The Rockets and Warriors showed fans why this could be one helluva playoff series

James Harden lulled Stephen Curry to sleep before stepping back for a dirty three-point shot that virtually sealed the deal on Saturday night. The dagger triple may have been a peek into the near future should these two teams meet in the Western Conference Finals like so many fans are anticipating.

Rockets-Warriors had everything you could’ve wanted in a basketball game. Crazy pace, lots of threes, lots of scoring and a boatload of star power between the two sides. And in the end it was Harden, who has struggled under the pressure of big moments in the past, that hit the biggest shot of the night to give the Rockets a 116-108 win over the defending NBA champions.

Houston and Golden State won’t face each other again in the regular season. But if we’ve learned anything through three match-ups, it’s this:

So far this season, each Rockets-Warriors game has been better than the last. Houston won the season-opener against Golden State by one point in a showdown where Draymond Green was ejected mid-game. Both teams were short-handed in Game 2 — the Rockets without Harden and the Warriors without Durant — but Golden State pulled away with a 10-point victory.

Then on Saturday night, the Rockets pulled away, watched the Warriors rally for a comeback, then held the defending champs off for a last-second victory. Houston improved to 17-0 in games that Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela play in together. And they picked up the win without Trevor Ariza, serving his suspension from his altercation with the Clippers.

Houston now holds the tiebreaker over Golden State, and just 3.5 games behind them in the West standings, they’ll need it as the season begins to close.

Because in a showdown between two powerhouse teams the Rockets and Warriors, home-court advantage could be just that: an advantage.