The Golden State Warriors have been on a winning run ever since stumbling their start in the NBA. With a "death" lineup starring Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, it was not surprising to see them as the most potent team offensively.
It was hard to see any defensive scheme stopping the very potent offense that scored 12 straight wins. It was Mike D'Antoni and James Harden who found the right answer to the Warriors puzzle: offense is the best form of defense.
The Rockets were just as effective offensively as the Warriors; ESPN ranks them as the third-best offense in the NBA, just behind the Dubs and the Portland Trail Blazers. As the Rockets are known throughout the league as a shoot-first-defend-later kind of team, many expected to witness a high-octane shootout from both sides.
With a final score of 132-127 in a double-overtime game, it was easy to say that the game quickly became a classic and had many looking forward to the next game. Durant had a monster night, tallying 39 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Stephen Curry's 28 was a nice support that kept the Dubs in the game.
However, the Rockets managed to out-gun them on offense. James Harden's triple-double outing of 29 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists are just as impressive as his former OKC Thunder teammate. Every fielded Rocket (save Patrick Beverley and Corey Brewer) managed double-digit scoring numbers by the end of the night.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr had to give the honors to the Rockets offense. He told ESPN: "They played a great game. I thought they deserved to win. They outplayed us."
Kerr downplayed the intensity of the game played. He also did not mention how Draymond Green picked up a flagrant-1 after kicking Harden in the face.
While the game would have been a nightmare to watch for all defensive coaches throughout basketball, it definitely showcased just how exciting the NBA can be. Fox Sports' Dieter Kurtenbach had this to say about the game:
"All NBA games could be that fun. All NBA games should be that fun. And perhaps, if the Warriors do what they're expected to do this year and the Rockets come the closest to beating them, all NBA games will be that fun."
