Warriors-Cavaliers 4 Is Set After The Rockets Went Ice Cold In Game 7

After a dismal first half, the Golden State Warriors looked to be in significant trouble against the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. However, the reigning NBA champions rattled off a trademark third quarter to seize control and that was enough to buoy Golden State to a 101-92 victory that was accompanied by a ticket to meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals.

The early going was marred by sloppy play from the Warriors and the early tone was set, at least to some degree, when Klay Thompson picked up three fouls in the first four minutes of the contest. On the whole, Golden State shot just 35 percent from the floor (and missed three free throws) in the period but it was six turnovers that plagued the Warriors more than anything on the offensive end.

In addition, James Harden had an explosive first quarter, scoring 14 points on only six field goal attempts and generally controlling the action.

The play was so poor from the Warriors that head coach Steve Kerr expressed his frustration in pointed fashion during an in-game interview with TNT’s David Aldridge.

In the second quarter, the visitors were simply unable to secure a defensive rebound, with P.J. Tucker and Clint Capela running rampant for the Rockets. Houston mounted a 15-point lead as a result of the onslaught and, at the time, it felt as if the Rockets were poised to keep the Warriors at arm’s length.

While the Warriors finally showed some resistance during the stretch run, the final sequence of the half also did Golden State no favors. Kevin Durant had the opportunity to slash the halftime deficit to seven (or even six) points but he forced a contested jumper that went begging. After a dead ball, Eric Gordon took the ball, went coast to coast and, suddenly, the Rockets were back up by 11 at the break.

Harden cooled in the second quarter, but the combination of Capela and Eric Gordon (14 points each) was huge in propelling the Rockets to what could have been construed as a comfortable lead. Still, the Warriors are the Warriors and, on cue, the third quarter broke sharply in their favor.

Golden State came flying out of the halftime break to the tune of a 29-9 run and the Rockets were unable to score or get stops with any consistency. Stephen Curry scored 14 points in the period and it was his spurt of 11 straight points that ultimately sent the Warriors into the driver’s seat.

Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni chose to deploy Ryan Anderson to ugly results, with Houston being outscored by 12 points over an eight-minute span. Beyond that, there was plenty of attention on the officiating, with a blatant moving screen missed by Jordan Bell and all kinds of at least semi-questionable whistles leaning in favor of Golden State.

Still, the bigger storyline was the overall play of the Warriors and, in short, the inability of Houston to convert from beyond the arc. The Rockets missed an NBA Playoff record 27 consecutive three-pointers, including all 14 attempts in the third quarter, and the Warriors were simply able to flourish as a result.

Mercifully, P.J. Tucker converted a three at the 6:28 mark to slash Golden State’s lead to 10 and the Rockets climbed to within six points at 89-83 with five minutes remaining. From there, though, Durant and Thompson quickly joined forces on a five-point run and Houston was never within full-blown striking distance on the way to the final, nine-point margin.

It was far from a beautiful performance from the Warriors, especially in the first half. Still, the team’s stars came alive on the biggest stage, with Durant (34 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Curry (27 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds) leading the way in a clinching victory.

For the Rockets, the feeling of what might have been will likely linger for some time, from the absence of Chris Paul to the seemingly never-ending string of missed jumpers (7 of 44 from three) throughout the evening. The early onslaught seemingly took a lot out of the entire roster, particularly in the case of Harden, and a late run never materialized on the way to what has to be a heavily disappointing defeat.

In the end, though, the favorites advance and, for the fourth consecutive season, the Warriors and Cavaliers will face off in a Best of 7 series beginning on Thursday in Oakland.