Warriors back in NBA Finals again after test from Rockets
THE GOLDEN State Warriors, so used to making things look easy, overcame one of their toughest tests to return to the NBA Finals.
They climbed out of huge holes in the last two games of the Western Conference finals to beat Houston, but may have to play in the first half the way they have after half-time if they hope to knock off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and repeat as champions.
“They played a great series, they made us work for everything ... I’m just proud of the way we battled,” Klay Thompson said. “We’ve been through a lot with this team, and believe it or not, it’s not all success with the Warriors.
“We’ve got our bumps throughout the season,” he continued. “But to get to this point again, we earned it.”
Without Andre Iguodala again, the Warriors shook off another terrible first half in Game 7 on Monday night to rally for a 10192 victory that made them the fifth team in NBA history to advance to the finals in four straight seasons.
Golden State trailed by 11 at half-time after being behind at the break by 10 points in Game 6, becoming the first team to win multiple elimination games in the same series when trailing by double digits after two quarters.
Coach Steve Kerr lamented that Golden State’s first half on Monday night was “one of the most bizarre first halves” his team has played since he’s been with the Warriors, and joked that he thought of resigning at halftime before getting serious.
“Our talent took over,” Kerr said. “It’s as simple as that. We’ve got three of the best shotmakers in the league ... we stayed with it.”
The trio — Thompson, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant — combined to score 47 points in the second half to pull away from a Rockets team that missed 27 straight 3-pointers from the second quarter to the halfway mark of the fourth quarter.
“I think it was just a level of experience and maturity from our group that helped us get to the finish line,” Curry said.
The Warriors outlasted the Rockets despite missing Iguodala for the last four games with a bone bruise on his left leg. It’s unclear if the 2015 NBA Finals MVP will return for Game 1 tomorrow, but if he does it will give Golden State a boost in trying to slow down James.
While Golden State certainly are not happy the way they started the last two games, their ability to turn things around in the second half gives the Warriors confidence heading into the next challenge. The Warriors outscored Houston 12263 in the second half of the final two games.
Houston gave them a much bigger test than the Warriors have had in quite some time, and this series was their first with three losses since the Cavaliers won the 2016 finals 4-3.