A Look Back: Warriors vs Rockets

“They ain’t that good.”

This series was months in the making and it was over before it even started. In their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1976, the Golden State Warriors faced a confident Houston Rockets team. It featured a marquee matchup: the MVP vs the runner-up. Stephen Curry and James Harden, two of the NBA’s elite, going head-to-head.  Two teams that didn’t really care for each other fighting for a spot in the NBA Finals.

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This series was full of story lines beyond the just the MVP race. After Harden told his team during the regular season, that the Warriors “aint’ that good”, the basketball gods ensured that these two squads met in the final round of the Western Conference playoffs. After Dwight Howard told reporters that the Atlanta Hawks–whose record was second only to the Warriors–were the best team in the league, the animosity grew. After Trevor Ariza tried to start something with Curry, the dislike grew. After a Warriors season sweep, the Rockets still wanted to prove that the Dubs weren’t “that good.”

Game 1 – Warriors 110 – Rockets 106

The first game of a playoff series always seems a little wacky. Two teams that, regardless of their regular season history, spend some time figuring each other out and determining which lineups are most effective.

The Rockets came out of the gate firing, taking an early 16 point lead. The only thing that slowed Houston down in the first quarter was a Josh Smith/Howard collision that temporarily knocked Howard out of the game and limited him to under 27 minutes for the game. Steve Kerr opted for small-ball in Howard’s absence. Putting Draymond Green at the center spot allowed the Warriors to run and space the floor. Clawing themselves back into the game behind Shaun Livingston‘s 16 first half points, a Curry step back jumper at the buzzer put the Dubs up 3 at the half. The second half was back and forth as Harden and co. wouldn’t go away. A Trevor Ariza three with 14 seconds left brought the Rockets within three. But Curry iced the game with free throws finishing with 34 points and effectively sealing the Game 1 victory.

Game 2 – Warriors 99 – Rockets 98

Game 2 came down to Curry vs. Harden and the MVP, once again, prevailed.

It was the reverse of Game 1. The Warriors built up a 17 point lead only to have Harden bring the Rockets back in it. In the second quarter, Leandro Barbosa stole the inbounds pass, he dished it off to Andrew Bogut who found a trailing Andre Iguodala for a big slam over Howard that sent everyone in gold into a frenzy. Behind the Beard’s 38/10/9, the Rockets stayed close. But Curry and Oracle Arena were too much for the Rockets’ defense. Curry sunk four shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter–and five for the game–and totaled 33 points and 6 assists.

With 10 seconds left, Harrison Barnes missed a reverse lay up that would have put Golden State up 3. Instead, Harden grabbed the rebound and raced up the court. As he stepped to the three point line, he was met by Curry and Klay Thompson. The Splash Brothers forced Harden to pick up his dribble and pass it to a trailing Howard who gave it back. Again, Harden tried to force his way into space, but Curry cut off his left–like he cut off his MVP hopes–and the Rocket lost the ball and the game.

Game 3 – Warriors 115 – Rockets 80

This game wasn’t even close when the score was 0-0 prior to tip-off.

It was all Warriors, all game. This was Varsity vs. JV. The intense, nail-biting action of Game 2 was nowhere to be found in this one. The Warriors did everything on both ends of the floor. They defended extremely well limiting the Rockets to 33.7% shooting from the field and only 5 made three-pointers (20%) for the game.

May 23, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring during the game against the Houston Rockets in game three of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Curry turned the Toyota Center into Warriors Ground. It was splash after splash for no.30. There was nothing Houston could do to stop him. The All-NBA point guard was 7-9 from three-point range further solidifying his status as the greatest shooter ever by breaking Reggie Miller’s record for treys in the postseason. Curry got into one of his zones where nothing can get in his way. After releasing long range bombs, the Baby-Faced Assassin was interacting with the stunned Houston crowd. Showing them how the real MVP plays, Curry looked into the crowd and when heckling fans inexplicably tried to taunt him, he simply told them to sit down.

Game 4 – Warriors 115 – Rockets 128

It took a lightning-in-a-bottle type performance and an injury for the Rockets to finally snap their 2014-15 7 game losing streak to Golden State. The Rockets came away with the victory, but the Warriors’ biggest concerns and the conversation around the game focused on Curry’s injury scare in the second quarter.

The Rockets were hot right from the very first minutes, jumping out to a quick 12-0 lead. Houston tied an NBA-record by scoring 45 in the first quarter. The Warriors never lead in this one and the Rockets’ largest lead was 25. Harden bounced back after a subpar game and dropped 45 on the Dubs. Smith, uncharacteristically, shot 7-8 from the field including 3-4 from three for 20 points. The Warriors didn’t help themselves out at all, only getting to the line 13 times compared to Houston’s 43 attempts (though admittedly, some of this is due to the Hack-A-Howard/Smith strategy).

In the second quarter, Curry went up to contest an Ariza fast break lay up. Instead of going up, Ariza faked and waited for the defense to fly by. Instead, Curry flipped over the Rocket and landed on his arm and wrist and he hit his head hard on the floor. The Warriors’ leader laid still on the ground. The stretcher even came out, but Curry was able to walk off on his own weight. After undergoing the concussion protocol twice, the superstar returned to the floor in the third when the Warriors had cut the lead to 9.

His first shot was an air ball and his second was blocked giving everyone the sense that maybe he shouldn’t be out on the floor. A Curry three would later cut the lead to four, but Harden and the Rockets scored 10 unanswered killing all hopes for a comeback. Curry finished with 23 points and Thompson, who had been uninvolved in the first three games, came alive in Curry’s absence and scored a team-high 24 points.

Game 5 – Warriors 104 – Rockets 90

No one really thought the Rockets could beat the Warriors again, right? Especially with the Based God in attendance.

May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; (Editor

It wasn’t a blowout, but the Warriors were in the driver’s seat. Howard, who many thought wouldn’t play in Game 5 after elbowing Bogut in the face in the previous game, dominated early. The Warriors never pulled away; turnovers and foul trouble kept the Rockets hopes alive. Thompson picked up where he left off, scoring 13 in the second and 20 for the game. Though Howard played well, Harden played poorly–historically poorly. He made 2-11 field goals and turned the ball over an NBA playoff record 12 times.

Another scary incident took place early in the fourth quarter when Thompson faked a shot and caught an Ariza knee to the head. He went straight to the floor. Originally reported to be just an “ear laceration,” Thompson wouldn’t return because, quite frankly, there was no need. Ultimately, it ended up being a good thing that he didn’t because he was later diagnosed with a concussion.

Despite Curry’s 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, it was the role players that helped clinch the Western Conference Championship for the Dubs. With Thompson out, Barnes stepped up and added 24 points scoring big buckets down the stretch. With Bogut in foul trouble, Festus Ezeli played one of the best games of his career. He scored 12 points off the bench and grabbed 9 rebounds while matching Howard’s physicality on defense.

A couple of chippy, frustration fouls and some free throws later, and the Warriors sealed the deal. Confetti fell from the Oracle Arena heavens and the party began.

Player of the Series

Come on. Who else would this be? Naturally, it’s Lil B the Based God.

The Based God cursed Harden–whose woes increased culminating in an all-time terrible performance–for stealing his cooking dance without paying homage. Harden disregarded and disrespected the superstar rapper and, even, said that he didn’t know who he was (which was later proven to be a lie). Lil B was in attendance for Game 5 when Harden forgot how to maintain possession of the ball. Coincidence? I think not.

But also, there was this Wardell Stephen Curry guy that played pretty well. He averaged 31.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds for the series. He shot over 51% from the field an over 49% from three. Curry put together several memorable performances including his 40 point barrage on the road. He also showcased his defense, stopping Harden in what could have been a momentum changing game had he gotten to the rim.

7-1 and a trip to the NBA finals. I guess they really “ain’t that good.” Thank you, Based God.