The Golden State Warriors came away with a convincing 115-80 Game 3 victory over the Houston Rockets, and now hold a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. It was an impressive win from a numbers perspective, but the Warriors are also playing with a championship-caliber confidence as well.
Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors with 40 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and is playing with a confidence that is intimidating for any opposing defense. Houston hasn’t found an answer for him yet, and it appears to be too late for them to turn that around. There aren’t many players who have the MVP swagger that Curry has, and it is rubbing off on his teammates.
Needless to say, this Rockets team appears to be out of the series already. They played Golden State close in the first two games, but were unable to make the plays late in games to secure wins. Heading into Game 3, the expectation was that James Harden and the Rockets would come out much more aggressive and take a step forward by lowering their series deficit to 2-1.
Instead, the Warriors seemed to come out with even more aggressiveness and desire to take a pivotal three-game lead in the series.
There haven’t been many teams in recent NBA history that have had the type of depth that the Warriors have put together. Steve Kerr has been blessed to have the roster that he currently has in his first year of NBA coaching, and it simply is too much for most teams to handle.
Obviously, everything starts with Curry, but Klay Thompson is a capable No. 1 scorer as well. He has picked Curry up multiple times in the playoffs when he was struggling, and has helped power his team to victory. Even when both Curry and Thompson are struggling, the Warriors have plenty of capable scorers who can step up and fill in for them.
Championships are won by teamwork and depth, and the Warriors have both of those things. They also have an excellent balance of defensive capability and offensive firepower.
Looking ahead at Game 4, the Warriors have everything going for them while the Rockets have nothing but a defeated mindset. They haven’t been able to figure out how to slow the Warriors down, and they simply don’t have the team to make the plays late in games against the Warriors’ talent. Golden State appears ready to head to the NBA Finals to face the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks.
It has been a very entertaining season to say the very least for the Warriors. Even from the very start of the season, they appeared to be the best team in the NBA and the favorites to take home a championship. Those expectations haven’t rattled them, and they have been focused on closing out one game at a time.
Expect to see the Warriors come out with extreme aggression in Game 4; they smell blood in the water. Houston could very well force a Game 5 back at Oracle Arena, but there is a good chance that they will be staying home for good at the hands of a Warriors’ sweep.
Evan Massey is the Green Bay Packers beat writer for www.RantSports.com, and also contributes across the NFL, MLB and NBA portions of the site. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.