Warriors Tonight: Time to put up, or pack for Cancun

[embedded content]

THE ESSENTIALS

Game 6 Tipoff: 6 p.m. Sunday at Oracle Arena. TV: TNT. Radio: KGMZ 95.7 “The Game” in Oakland and San Francisco, KRTY 95.3 in San Jose, KION 1460 and 101.1 in Salinas and Monterey.

SERIES RECAP

Game 1: After a 56-56 tie through the first 24 minutes, the Warriors used a typically strong third quarter to take out the Rockets 119-106 and snatch homecourt advantage in the series opener. Golden State used a 27-14 run in the third to take an 85-72 lead and was never seriously threatened after that. Kevin Durant had 37 points and Klay Thompson 28. James Harden scored 41 for the Rockets.

Game 2: After having its offense bog down in Game 1 because of too much isolation, Houston opened things up and unleashed other aspects of its offense while rolling to a 127-105 victory. Harden and Eric Gordon led the way with 27 points each, but they were aided by big games from P.J. Tucker (22 points with five 3-pointers) and Trevor Ariza (19 points while staying out of foul trouble). Tucker and Ariza combined to shoot 15 for 18 from the field, including 6 for 9 from long range (and, yes, that means they were 9 for 9 on 2-pointers). Durant scored 38 points but had five turnovers.

Game 3: The Warriors started strong (taking a 54-43 lead at halftime), blew the game open in one of their patented incendiary third quarters (34-24) and demolished the Rockets in the final quarter (38-18) to take a 2-1 lead in the series with a triumph of historic proportions. The 31-point margin represented the largest victory in Warriors postseason history, and the most lopsided loss in the Rockets’ postseason history. Steph Curry lead all scorers with 35 points (18 in the third quarter). So stoked was Curry that he dropped an expletive after scoring on a one-handed floater. (After the game his mother suggested he should wash his mouth out with soap.) Golden State committed just eight turnovers, while causing 19. Kevin Durant scored 25 for the Warriors. James Harden scored 20 to lead the Rockets, who shot 39.5 percent (11-of-34 from beyond the arc).

Game 4: The Rockets re-established home-court advantage, weathering a torrid start by the Warriors to tie the series 2-2 with a 95-92 victory. Houston overcame a 12-0 Warriors blitzkreig to start to the game, forging a 53-46 lead at halftime. The Warriors, playing without Andre Iguodala (knee contusion), sprinted to a 10-point lead after three quarters, only to have the Rockets outscore them 25-12 in the final 12 minutes. The Warriors had a chance to tie at the end of the game. Trailing by 2 points and with 11.6 seconds remaining after a defensive stop, the Warriors opted to not call a time out. With Kevin Durant on the dribble, all five Warriors wound up on left side of the front court. Klay Thompson had to force a contested turn-around jumper which never had a chance.

Game 5: This time it was the Rockets, back in the Summit, who grabbed the early momentum, charging to a 19-10 lead. As the Rockets had done at Oracle in Game 4, the Warriors fought back to tie the game at halftime. The second half was tight and tense, with offense tough to come by. The Warriors shot 44.4 percent to Houston’s 37.2 percent, but negated that statistical advantage by committing 16 turnovers to the Rockets’ 10. Once again the Warriors played without Andre Iguodala, and once again they had a last-gasp possession that went awry. This time they called time out trailing by 2 points with 6.7 seconds left. But Stephen Curry’s pass skittered away from Draymond Green. The victory ended on an ominous note for the Rockets, who saw Chris Paul limp off the court with a strained right hamstring that will keep him out of Game 6.

REMAINING SERIES SCHEDULE

Game 6: Saturday at Golden State, 6 p.m. TNT
Game 7: Monday at Houston, 6 p.m., TNT

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY

Saturday will mark the Warriors’ 78th postseason game in the Steve Kerr era. It will be just the fifth in which they looked elimination in the mush. On the bright side, they won three of those games — all against Oklahoma City two years ago. Of concern, they lost one against Cleveland in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals. And at this point, it only takes one loss to get bounced.

SICK BAY

The Rockets have declared guard Chris Paul out of Game 6 with a right hamstring strain. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Friday morning, “I have no idea” if Andre Iguodala, nursing a knee contusion, will be able to play. It’s a distressingly familiar scenario for both. Iguodala sat out 17 games during the season and has missed three games during the playoffs. His absence is felt. Said former Warriors coach Mike Montgomery before Game 4, “You don’t know he’s out there until he’s not out there. He does so many things. He’s so smart. He’s simply out there to make everybody else better. He’s like an orchestra conductor making sure every guy is taken care of. He’s special.” Paul, in his first season with Houston, has a star-crossed history of injuries in the postseason. His absence will play havoc with Houston coach Mike D’Antoni’s tight, seven-man mega-minutes rotation. It also will shine a light on MVP candidate James Harden, who has gone dry beyond the arc (18 percent the past four games; 0-for-11 in Game 5).

STARTING OVER

The Warriors had their 14-game home playoff win streak dashed in Game 4. The streak was one win shy of the record set by the Chicago Bulls from April 27, 1990 to May 21, 1991. It will take the Warriors at least until next year’s Western Conference finals (presuming an exhausting run of seven-game series).

LOOKING AHEAD

The winner of this series will advance to the NBA Finals and meet the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between No. 2 Boston and No. 4 Cleveland. In Game 6 on Friday night, the Cavaliers dodged elimination and forced a climactic Game 7 with a 109-99 victory in Cleveland. LeBron James scored a game-high 46 points, his seventh 40-point performance in an elimination game, adding 11 rebounds and nine assists. Game 7 is in Boston on Sunday (5:30 p.m., ESPN). The Cavaliers will be attempting to advance to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive season. The Celtics are seeking their first NBA Finals berth since 2010.

Let's block ads! (Why?)