The Golden State Warriors put their backs against the wall and came through, walloping the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets, 103-89, in Sunday's Game 7. Houston won two straight to send the series back to the Toyota Center, but veteran experience won out in the end. The Dubs were the more poised and prepared team when rubber finally met the road.
Buddy Hield was the hero of the day, pouring in 33 points with nine made 3s. Stephen Curry put up 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Jimmy Butler did standard, clutch Jimmy Butler things. He dropped 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 13 shots.
This was how a lot of folks expected this series to go. 'Warriors in seven' was a common prediction for a reason. Houston has been the better team all season, but Golden State reached another level after the Butler trade. Adding one of this generation's most notoriously clutch postseason risers to a roster that includes Stephen Curry and Draymond Green was a shrewd move.
And yet, the Dubs are not invincible, and a tough challenge awaits in the conference semis. The Minnesota Timberwolves thwacked the LeBron James-Luka Dončić Lakers in five games. Golden State struggled against Houston's double-big lineups. Minnesota is double-big by default.
Golden State needs to figure out the supporting cast, especially if Gary Payton II misses any more time. It starts with having an honest Jonathan Kuminga conversation.
Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided's daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend. If you hate it, share it with an enemy!
Warriors need to stop playing Jonathan Kuminga and expecting different results
It has been a tough few weeks for Jonathan Kuminga, who has seen his role virtually excised from Golden State's game plan. Steve Kerr made the decision to DNP-CD Kuminga late in the regular season, but an injury to Jimmy Bulter in Game 2 of the Rockets series forced the former No. 7 pick back into the lineup. Kuminga logged 26 minutes in Game 2, scoring 11 points on 12 shots. He got another 17 minutes (and a start) in Game 3 with Butler hurt, dropping seven points on seven shots.
Then it was radio silence until Game 7, when Gary Payton's unexpected sickness opened the door for Kuminga to squeeze into the rotation again. He only logged seven minutes, but went 0-for-4. The Dubs were outscored by four points in Kuminga's brief cameo. He pressed the issue and the results were predictably poor.
At a certain point, Kerr needs to bite the bullet and commit. The Warriors only have so much depth, but Kuminga cannot be an injury away from regular minutes. It has been far too long since he positively impacted winning. Golden State was a combined minus-12 in Kuminga's 50 minutes on the floor against Houston.
We can assign blame to all corners of the organization, from Kuminga, to Kerr, to the player development staff. But what happened in the past is in the past. We are here now, and Kuminga is unplayable. Golden State should act accordingly, as Minnesota figures to be less forgiving than Houston, a team that already forced the Warriors into a Game 7 on the road.
Kuminga's poor decision-making, inconsistent shooting and dreadful defensive effort are not conducive to postseason basketball. He's an immense physical talent, and we've seen him operate as a top option in the Dubs offense before. But right now, the Warriors' scheme has skewed too far away from Kuminga. Butler's arrival changed the whole complexion of this roster and Kuminga got the worst of it.
There's a good chance he signs elsewhere as a restricted free agent this offseason. Golden State should have traded Kuminga months ago. That said, the past is the past, and the Dubs need to focus on the present. It's time to banish Kuminga to the deepest depths of the bench.