He just carried us these last couple games of the series. He's the ultimate weapon because there's no defense for Kevin. No matter what anybody does, he can get a good shot. And he knew we needed him badly, and he just took over the game in the first half and set a great tone."

Durant's performance put him in rarefied air within NBA history. With his 38 first-half points, Durant tied Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley for second-most points in a half. Barkley scored 38 in the first half of a 1994 playoff game. The pair trails only former Warriors guard Sleepy Floyd, who scored 39 points in the second half of a 1987 playoff game against the Suns. Durant reached 31 points with 5 minutes, 30 seconds left in the first half, the fastest any player has reached that mark in terms of game clock over the past 20 postseasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

"We tried everything," Clippers guard Lou Williams said. "We had several different coverages for KD."

"It didn't work," Clippers guard Patrick Beverley said.

Durant, who scored 45 points in Game 5, became just the fourth player in the past 30 postseasons to score 45 points or more in consecutive games. The only other players to do so are Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (2018), Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant (2001) and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, who scored at least 45 in three straight games in 1990.

"Like sometimes -- sometimes you come across special people and it doesn't matter what you send to them," Williams said. "There's no scheme. There's no nothing that you can do with special people. He's one of them. And he showed it tonight. He put them guys on his shoulders."

Durant also became just the fourth player in Warriors history to have 50 or more in a playoff game. The only other players to accomplish that feat are Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain and Floyd.

Durant finished the game shooting 15-for-26 from the field, 6-for-14 from beyond the 3-point line and 14-for-15 from the free throw line, but also chipped in with six rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal. He shot the ball with ease from all over the floor.

"The great thing about KD is you can give him the ball anywhere and he can make plays," Warriors forward Draymond Green told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt after the game. "Whether it's in the backcourt, top of the key, wing, block, wherever you give him the ball at, he's a threat on the floor. So we just try to keep giving him the ball in spots where he likes it. You know, make sure we keep our spacing so it's harder for them to double team."

Durant scored or assisted on 45 of the Warriors' 72 points in the first half. He was very active on the defensive end throughout the game, helping the Warriors gain an edge that had been missing throughout much of Game 5. After it was over, Durant was pleased with his performance but thought he could have scored even more.

"I scored 50 points, but I missed some good shots tonight," Durant said. "I feel like I could've made a few more, but I felt great, I felt great. It was a fun game, for sure."

Durant's performance was even more important given that Warriors All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both suffered right ankle injuries Friday night. Both Curry and Thompson stayed in the game and contributed to the victory, but both players left Staples Center limping.

With the win, Durant and the Warriors advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets -- a rematch of last year's conference finals. Game 1 is Sunday afternoon at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Both Curry and Thompson expect to play on Sunday.

Here we go again.

After last season's thrilling seven-game Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are back for more in Round 2. A trip to the NBA Finals won't be at stake, but don't let that fool you -- this sequel is a must-see. Here's everything to know for Warriors-Rockets in the conference semifinals, which begin Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Jump to: Road to the rematch | The matchup to watch | Top 10 players in the series | 0-for-27: Revisiting Game 7 | Stats you need to know

2019 NBA playoffs: Matchups, schedules, news and more

1. Golden State Warriors

Round 1: Def. LAC, 4-2
BPI odds vs. HOU: 59%

How they got here:
The Warriors were flat throughout Game 5 against the LA Clippers and got beat by a hungrier team, but aside from a quarter-and-a-half stretch in the second half of an epic 31-point collapse Game 2, the proud group still controlled a tough Clippers team throughout much of the series. It took six games, but the defending champs might have gotten the gut check they needed for a fifth consecutive run to the NBA Finals.

The real issue for the Warriors in their first-round win was that DeMarcus Cousins tore his left quad in Game 2 and is "unlikely" to return this postseason. They were banking on him being able to battle down on the blocks against the Rockets.

What has changed since last season?
Aside from the injured Cousins, the Warriors' only key acquisition this season will be on full display against Houston: Andrew Bogut. The Australian center joined the team in March, and head coach Steve Kerr has praised his return every step of the way. With Boogie out, Bogut will be playing big minutes and will be counted on to provide defensive stability.

Biggest question: Is Golden State's defense OK?
The Warriors' issue is more a focus problem than a defensive one. Sure, the Clippers embarrassed them during the historic 31-point comeback in Game 2, and in Game 5 when they hit up Golden State for 71 first-half points. But this has been the same old story all season for the Warriors -- most nights they have it rolling and some nights they don't. This group has built up its habits all season, but the team can still turn it on when it needs it the most. The Clippers, though, didn't have a guy named James Harden.

-- Nick Friedell

4. Houston Rockets

Round 1: Def. UTAH, 4-1
BPI odds vs. GS: 41%

How they got here:
The Rockets made no apologies for winning ugly in the first round. After the Rockets rolled to routs in the first two games of the series, the Utah Jazz figured out how to execute their unique game plan against James Harden, who had his primary defender often playing behind him to prevent him from launching his lethal step-back 3-pointer and daring him to drive and challenge elite rim-protectors. The Rockets scored only 100.3 points per 100 possessions in the last three games of the series, when Harden shot only 32.3 percent from the field. "That's what the playoffs are all about," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It's not playing pretty."

The Rockets, ranked second in the NBA in defensive efficiency after the All-Star break, were particularly proud to win on that end in the playoffs. One potential problem: The Jazz generated the most open looks in the first round, according to Second Spectrum data, but made only 26 percent of their uncontested 3-pointers. Don't count on the Warriors missing so many wide-open looks.

What has changed since last season?
The most significant personnel change for the Rockets was the free-agency departure of Trevor Ariza, their primary defender on Durant last season. An argument can be made, however, that Ariza's absence doesn't hurt Houston at all. According to Second Spectrum data, Durant scored 63 points on 18-of-37 shooting in 230 possessions (113.9 team offensive rating) when defended by Ariza in last season's playoffs.

With PJ Tucker as the primary defender in the Rockets' three wins over the Warriors during the regular season -- Durant sat out the Golden State win -- KD scored 34 points on 13-of-27 shooting in 111 possessions (106.3 team offensive rating).

Biggest question: Is The Beard tired?
Harden's fatigue factor is an annual postseason topic. That's especially true after he carried a historically heavy workload this season, and his poor shooting in the final three games of the first round sure won't hush the speculation.

But let's give the Jazz their due, crediting an elite defensive team for excellent execution (after two terrible games) of a game plan specifically tailored to Harden. And Harden didn't seem too tired when he made nine of his final 14 field goal attempts in the elimination game. The Rockets handling their business in five games also gave them a rest advantage heading into the second round.

-- Tim MacMahon

The matchup: Curry vs. Harden

The Rockets love to isolate Harden, but when they play Golden State, it's more accurate to say that they love to isolate him against Stephen Curry. Over the past three seasons, nobody has switched onto Harden as much as Curry, and that's no accident.

Aside from splashing all those 3-pointers, the defining trait of the Warriors' dynasty might be the tendency to switch defensive assignments. The Rockets try to exploit that tendency by hunting and isolating mismatches more than any other rival.

Dating to the 2016-17 season, more than 2,800 unique NBA player duos have matched up at least 125 times. Within that sample, Harden vs. Curry produces the most extreme stats.

Lest you think we're exaggerating, consider these four factoids, via Second Spectrum tracking:

• No other matchup elicits a higher usage rate by the offensive player

• Only one matchup is more likely to include a drive

• Only two other matchups produce free throws at a higher rate

• No other matchup yields more points for the offensive player

Out of more than 2,800.

Harden vs. Curry is the wildest analytical matchup in the NBA, especially when you consider the stakes involved. After all, these are two MVPs and scoring champs battling for Western Conference supremacy.

When you compare Harden's key matchup numbers with other Golden State defenders, you quickly understand why Houston designs sets to target Curry:

Harden is much more aggressive and much more fruitful against Curry than against any other Warriors player. His usage rate surges to 50.3 -- right around the average for an "NBA Jam" game, but a cartoonish number for any real-life environment.

With Curry on him, Harden is more than twice as likely to drive to the basket and get to the free throw line.

The other guys in that table are either strong enough or long enough to dissuade Harden's aggression, but Curry is slight and short compared to his teammates, and he is much less able to slow Harden's rim attacks.

While it's tempting to interpret the data as an indictment of Curry's defense, there's something else happening here. It just so happens that all of the other defenders in that table are world class, and Houston's tendency to isolate and attack Curry at freakish rates says just as much about its respect for those other dudes as it does about Curry. Isolating Curry isn't Houston's best choice, but it's really the Rockets' only chance.

-- Kirk Goldsberry

The 10 best players in the series

1. Stephen Curry | G | Warriors

Though Durant's scoring received more attention, the Warriors were at their best in last season's matchup with Curry on the court, and -- with ample help from the now-injured Cousins, he led Golden State to this season's lone head-to-head win despite Durant missing the game because of injury. Watch the ankle, though.

2. Kevin Durant | F | Warriors

Durant's size creates matchup problems for the Rockets, who have to shuffle assignments to put PJ Tucker on him at all times. What happens if Tucker gets into foul trouble? Buckets, surely.

3. James Harden | G | Rockets

The league's best regular-season player over the past two seasons, Harden has struggled to maintain his scoring efficiency against the Warriors' defense, posting a .538 true shooting percentage in the 2018 conference finals and .559 in three meetings this season as compared to his season-long .616 mark.

4. Chris Paul | G | Rockets

Paul's hamstring strain late in Game 5 changed last season's conference finals, and he could be a difference-maker in this season's matchup if he stays on the court all five games.

5. Klay Thompson | G | Warriors
6. Eric Gordon | G | Rockets

Thompson and Gordon occupy similar roles for their teams, supplying frequent 3-pointers and versatile perimeter defense. Despite Gordon offering a bit more shot creation, Thompson gets the edge as a shooter and defender.

7. PJ Tucker | F | Rockets

With Trevor Ariza gone, Tucker is Houston's best and perhaps only good option against Durant. If he makes 48 percent of his 3s, as he did in the 2018 matchup, all the better.

8. Draymond Green | F | Warriors

The Rockets have managed to affect Green by laying off and daring him to shoot 3s. Green shot just 2-of-17 beyond the arc in last season's conference finals, and was 0-of-8 in this season's head-to-head series.

9. Andre Iguodala | F | Warriors

Far and away the best reserve on either side now that Gordon has become a starter, Iguodala helped the Warriors to a 2-1 lead last May before going down because of a left lateral leg contusion that sidelined him the rest of the series.

10. Clint Capela | C | Rockets

Capela averaged a double-double (15 points, 14.8 rebounds) against Golden State this season, logging more minutes (35.9 per game) than in last season's series (28.5), when Mike D'Antoni was forced to go to Tucker at center at times to keep up with the Warriors' smaller lineups.

-- Kevin Pelton

0-for-27: When Clutch City became brick city for Game 7

"A hamstring away," they say in Houston, referring to the Chris Paul injury that folks there will always believe denied the Rockets from eliminating Golden State and claiming last season's NBA championship.

If they're shooting straight, though, the Rockets' record-breaking brickfest in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals must be mentioned as well.

With Paul watching from the bench, the Rockets raced out to a 15-point lead over the Warriors in the second quarter to get Toyota Center crowd roaring. Soon thereafter, the most prolific 3-point shooting team in NBA history at the time simply stopped making shots.

Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank.

Twenty-seven consecutive missed 3s, the most in a row in playoff history. That's no way to close out an all-time great team. The Warriors walked out with a 101-92 win to punch their ticket to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals.

"We had a lot of open shots," James Harden said that night, when he was 2-of-13 from 3-point range, missing his final 11 attempts. "We just gonna keep shooting them."

Some Rockets sources grumble that Harden should have gone to the line on a few of his misses, saying that the league office later acknowledged that the referees missed fouls on at least two. Perhaps fatigue was a factor as well, particularly considering only one Rockets reserve played more than eight minutes.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who grumbled that he "didn't recognize" the Golden State team that spotted the Rockets the big lead in the first half, certainly thought so.

"I knew how tired Houston was," Kerr said. "The way they play with James running so may screen and rolls. That's exhausting, and then he's got to go down to the other end and guard Klay [Thompson] and getting switched off onto Kevin [Durant] or Steph [Curry] -- it's tiring.

"So [Harden] had such a big burden on his shoulders, and we just wanted to maintain our defense, or get our defense going, and hope that the fatigue on their side would be a factor, and I knew our guys would make some shots."

Trevor Ariza definitely looked tired in what ended up being his final game in a Rockets uniform. At age 32, he played 42 minutes and got outscored 34-0 by Durant, missing all 12 of his shots from the field, including nine 3-pointers.

D'Antoni had been criticized for using a short bench after past playoff exits, in Houston and elsewhere, not that he had a ton of options with Paul and Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) unavailable. He also had been ripped for relying too much on the 3-pointer, although that's an outdated opinion in the analytics era.

The Rockets certainly haven't responded by scaling back. Houston broke the NBA record for 3s made and attempted this season, just as it did the previous two years of D'Antoni's tenure.

And now Houston gets another shot at Golden State.

"We keep knocking on the door," D'Antoni said after the Game 7 loss. "It'll eventually open."

-- MacMahon

Stats to know for Warriors-Rockets

Rockets in rare company

No team has played the Warriors tougher in recent years than the Rockets. Including the playoffs, Houston is 8-6 against them over the past two seasons, one of only three teams to have a winning record against Golden State.

And this season, the Rockets won three of four meetings, becoming only the second team to beat the Warriors three times in a regular season under Steve Kerr. No other team beat the Warriors three times in the 2018-19 regular season.

The stars were ... out

The Rockets won the season series against the Warriors, but none of the four games featured a full roster on either side. Cousins, who played in two of the four regular-season matchups between the rivals, will be the only star missing this second-round series.

Will Steph's ankle play a factor?

Curry rolled his ankle in Game 6 against the Clippers but said he was fine afterward. Could the Rockets use that to their advantage? In last year's conference finals, Curry switched onto the ball handler 112 times, 49 times more than any other Warriors player.

The Rockets scored 75 points when they switched onto Curry, the most allowed by a Warriors player.

Draymond's triple threat

If Green gets a triple-double, odds are Golden State is getting the W. The Warriors are 27-0 all time when Green records a triple-double, including the playoffs.

That's by far the most wins without a loss by any player in NBA history.

-- ESPN Stats & Information