Warriors Show Championship Qualities with Win Over Rockets
By Paul Matli
The Warriors’ win over the Rockets proves something about both teams.
The Houston Rockets are a joke.
How big of a joke? Look no further than last night’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors beat the Rockets 114-110 on a night where MVP Stephen Curry, Festus Ezeli, Harrison Barnes and Leandro Barbosa didn’t play. Losing to the Warriors with Curry out is embarrassing, no matter who you are.
Curry is the engine that makes the Warriors go. He creates open shots for Klay Thompson and everyone else on the court. By losing to the Warriors without Curry the Rockets became even more of a laughing-stock than they already were.
From the start it looked like the Rockets weren’t engaged in the game. It’s possible they were taking this game for granted considering how the poorly Warriors played against a real team like the Dallas Mavericks. Even if they were, the Rockets had more talent than the Warriors did last night and should have won.
Enough of blasting the Rockets and time to praise the Warriors.
The Warriors proved why they are the NBA Champions. Champions find ways to win games without their best player as the Warriors did on Thursday. Draymond Green proved why he’s an All Star. He took on the role of point guard and notched 16 assists, while recording his NBA leading fifth triple-double this season. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Ian Clark all stepped up for the Dubs, and Thompson had a bounce back game with 38 points.
The Warriors’ ball movement was impeccable. They shredded the Rockets’ Swiss Cheese defense with back door cuts and passes from nearly half court by both Green and Iguodala. Scoring 114 against the Rockets is impressive considering they were without almost half their team.
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The fact the Warriors closed out the best calendar year in franchise history by beating the Rockets without Curry and Barnes is sweet justice. Considering everything the Rockets have said about the Warriors over the last year, defeating them last night was absolute justice and made a comedy sketch of the Rockets and their defense.
By resting Curry, the Warriors made it obvious they aren’t chasing the Chicago Bulls’ 72 wins — they are more concerned with keeping Curry healthy. Also, by resting Curry they are forcing players like Green and Thompson to step up and show they are worth their contract.
Beating the Rockets the way the Warriors did last night will give the team confidence knowing they can win without Curry if they play team basketball and not as individuals like they did against the Mavericks.