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Warriors advance to fourth straight Finals with Game 7 win

By Derek Tahara

Golden State Warriors (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors advanced to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals riding the backs of their two MVPs, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in a do-or-die Game 7 against the Houston Rockets.

The Golden State Warriors, in particular Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, emerged from the Lazarus pit to help lead a comeback against the Houston Rockets in the third quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors would eventually go on to win 101-92 to advance to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals.

The defending champions came out sluggish. They looked lackadaisical and played with surprisingly little energy.

Golden State looked confused at times in the first half and the effort did not seem to be there. The Warriors trailed by as much as 15 points. They trailed by 11 at halftime, 54-43.

Then, the third quarter happened.

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This just so happens to be the quarter where the Warriors lay death blow after death blow. It is almost like the stars are put in cryogenic tanks injecting them with a special serum that will help them play better and that’s exactly what it looked like when the third quarter started.

Curry and Durant got going in the third quarter.

At the half, Curry had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Durant had 13 points on 4-of-9, including 2-of-6 from three and an uncharacteristic 3-of-6 from the charity stripe in the first two quarters.

Curry produced a vintage third quarter explosion scoring 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Durant got it going as well in the quarter scoring 10 points. In the third period, the Warriors would shoot 7-of-12 from beyond the arc, while the Rockets would go 0-of-14 from the three-point line.

It was the third quarter performances by the two MVP’s that would help lead the Warriors back to the NBA Finals.

Curry would go on to finish just one rebound shy of a triple-double with 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Durant ended Game 7 with 34 points, five rebounds and five assists on 11-of-21 shooting.

Klay Thompson finished with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Draymond Green had a stat-stuffing night with 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

The presumptive MVP, Houston’s James Harden, had 32 points on 12-of-29 shooting, including an abysmal 2-of-13 behind the three-point line. Filling in for the injured Chris Paul, guard Eric Gordon produced 23 points on 9-of-22 shooting, including an awful 2-of-12 from beyond the arc. Rockets big man Clint Capela had 20 points and nine rebounds.

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The Rockets shot a poor 7-of-44 from beyond the arc on the night. At one point, Houston missed 27 straight three-point shots (an NBA record) until PJ Tucker hit a corner three ending the ice-cold drought. However, the Warriors had seized control of the game by then and did not let go of the rope.

The defending champs now turn their attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that has been riddled with more questions than answers about their roster. But they are led by one of the greatest players of all time in LeBron James.

The championship is there for the Warriors to take. All they have to do is snatch the crown and jewelry away from James.

Next: NBA Finals Schedule: Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Notes: The Warriors are the first team in NBA history to win multiple elimination games in the same series despite trailing by 10-or-more at halftime.

The Warriors overcame an 11-point halftime deficit (54-43), the largest by a road team to win a Game 7 in NBA postseason history. (via @WarriorsPR)

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