Warriors Win, but Rockets can take pride in defeat

Sunday night’s Game Seven between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets was billed as the veteran champs against the up-and-comers.

The Rockets showed plenty of heart to force a decider after trailing in the series 3-1; however it was experience that won out in the end.

The Warriors won the game 103-89, with Bobby Hield being a somewhat unlikely star, responding to going without a point in Game Six by putting up 33 in Game Seven, including nine three-pointers.

Golden State will move on to a mouth-watering series against the Timberwolves, beginning in Minnesota on Tuesday night.

As for the Rockets, they will be bitterly disappointed to let this opportunity slip having worked so hard to get back into the series and to set up a Game Seven in their own arena. Nick Stevenson at The Dream Shake blog summed up where things went wrong for his team:

“The Houston Rockets were not able to do the things that gave them success in their three wins in the series. The Rockets defense was only able to force seven turnovers, and the Golden State Warriors were able to shoot 47.6 percent from the field including 41.9 percent from the three-point line”.

The frustration for Rockets fans wasn’t enough to dent their pride in a team that is clearly building year-on-year and with the potential to take the next step. As Stevenson puts it:

“The Houston Rockets are now here. They won’t be sneaking up on anyone, they will not be the “feisty up and coming team” anymore. They have arrived …”.

Attention will turn to the off-season and what the Rockets are able to do to change the final destination in 2025/26.