Warriors v Cavs, again
Stephen Curry and Golden State turned all those Houston bricks into a road back to the NBA Finals.
Needing not only all their firepower but also 27 straight misses by the Rockets during an epic cold streak from three-point range, the Warriors rallied on to keep alive their hopes for a repeat.
Kevin Durant scored 34 points, Curry sparked another thirdquarter turnaround, and the Warriors earned a fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals by beating the Rockets 101-92 in game seven of the Western Conference finals yesterday. The defending champions trailed by as many as 15 in the first half after falling behind 17 in game six.
Curry scored 14 of Golden State’s 33 points in the third quarter as Houston’s shooting didn’t just go cold, it froze. The Rockets missed all 14 three-point attempts in that quarter as part of a 1-for-21 second half from long range.
The Warriors will host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one on Friday in the fourth straight matchup between the teams.
The Rockets fell apart in the second half again after doing so in game six. The Warriors outscored Houston 122-63 in the second half of the final two games.
‘‘It’s amazing how long the NBA game is,’’ Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ‘‘Forty-eight minutes, it lasts a long time and there’s so many opportunities to get yourself going as a team. And with our team, there’s just so much firepower, we’re going to get going.’’