League practice facilities are prepping plans to reopen their doors for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to game-action. Yet, the Golden State Warriors season still is likely over. The Warriors league-worst 15-50 record has already eliminated them from the playoff picture with 17 games remaining on the slate.
With Golden State’s playoff hopes already sealed, Warriors Wire is digging back through Golden State’s archive of postseason moments. Warriors Wire has highlighted standout performances and matchups worthy of a rewatch. However, today’s edition of Warriors Playoff Rewind is highlighted for a different reason.
May 28, 2018
As the Golden State Warriors punched a ticket for their fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance, Kevin Durant led all scorers with 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. The back-to-back Finals MVP added five rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Stephen Curry followed his teammate with 27 points on 7-of-15 from 3-point range with 10 assists.
When discussing game seven of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, instead of scoring totals, eyes tend to shift to a different area of the boxscore. The Houston Rockets finished the game shooting just 7-of-44 from long distance.
The Rockets missed an improbable 27 consecutive 3-point attempts. Houston went cold from beyond the arc, missing all attempts from midway through the second quarter until PJ Tucker hit a 3-pointer with 6:28 remaining in the game.
Watch the Rockets cold streak in game seven via YouTube:
With the Rockets’ poor shooting, the Warriors quickly erased an early 15-point Houston cushion. James Harden went 2-of-13 from long range, with Eric Gordon making 2-of-12. In 41 minutes, Trevor Ariza tallied zero points on 0-of-12 shooting with nine missed triples. The trio of Harden, Ariza and Gordon all shot over 35% from deep in the regular season.
Behind Houston’s disastrous cold streak, the Warriors were victorious, 101-92. Golden State advanced to the NBA Finals for a matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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