The story of Icarus flying too close to the sun has become as much a fixture in pop culture as it is in Greek mythology. It's a tale of a man who escaped from Theseus' labyrinth, and in the simplest of terms, believed his own hype. He ignored all warnings about the delicate nature of the wings that Daedalus had constructed, and ultimately flew too close to the sun—allowing the wax to melt, the wings to become ineffective, and the sea below to become his permanent resting place.
The Icarus comparison has admittedly been made ad nauseum in sports, but in the case of the 2024-25 Golden State Warriors, it's never felt quite so appropriate.
Golden State continues to be led by Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr. As four-time NBA champions, that trio has escaped many a labyrinth in their day. With the trade deadline addition of future Hall of Famer Jimmy Butler, it seemed all the more likely that those adventures would continue.
The narrative grew ever stronger when the Warriors won Game 4, thus pulling ahead for a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs,
Unfortunately, much as it proved to be Icarus' downfall, hubris has threatened to jeopardize the Warriors' capacity for flight. Golden State entered Game 5 with an opportunity to put the series away in Houston, but it seemingly opted to punt the outing in favor of attempting to end the series at home in Game 6.
Much as the Los Angeles Clippers learned in 2015 against none other than the Rockets, teams that are willing to give away games in a postseason series often live to regret it.
Warriors punted Game 5, gambled on Game 6, and now face a Game 7
It may seem harsh to say that Golden State tapped out before it was necessary in Game 5, but the signs certainly pointed in that direction. The Warriors were lifeless from the start, failing to show a visible sense of urgency as the Rockets pulled ahead for a 40-24 first-quarter lead.
Houston ultimately went into halftime leading 76-49—a baffling development considering the Rockets failed to score their 76th point in Game 4 until there was 1:29 left in the third quarter.
Clearly, each game is different. Game 5, however, was particularly noteworthy due to what Golden State refused to do. It began with the low energy levels, the nonchalant defense, and the fact that Butler, Curry, and Green played a combined 66 minutes.
It ended with the Warriors cutting the Rockets' lead to 14 points with 6:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, only for Kerr to opt against bringing Butler, Curry, or Green back in for a single second of action.
The message sent was clear: Golden State was confident that it could return home for Game 6 and do what it'd done so many times before. With their legendary crowd supporting their every move, the Warriors would ride a vintage Curry performance, and if all else failed, replace Game 6 Klay with Playoff Jimmy as they ventured on to the second round.
Instead, the Rockets managed to ride the wave of momentum established in Game 5 and utilized the most baffling of lineups to win Game 6.
Houston didn't shoot at an unsustainable rate. It buried 44.9 percent of its field goals and a great but not otherworldly 40.0 percent of its threes. Instead, it dared to play Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun alongside one another, bullied the undersized Warriors inside, and scored 10 more points in the paint than Golden State in an eight-point win.
Game 7 can heal all wounds, but for now, Icarus is falling toward the sea. If only the Warriors had known better than to enter into a Rocket's orbit with wax wings.