The Golden State Warriors proved that experience is invaluable on Sunday evening when they defeated the Houston Rockets in a hostile environment on the Rockets’ home floor in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.
After the game, the team talked about how they pulled out the victory.
“Draymond set the tone last night at the team meeting,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, according to ESPN. “Basically, he owned up to losing his poise in Game 6, and I agreed with him.
“I thought the flagrant foul was a tone-setter, and he knew it and so he talked to the group and said, ‘I got to be poised and I have to be better, and we’re going to come in here tomorrow and get it done.’ And I think his emotional stability tonight, just his poise from the start, set a great tone.”
Kerr also heaped praise on shooting guard Buddy Hield, who was instrumental to the victory on both sides of the floor, scoring nine three-pointers and shutting down Rockets guard Fred VanVleet on the other end.
“I thought his defense was tremendous tonight, too,” Kerr said of Hield’s performance. “One of the keys to the game was Fred VanVleet only got two free throws. Fred has just destroyed us the last three games. He’s had an amazing series. He completely flipped things with his play.
“Buddy did a great job on him. So, this was not just a lights-out shooting performance for Buddy, it was a two-way performance.”
The Warriors now face a quick turnaround ahead of their next series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.