OAKLAND, Calif. — Houston Rockets Coach Mike D’Antoni caught a lot of flak for saying before Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night that the Golden State Warriors — the team playing at home, with a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series — had the pressure on it.
He looks pretty smart now.
After falling behind by double digits in both the first and third quarters, the Rockets came back both times, and eventually emerged with a thrilling 95-92 victory over the Warriors to even this series at two games apiece and end Golden State’s 16-game home winning streak in the postseason.
In a series — and a playoffs — that has been defined by blowouts, this game had the kind of drama NBA fans had been waiting for. And, in the end, it was the Rockets, the team with the NBA’s best regular season record, that made just enough plays to close it out.
The series returns to Houston for Game 5 on Thursday.
After Chris Paul made a pair of free throws to give Houston that 95-92 lead with a half-second remaining, Golden State got a chance to call timeout and set up a potential game-tying shot. Warriors Coach Steve Kerr drew up a nice play, getting Stephen Curry open in the corner, but Curry’s shot went wanting — and wouldn’t have counted anyway — to ensure Houston would come away with the victory.
Both teams looked exhausted in the final minutes, whether from fatigue or the weight of the moment. Golden State played its four all-stars virtually the entire second half, while Houston’s P.J. Tucker (44 minutes), James Harden (43), Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza (41 each) all broke 40 minutes.
The minutes clearly took their toll. The final moments were full of equal parts poor execution and high drama.
It was Houston, though, that managed to get over the finish line, thanks to 30 points from Harden (though only six in the second half) and 27 from Paul. Curry had 28 and Durant 27 with 12 rebounds to lead Golden State.
The Warriors clearly felt the loss of Andre Iguodala, the fifth member of the league’s most effective five-man lineup, who was ruled out of the game with a left knee injury before tip off.
“Well, obviously, he’s a great defender, and he’s a guy I think he led the league in assist to turnover ratio,” Kerr said of Iguodala. “ . . . You guys have heard me sing his praises for years. He’s an organizer. He’s a guy who settles us down. He continuously makes the right play.
“So we’ll miss all that.”
Initially, it wouldn’t look like the Warriors would miss Iguodala much at all. Golden State scored the first 12 points of the game as Houston missed its opening nine shots, and it quickly looked like this game would turn into yet another blowout in a postseason that has been full of them.
Houston, though, had other ideas. Thanks to an outstanding first half from Harden, including a ridiculous, poster-creating dunk on Green and picking Durant’s pocket on an isolation play at the top of the key to create another fast break dunk — the Rockets slowly dragged themselves back into the game. Then, once Paul finally got going, scoring 12 of his 14 points over the final 3:32 of the second quarter, Houston took off, going on a 25-7 run to close the half and take a 53-46 lead into the halftime break.
Iguodala’s absence was especially notable in the second quarter. The Warriors looked discombobulated for much of it — especially when Klay Thompson missed several minutes while being diagnosed with a left knee strain, which he played through, and when Curry sat for almost the entire last five minutes, except for the final possession of the half, after picking up three fouls.
Golden State turned to Nick Young for crucial minutes and it didn’t work out so well.
But then the third quarter happened. And, as usual, Golden State turned it on.
After both teams traded buckets for the opening five minutes of the third, with Houston maintaining its seven-point halftime lead, the Warriors finally found the extra gear they have reached so often, fueled by a barrage of three-pointers, led by Curry.
Four minutes later, a Durant midrange jumper made it 73-65 Warriors, capping an 18-3 run that saw Curry at one point score 11 straight to flip the game back in the Golden State’s favor.
But the Rockets, for the first time in eight postseason games here in Oakland, had a response that tilted the game in their favor. Now the Western Conference finals are a best-of-three sprint to the finish. Buckle up.
In-game updates:
Steve Kerr clearly feels like he has to go for it in this game.
Without Andre Iguodala, Kerr has chosen to play Draymond Green for the entire second half. Green looks tired, but at this point – with under five minutes to go in a one-point game – it seems impossible to think he’ll be out again.
This game feels like a war of attrition. Whoever can hang on in the final moments will emerge victorious. Finally, it’s the close game everyone has been hoping for.
For the past four years, ever since this magical run began, the Warriors have dominated third quarters.
They may have just ended the Rockets’ season with their latest dominant third quarter performance.
Thanks to a second straight third quarter explosion from Stephen Curry, who scored 17 points tonight after scoring 18 in the third quarter of Game 3, Golden State went from down seven at halftime to up 10 after three quarters, putting themselves in position to take a decisive 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.
Without Andre Iguodala, Golden State’s depth was going to be tested in Game 4.
Foul trouble is testing it even further.
Stephen Curry had to sit out the final five minutes of the first half after getting his third foul midway through the second quarter. Now Kevon Looney had to check out a little bit earlier than he would’ve normally in the third quarter after picking up his fourth in its opening minutes.
With Warriors Coach Steve Kerr essentially playing an eight man rotation without Iguodala, every foul, and minute, counts. Golden State is learning that the hard way in Game 4.
The Rockets, who missed their first nine shots of the game and fell behind 12-0, exploded in the second quarter, outscoring the Warriors 34-18 in the period to take a 53-46 lead into the halftime break.
James Harden was sensational, finishing with 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting, including a crazy dunk over Draymond Green and picking Kevin Durant’s pocket in an isolation at the top of key that turned into another fast break dunk.
It took 5:18 for the Rockets to score their 1st points of the game, but since then they've outscored the Warriors 53-34, including 38 points from Chris Paul and James Harden pic.twitter.com/X4oJTctGjz — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 23, 2018
Chris Paul, meanwhile, couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn until the final 3:32 of the half, when he hit a three over Kevin Durant to start a personal run that included three three-pointers, a layup and a free throw. Those 12 points were part of a 16-5 run to close the first half that gave Houston its first lead of the game after falling into that early hole and left the crowd here at Oracle Arena silent – a start change from the raucous celebrations in the game’s opening minutes.
Notably, Stephen Curry sat out for most of the final five minutes after picking up his third foul – part of why Houston went on that run. He checked out with 5:06 remaining and only came in for the final 16 seconds – only to have a shot emphatically blocked to end the half.
Durant is the only Warrior in double figures with 15 points, while Curry is 3 for 8 and Klay Thompson, who missed part of the second quarter with a sprained left knee before returning, is 3 for 9.
James Harden just dunked all over Draymond Green.
Oh my good god in heaven James Harden just sent Draymond Green to the graveyard pic.twitter.com/sYOlIumo3I — Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) May 23, 2018
This, to say the least, doesn’t happen very often.
Meanwhile, the Rockets have climbed back into this game. That is largely thanks to Harden, who has 22 points already on 7-for-13 shooting. The rest of the Rockets are 5 for 19, including Chris Paul being just 1 for 5.
After being down 12-0, though, currently trailing 38-36 isn’t so bad.
Further update: Klay Thompson has a left knee strain and is back in the game. At least temporarily, crisis averted for Golden State.
In the “something to monitor” department, particularly with Andre Iguodala out with an injury: Klay Thompson has gone to the locker room.
Thompson came back in to start the second quarter before exiting the game and heading to the locker room. He’s remained in the locker room for a few minutes, with no word as to why.
It’s one thing to be down Iguodala, a versatile defender with a high basketball IQ. It would entirely be another to be without Thompson, the second-best shooter in the world behind his fellow Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, and who has been remarkably durable throughout his career.
The Rockets have recovered from their disastrous start to the game. But they still find themselves in a hole.
Golden State leads 28-19 after one, with Kevin Durant scoring a quick 10 points to lead both teams. The Warriors have turned four Rockets turnovers into 10 points, and if it weren’t for Golden State committing four turnovers themselves, this could be even worse.
What also could’ve made it worse is if James Harden hadn’t gone 4 for 6 in the first quarter, scoring nine points. The rest of Houston’s roster combined to go 3 for 24, including 1-for-6 from three-point range. Chris Paul, for the second straight game, went scoreless in the first, missing all three shots he took.
Monday afternoon, Rockets Coach Mike D’Antoni declared that, heading into Game 4, all of the pressure was on the Golden State Warriors.
“Right now, to me, Golden State has all the pressure,” D’Antoni said. “They’ve got to win tomorrow night. We should come in with a little bit of a swagger and giddyup in our game and see if we can get it.”
Five minutes into Game 4, that’s not looking so hot.
Houston has begun the game missing its first seven shots, while Golden State went gone 5 for 9, opening up a 12-0 lead as a result.
Houston did finally hop on the board at the 6:42 mark of the first quarter – but that only came when James Harden got a layup after a complete miscommunication by Golden State saw Stephen Curry throw the ball to an unsuspecting Draymond Green, resulting in a fast break.
To say this is the start the Rockets needed is a massive understatement. With no Andre Iguodala for Golden State, this is a game Houston should be able to win. But the Warriors have come out like a house of fire, swarming on defense and hitting open shots offensively.
It appears Golden State senses it has a chance to deliver a knockout blow. Given how this game has started, it might be right.
The Golden State Warriors have built their dynastic run around one of the greatest lineups in the history of basketball: five versatile, playmaking offensive players and interchangeable defensive players. The lineup, which features Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, and upgraded from Harrison Barnes to Kevin Durant in 2016, has been the most devastating five-man unit in basketball over the past four years
But that lineup will not be available in full, after the Warriors announced Iguodala would miss Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Injury update: Andre Iguodala (left lateral leg contusion) is out for tonight's Game 4 vs. Houston. — Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) May 22, 2018
Iguodala’s knee injury — officially dubbed a left lateral leg contusion by Golden State — had him listed as doubtful for Game 4 Monday, before being upgraded to questionable Tuesday afternoon and then ruled out before tip-off.
That leaves a pair of crucial questions for Warriors Coach Steve Kerr as he prepares for Tuesday night’s pivotal game: How will he proceed with his starting lineup? And with which lineup will he finish the game?
The choice over who to insert into the starting lineup will likely come down to whether he wants to go big (Kevon Looney) or small (Nick Young). Looney has worked well as a switch defender for Golden State in this series, just as the Warriors had expected he would all season long. But with the Warriors essentially down to using Looney and Draymond Green at center (along with, potentially, rookie Jordan Bell in small doses), Kerr may opt not to stretch Looney’s time on the court more than he has to.
The other option, then, would be Young. That would allow Golden State to be more explosive offensively — Young is a far better shooter than Iguodala — but much worse defensively. It also could allow the Rockets to take advantage of Young enough to force the Warriors to move away from this lineup later.
Young started in place of Stephen Curry in the first two games the Warriors’ series against the New Orleans Pelicans, and that experiment did not work. Houston is even more explosive, and starting him against the Rockets could well be a disaster.
The option to close games, though, is equally intriguing. Both Looney and Young likely will be options, depending on how the game plays out. The bet here, however, is that Golden State will choose Shaun Livingston to replace Iguodala in the closing five. Livingston has filled that role before, is far more defensively sound than Young and gives Golden State the same switchability that Iguodala does when he’s on the court. Livingston’s length, in particular, could give Chris Paul trouble — something Golden State has been able to do successfully throughout the first three games of this series.
After the Warriors won Game 3, this series felt over. And even without Iguodala, the Warriors still should be favorites to win this series. But the margin for error is narrowed and tough choices will be ahead for Kerr. How the Warriors react in Iguodala’s absence will be the most important thing to watch in Game 4 — and could decide whether Houston will return home with a real chance of sending the defending champions to their summer vacations without the back-to-back titles the basketball world has spent all season expecting them to win.
Schedule:
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors, 9 p.m., TNT (Golden State leads 2-1)
Additional reading:
Only Steph Curry can make the Warriors the most dangerous version of themselves
The NBA Finals blueprint for the Cavs, Celtics, Rockets and Warriors
If the Rockets are going to get back into this Warriors series, they must play faster
With all these blowouts in the NBA playoffs, will fans stop paying attention?
Stephen Curry’s mom scolded him over his potty mouth
Luka Doncic should go No. 1 and other thoughts from the NBA draft combine
In Cavaliers-Celtics, a tale of two coaches: Scorn for Tyronn Lue, praise for Brad Stevens
At the NBA draft combine, mystery is more valuable than getting on the court
Draymond Green trademarks ‘Hampton 5,’ doesn’t seem to realize it’s not The Hamptons
Faced with a make-or-break moment, the Rockets responded like champions
If the Rockets beat the Warriors, Clint Capela will be the reason
LeBron James may have had a lousy Game 1, but he still has a mind like a steel trap
LeBron James owns the NBA’s Eastern Conference and isn’t ready to let go
What I got wrong about the Boston Celtics
James Harden’s biggest advantage is his brain
The Rockets can limit the effectiveness of the Warriors’ ‘Hamptons Five’ lineup
Steve Kerr touts Warriors’ experience edge over Rockets: ‘Our guys have rings’
Rockets are the toughest playoff opponent Steve Kerr’s Warriors have ever faced
Pau Gasol: ‘Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.’
Dragging these flawed Cavs to the NBA Finals would be LeBron James’s most remarkable feat
Comment Q&A
Hop into the comments section below to chat with The Post’s Tim Bontemps about all of your NBA questions.
Life has come full circle for James Harden. He first became an MVP candidate in 2014–15, and he was incredible against the Warriors in the Western Conference finals that season, averaging 28.4 points on 46.7 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists a game. The problem is the Rockets won only once in that series. Not much has changed four seasons later. Harden is averaging 29.3 points on 46.9 percent shooting, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists a game in the 2018 Western Conference finals, and Houston is trailing 2-1 headed into Game 4 in Oakland on Tuesday. Harden is favored to win the MVP, but it’s hard to beat the Warriors when you depend so much on one player.
The NBA Playoffs Check out The Ringer’s coverage of the 2018 NBA playoffs
A healthy and engaged Golden State team challenges Houston’s formula in a way few others can. The Rockets steamrolled through the Wolves and the Jazz in the first two rounds because neither team trusted its big men to switch on Harden and Chris Paul in the pick-and-roll. They resorted to more exotic coverages involving multiple defenders that Houston’s star guards picked apart, allowing the supporting cast to feast on spot-up 3s and lobs at the rim. The Rockets had an offensive rating of 111.1 in those rounds. They looked like contenders.
Golden State has ripped their blueprint to a million pieces. In the first three games of the series, Houston has an offensive rating of 104.7, which would have placed them just outside the bottom third of the league over the whole season. The Warriors start Draymond Green at the 5, and they bring Kevon Looney off the bench, with spot minutes for Jordan Bell. None of the three is taller than 6-foot-9. They are comfortable with all three switching onto Harden and Paul and living with them taking contested shots off the dribble. The whole point of Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense is to create mismatches that force rotations and lead to open 3s, but there are no mismatches against Golden State, other than when Steph Curry is involved in a play.
Harden has done his part. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he’s a tank with incredible shooting touch who can get to wherever he wants on the court. Let him play one-on-one on any defender, even the waves of long and athletic players on the Warriors, and he will get buckets. He put together a masterpiece in Game 1, with 41 points on 14-of-24 shooting and seven assists. He got to the rim and scored against the teeth of their defense seven different times, went to the line 10 times, and knocked down four 3s. He even made two midrange jumpers. He can score from anywhere. The only reason he doesn’t take more midrange shots is because he’s asked not to.
The Warriors didn’t care whether Harden cooked in Game 1. They still won by 13. The Rockets have only two other players (Paul and Eric Gordon) who can create their own shot, so the Warriors can shut down their peripheral players by making those three play one-on-one. Paul and Gordon have both had moments in the series, but they haven’t been on the same level as Harden. Golden State’s supersized perimeter defenders tower over Paul (6-foot and 175 pounds) and Gordon (6-foot-4 and 215 pounds). When its three top scorers are all in, Houston doesn’t have much length and athleticism on either end of the floor.
The conference finals have become a math problem for the Rockets. Harden is playing close to even with Kevin Durant, who is averaging 33.3 points on 52.9 percent shooting and 2.3 assists a game in the series. That still leaves Paul (17.3 points and 4.3 assists on 40.4 percent shooting) and Gordon (17.7 points and 2.0 assists on 43.9 percent shooting) needing to outplay Steph Curry (23 points and 5.3 assists on 49.1 percent shooting) and Klay Thompson (16.3 points and 2.3 assists on 41.9 percent shooting). That’s what happened in Game 2, when Gordon exploded for 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He’s the X factor for the Rockets, but he’s never been as good as either Splash Brother over his career.
Gordon and Paul need Harden to take pressure off them. Houston staggered Harden’s and Paul’s minutes all season to give both time to run the offense, but that hasn’t worked as well in the playoffs. The Rockets have a net rating of minus-11.0 in the 169 minutes that Harden has sat in the postseason, and a jaw-dropping net rating of minus-30.4 in the 43 minutes he’s sat against the Warriors. The issue isn’t just on offense, either. Paul has a better defensive reputation than Harden, but he’s still only 6-foot, while Harden can at least contest shots and defend inside. Houston lost control of Game 3 when Harden sat for five minutes in the first half. D’Antoni might not be able to take him out at all in Game 4:
James Harden and Chris Paul’s Time on the Floor On-court Combos Minutes Net Rating On-court Combos Minutes Net Rating Harden and Paul 71 -6.1 Harden w/o Paul 31 -9.9 Paul w/o Harden 34 -20.1
Of course, it’s not really fair to ask anyone to dominate the ball for 48 minutes against elite defenders while still competing on the other end of the floor, especially over the course of a long series. If Harden has a bad performance in games 4 or 5, everyone will immediately point back to what happened in Game 6 against San Antonio last season, but the sheer amount of work required of him means that laying an egg is almost inevitable. There is no Durant to his Curry or vice versa. Paul is the only player on the Houston roster that anyone would even think of doubling to leave Harden open.
Houston needs Paul to be the Point God to have a chance against Golden State. He’s had some big games in the playoffs when Harden struggled, most notably closing out Utah with 41 points and 10 assists in Game 5 of their second-round series. Unfortunately, there’s no Rudy Gobert in this series that Paul can drag out to the perimeter, and he’s also dealing with a gimpy knee. For the rest of the series, he will have to score over Thompson, Green, Looney, Shaun Livingston, and Andre Iguodala (who will miss Game 4 with a knee issue of his own). There’s a reason 6-foot guards are rarely primary options on a title team.
Paul will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and Houston has to decide if he’s the costar Harden needs to get past Golden State. This is the best Paul will ever be. The track record of undersized guards in their 30s isn’t encouraging, even without counting his knee issues. If they give him a max contract, they won’t have much flexibility going forward. They already gave a lot of money to Gordon and Ryan Anderson, and Clint Capela is up for an extension on his rookie contract. The Rockets’ supporting cast fits well around Harden, but they are fairly one-dimensional. The Rockets don’t have fourth or fifth options like Iguodala and Green, who can handle the ball and pass their stars open.
Given the limitations of Houston’s roster, it probably needs another superstar to get past Golden State. Acquiring LeBron James wouldn’t be easy financially, but Rockets GM Daryl Morey is one of the most creative minds in the league. Houston would be a legitimate superteam with LeBron in Harden’s role, Harden in Paul’s role, and Paul in Gordon’s role. A pick-and-roll between LeBron and Harden, with Paul spotting up as a secondary playmaker, is completely indefensible. The math in a potential series with the Warriors would look a lot better for the Rockets in that scenario: LeBron cancels out Durant, and Harden and Paul try to outscore the Splash Brothers.
When I floated that scenario to people around the league, part of the pushback I received is the idea that Harden wouldn’t want to give control of his team to LeBron. A 22-year-old Harden wasn’t content to be the third option behind Durant and Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, but a lot has changed for him since then. Going into next season, he will be a 29-year-old, likely with an MVP under his belt, who has been knocked out of the playoffs by Golden State in three of the past four seasons. If he wants to win a title, there has to be a point when he swallows his pride and admits that he can’t do it on his own.
Part of the maturation process for any superstar is understanding the limits of their game. Harden is one of the best offensive players of all time, but that’s not enough to beat Golden State. Morey wanted to build a team to beat the Warriors and ended up creating one almost perfectly designed to get Harden the MVP. However, winning the MVP is no guarantee of winning it all. It has happened only four times (Tim Duncan in 2003, LeBron in 2012 and 2013, Curry in 2015) since 2000. Harden made his teammates better this season. The next step for the Rockets is finding someone who makes him better.
The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets finally gave us the playoff game we’ve all been waiting for, but the awesome showdown was slighted by a very odd final 10 seconds of regulation. The Rockets won, 95-92, but that outcome could've been different had a few things gone differently. Here’s what happened:
No timeout, coach??
The Warriors had the ball on the final possession of Game 4 against the Rockets on Tuesday with a chance to even the game at 94 apiece or take a lead with a three. But instead of calling a timeout with just over 10 seconds remaining on the clock, the Warriors opted to take their chances with a live ball and a Houston defense on its heels.
It wasn’t the best decision. Kevin Durant pushed the ball then gave the ball to Klay Thompson, who was smothered in the corner. Thompson, Durant, Steve Kerr and every other Warrior on the floor still had enough time to call a meaningful timeout. Instead, this happened:
That uncalled timeout was the end of Golden State in Game 4. Thompson got up an awful shot attempt, and Chris Paul recovered the ball and was eventually fouled and sent to the line.
CP3, wyd?
Paul missed the first free throw, and with 0.5 seconds left the thought was he’d intentionally miss the second to run the clock and seal the game. But he made the second, giving the Warriors a dead ball and a chance to use the timeout they had left over.
One last shot
Kerr drew up a play that resulted in an open look for Stephen Curry in the corner. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t fall.
omg steph curry got a great look... and missed game 5 series tied 2 - 2! pic.twitter.com/B1FDwTwi7w — isaac (@NOTISAACCAMPOS) May 23, 2018
That was an ugly ending for the Warriors
Golden State has so many options on the floor, so it’s understandable to think they could just push the ball in a high-pressure situation and get an open look. But when Durant’s drive up the court broke down, he gave the ball to Thompson, who isn’t the best shot-creator in the world. Kerr had a number of opportunities to call a timeout on that possession. He didn’t. Now it’s all tied, 2-2, with the series heading back to Houston for Game 5.
