HOUSTON — HOUSTON – Maybe Chris Paul would have been the difference.
Maybe these Houston Rockets, who so fearlessly decided last summer to take on the basketball bully that is the Golden State Warriors, would be NBA Finals-bound now if their Hall of Fame-bound point guard could have played in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night.
But as Paul sat there watching the Warriors’ 101-92 win unfold at the Toyota Center, his hamstring holding him back and his voice only carrying so far from the sideline, he was likely thinking the same thing as the rest of the viewing public: How could these Rockets go this cold? The Warriors defense woke up in the second half, but Houston failed miserably at its greatest skill when it mattered most: seven-of-44 from three-point range in all, and say hello to your summertime.
The Warriors, who trailed by as many as 15 points in their sluggish first half, are headed back to the NBA Finals for a fourth consecutive time to face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1. DURANT CLOSES THE DEAL
Better late than never, Rockets guard Eric Gordon (23 points, six assists) started attacking the rim midway through the fourth quarter when all those threes wouldn’t fall. But after his layup cut Golden State’s lead to 89-83, Warriors star Kevin Durant avoided an offseason of intense criticism by pushing back in the best way he knows how. He hit a midrange jumper to put Golden State up eight, then rose up over Gordon for another not long after that kept Houston at bay.
In all, Durant had nine of his 34 points in the fourth quarter.
2. THREE-POINT DEBACLE
From the 6:43 mark in the second quarter to the 6:27 mark in the fourth, the Rockets missed 27 consecutive three-pointers. It was a staggering sight, with no one struggling more than veteran swingman Trevor Ariza (0-for-12 overall, and 0-for-9 from beyond the arc). James Harden wasn’t much better, missing 11 of his 13 threes (32 points, six rebounds, six assists in all) while Gordon missed 10 of 12.
The Warriors had no such problems, hitting 16 of their 39 threes. Klay Thompson, survived serious foul trouble early, hit three from long range and finished with 19 points.
3. ANOTHER VINTAGE WARRIORS THIRD QUARTER
The Warriors are just devastating in the third quarter, and they picked the perfect time to continue that trend. Not only did Steph Curry come out on fire, hitting four threes-pointers while scoring 14 of his 27 points in that soul-sucking way that only he can. But the Rockets, whose system depends so heavily on their ability to make the most of the three-point shot, couldn’t find the net from long range.
They missed all 14 of their attempts in the third, with Ariza missing five while Harden and Gordon missed three apiece. And twelve minutes later, after Golden State won the quarter 33-15, the Warriors’ 11-point deficit was a seven-point lead.
4. ROCKETS LIFT OFF EARLY
When Eric Gordon drove the length of the floor for a layup at the buzzer that put Houston up 54-43, it was a fitting ending to the first half. All the Warriors had to do was defend for five seconds, and they’d enter the second half with a single-digit deficit that so often disappears at the feet of their vaunted offense.
But Gordon raced past Nick Young and Shaun Livingston, then barreled by Kevin Durant in the lane before his shot went over those long, outstretched arms, and it was clear yet again which team wanted this more. The evidence was everywhere.
- The Rockets had 11 offensive rebounds, with P.J. Tucker (five) and Clint Capela (three) doing most of that impressive damage. While it only led to nine second-chance points because Houston shot just four of 14 on those chances, it was the kind of effort that demoralizes an opponent.
- The Warriors had 10 turnovers, and not just because they were sloppy with the ball. The Rockets were aggressive, jumping lanes and stripping balls from the opening jump. Harden had four steals on his own, with Tucker and Ariza grabbing two apiece.
- Talk about a lack of focus in the moment: Klay Thompson and Durant combining for five missed free throws in the first half? Hit those, and the Rockets’ lead would have been just six with their best quarter coming up next.
- The 50-50 balls were more like 80-20 balls in Houston’s favor, and their sheer will made up for what was an otherwise ugly first half offensively. Capela was a huge factor, hitting seven of eight shots for 14 of his 20 points in the first half.
