The Rockets Keeping Their Season Alive And Forcing Another Game 7 Is Yet Another Gift From The Basketball Gods
Noah Graham. Getty Images.Look, I'm not greedy. All I asked for was that one of the series between NYK/DET, DEN/LAC, and HOU/GS to give us a Game 7. While all three would have been nice, really all I needed was one. The Playoffs just don't feel like the playoffs without the pressure of a Game 7.
So for us to now have two separate Game 7s? And my favorite team isn't participating in either one so I can just sit back and enjoy the chaos stress free? Let's GO!!!
If you're someone whose team is playing in these Game 7s? I'm praying for you. You're life is hell right now, so my heart goes out to you.
But for the rest of us? I love this for us. The perfect way to end what was a fantastic opening round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. I'm getting chills just thinking about it and I don't even give a shit who wins either game.
So how did we get here? You have to admit, once the Warriors went up 3-1, you probably said to yourself that their series was over. The Rockets can't score, the Warriors have momentum, Playoff Jimmy and Steph Curry. They have the experience and the pedigree.
This series is what rules about the playoffs. While everything I said above is true about GS, the beauty of the playoffs is these games come down to problem solving. Do you present a problem that your opponent cannot solve 4 out of 7 times?
That question is exactly how the Rockets clawed their way back into this series and brought us to this Game 7.
It starts with their defense. The question the Warriors have to answer is can they generate enough offense and shooting outside of Steph Curry so that the Rockets cannot load up on him and take him out of a game. In Game 6?
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GPII: 2-5 (1-4)
Jimmy Butler: 7-17 (1-6)
Buddy Hield: 0-4 (0-4)
Draymond Green: 3-8 (1-4)
Podz: 4-9 (2-6)
Moody: 5-13 (3-5)
Post: 2-6 (1-4)
As you can see, the answer was no. Here's why that's a problem. If the "others" around Steph aren't burying their open looks, the Rockets are going to adjust their defense accordingly and Steph's life is going to be hell. Based on his 9-23 (6-16) with 5 TOs, I feel like that's an accurate way to describe his Game 6. The Rockets are going to grab and push and foul the shit out of him for 48 minutes as a way to wear him down. That's why the supporting cast around Steph is so important. It's no surprise that Steph was clearly out of gas in the 4th, so the plan worked perfectly.
That's problem #1.
Problem #2, is something that comes down to roster construction. The Warriors have a size problem and it comes in the shape of Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun
When the Rockets can play their double-big lineups, I'm not sure what the Warriors can do to solve that puzzle. They just don't have the roster construction to match playing that way, especially when it comes to having their best lineup out there. If you can play tough defense and force misses (which the Rockets can) and then you dominate the glass and limit GS to one possession on one end and then also grab offensive rebounds on the other (which the Rockets do), that's exactly how you win playoff games.
The switch to their zone is what changed the entire game, and all you have to do is listen to Steven Adams explain why
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Problem #3 is something we've seen before. Is anyone aware if Fred VanVleet had another child? I only ask because it's well documented that when he does, he goes on generational playoff runs. We saw it lead to a title in 2019, so the question needs to be asked because the guy we are seeing on the court looks very familiar
As we've seen in this series, the Rockets need just the slightest bit of offense. Nothing crazy, they don't need to make 20 3PMs or anything like that. Just get into the 108-115 range and let your defense do the rest. In all 3 of their losses, they were 106 and under (106, 93, 85), and knowing they're going to punt about 8-12 FTA every game, getting this type of consistent offensive production from FVV is massive. He was awesome in Game 5 with 26 on 61/66%, and he backed that up in Game 6 with his 29 on 53/66%. The timely buckets, the ball security, the playmaking, FVV may have his flaws, but he's been BIG TIME to keep the Rockets' season alive.
These problems are what ultimately led to the Warriors shooting just 41/30% as a team while committing 16 turnovers. They had just 5 points through 8 minutes of the 4th quarter, which they finished shooting just 33/8%. Steph (1-7, 1-5) and Butler )(0-5, 0-4) couldn't make a shot, their offense stalled for the most part as GS just tried to bury 3s instead of taking simple layups which would have helped stopped the bleeding and get some points on the board. Basically their entire roster was a gigantic brick at the worst possible time. I have to admit, I've seen a lot of Steph Curry/Playoff Jimmy playoff games and I did NOT see that coming.
The crazy part is it's not like the Rockets were all that better in the 4th, they shot just 35/33% and had 5 TOs themselves. But they capitalized on the intentional fouls, won the FTA battle 15-6 in that quarter, and that was just enough offense to seal the deal.
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So now we enter another Game 7, where as we know, anything can happen. The Rockets could return home and blow doors, the Warriors could snap back into the version we expect them to be and Steph could bury them on the road, or we could have a wire-to-wire thriller that comes down to the last possession. In these games, you like to think that experience can be a differentiator, but over the last 4 years, we've seen plenty of road teams win Game 7s. Homecourt hasn't meant much, which is weird, but true.
All I know is that I welcome the chaos. This is why we watch. Game 7s, there's nothing like 'em.