Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets
It all comes down to this: Game 7, a winner-takes-all finale between unarguably the best teams in the NBA this 2017-18 season.
Everybody, even the casual basketball fans expected a thrilling series between the two; and blowouts aside, their match-up has lived up to expectations. No team led by two games and it was a see-saw affair through and through, with both powerhouses splitting their home and away games in the opening four matches.
Houston will be happy with their home-court advantage in the final game of the Western Conference Finals. However, make no mistake, SBOBET odds point to a closely-contested affair as the Warriors try to show that they know how to win when it matters.
Talking Points
We can’t move on to the finale without discussing the latest match-up between the two, and man what a spectacular Game 6 that was!
The Warriors didn’t look like themselves in the first half and appeared on their way to an early summer (by Golden State standards). However, trailing by ten at halftime, the Bay Area team pulled off a turnaround of epic proportions and outscored the Rockets 64-25 in the second half—even limiting Houston’s high-octane offence to just nine points in the fourth quarter. NINE POINTS!
Klay Thompson was at the heart of the Warriors’ comeback, banking nine-three pointers en route to 35 points. It was the “Game 6 Klay” we all know, the same man who made an NBA playoff-record 11 three-pointers in Game 6 of the 2016 West Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Thompson was pivotal, and the Dubs will certainly need him at his best once again when they play the decider at Houston. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant remain the main act, but Thompson is equally important to keep the Golden State engine running.
The other half of Splash brothers is definitely on 🔥
Klay Thompson: 💦💦💦💦💦💦💦#DubNation #NBA pic.twitter.com/NU9F5YrTgq
— SBOBET (@SBOBET) May 27, 2018
The same goes for Draymond Green who was overshadowed by Thompson’s raging display from deep. Green quietly made history as he became the first-ever player in NBA history to finish a postseason game with at least nine assists, five blocks and four steals.
With Golden State’s other utility man Andre Iguodala still doubtful to play, Green’s contributions will be highlighted even more.
On the other hand, for the Rockets, the more pressing issue is the status of All-Star point guard Chris Paul who is nursing a right hamstring injury. In the absence of CP3, Houston blew a 17-point lead and lost to the Warriors by 29 points.
The Clutch City team had 26 assists in the match, but it was clear they missed Paul’s contribution on the offensive end. After all, the nine-time NBA All-Star has averaged 19.8 points through five games in the series, even scoring 27 and 20 points as they won back-to-back games in Oracle Arena and Toyota Center.
According to reports, Paul is “less likely than likely” to play. And if those reports are true, James Harden and Co. will undoubtedly have a hard time even if they are playing at home—we have all seen how they struggled in the closing stages of Game 6 despite a hot start.
History
The Warriors have been in this situation before. In fact, it was worse for them in 2016 when they had to battle back from 3-1 down to defeat the Thunder and book a ticket to the NBA Finals.
Not to mention that the Oklahoma team back then featured Russell Westbrook and 2014 Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant—who eventually moved to California to join Golden State the following summer.
Put simply, Golden State know what it takes to win in such clutch situations, and that mentality could prove crucial in Game 7.
Houston, in contrast, raise doubts about their mindset. They had the Finals ticket in front of them, but they let adversity and discouragement get the better of them.
Harden said they remain confident of sealing the series, emphasising that they know what they have to do with or without Paul. Nonetheless, the Warriors are the same, with Thompson saying: “If we take the same focus and execute the game plan [in Game 7] like we should, I have all the confidence in the world in this team.”
What are the odds?
Despite finishing at the top of the West and getting home-court advantage over the Warriors, the Rockets are still labelled as the underdogs at SBOBET.com.
Mike D’Antoni’s men are tipped at Asian Handicap odds +5.50 @ 2.00 while the Warriors—as it has been throughout the series—are the favourites to advance at odds of -5.50 @ 1.90.
Such NBA betting odds are expected though considering that the Dubs are the defending champions that boast four All-Stars and two former MVPs. On the other hand, the Rockets are facing the possibility of playing with only Harden as their legitimate All-Star calibre player.
Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that the final match between the two teams is predicted to end up a low-scoring affair. Under 209.00 pays at 1.90, which suggests that it’s highly likely that the two would end up scoring less than 100 points each.
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