The Golden State Warriors defeated a tenacious Houston Rockets team in a thriller on Thursday night 99-98.
Golden State got off to a red-hot start, tacking on a whopping 36 points in the first period. Houston made a few costly mistakes by leaving Stephen Curry wide open, and their transition defense wasn’t up to par with the Warriors’ speed.
Nonetheless, the Warriors cooled down as the game progressed, and Houston’s adjustments must be credited. Their defense tightened up around the perimeter, and they found some rhythm offensively with James Harden leading the way. Houston outscored the Warriors 27-19 in the second quarter, which resulted in an extremely interesting second half.
The game remained neck-to-neck throughout the second-half, and it became evident that the team with superior execution down the stretch would squeak out the win. Fortunately for the Bay Area, that was the Warriors. But Harden and the Rockets made the final few minutes really interesting.
The Warriors’ last possession ended with Harrison Barnes missing a reverse layup over the outstretched arm of Dwight Howard as the game-clock was expiring, and the Rockets gathered the ball with about 10 seconds left. Harden gathered possession of the ball but was doubled swiftly by Curry and Klay Thompson after he crossed the half-court line, which forced him to pass out of the double. He threw the ball to Howard at the top of the perimeter, then received it back immediately with about three seconds remaining. Harden was quickly doubled again by the same duo, and the game culminated with the buzzer ringing and a loose ball on the floor.
May 21, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) turns the ball over against the defense of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second half in game two of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs. at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Now the Warriors are up 2-0 heading into Houston, and they’ve put the Rockets in a must-win position in Game 3. There has never been a team in NBA history that has won a series after being down 3-0.
Nonetheless, the Warriors have their hands full as well. The Rockets were able to be immensely competitive the first two games in the toughest place to play in the NBA. Their star center Howard was forced to sit most of game one with a nagging knee injury. He was able to play in Game 2, but he was patently ailing, and Kevin McHale said after the game that he was certainly not at full strength.
Harden has been everything as advertised throughout this series, as he’s been the most dominant player on the floor so far. He posted an eye-popping 28 points, nine assists, 11 boards, and four steals in Game 1. Subsequently, in Game 2, he posted 38 points, nine assists, 10 boards, and three steals. These are numbers that will not be forgotten.
The Rockets should be rolling into their house feeling pretty good about themselves, for they suffered some adversity yet remained competitive in a hostile environment, and their best player is performing at the highest level.
Nonetheless, the league MVP has been marvelous. Curry has tacked on a total of 67 points on an outstandingly efficient 60 percent shooting in both games. He and Harden are truly bona fide superstars and have put on quite a show in the early part of this series.
In order for the Warriors to win game three, Curry is going to have to continue to play at the level he’s been at, particularly if Harden continues to post the numbers he’s posted, and the Warriors need to play better defense.