Stephen Curryis in downtown Oakland, CA as he steps up to the free throw line.
He’s tired, he’s sweating, and there’s noMVP chantsfor the league’s best active free throw shooter. There’s no cheers being yelled from the fans, no orders being barked from the sideline.
In fact, there’s very little sound at all, nothing to distract Curry as he looks to put the game away. He’s in the zone.
It’s been a long day playing basketball, and all he has to do is drain this free throw to give him the advantage. It’s completely gone down to the wire, and the pressure is on him to sink his next attempt from the line.
“GET IN THERE,” he yells as he follows through on his shot.
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It drops in. The swish from the net echoes throughout the court. “That’s what I’m talking about,” he exclaims passionately.
“I control my own destiny now. I control my own destiny.”
A couple more free throws and an alley-oop later, Curry is visibly happy to come away with the win.
Steve Kerr, always a good sport, is forced to congratulate Curry on winning yet another post-practicefree throw contestas the numerous cameras stationed around their practice facility continue to roll.
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This Wednesday night, theGolden State Warriorswill once again find themselves in Oakland after losing Game 4 of theWestern Conference Finalsto the Houston Rockets. And once again, Curry, Kerr, and the rest of the team will find themselves at the line.
But this line of which I speak is different from an actual free throw line, a sideline or a baseline. This line is metaphorical. Figurative. Another “moment of truth,” if you will.
And as the Warriors step closer to this line, the pressure to deliver the expected results will be just the same. It will only continue to weigh down on them with every passing second.
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Houston is a dangerous foe, one that is now 4-0 in elimination games. Led byMVPrunner-upJames Hardenand a healthyDwight Howard, there’s no telling what this Rockets team is still capable of with theirbacks against the wall.
The chances of the Rockets winning the series are slim at best, as no team has ever came back to win a series after being down 3-0. Nevertheless, the lack of effort from the regular season’sbest defensive teamwas considerably alarming, resulting in a playoff record 45-point first quarter for the Rockets.
In addition, H-Town’s 17-for-32 long range shooting barrage was one for the ages, and Harden’s 45 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists was his best stat line all postseason.
But just to recap: it took 17 threes, a 45-point first quarter, and a near triple-double from the Rockets superstar — who was very well guarded byKlay Thompson,Draymond GreenandAndre Iguodalafor much of the game — to beat the Warriors by just 13 points.
However, no one can count out a team that has cemented itself in NBA lore as just one of the nine teams ever to win a series after being down 3-1, not to mention the team they took out was an incredibly good Los Angeles Clippers team.
In the history of the league, only 10 out of the 116 teams that have ever been down 3-0 have forced a Game 6, just three teams out of that bunch forcing a Game 7. None have won a series, but as Curry has proven with hisunique style of play, there’s afirst for everything.
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Coming off an Eastern Conference Finals sweep against the Atlanta Hawks,LeBron Jamesand the Cleveland Cavaliers will prove as potent an enemy as any. So while they may be up 3-1, the Warriors should still have a sense of urgency to close out this series and get as much rest for the NBA Finals — the franchise’s first since 1975.
But first, the Dubs need to close out the Western Conference Finals and send this Rockets squad back home.
Golden State is, both literally and figuratively, on the line. They fell short on Monday. Will they rise to the occasion this time around? Only time will tell.
Game 5. At home. In Oakland. In front of thebest fans in the NBA.
They control their own destiny now. They control their own destiny.
Next: Potential First Round Picks for the Warriors
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