Blue Man Hoop
Fansided

Golden State Warriors show championship pedigree versus Houston

By Tony Pesta

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 25: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors drives towards the basket on James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on December 25, 2019 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 25: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors drives towards the basket on James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on December 25, 2019 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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In shocking fashion, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day.

I’ll be the first one to admit, I was wrong about the Golden State Warriors.

Heading into their Christmas Day matchup with the Houston Rockets, few had expectations of the Warriors walking away victoriously. Personally, I thought there was a better chance of James Harden breaking the Xmas day scoring record than the Dubs stealing a win.

The Warriors have been sitting at the bottom of the league standings for most of the season. With Kevin Durant gone and significant injuries to both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, this Dubs team is far different from the one we’ve become familiar with.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have only grown stronger talent-wise with the addition of 2017 MVP, Russell Westbrook. Together, this MVP backcourt has won 21 games and holds the fourth-best record in the West.

Even with the odds stacked against the Warriors, they once again upset the Rockets. Much like it always does, the Dubs championship pedigree helped them best the Rockets.

To keep it simple, the Warriors play harder than the Rockets. For years, the Dubs have managed to overcome adversity against Houston by simply fighting harder. Even when they faced a 3-2 deficit in 2018 or an injury to Kevin Durant in 2019, the Dubs prevailed.

Though the talent level between these two teams has changed drastically, there will always be one thing separating these two squads. Steve Kerr has demanded nothing short of a championship effort from his team and it paid off on Christmas Day.

Sadly, the Rockets will go on to have a more successful 2019-20 NBA season. The Warriors will likely finish at the bottom of the league and draft in the lottery this summer.

However, next season, we will get to see this dynasty back in full swing with a healthy roster.

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