Don't forget that after losing a finals series against the Cavs that Curry, Klay, Draymond and Iguadala showed up in the Hamptons to recruit Kevin Durant to their team. They clearly believed that easy street style ball was the best plan. Fortunately for the Houston Rockets and all their fans (us) .. we're no easy win. Nice game by the Rox doing it for Santa Fe HS tonight!
I don't think I or anyone else ever expected to see the Rockets win two games in this series by holding the warriors to under 100 points TWICE. People on here poo-poo switching as a terrible defensive strategy and lo and behold, it's turning out to be the NBA's worst nightmare. The Rockets are showing the league how to defeat all the rule changes made in the last two decades to prevent exactly what has been happening the last few nights. No one in their right mind thought the Rockets could force the Warriors to play iso-ball. No one. The Warriors are the better team, but the Rockets are more comfortable playing ISO ball because they practiced it all season, where the Warriors are not. That's the difference, and the Rockets have found a a way to neutralize the talent gap through what is the most bruising defense seen since the 90's However, with Iggy returning and Paul out - this strategy may not continue to work. Heck it may not continue to work regardless as the Warriors are not far off from winning these games - and the more they play this way the better they will get. It's still far far from over, but for the Rockets to be up 3-2, they have done what was unthinkable just a week ago.
The Rockets are playing some intense defense, getting a ton of deflections and forcing guys to put it on the floor. That has clearly resulted in them getting tight, and their system has collapsed. They are finally picking on someone their own size instead of cruising against an overmatched opponent.
When the Warriors are on they play a beautiful game. What the Rockets are doing is mucking it up and making it ugly. The problem that I see with the Warriors is that they are having problems adjusting. That said lets not get ahead of ourselves as these are close games and the Warriors could've very easily won both.
This really is a contest of wills and as often in sports especially late in the season with opponents who are evenly matched it comes down to who has the biggest will.
Chris Paul and Eric Gordon when he is TO free, are major weapons against them. They make shots, they bully their way near the paint/into the paint. Of course our perimeter defenders give them problems, running them off the 3 pt line. The key was withstanding their 3rd quarter eruption, which was a mini volcano this time.
I don't now and didn't at the start of the series think GSW is the better team. They are a great team but so is this Rockets team. That is why I picked the Rockets in 7. The 65 win season wasn't an accident and so many people get caught up in the gaudy offensive numbers that they miss how sound and scrappy this team is on D. Further we shouldn't discount the hunger factor. GSW has gotten spoiled and takes it for granted that they can turn it up and blowout opponents. Chris Paul is painfully aware though of how difficult it is to win in the playoffs and is driving this team on. With teams that are as good as this that psychological edge is very important.
There is no doubt in my mind the Warriors are the better team. You are right about the hunger aspect though. What is happening is the Rockets are making the Warriors better. If this was a 15 game series the Warriors would win because it would give them time to adjust to what's happening but with only 1 game left to lose, they may not be able to figure this kind of defense out.
The Warriors failed to get younger and better talent off the bench I know the money ain't there. The Cavs always had better shooters on their bench, just not the star power.
Right but the Warriors are one Cook basket or one Greene turnover or one Curry basketball friendly roll off the rim all in the last 45 sec from potentially being up 3-2 in this series and a whole different narrative being written. Any of those things happen and people would be saying how the Warriors handled the great challenge by being able to match the Rockets ISO ball when they had too. Last night was a game of inches and it's amazing how an inch on one of many many plays can be the judgement of an entire front office plan decision making and whether they are praised or criticized. No matter what is said, I am apt not to criticize either team for how they built their team and their basketball philosophy. When it's this close and it could have gone either way....one series isn't enough. No matter what happens, round 2 and maybe round 3 is what we will all be thirsting for.
The game in Houston was a coin flip but they should have won the Game that mattered at home in Game 4.....you can call it a Choke Job but it's more of Fatigue, no Babysitter Iggy, lax D, enorm confidence in their Offense. I think the Warriors lack what Houston has, slashers, I mean Curry and KD are more shooters, so is Klay, Draymond has not evolved his Offense into a consistent threat and Iguodala is a 7-10 ppg guy now. They need someone who gets to the rim rather easily when everything else fails. Spoiler Then they are truly unstoppable. I hope they do not read this. Or a Scola off the bench who pick and pops, drains everything from midrange.
I don't think the Warriors are missing anything. I think they were complacent and got caught off guard and weren't ready for the Rockets defensive intensity and physically - namely PJ Tucker has turned this series around. Game 3 and 4 were coin flip games. Hey, I'm not complaining. There is no shame is admitting the Warriors are better and a little luck swings the series to Houston. That's sports. You still have to be really good and impressive to create that luck, you know what I am saying?
All I am saying, the greatest teams are vulnerable at times if you have the right matchup, all I am saying, man. No shame in that.
KD is a brilliant offensive player, but if they'd gone after Andre Roberson instead, they might have a better team now and nobody would have to take a pay cut to stay together.
