No Durant, No Problem.
With the Golden State Warriors losing Kevin Durant in Game 5 with an apparent, potentially season-ending injury, the Houston Rockets had the upper edge on winning this series. However, the outcome of the result of game 6 was rather disappointing for the Houston Rockets as, the Golden State Warriors came out with the victory of, 118-113.
The Captivating headline of Game 6 was, the outstanding performance of Stephen Curry. In the first half, Curry was struggling to shoot the ball as he was, 0-5 from the field and 0-3 from the line. The constant fouling of Curry also was a factor as he was already in foul trouble in the first 12 minutes of the game. Although Curry was having apparent struggles in the first half, Klay Thompson managed to keep the team alive. Having Klay going for an impressive 21 point performance in the first half with 8-15 from the field and going 5-9 from the behind the arc, it gave the Warriors a chance to be alive. With the half-time score being 57-57 at the half, the Houston Rockets had to change something in order to take the game in their home court. However, with the explosive performance of Steph Curry in the second half, it gave the warriors that momentum and strive to take home the win. Curry went from being scoreless in the first half and being in foul trouble too, going for an impressive run of, 33 points with 9-10 from the field and 4-7 from behind the arc in just the second half. His overall shooting was 9-15 from the field and 4-9 from past the arc.
What this game reminded us all about was, Steph Curry is still one of the most elite players in the NBA. Having Durant sign with the warriors in the off-season of 2016, Steph Curry was, in essence, pushed aside from the spotlight of the Golden State Warriors. It almost feels as if we have forgotten what Stephan Curry can do on the court as his offense strives towards the game is an art that no one else can even come close to replicating in the NBA. What this game presented to all of us was, the fact that on one side we have a very dominant player, in fact, one of the best talents in the NBA that we have not seen in a while since prime Kobe Bryant which is, James Harden and; as Lebron James stated last night
“NEVER underestimate the heart of a champion!!!!”
What Should Houston Do Next?
Although the Warriors surprised many people across the world, more specifically Stephen Curry and his incredible second-half performance, it is safe to say that Houston is currently questioning what they can do in order to change next years outcome. With Houston once again falling to the Golden State Warriors for a second straight season, something needs to change or does it? Having Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson becoming free agents this year; many teams are going to have a lot of leverage to make the NBA more competitive and fair. With Golden State potentially breaking their dynasty roster, it gives Houston a higher edge to not only beat the warriors but to also make the NBA finals. With the talent of James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela, and Eric Gordan, it is going to be tough to overthrown them coming next year considering; Harden's stat line this year of, 36.1 pts, 7.5 assists, and 6.6 rebounds. Considering that the bulk of the cap space is dedicated to those four players, Houston must have seen something that no one else saw considering their wage. With that being said, not only will James Harden attempt to duplicate his historical season next year, he will come into next season with vengeance on his shoulder. Harden is hungry to take his career to the next level which is why Harden is going to feed off of this semi-conference finals loss.
Overall the thing that can be said about this Houston Rockets team is, that yes they suffered another tough loss in a second straight post-season, however, should not feel discouraged as many doors plan to open in the Western Conference for not only the Rockets but for the rest of the competing teams. The reality is, the Golden Warriors dynasty could come to a close this off-season due to the chance of losing players like Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. With that being said, the worst possible thing that the Houston Rockets could do is, change the dynamic of the roster as they have not been given a fair chance. The Warriors have been in the spotlight for the past five seasons with the overwhelming amount of stars they have accumulated in the last five years. That era is coming to close which gives the Houston Rockets leverage on becoming the new potential dynasty in the Western Conference. Players like Chris Paul and Eric Gordon are not getting any younger as they are both in their 30’s which is a clear indicator that time is running out. However, to take Chris Paul and Eric Gordon into consideration as veteran players, they bring that experience factor and leadership. This Houston Rockets team should not feel discouraged from this loss as they still have an MVP caliber player in James Harden, a young athletic center in Clint Capela, a volume scorer of the bench in Eric Gordan, and an all-around natural point guard in Chris Paul. The reality is, Harden is going to be the ball distributor for the team as well as the heart of the offense for this team. Judging from this year, it is safe to say that Harden is going to duplicate what he did this year as he has vengeance and something to prove on his shoulder.