Houston: a Warriors story

We talked about it leaving this building after Game 5 [down three games to two], this was a part of our story that we hadn't been through before. Our backs against the wall, not having home-court advantage, needing to win two games to keep ourselves alive...   - Steph Curry  (link)


Oh man.  These idiots.  The most gifted team in the universe nearly found a way to lose a seven game series, to a team (with Chris Paul injured) with one legitimate star.

There is an old formula for farce:  "In the first act get your principal character up a tree; in the second act, throw stones at him; in the third, get him down gracefully.”  Games six and seven of the Western Conference Finals followed this recipe to the letter.

In Game 6 the Rockets came out strong and built a 13 point lead, but then tired and the Warriors stormed back, taking the lead in the third quarter and winning by 29 points.

Actual footage of Klay Thompson in Game 6

In Game 7 the Rockets came out strong and built a 17 point lead, but then tired and the Warriors stormed back, taking the lead in the third quarter and winning by 9 points.

Actual footage of Steph Curry in Game 7

Kurtenbach of the San Jose Mercury News writes:

Instead of panicking — instead of succumbing to the weight of the moment and the daunting challenge ahead of them — Golden State tapped into that experience. They knew the script — they trusted the script — and they believed that they had what it took to come back in the biggest game of the year.

The Rockets helped move the plot along by missing 27 consecutive three pointers, including each one they took in the third quarter:

Some say this was just terrible, terrible luck, but note that the Warriors have consistently been one of the best teams defending the three in recent years, and maybe they just decided to try.  Or maybe, like Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender, they actually depowered their enemy in the climactic scene. It's a great path to resolution when the writers have painted themselves into a corner.

In any case, the laws of farce were respected and honored.  In each game Warriors fans truly felt the jig was up in the early going, and then wondered how they could doubt their heroes when the final score was posted.  In the end, the Warriors are what we thought they were: an incredible collection of talent the likes of which the NBA has never seen, which narrowly escapes defeat at the hands of James Harden and Trevor Ariza.  In this series the Warriors took another step on their special journey together, and reportedly even experienced fear before making a whole bunch of three pointers to win the games.

"Obviously stressful, but fun," said Curry.

But what about Houston?  What about their story?  That's the worst part.  They proved they could beat the Warriors.  They were right there, with a lead at halftime in two elimination games, including game seven at home.  And now they go home with nothing, as the goofy, flaky Warriors advance, still turnover-prone, inattentive, and invincible...

(link)