The Golden State Warriors may have lost Game 5 to the Houston Rockets, but they may yet win the war.
The winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will be the heavy favorite to win the 2018 NBA title. If the Warriors had homecourt advantage, there is little doubt that they would be favored to win the series.
With the Rockets having the luxury instead, it feels much more like a coin flip, especially considering Andre Iguodala was out for Game 5 and both Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are both banged up.
The Warriors could have all but clinched another championship by winning Game 4. Instead, the Warriors lost a bizarre contest to the Rockets to knot the series at 2-2.
To sum things up, each quarter consisted of back-and-forth domination, leading to a wild finish that did not fare well for the Warriors.
The Warriors 12 points in the 4th quarter are tied for their fewest in a playoff game in the shot clock era
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 23, 2018
Nevertheless, Draymond Green was actually “thrilled” with the result, saying the Warriors will only improve by losing. Considering its their first real challenge in the playoffs since being pushed to a 7-game series in back-to-back rounds in 2016, there’s no reason to doubt them.
Contrary to what many may believe, Game 5 was NOT a do-or-die situation for the Warriors — especially with the most significant injury likely being cast to Chris Paul at the end of game 5. The Warriors will theoretically have a good chance of winning Game 6 at home, at full strength or not.
Mike D'Antoni on Chris Paul's Game 6 status: "We'll see. He'll be evaluated. If he's there, great. If he isn't, we've got enough guys." Doesn't sound optimistic.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 25, 2018
After that, the Warriors will have a good shot at stealing another game in Houston in Game 7, hopefully benefiting from a few days recovery.
The Warriors could all but have clinched another title with a Game 5 victory in Houston, but at least this long-anticipated Western Conference Finals showdown has been the furthest thing from disappointing.