West Conf. Finals - Game 1: Golden State Warriors 119-106 Houston Rockets - Warriors' Player Ratings
Well, for the hype that the Houston Rockets made all season long, regarding their challenge to the Golden State Warriors, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between these two teams turned out to be quite the disappointing affair. A 13-point win for the defending champions meant that they stole home court in their first road Game 1 since Steve Kerr took over.
The road atmosphere didn't seem to matter much to the Dubs, as they withstood an early 12-4 explosion by the Rockets in the first three minutes to eventually take control of the game. Through the first two quarters, it was neck-and-neck, with the scores tied at 56 as both teams headed to the locker room but just like they always have, the Warriors opened the game up in the third quarter by outscoring the Rockets 31-24.
A dialed-in Warriors squad is something else. They won this game by 13 points despite Stephen Curry just scoring 18 and James Harden erupting for 41.
Here are the player rating for Golden State:
Kevin Durant - 9/10
Stat line: 37 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocks on 14-of-27 shooting (3-of-6 on 3s)
Kevin Durant was unstoppable on Monday night in Houston. No matter who the Rockets threw at him - Trevor Ariza, Nene, PJ Tucker, Chris Paul, James Harden, Luc Mbah A Moute - he would just shoot it over them. In terms of scoring and rhythm, this was as close to peak Durant as you might ever see.
He had a couple of shots where he unnecessarily tried to force to issue but other than that, he was sensational in Game 1. A look at his stat line might indicate him not being active in any sphere of the game but the reality is he really didn't have to.
Every time the Warriors needed a quick bucket, they would drop it off to KD and he would just shoot it over the player guarding him. He even got one to fall over the Rockets' mobile shot-blocking center Clint Capela.
It's clear that Houston has no answer for him and that they have to live with him making tough shots.