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The Houston Rockets may have perceived advantages over the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, but Steve Kerr is not afraid of a challenge.

Mainly because his team's recent run of success speaks for itself.

Not only does top-seeded Houston hold home-court advantages, but some believe the fact that the Rockets have not won a championship with this group of players makes them the hungrier team. Kerr—whose team has won two titles in three years—likes his team's chances, via The Athletic's Anthony Slater:

Kerr has seven championship runs on his resume, both as a player and a coach. He knows what it takes to be the last team standing, so when he says the first title is the hardest, believe him.

Anyone who thinks Golden State isn't still hungry better re-evaluate that position. No matter how many parades the Warriors have, they always want more:

The Rockets won two out of three regular-season meetings, leading Clint Capela to make headlines by claiming, "We are better than them." General manager Daryl Morey revealed earlier in the season that the Rockets are "obsessed" with the Warriors, who eliminated his team in two of the past three seasons.

Houston earned home-court advantage by posting the best record in the NBA at 65-17, a solid seven games better than Golden State. The Rockets were led by MVP favorite James Harden, while the Warriors dealt with injuries to Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green near the end of the regular season.

Now comes the showdown basketball fans have been waiting for all season. No matter what is said on the outside, Kerr and the defending champs aren't going to be intimidated by anyone—not even the high-powered Rockets.