Rachel Nichols reviews the gravity of Game 6 as LeBron suits up as a Cavalier for potentially the last time.
Brian Windhorst says Chris Paul's downside is frequent injuries and getting hurt in Game 5 could be a "significant moment in NBA history."
LeBron James arrives at Quicken Loans Arena for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals where the Cavs will fight to stay in the series.
Harden says CP3 is 'built' for working against the clock 0:53
+/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court
+/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court
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It was tough. It was ugly. It was gritty. And by the end of Thursday night, it was a win for the Rockets.
Houston took a 3-2 series lead with a 98-94 win in a hard-fought Game 5 against the Warriors. Eric Gordon scored a team-high 24 points off the bench, and Chris Paul filled the box score with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. The efforts of Gordon and Paul helped make up for a rough shooting from James Harden, who finished 5-of-21 from the field and 0-of-11 from 3-point range.
The Warriors got 20-plus points out of Kevin Durant (29), Klay Thompson (23) and Stephen Curry (22), but wasted possessions cost them once again. Golden State turned the ball over 16 times and finished with just 18 assists — Steve Kerr can't be happy with those numbers.
This series is far from over, though. Paul appeared to suffer a right hamstring injury late in the fourth quarter, and he wasn't moving well when he left the floor. If he can't play in Game 6, that would be a huge blow to the Rockets' chances.
Check out all of the best highlights from Game 5 of Warriors vs. Rockets...
Final: Rockets 98, Warriors 94
11:32 p.m. ET — Another turnover for the Warriors. WOW. Stephen Curry throws a low pass to Draymond Green, who loses the ball on the left wing. Eric Gordon picks up the steal, gets fouled and sinks both free throws to ice this one.
What a game. The Rockets are one win away from the NBA Finals.
What a wild finish 😳 pic.twitter.com/vnWanICF3A — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 25, 2018
11:28 p.m. ET — Stephen Curry's floater is... NO GOOD. Trevor Ariza grabs the rebound, and he is fouled to stop the clock. He makes one of two at the line, and the Warriors call timeout after taking possession of the ball.
Rockets 96, Warriors 94 with 6.7 seconds to go.
11:25 p.m. ET — Chris Paul goes down after a contested jumper, and he is grabbing his right hamstring. That's not good. Golden State ball.
Rockets 95, Warriors 94 with 22 seconds left.
11:21 p.m. ET — MONSTER 3-POINTER BY ERIC GORDON. He drains the open attempt from the wing off the James Harden kickout.
Rockets 95, Warriors 91 with 1:21 on the clock. Buckle up.
11:14 p.m. ET — Oh... that's not how Steve Kerr drew it up.
11:09 p.m. ET — Important note for the final stretch: The Rockets will be in the bonus, so look for James Harden to keep driving to the rim and creating contact.
Rockets 86, Warriors 82 with six minutes to go.
10:58 p.m. ET — Chris Paul is here for the moment. A double-pump 3-pointer?!
End of third quarter: Warriors 72, Rockets 71
10:51 p.m. ET — These guys are leaving it all on the floor. It's not pretty, but it's extremely competitive. James Harden is having a nightmare Game 5 with 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting (0-of-9 on 3-pointers). He is going to have to make some shots if the Rockets hope to advance. Kevin Durant has a game-high 27 points, and he could ultimately be the difference. He is capable of getting a decent look at any time.
10:43 p.m. ET — What a fancy finish by Stephen Curry. Smart to take what the defense is giving him and drive into the paint.
10:31 p.m. ET — OH MY. CHRIS PAUL JUST DID A STEPH SHIMMY RIGHT IN FRONT OF STEPHEN CURRY.
10:23 p.m. ET — Klay Thompson gives the Warriors the lead to start the second half. This is the kind of aggression he was lacking in the first two quarters.
Klay gives the Dubs the lead to start the 2nd half 💪
📺 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/AP8hAx18iP — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 25, 2018
Halftime: Rockets 45, Warriors 45
10:06 p.m. ET — That was an intense, ugly half of basketball. The Rockets (35.6 percent shooting) and Warriors (eight turnovers, nine assists) both struggled to score and often forced shots on poor possessions. Houston simply couldn't capitalize on open opportunities, going just 6-of-24 from beyond the arc. James Harden and Chris Paul combined to go 0-of-10 on 3-pointers.
The Warriors haven't fared much better offensively, but Kevin Durant is keeping them alive. He's got 18 points in 18 minutes, and he's been the one consistent threat for Golden State.
9:51 p.m. ET — Draymond Green has been on the wrong end of a lot of highlights in this series.
9:44 p.m. ET — This Stephen Curry shot... just shake your head and move on. Nothing Chris Paul can do.
9:37 p.m. ET — You can't reach on James Harden. This is what happens.
End of first quarter: Rockets 23, Warriors 17
9:29 p.m. ET — Going back to the fourth quarter of Game 4, the Warriors have scored 29 points in the last 24 minutes of play. That's... not ideal. And yet, Golden State is only down by six with both teams shooting under 40 percent from the field. Could be close for all four quarters here.
9:14 p.m. ET — Despite plenty of open looks, the Rockets are only ahead by two points at the first timeout break. Houston is 0-of-6 from 3-point range, but Clint Capela is feasting inside with eight points.
9:08 p.m. ET — The Rockets are playing with serious energy right now. A quick 6-0 run to kick off this one. James Harden is attacking the basket on all switches.
8:58 p.m. ET — A beautiful moment before Game 5. The Rockets recognize the lives lost in the Santa Fe High School shooting as well as the strength of the first responders, police officers and Santa Fe seniors.
8:52 p.m. ET — It's been another high-scoring series for Kevin Durant, but his efficiency dropped in Game 4 (9-of-24 from the field). If he finds his groove in Houston, the Warriors could be tough to take down. He's the ultimate matchup problem.
8:39 p.m. ET — Chris Paul finished with 27 points and four assists in Game 4. The Rockets will need another star effort from CP3 if they want to push the Warriors to the brink of elimination.
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.
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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 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.
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 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 fourth. 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?
