OAKLAND, CA - MAY 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts in the third quarter of Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 30, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The NBA Western Conference Finals heads back to Oakland as the Rockets take on the Warriors at home for Game 6 on Saturday, and here’s everything we have to look forward to.
The Western Conference Finals enters Game 6 with the Warriors on the brink of failing to defend their title as NBA champions with the Rockets grabbing a 3-2 series lead with their 98-94 Game 5 victory in Houston. Game 5 was, simply put, an ugly, ugly display of basketball, with both teams failing to capitalize on the other’s mistakes far more often than they should have. The Warriors turned the ball over a total of 19 times after averaging around 13 turnovers per game in the postseason beforehand, punctuated by Draymond Green bungling a pass from Stephen Curry with only seconds left in the game, leading to a pair of free throws sunk by Rockets guard Eric Gordon which sealed Houston’s victory. Golden State was sorely missing the playmaking abilities of Andre Iguodala, who sat out of Game 5 due to knee and leg injuries. Word has yet to be released regarding Iguodala’s status for Game 6, but it goes without saying that the Warriors would love to have him back on the floor.
The Rockets injury situation is more set in stone, and not in a good way. After serving as the focal piece of the Rockets offense in Game 5, point guard Chris Paul went down with less than a minute left following a missed runner, injuring his hamstring. While his status for Game 6 was in doubt after the game, Houston confirmed on Friday that Paul would not be able to play in Game 6. This is a huge loss for Houston, as Paul has been instrumental in their success in the postseason so far, especially with James Harden shooting so poorly as of late (5-21 from the field in Game 5, 0-11 from 3-point range). Harden will have to step up his game considerably if Houston is going to prevent Golden State from forcing a Game 7, which would be ridiculously hard to do in Oakland with Chris Paul in the lineup, let alone without him.
Game 6 will start at 9:00 pm EST, and you can check it out on TNT.
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