As the Golden State Warriors fell to the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of their first-round matchup, many of their weaknesses, including their serious disadvantage on the glass, came back to haunt them.
The Warriors, as a smaller, aging team, have struggled throughout the series to match the Rockets' intensity and athleticism, and, now, must enter a daunting and avoidable Game 7 in Houston.
As they continue into a win-or-go-home scenario, their biggest weakness might just be insurmountable, resulting in a severely disappointing end to the season for Golden State.
Warriors lack the size to counter Houston's greatest strength
Although the Warriors' two stars, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, played well, scoring 29 and 27 points respectively on the night, it was not enough to overcome their severe deficiencies on both ends of the floor.
In Game 6, Golden State allowed 115 points, including 62 second-half points, to one of the least productive half-court offenses in the NBA, looking slow and tired on defense for most of the night.
This was augmented by an absolutely abysmal fourth quarter in which the Warriors made only two of their first 18 field goal attempts, allowing the Rockets to propel themselves to a 17-point lead that Golden State was not able to overcome.
However, their biggest weakness was exposed through their inability to stop Houston from grabbing huge offensive rebounds and scoring on second-chance opportunities.
Although they grabbed more offensive rebounds than the Rockets on the night, Houston's double-big lineup, featuring Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, dominated the Warriors in the fourth quarter despite their almost complete lack of perimeter shooting.
This was best exemplified when Golden State's tactic of fouling Adams, who is a career 53.3% free-throw shooter, repeatedly backfired in tremendous fashion, with Sengun grabbing two major offensive rebounds on missed free throws.
Moreover, Adams made nine of his 16 free-throw attempts, effectively negating any advantage Golden State might have gained through the strategy.
While, prior to the series, it was thought that the off-ball movement and 3-point shooting prowess of Curry would limit the extent to which the Rockets could employ their double-big lineup, Curry's inability to bypass the swarming Houston defense has allowed the Rockets to continue with their preferred rotation.
If the Warriors' intense performers, including Butler and Draymond Green, cannot make it harder on Houston's big men on the glass, they could be kissing their season goodbye come Sunday night.
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