Steph Curry, Warriors Stun Rockets in Game 6 Without Injured Kevin Durant
No Kevin Durant?
No problem.
The Golden State Warriors are headed to the Western Conference Finals for a fifth straight season after defeating the Houston Rockets in Game 6 on Friday night 118-113 in a back-and-forth, intense showdown.
Steph Curry (33 points, four assists) and Klay Thompson (27 points, 7-of-13 shooting from three) were the heroes late in the contest, hitting key shot after key shot. Curry scored all of his points in the second half and posted 23 in the fourth quarter alone, going from goat after getting in foul trouble and having zero impact in the first half to reminding the world he's a two-time MVP down the stretch.
The Warriors bench came up huge as well, giving the team a lift with 33 points, led by Kevon Looney's 14.
That spoiled solid efforts from James Harden (35 points) and Chris Paul (27 points, 11 rebounds), who for a second straight year couldn't get past the Warriors. And for a second straight year, the Rockets saw their season end on their home court.
Last year, it came in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, albeit with Paul injured. But the Rockets had a chance to exorcise those demons with Durant injured late in Game 5. Instead, Curry and Thompson led the Warriors to wins in each of those games and reminded the NBA just how dangerous the Warriors are, Durant or not.
Warriors Don't Need Kevin Durant to Cruise Through Western Conference Finals
Curry is a two-time MVP, three-time champion and the greatest shooter in NBA history, but this was a special night, even for him. And it was a powerful reminder that Curry and these Warriors won a title before Durant got to the Bay Area and could survive a key moment without him.
That's no slight on Durant. He's been superb in the team's last two championship runs, and every team in the NBA needs a player of Durant's caliber. But most teams would be sunk without him against a team like the Rockets.
Not these Warriors. Not with Curry on the court.
For Curry to score 33 points, on the road, against an excellent Rockets team after having no impact in the first half is... well, it defies simple categorization. What's the word that combines being clutch, resilient, fearless and irrepressible, all in one?
Because that was Curry on Friday night. Maybe there isn't a word for that. Maybe you just need another player that can understand what Curry did, because he's done it himself, to say it for you.
With all due respect to the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers, the Warriors are going back to the NBA Finals, with or without Durant in the Western Conference Finals. Curry and Thompson and the rest of the Warriors proved they won't be stopped by anybody in the West at the end of Game 5 and throughout Game 6.
The Rockets are no slouches. Harden and Paul didn't choke Friday night. Houston's role players didn't slink away from the moment (outside of Eric Gordon, who was excellent for much of this series but had just nine points tonight). Curry was just better. Thompson was just better. The Warriors' bench was just better. Golden State's system was just better.
The Warriors may need Durant to win a title. The Milwaukee Bucks are fresh off of eviscerating the Boston Celtics, while the Philadelphia 76ers are loaded with talent and the Toronto Raptors feature Kawhi Leonard, who has arguably been the best player in the postseason and is a champion himself. Any of those three teams will give the Warriors a series, even with Durant back in action.
The Blazers and Nuggets are a tier down from those teams. Neither will go down without a fight, but these are the three-time champions. This is Curry and Thompson, hitting shot after shot. This is the heart of a champion.
And even without Durant, it continues to beat.
Rockets' Title Window Has Closed
It may seem harsh to bury the Rockets' title chances next year on the same night they had their hearts broken by the Warriors. But take a cold, pragmatic look at Houston, and it's hard to see how it builds a championship team going forward.
Let's start with the rest of the NBA. Unless the Warriors lose both Durant and Thompson in free agency, they'll remain title contenders, and they proved to be the better team than Houston, even without Durant. So that's a tough obstacle for the Rockets to overcome as currently constructed.
Plus, a number of teams in the West have the cap space to attract stars in free agency, namely the two in Los Angeles. What happens if LeBron James gets a star or two? Or if Kawhi Leonard goes to the Clippers and another big name follows him?
The West was a strong conference from a depth perspective, but this season, it was pretty clear it was still a two-team race. Next season, a few more teams could ascend to true title contenders.
And let's not forget about several teams in the East that remain threats. Houston may not have even been favored this year against Milwaukee, while both Philly and Toronto would have posed threats. The East is no longer the pushover conference, at least not at the top.
The Rockets don't have a ton of avenues to improve, either. Free agency isn't much of an option given the 2019-20 financial commitments to Paul ($38.5 million), Harden ($37.8 million), Capela ($14.8 million), Gordon ($14 million) and PJ Tucker ($8.3 million).
To add another superstar, the Rockets would have to swing a trade. Paul's contract is untradeable, and Harden is untouchable, and it's hard to imagine the Rockets getting back a superstar in return for some combination of Capela, Gordon and Tucker.
Oh, and at the moment, they don't have a draft pick, not that a player in the later rounds would likely swing the balance of power to the Rockets anyway.
It would appear the Rockets are stuck with the group they have.
Just to be clear—it's a good group! The Rockets will be a playoff team going forward and have a good system, front office and coaching staff in place. The majority of the teams in the NBA would love to be the Rockets.
But the Rockets aren't great. That was on display Friday, when it really felt like their title window was closed by Curry.
In a summer of pending uncertainty, maybe bringing back the same group will prove to be fruitful. But it seems more likely the Rockets won't be able to catch up to the Warriors, while a number of teams are positioned to catch up to Houston in the process.
