Warriors work 2nd half magic, advance to 4th straight NBA Finals

Pictured, head coach Steve Kerr, Kevin Durant #35 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors react in the fourth quarter of Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, May 28, 2018. What matters is that Golden State is winning championships with their formula, which is basically play small and shoot threes.

“The second half was unbelievable”. His playmaking off-the-dribble, three-point shooting, ball-control, physical defense and the chip he plays with all contributed mightily to the Celtics’ victories but when it all mattered most, Rozier went 0-10 from three-point range and had 4 points. “Pressure both ways because of how big the moment is, and you’ve got to want it”. Stephen Curry and the defending champions trailed by as many as 15 in the first half after falling behind 17 in Game 6. “They’re National Basketball Association players, and yeah they’re new and whatnot, and Bron’s incredible, he played an unbelievable playoff run to date and just willed his team to his eighth straight Finals”.

D’Antoni praised his team after it was all over, refusing once again to measure them based exclusively on the results of this series and this postseason.

Watch a preview of the Warriors-Rockets Game 7 in the video below, from the ESPN experts.

The Warriors opened as 12-point favorites in Game 1.

Yet there was, as Steph Curry said after the game, “a calmness at halftime in the locker room”.

Curry quickly jumped in to correct his teammate.

The Celtics have had more time to get used to their injuries: Gordon Hayward has been out since the first game of the season, and Kyrie Irving has been sidelined since March.

Houston – who showed unexpected guts and determination in this series; proving themselves to be worthy adversaries to this Warriors’ squad – could barely tread water to keep afloat in the game once Golden State capped its third-quarter run. “They made them and we missed them”, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But he has not gotten to where he needs to be”, Kerr said. The worst game the Rockets had during the regular season from deep was a 7-for-31 performance against the Spurs on April 1 in San Antonio. “So we’re going to come out and be ready”.

The 33-year-old said he had focused on getting the best out of his team-mates all season long.

“They’re going to bring it”, he said. “But we’ll worry about that when we get home”.

If the Warriors pull off what would be their second road win of the series, they will face Cleveland in the Finals for the fourth straight season, an unprecedented matchup.