Warriors rally back to beat Rockets 110-106 in first game of Western Conference Finals
Steph Curry and his daughter Riley, at the press conference following the Warriors Tuesday night playoff victory. photo by F.D. Purcell
F.D. Purcell
The Antioch Herald
The Babyface Assassin strikes again. It was the MVP vs. his runner-up in Stephen Curry and James Harden. ROARACLE was loud as usual, but Golden State started off slow with Game 1 jitters. Then, when they found their rhythm all systems were go. Curry would finish with 34-points and Harden with 28-points.
“I think we finally realized it was the Western Conference Finals” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “Honestly, sometimes with Game 1 in a series, there’s kind of a feeling-out process.”
“You play against a team that has a certain style, that first 24 minutes in this series is going to be a little bit different, and it took us a while to kind of figure out the pace,” Curry told The Antioch Herald.
The leagues MVP tallied his league-leading sixth 30-point game of the playoffs and his 11th career postseason 30-point game to add to his game-high 34-points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals. On Monday he also added a 2015 BET Awards nomination for Sportsman of the Year.
Houston center Dwight Howard would leave the game in the first half after banging knees with teammate Josh Smith preventing him from running or jumping, he would not return. It is unsure whether he’ll be a go for Thursdays game.
“I hope not. We get a day to rest and we will look at it in the morning. We will see how it feels tomorrow,” Howard said afterwards.
The small lineup Kerr implemented worked for Golden State and Shaun Livingston scored 18 from the bench. Forward Klay Thompson who finished the game with 15 points talked about what the smaller lineup provided for the team who they swept 4-0 in the regular season.
“The ability to push the ball in transition and switch up on defense, and we play with great length.” “They’ve obviously gotten better,” Thompson said of the team they swept in the regular season who came back from a 3-1 deficit over the L.A. Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals becoming the ninth team in NBA history to do so.
With a 1-0 lead in the series Curry brought his other leading lady to the press conference, his adorable two-year old daughter Riley who kept reporters laughing with her outspoken nature, telling her father he needed to lower his voice while speaking.
Clearly it was past her bedtime and as most two-year old’s would do she became bored and bolted from the risers heading for the exit as her exasperated father finished up his press conference mumbling, “I gotta go chase behind a two-year old,” as he walked up the aisles.
As Riley came into the press conference with energy it is no doubt the Rockets will come in with the confidence and defense they displayed in Game 1 in Thursdays Game 2.
Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday at ORACLE Arena.
Game Mentionables:
Shaun Livingston scored a playoff-career high 19-points, the most by a Warriors reserve this postseason scoring a half career-high 16-points in the first half.
Draymond Green secured his eight double-double of the playoffs (12th career in the postseason) with 13-points and 12 rebounds to go with eight assists in a postseason career-high 43 minutes.
Festus Ezeli rolled in with playoff season-highs of six points and four rebounds in 11 minutes.
James Harden finished with a team-high 28 points to go with a playoff-career high 11 rebounds and in assists, missing what could have been his second career postseason triple-double by one assist.
Follow F.D. Purchell on Twitter: @sportsinthebay_
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