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The Golden State Warriors had every plan in their playbook thrown in the garbage during a crucial Game 7 against the Houston Rockets on the road. Emotions were high and the team that seemed joined at the hip was close to “splintering,” amid the frustration with poor possessions and sloppy play.
“We were splintered, for sure,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, according to Ann Killion of The San Francisco Chronicle. “We were out of sorts with all the turnovers. That timeout was a little chaotic. We were all frustrated at that point.”
Draymond Green had just lobbed a lazy pass that wound up in James Harden's hands, galloping down court to finish off the fast break with a two-handed dunk.
The Rockets had grabbed a 15-point lead with 4:58 left in the second quarter and Kerr had enough of the sloppy play, quickly calling a timeout as the ball went through the hoop. The team could have pointed fingers, stressed missed assignments and lack of movement, but instead pulled themselves together, which would change the outcome of the game.
“It was everyone,” Draymond Green said. “Steph got up in the huddle and said, ‘Stick together.’ Klay (Thompson) was talking, Andre (Iguodala) was talking, Kevin (Durant) started yelling. Everyone was pretty much yelling the same thing, and once everyone realized we were all yelling the same thing, that’s when we calmed down and started to cut into the lead there.”
The Warriors took an 11-point deficit into the second half, one that quickly evaporated as the defensive intensity picked up and the Rockets' tired legs started to show with brick after brick beyond the 3-point line.
“It was a special moment for us,” Curry said. “And I think one that we’ll look back on, if we get the job done over these next two weeks. An appreciation of all that goes into winning a championship and doing it by committee and making sure that every guy, whether you’re playing well or not, that we all bring something to the fold.”
Championship teams often have one pivotal moment during their season that changes everything for the better. This might be the moment that did it for the Warriors, playing a Game 7 for the first time in two seasons and feeling the ultimate pressure of elimination with their backs against the wall.
A moment that couldn't have come at a better time, given the result and the series ahead, which will require every bit of mental fortitude.
