Rockets squeeze Warriors late to win Game 5: 3 takeaways
By Dre Elder
The Rockets relied on tough defense to confound the Warriors in crunch time and win Game 5. Houston can close out the defending champions on Saturday in Oakland.
The Rockets and Warriors traded body blows once again in Game 5. The consensus two best teams with the two best offenses in the league found themselves in a defensive struggle. Despite the Warriors having three of the NBA’s premier offensive talents, they floundered late again.
Houston got several critical stops down the stretch to push Golden State to the brink of elimination.The Rockets were seemingly looking for an early knockout against the Warriors. They attempted 14 3-pointers in the opening quarter in front of a ravenous crowd at Toyota Center.
Kevin Durant poured in 18 first half points to help the Warriors linger, despite their sloppy and disconnected play. Chris Paul missed all seven of his attempts from the field. The game was tied 45-45 at halftime, although everyone watching felt like Houston should have been up by 10 points.
Paul took over the game early in the fourth quarter as Harden sat. Eric Gordon scored 24 points off the bench, including some huge buckets in crunch time. And let this sink in, Houston won this game despite James Harden missing all 11 3-point shots he took tonight.
Takeaways
Give me the ball and get the hell out of the way. Let’s be honest, we’re basically watching a series of the greatest pickup games we’ll ever see. Houston continues to be who we thought they were. Surprisingly, Golden State often swagger-jacked the isolation approach of their opponents yet again. As a result, they weren’t scoring as fluidly as we’ve come to expect. And who wouldn’t want to play for Mike D’Antoni? Every perimeter player for the Rockets has free will to shoot any shot, any time. Houston hoisted 36 3s through the first 36 minutes of this game. Things shifted in the fourth quarter as James Harden and Eric Gordon spent more time attacking and getting to the free throw line. The bottom line is Houston has been better at their strengths than Golden State has been at theirs.
Daryl Morey tried to tell us. No, he really did. Houston’s general manager who doubles as an analytics guru, proclaimed the Warriors were not “unbeatable.” And he did so immediately following Golden State capped a 16-1 playoff record with another NBA crown last June. Then, Morey acquired Chris Paul in a trade and made another bold proclamation. He felt the trade put them right there with the Warriors. And in December, Morey admitted to being “obsessed” with beating the Warriors. There’s still another game to be played and who knows how this series will end. Regardless, Houston has proven Morey right on every claim. The Warriors are not unbeatable. Houston continues to get what they want and to think many wondered how they would defend Golden State. Now, they are on the doorstep of the NBA Finals and appear to have the answers to the test.
Next: When did you know the Golden State Warriors were special?
The severity of Chris Paul’s injury. Paul went down late in the fourth quarter with a non-contact injury to his right leg. He was able to walk off, but with a heavy limp. The series continues in less than 48 hours, so Paul won’t have much time to recover. We all know Houston’s prospects are severely lessened if Paul is hampered on Saturday night. If he’s unable to go then half the Rockets’ offensive strategy is in jeopardy. They have taken control of this series behind Paul’s leadership and clutch play. He’s been the closer. James Harden is likely to win MVP, but he can ill afford to be without his running mate if Houston is going to make the NBA Finals.