The two most thrilling words in sports: Game 7. As the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors prepare for a decisive showdown in what’s been a thrilling first-round battle, NBA fans are in for a treat.
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Having stared down elimination twice, Houston has clawed its way back and now sits just one win away from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2020.
On the other hand, Golden State is also a win away from its second trip to the conference semifinals in the last three years — but equally, just a loss away from squandering a 3-1 series advantage.
A series this competitive almost felt destined to go the distance, and now, everything comes down to Game 7.
The Rockets came into this series as the No. 2 seed in a stacked Western Conference, yet they’ve continued to fly under the radar and haven’t garnered the respect their record might suggest.
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Many picked the veteran and more experienced Warriors team led by the likes of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. They’ve already been through it all in their careers, with the experience and accomplishments to show for it.
“A Game 7 is a Game 7. Anytime you have the opportunity, it’s fun. It’s exciting,” said Green.
“If you don’t show up with that appropriate mentality, then you got a long summer vacation ahead of you,” said Curry.
The Warriors were the favorites in this series, but with Game 7 on the road, they are the underdogs with a +2.5 spread. The Rockets are the team that is the favorite, and while they are the opposite of the Warriors, a young and inexperienced team, they have shown toughness, fight, and resilience in the last two games.
Houston will need to show more of that on Sunday if they want to keep their season alive. They’ve done so thus far, and like the oddsmakers, I expect them to come out of this game and this series victorious.
The Rockets will come back from the 3-1 hole they were once in and move on to the next round to host the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. It seems like the Rockets have figured the Warriors out in terms of suffocating every action and more double-big lineups with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
The Warriors will have their hands full, and while they will make this a contest, the Rockets’ youth, athleticism, and size will be the death of them.
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