As the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets, 103-89, in a win-or-go-home Game 7 of their first-round matchup, their ability to overcome Houston's daunting double-big lineup could prove to be a massive development as they advance to the next round.
While the team's star duo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler held their own, scoring 22 and 20 points respectively, it was streaky perimeter shooter Buddy Hield that was the difference-maker for the Warriors on the night, scoring 33 points on 81.8% shooting from 3-point range.
Now, as Golden State moves on to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the next round, their ability to leverage their perimeter shooting, and overcome their biggest challenge of the young postseason, could prove to be a massive boon in their chances to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Warriors have now proven they can overcome their opponents' greatest weapon
The Warriors' matchup with the Rockets was overwhelmingly physical throughout almost the entirety of its seven games, and this was, in part, a direct result of Houston's continual ability to employ their double-big lineup of Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun in the moments with the highest leverage.
Coming into the series, both teams knew that this could be a potential X-factor, as the Rockets were +32 when Sengun and Adams were on the floor. However, it was also thought that Curry, with his dynamic off-ball movement and shooting prowess, could force the Rockets to limit their use of a lineup that had such potential to prey on the Golden State's weaknesses.
Instead, apart from their occasional strategy of repeatedly fouling Adams, the Warriors were largely unable to play their opponents' double-big lineup off the floor, and, as a result, were bodied in the paint and on the offensive glass for much of the series.
However, in Game 7, they were able to keep their ball movement fluid through Houston's zone defense and make the relatively open shots that resulted, forcing the Rockets to take the pairing off the floor in the game's most pivotal moments.
As they move on to play the Timberwolves, who just defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games largely as a result of the Lakers' inability to deal with their opponents' size and interior presence, Golden State now has a new confidence that they can overcome the size and strength that is thrown against them.
While the Timberwolves have four rotation players who are six-foot-nine or taller, including Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, such a matchup no longer appears to be a death sentence for a small-ball Warriors team.