The Splash Brothers came through for the Warriors with their season on the line, and the fun in this series shall continue for one more day.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry looked exhausted. After running nearly a mile and a half on defense in the Golden State Warriors ‘ 115-86 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night, there wasn’t much left in the tank as he walked to his locker after the game.
Curry grabbed a chocolate protein shake, downed the entire box in one swig, then tossed it left-handed into a nearby trash can. Like the 12 shots he made in this elimination game, it was a perfect swish.
“I learned that from LeBron [James],” Curry joked. “I saw him on the sidelines drinking a bottle of water and he downed it in one sip.”
Editor’s Picks Splash Brothers outscore the Rockets in second half, force Game 7
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 11 3-pointers for the Warriors in the second half of Game 6 to turn a double-digit deficit into a blowout victory. Klay-day: Warriors star evokes Game 6 heroics
Klay Thompson hit nine 3-pointers to lead the Warriors to victory in a must-win Game 6 against the Rockets, a performance that coach Steve Kerr described as “fantastic.” Rockets ‘still confident’ despite CP3 uncertainty
James Harden and Gerald Green were among those who emphasized the Rockets’ confidence heading into a decisive Game 7 on their home court, even as star point guard Chris Paul’s status remains in doubt because of a hamstring strain.
2 Related
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 11 3-pointers for the Warriors in the second half of Game 6 to turn a double-digit deficit into a blowout victory.
Klay Thompson hit nine 3-pointers to lead the Warriors to victory in a must-win Game 6 against the Rockets, a performance that coach Steve Kerr described as “fantastic.”
James Harden and Gerald Green were among those who emphasized the Rockets’ confidence heading into a decisive Game 7 on their home court, even as star point guard Chris Paul’s status remains in doubt because of a hamstring strain.
Like James on Friday night, Curry and his fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson seemed to find extra energy with their teams facing elimination and everyone else exhausted after what has been an epic defensive series for both teams.
Curry poured in 29 points on 12-for-23 shooting, and Thompson reprised his Game 6 heroics from two years ago against Oklahoma City by scoring a game-high 35 points on 13-of-23 shooting. The Warriors rallied back against a Rockets team that led by 17 points at the end of the first quarter.
“Just pure adrenaline right now,” Curry said.
Curry ended up running 1.44 miles on defense, a result of the Warriors continuing to switch on almost every pick-and-roll defensively, and the Rockets running through pick-and-rolls until they can get MVP front-runner James Harden matched onto Curry. According to Second Spectrum, that’s a quarter mile more than any other Warriors defender and the most he has run in any game all season.
“You can get tired a little bit here and there during the game, but there’s no excuse for not appreciating the moment,” Curry said. “I looked over at [Rockets forward] Trevor Ariza in the middle of the fourth quarter and we just both said to each other, ‘This is fun; this is what you love about NBA basketball.’ If you can’t push through for 48 minutes in this type of environment, you don’t love the game.”
Steph Curry talks about how the Warriors were able to turn things around in the second half and how they plan to approach Game 7.
Indeed, after the Warriors rallied back to win Saturday night, the NBA will be treated to Game 7s in both conference finals for the first time since 1979, when the Washington Bullets beat the San Antonio Spurs and the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Phoenix Suns. This time, James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Boston Celtics on Sunday night, and the Warriors will travel to Houston for Game 7 on Monday night.
Shakedown 1979
With the Boston Celtics hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East and the Houston Rockets hosting the Golden State Warriors in the West, this is the first time since May 17-18,1979 that both conference finals series have gone to a Game 7 (Washington Bullets beat the San Antonio Spurs; Seattle SuperSonics beat the Phoenix Suns). The NBA, and the world, was a much different place.
1979 COMMENT
Washington Bullets Now known as Washington Wizards
San Antonio Spurs Were in Eastern Conference in 1979
Seattle SuperSonics Franchise relocated and renamed Oklahoma City Thunder
3-point line Not introduced in NBA until 1979-80 season
ESPN Network did not exist until Sept. 7,1979
NCAA tournament Featured Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
LeBron James Not born for another five-plus years (Dec. 30,1984)
With the Boston Celtics hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East and the Houston Rockets hosting the Golden State Warriors in the West, this is the first time since May 17-18,1979 that both conference finals series have gone to a Game 7 (Washington Bullets beat the San Antonio Spurs; Seattle SuperSonics beat the Phoenix Suns). The NBA, and the world, was a much different place.
“I mean, if you asked us when we were in the Bahamas this summer, this team together [would have] a Game 7 to go to the Finals against the Warriors, we’ll take that,” said Harden, who finished with 32 points, 9 assists in 7 rebounds in 40 minutes.
“There’s no pressure. It’s an opportunity, an opportunity that we’re all excited to be a part of. Game 7 at our house, that’s what we’ve worked the entire regular season for, to get the home-court advantage.”
Draymond Green says in the second half the Warriors flipped a switch and played as if their lives were “on the line.”
With point guard Chris Paul sidelined because of a right hamstring injury, Harden had to carry the majority of the load for the Rockets on Saturday night. It probably will be the same Monday night, as Paul’s injury is believed to be serious enough to either keep him out of the game altogether, or severely limited.
The Rockets had been 15-9 in games in which Paul didn’t play, but that was in the regular season. In the playoffs, particularly in Games 4 and 5, the future Hall of Famer has basically willed the Rockets to wins with savvy playmaking, impossible shot-making and stout defense. Without him Saturday, Houston had to play reserve Gerald Green 26 minutes, and super sub Eric Gordon had to start and play 34 minutes. Both showed signs of fatigue, with Gordon uncharacteristically missing three of four free throws in the third quarter and missing three of four field goals in the second half. Gordon made 6-of-8 field goals and all four 3-point attempts in a 16-point first half.
Indeed, the whole Rockets team seemed to slow down in the second half. After scoring 19 fast-break points in the first quarter and 21 for the first half — Houston’s highest total in any game of the playoffs — the Rockets managed only three fast-break points in the second half.
Some of that was fatigue, yes. Some of that was the Warriors’ defense, which made a point of stopping the transition game and forcing the ball out of Harden’s hands when he tried to drive into the paint.
