This did not look like the Golden State Warriors team NBA fans have come to know.
The Houston Rockets stole the will of the Warriors in Game 6 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, winning 115-107 and pushing back Golden State for the second consecutive time when the Rockets were facing elimination.
So, now, it’s the Warriors who must go on the road in a winner-take-all Game 7 against a young Houston team that is playing with extreme confidence. All the while, Golden State will try to avoid becoming the 14th team to blow a 3-1 series lead in the playoffs.
Credit the Rockets and coach Ime Udoka for unlocking several schematic advantages the Warriors simply cannot answer. For one, the double-big lineup that features centers Alperen Şengün and Steven Adams on the floor at the same time attacks the most glaring weakness the Warriors have — a lack of height and interior presence. For another, Houston has deployed its speed and athleticism to harass the Warriors on the ball, forcing turnovers and creating easy transition opportunities. Udoka has also sprinkled in a zone defense that Golden State has had a tough time solving.
But beyond that, the Warriors let themselves down with their effort and intensity. Multiple times Friday night, Golden State appeared lethargic, slow and — oddly — unmotivated or defeated.
When Golden State opted to intentionally foul Adams, a 46.2% free throw shooter, to put him on the line, the Warriors gave up two offensive rebounds to Şengün despite expecting Adams misses.
After the Warriors fought back to close the deficit to two points at the end of the third quarter, Golden State was slow to line up after the break, leading to a Fred VanVleet four-point play six seconds into the period. Golden State’s lack of effort spiraled, and it trickled into its offensive operation; the Warriors missed 15 of their first 16 shots in the fourth quarter, allowing the Rockets to build a 17-point lead in the period.
Although coach Steve Kerr said after the game that he did not think fatigue played any role in the loss, Golden State looked very much like a team with multiple aging veterans. And although he stopped short when asked about his team’s effort, Kerr instead pointed to that play at the beginning of the fourth.
“I didn’t like our first half with the turnovers — I think we had 10 — and that’s the key to the whole series, our ball security,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “And so (that) got us off to a rough start in the first half.
“With that said, we’re down two going into the fourth. I thought the key play was the four-point play to start the quarter. That’s on us as a staff. We’ve got to make sure they’re matched up. … That felt like a game-changing play because, like I said (it was) a two-point game and right where we need to be, despite not playing well and turning it over quite a bit.”
The Warriors had been impressive down the stretch after trading for Jimmy Butler in February. But another one of the team’s shortcomings has been the lack of offensive support Stephen Curry and Butler get at times from their teammates. Curry and Butler combined for 56 points; the next leading scorer was Moses Moody with 13.
Back in the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors held a 3-1 lead over LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kerr was the coach and Curry was the star player. That Golden State team squandered the series lead and the Cavaliers took the championship in Game 7.
If the Warriors don’t ramp up their intensity and intention before Sunday, they may blow yet another 3-1 lead.