May 26, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) reacts against the Houston Rockets in the second half in game six of the Western conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors had to win to Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals to keep their season alive… and found themselves down 39-22 to the Rockets after one quarter at Oracle Arena. That’s a Rockets team without star point guard Chris Paul (hamstring injury).

So, that was pretty dang terrible, but Golden State completely turned things around in the ensuing three quarters, and especially the second half. The Warriors outscored the Rockets 93-47 after the first quarter, and 64-25 in the second half of a 115-86 victory.  That’s quite the turnaround.

Klay Thompson led the way for Golden State with 35 points — the most he’s scored in a playoff game since 2016 — and a red-hot 9-of-14 shooting from the behind the arc.

The three-headed monster of Thompson, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant combined for 87 points. And after the Warriors only got four points from the bench in their Game 5 loss, they got scoring contributions from six bench players in Game 6. Like on this crazy tip dunk from Jordan Bell:

So now we go to Game 7 in the series we’ve all been waiting for in months. Two juggernauts going down to the last game, with the winner being the *heavy* title favorite. It’s in Houston which is good news for the Rockets as they try to take down the defending champs, but they’d much rather have Chris Paul than a home game.

It will be interesting to see if CP3 gives it a go in Game 7. He’s unlikely to be 100%, but you could certainly understand him trying to play anyway, because this is the season; he has all offseason to rest and he’s never had a championship opportunity. But, if the injury is bad enough where he’s playing at like 50%, that’s probably not worth it, of course.

The Game 7 showdown tips off on Monday night (9 PM ET; TNT) in Houston.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.