5 Reasons It's Time for Warriors Fans to Panic After Game 6 Loss to Rockets
The Golden State Warriors lost their second straight closeout game against the Houston Rockets on Friday, 115-107.
Now, after looking like a virtual lock to win this series mere days ago, they have to win a Game 7 on the road to advance.
And the first six contests have given Golden State and its fans plenty of cause for concern. In fact, given the current state of things, that might be putting it mildly.
Between now and Sunday, with the season teetering on the brink, here are the reasons for Warriors fans to panic.
The Physical Gap Is Immense
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It's no secret the Rockets are bigger than the Warriors. A lot bigger, especially when they deploy Steven Adams and Alperen Şengün together.
That alone has been a significant problem for Golden State all series. After winning the rebounding battle on Friday, Houston has had the edge in that category in five of six contests.
But sheer size isn't the only issue. The Rockets are more athletic, too. Jalen Green's shooting has been all over the place, but he's running circles around several of the Warriors' guards. He gets from the ground to the rim in a way the Warriors can't, either.
His teammate, Amen Thompson, might be the single most impressive athlete in the league right now. And I write that knowing full well that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson are still active. The way he explodes to the rim on offense and closes gaps on defense sometimes appear to defy the immutable laws of physics.
Even some of the lesser known role players like Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. are typically facing lineups that don't really challenge them athletically.
And now, as this series goes to a Game 7, there's simply no way for the Warriors to magically make up that gap. In fact, as the older team with potentially more tired legs, the only way the gap can really move is in Houston's favor.
Golden State will have to summon some kind of "Lightyears Ahead" era grit to keep it close in Game 7, but even that might not be enough. At this point, advancing may simply depend on Houston's shotmaking.
Fred Vanvleet Is Getting Loose
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The Warriors have hit more threes than the Rockets in each of this series' six games, but Houston has been closer in recent contests, thanks in large part to Fred VanVleet.
The veteran guard who was signed to bring this team stability is doing that and more. He's had at least 25 points and four threes in each of the last three games. He's shooting 66.7 percent (an even two-thirds) from deep in this stretch. And during the regular season, he shot better from the outside when he was at home, where Game 7 will be.
This series has proven the Rockets don't have to win the three-point battle to win games. With the edge Houston has in physicality, it just needs one or two players to go off. VanVleet, who entered the playoffs as the Rocket with the most meaningful postseason experience, has reliably been that player of late.
Warriors Other Than Curry and Butler Can't Score
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This obviously has a lot to do with the physical disadvantages Golden State is dealing with, but Warriors not named Stephen Curry or Jimmy Butler are really struggling to score.
Friday, the star duo had 56 of the team's 107 points. For the entire series, those two have scored 37.8 percent of all Golden State's points (with Curry at 23.4 percent, by himself).
On plenty of possessions, Houston seems to be throwing all it has at Curry and daring anyone else to put the ball in the basket. The results look eerily similar to the 2019 NBA Finals, when Curry had to finish the series without Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
Big games for the role players aren't out of the question. Brandin Podziemski had 26 in Game 4. Moses Moody scored 25 off the bench in Game 5. But they certainly have been rare.
And if the Warriors don't find anyone else to be a meaningful third option in Game 7, their campaign may be over.
Alperen Sengun Is Bullying Golden State
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This is probably an extension of the first slide, but Alperen Şengün's series deserves a bit more of a spotlight.
Draymond Green has had some solid individual moments against the big man, and Şengün's only shooting 46.3 percent from the field over these six games, but he looks like a battering ram that wound up in the fencing match Warriors games often are.
His bludgeoning game has led to averages of 20.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals.
And regardless of who's been out there for Golden State—whether it's Green, Kevon Looney or Quinten Post—no one can really keep him from getting what he wants.
Back in the friendly confines of the Toyota Center, that's likely to continue.
Golden State's Threes Aren't Falling (at Least Not Enough of Them)
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Three-point shooting is a factor that can shift dramatically from one game to the next. So, the Warriors could catch fire in Game 7 and pull off a road victory.
But to this point, despite having a huge advantage in total threes made, Golden State simply hasn't been good enough from beyond the arc.
A surefire way to neutralize a size disadvantage is by hitting triples, but Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Quinten Post, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler have combined to shoot 31.7 percent from deep.
Without one or two of the lower-volume shooters breaking out, the Warriors could be drawing dead in Houston.
