The Rockets had all the opportunity in the world. It was as if the basketball gods had sent them a ticket to the Western Conference Finals, but they threw it away. After superstar Kevin Durant went down with a calf strain in game 5, the rockets had a clear advantage. Both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were off their game, and KD had been carrying the Warriors for the first chunk of the round. In game 5, they allowed Curry and Klay to detonate and lost.
Still, all hope was not lost. They had a game 6, in Houston, and Durant was still ruled out, If they won the game, they could go back to Oakland for a game 7. For the first half of the game, it was working well. They were tied, but Steph Curry was scoreless with 3 fouls. It was the hot hand of Klay Thompson that was keeping Golden State in it. If Houston could limit Thompson, game 6 was theirs. They had a strong 3rd quarter, and were up by 5 going into the fourth although Curry had scored 10 points.
Then, the fourth quarter happened. The #StrengthInNumbers Warriors from before KD put on a show. Curry went off for 23 points in the fourth period alone. The Splash Brothers put the Rockets away with back to back threes with just under two minutes left. The Warriors rejoiced, and it was one of their best wins of the season, beating a huge rival on the road.
It raises the question: Are the Warriors better without Kevin Durant? While they may not be better, they certainly play a nicer brand of basketball. Rather than clearing out and letting KD isolate, the Warriors move fluidly, and operated off of screens and off ball motion. This is the type of pass heavy basketball that often leads to success. Particularly, the Splash Bros benefit from this offense. They do not have to just be catch and shoot players in this offense, and Curry and Thompson can show off their skills. This could factor in to Klay Thompson's free agency. He is set to hit the open market this summer, and if KD resigns, Thompson might be compelled to sign with his own team where he is the primary scoring option.
Houston has now lost to Golden State in the playoffs four times in the last five years. They need to change something in their system to overcome the hump that is the Warriors. The Rockets had every reason to win this series but proved that they couldn't handle it.
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