I couldn’t bear to watch the end of Game 5 of the Rockets- Warriors series. After Quinn Cook missed the wide-open three that could have put the Warriors up by two, I ran out of the room, went downstairs, and looked aimlessly through the fridge, trying to waste as much time as possible so I could come back to the game after it was over.
Yet, I couldn’t not bear to watch the game, either. The excitement was too much. So I ran back upstairs to see Trevor Ariza miss one of two free throws with 10 seconds left, which gave the Warriors an opportunity to tie with a two-pointer or to win the game with a three.
The anxiety got to me, and I ran away again. The second time I ran away, I went to my little brother, who was playing Fortnite in the next room. When he tried to start a conversation, I told him to shut up and put on the game on his phone. It managed to load just as Draymond Green turned the ball over to solidify Houston’s 3-2 series lead against the reigning NBA champions. I ran around the house creaming “HE TURNED IT OVER! OH MY GOD! I TOLD HIM THAT FAKE BEARD WOULD BETRAY HIM.”
I’m not a fan of either team, but the tension of the game, and especially that ending, made me super jittery. It took me almost an hour to come down after it was over.
This game, like so many in this series, was ugly. There were so many dumb turnovers, bad shots, and ridiculous misses. Two of the best offensive teams of all time have devolved into static offenses bailed out by players heaving up shots in hope and desperation.
It was also amazing.
This series is giving us the conflict that was absent last year as the Warriors walked through the playoffs without ever being tested. It’s what those of us underwhelmed by the Kevin Durant Warriors have been craving all along — real and exciting competition. A challenge for the super team of super teams.
The idea that the Warriors should have been appreciated because of their basketball greatness as they swept aside team after team is understandable. Watching anything done that well is its own kind of art. It was always silly to criticize the Warriors for signing Durant or for Durant for going to the Bay, because the goal of each was to win the title and their marriage made the effort easier. It’s the same with every team and every player.
The counter-argument to enjoying these Warriors was never about wanting parity. It was about wanting competition. The Warriors aren’t the first super team the NBA has ever seen, but they are unprecedented in their makeup and even their offensive firepower. They didn’t just feel inevitable, they made the whole journey to the title seem pointless last year. The desire was for something like this series — something that made for a good story, a true challenge, regardless if the Warriors persevere in the end.
What the Warriors did last year lacked the essential part of any good story, which is a driving force behind sporting events. There was no true conflict. No drama. There was no adversity. Not even in the Finals, where they lost one game after taking a 3-0 lead.
The Warriors perfection at the time was like so many novels about a sad middle-class male author who uses everyone else to find some excitement in a world that bores him. These stories are well-executed and technically great, but with nothing to push the characters and force them to change and adapt, they can only be appreciated by how well the story is sweetened — not how good the story actually is. Without the Warriors being pushed to the edge and out of their comfort zone, you learn nothing about what they’re truly capable of doing.
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As a neutral, these are the games that make me to run away, come back, run away, and come back again. Not the ones that feature amazing individual an team skill, but the ones where both teams have beaten each other down so much that they have to reach even deeper to find a way to win. I live for the games where the superstars can show what separates them from the rest of the pack, where the coaches have to find new ideas to give their teams an edge. The games that hang on a Quinn Cook three when I least expect it. The games with a legit fight the offers the possibility of the stronger team being overcome.
The Warriors and the Rockets present each other with the chance to add so much depth to their stories. Game 5 alone had many different storylines with twists and turns. The absence of Andre Iguodala, which emphasized the importance of the glue guys. Clint Capela proving his worth. The Warriors dependency on Durant’s prodigious individual scoring ability coming back to bite them. Durant’s own disappearing act that brought up doubts about his tenacity. Stephen Curry’s lack of involvement late, triggering questions about his health and the questions about the questions about his health. Chris Paul’s initial disappearance, which recalled old criticisms from the days before he made the conference finals, later shattered with heroic shots in the 4th. And, of course, his own health issues going forward. Paul getting retribution to Curry’s shimmy earlier in the series in the most poetic way possible. Harden’s terrible game that falls in line with the adage of him going quiet in critical games. Eric Gordon coming in to save the day. Green’s turnover at the end that betrayed his usual confidence and composure.
The Warriors are uncomfortable. The Rockets are uncomfortable. Neither can reach their best because the other is forcing them to be at their worst. Each bucket has gravity. Heroes, villains, and scapegoats are changing places almost every quarter. Everyone is on the edge.
This game also sets the stage for even greater stakes in Game 6. Will Paul be able to play? Will Durant and Curry step up to lead the Warriors to a win and then a potential game 7 victory? Can Harden validate his potential MVP award with a standout performance like he delivered in the first half of Game 4? What will the answers to all these questions mean a month from now, a year from now, 15 years from now?
The Rockets have dragged the Warriors back into the land of uncertainty, where the imagination of the audience is allowed to run wild and entertain different possibilities. The Rockets can potentially shake up the NBA world by bringing down its giant, or the Warriors can truly show how incredible they are and can be.
What else could you ask for as a sports fan?
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